Aya searched every inch of the surrounding area, but the person she was looking for was nowhere to be found. It made no sense—when he left, he was clearly heading in this direction. So where did he go?
"Even that greedy shopkeeper came all this way just to chase a coin. Unbelievable!"
Aya couldn't stop grumbling about the loss of such a precious item. Should she just give up on it? No, she absolutely couldn't do that.
"Maybe he already went back to the surface? It's possible; he looked human enough."
Since he was nowhere to be found and she had no intention of returning to the previous undersea cities, she decided to swim toward the surface and reach dry land.
"Yeah, that's the plan. Let's just do it."
Taking a deep breath of the air maintained by Fiu's magic, she kicked her legs and began a slow ascent. Water pressure would spike if she swam too fast, and she didn't want to risk suffocating or worse.
"Not that it really applies to someone protected by magic, I guess."
She kicked rhythmically as the sea remained unusually calm today. For a brief moment, she looked back down, wanting one last glimpse of the palace. It was far more magnificent than she had imagined.
Everything was just as Fiu had described: the magic had returned, the ocean was singing, and the palace was a place of wonder once more. Every sea creature seemed to share in the joy of its restoration, and Aya felt a spark of happiness for them.
She turned her gaze upward again, clutching the pearl in her pouch tightly as she hurried to break the surface.
She didn't know then that the dead sorcerer's friend should not have been able to reanimate the spirits or corpses he once controlled. The fact they were still moving was the work of someone else—a mysterious hooded figure peering from behind an underwater wall, watching Aya's departure with a wicked, calculated smirk.
By the time she reached land, Aya was gasping for air. The magic Fiu had granted her vanished the moment she stepped onto the shore. She collapsed onto a small, secluded beach, rubbing her stinging eyes and wiping her salt-crusted glasses.
"Hah... thank goodness. I'm alive."
Her entire body was trembling. Beyond the cold, she was gripped by a sudden, intense fear. For so long, she had been searching for the source of her own bravery, wondering why she hadn't felt terrified when facing such monsters.
"I see..."
She looked sadly at the blue sky, clutching the collar of her damp clothes. "It was because of Queen Fiu's cloak."
Suddenly, the weight of the danger she had survived hit her all at once—a delayed wave of terror. She finally understood: Fiu had been the one saving her all along, not the other way around.
"No time for tears," Aya told herself firmly, sitting up and wiping away the moisture from her eyes. "It's okay to be afraid. I have to get up and find my way home."
But then, her stomach let out a thunderous growl.
"I forgot to eat today..."
She stood up and adjusted her glasses, looking around. Nothing was familiar. There wasn't even a proper path. She was completely lost.
"Great. Now I have no idea where I am."
She wrung out her soaking wet clothes and checked her pockets, making sure the coins and the pearl were still there.
"Still safe," she sighed with relief.
Scanning her surroundings, she eventually found a wooden sign stuck in the dirt. It read:
"Gugua Village." There were no arrows or directions, just the name.
"Where is this Gugua place? I didn't realize this world was so full of villages. And I don't even have a map."
Her stomach growled again like a rooster at dawn. She couldn't ignore the hunger anymore. She searched for food as she walked through the woods, but found nothing edible. The occasional fruit she spotted looked bizarre and unappetizing.
"Seriously, where am I?"
She grumbled her way through the day until she suddenly stopped.
"Oh, right! I forgot to ask for my reward from Queen Fiu. She said she'd give me something 'worthy,' but was it just this pearl?" Aya wondered. She remembered Fiu's promise clearly. "This pearl is probably enough to support two people for a lifetime.
But where am I supposed to go to buy food?"
After wandering aimlessly for a while, Aya heard the sound of screams and crying, followed by the cheers of a crowd. Driven by curiosity, she sought out the source, only to find a group of people brutally mistreating a beast-folk.
Aya's eyes widened in horror. Her mouth hung open, unable to believe the cruelty she was witnessing. It was a sickening sight. She covered her mouth to keep from gagging and backed away slowly.
"What are they doing to him? Will they do that to me too? What happens if they find out I'm a fox?"
Questions raced through her mind, fueled by a paralyzing fear that made her entire body shake. She couldn't think straight. She splashed her face with seawater again and again to snap out of it, but the dread only intensified. Her skin crawled, and she hurried away.
But then—
"Oof!"
Someone collided with her from the front. It was a child.
"I'm sorry, miss! Are you okay?" the child asked, rubbing his head.
"No... I'm fine."
"Okay then!"
Aya looked around. Seeing no adults nearby, she stopped the boy before he could leave.
"W-wait. I... I want to ask you something. Can I?" she asked nervously, her hands still shaking.
"Do you know the way to a city or somewhere else?"
"Oh, sure. Just go straight," the boy said, pointing to the forest behind him.
"Eh? You mean through the woods?"
"Yeah. The people in Gugua are too lazy to build roads, so we just walk. There's a wide path between the trees that leads to the city."
"Right. I don't care if it's Gugua or Gugu-gaga, but thank you."
Aya bowed her head slightly and whispered, "Please... don't tell anyone I was here, okay?"
"Okay!"
The boy nodded and ran off toward a group of adults in the distance. Luckily, none of them seemed to notice Aya.
"Wait... why do I feel so uneasy all of a sudden?"
At first, everything seemed fine. The adults were preoccupied with the child, and no one seemed to notice Aya. For a fleeting moment, she thought the boy truly intended to keep her secret.
"YES! SHE'S A SWEET BIG SISTER! SHE'S RIGHT OVER THERE!"
"HUH!?" Aya gasped, her heart dropping. She never expected this betrayal.
The boy blurted it out without hesitation, even pointing directly at her hiding spot. Though she was tucked behind a massive tree, her position was now completely exposed.
"Dammit! Didn't that kid ever learn how to keep a secret?" Aya hissed under her breath.
"A lady shouldn't use such language. After all, women are supposed to be gentle," a voice remarked nearby.
An old man with a long, flowing beard approached, followed by the group of adults. In an instant, Aya was surrounded. Her mind raced, spiraling into dark thoughts of torture and doom.
I'm going to die here, she thought.
Horrific images flashed before her eyes, especially the sight of the Siluman she had seen being tormented earlier. Fear paralyzed her. The villagers of Gugua stared at her with cynical, piercing eyes, judging her from head to toe.
Why now?
Then, the tension was broken by something entirely unglamorous. Like a cloudless sky suddenly cracking with thunder, Aya's stomach let out a loud, uncontrollable growl. Her hunger was so intense it momentarily eclipsed her fear, leaving her blushing with sheer embarrassment.
"Are you hungry, Big Sister?" the boy asked.
"Oh, she's just hungry. No wonder she was glaring at us so sharply—she's starving. Well, I'll be," a young, pregnant woman said, nodding and smiling cheerfully.
"In that case, we must host a feast. Especially since she's brave enough to pass through Gugua Village," a man added.
"Brave? No, I ended up here by mistake... so—" Aya's protest was cut short as someone shoved her forward.
"Yes, yes! Come on! Hurry up! No time for hair-splitting."
"Hair... splitting?" Aya was baffled, but the half-grown fox-shifter was powerless against the crowd. She was herded into the heart of Gugua Village.
The Elder's House, Gugua Village.
"Is this... really okay?"
Aya's fear evaporated the moment she saw the spread before her. There was an array of dishes that looked remarkably familiar to the food from her homeland. Her mouth watered; she couldn't help herself.
"This is a high-class banquet. Look at all that meat," Aya murmured, her eyes locked onto a massive joint of roasted meat.
"Go on, don't be shy. Eat up," the villagers said, wearing small, knowing smiles.
"Yes, eat your fill!"
The villagers' coaxing worked. Aya devoured plate after plate, finishing every morsel until not a scrap remained.
"This is delicious!" Aya praised, which was met with a sudden burst of applause.
"Wow! Finally, someone who appreciates this meat. I'm impressed!"
"Hahaha! That's what we like to see!"
Aya Kruger—a girl stranded in a strange world, abandoned by her protector, and a wanderer of the deep seas—had finally found a group of people who seemed... kind?
Wait! This is weird. Why are they feeding me? Is this a ritual? Fattening the prey before they roast me?
Her hands froze. She swallowed her last bite, the joy of the free meal replaced by creeping paranoia. She stopped eating immediately.
"Ah, I'm full!" she shouted, startling everyone in the room.
"Oh? You're full already, dear? You only had two plates," an older woman remarked.
Two plates is more than enough, thank you very much, Aya grumbled inwardly.
"Y-yeah, that's just how it is. Haha! I really should be getting to the city now." Aya's voice wavered; her fear was returning in full force. "I have to go."
She forced a polite smile, bowing her head slightly to hide her trembling. "Thank you for the meal."
Aya tried to slip past them, her pace quickening with every step. She was almost clear until a hand gripped her arm with terrifying strength.
"Wait, Big Sister. The meal hasn't even been served yet."
"What? What do you mean it hasn't been served? Didn't I just—!?"
Thump.
Something felt wrong. Despite the two plates of food, her hunger hadn't subsided at all. She looked back at the table where the feast had been. It was gone. Empty.
"Eh?"
"The real meal is about to be served. The main course, I mean," the boy said.
"But... what about all that food from before?"
"Oh, that's all been cleared away."
A sense of dread washed over her. Was she hallucinating? Her stomach felt empty, yet she could still feel the crumbs on the corner of her lip.
Something is very wrong here.
Aya yanked her hand away from the boy's grip. She backed away, her heart hammering as the villagers' smiles turned into cold, cynical stares. The sheer terror caused her fox ears and tail to pop out instinctively.
"Crap." One word, one reaction: Run!
Aya bolted, her tail trailing behind her. In her panic, she forgot which way the boy had pointed toward the city. She ran aimlessly into the woods, desperate for a place to hide before the villagers caught her.
"Hey! Find her, quickly! We can't lose her!"
"Right! I'm terrified of what happens if she treads on this soil for too long!"
The villagers scrambled to find her. Meanwhile, Aya had squeezed herself into a hole in the ground, covering her mouth to muffle her breathing.
This wouldn't have happened if I hadn't gone undersea... no, this is all so sudden.
The villagers' words were ambiguous and terrifying. To Aya, it sounded like they were hunting her like an animal. Her heart raced; she was terrified of facing them again.
"I can't let them find me. If they do, I'll end up just like that other beast-folk."
Huddled in the dirt, she felt safe for a moment, certain she was well-hidden.
"Big Sister? What are you doing? Do you have to poop?"
The boy had appeared right in front of her again.
"NOOOOOOOOO!!!"
The scream echoed so loudly that every resident of Gugua heard it clearly. It was, of course, Aya—the young woman who had been running in circles for the past hour, hopelessly lost.
"Big Sister, you're being so noisy," the boy said, covering his ears. "What are you so afraid of that you'd hide in a hole like that?"
"I-i-it's obvious! You people are terrifying! Killing and skinning that poor woman!" she stammered, scrambling out of the hole and backing away while hugging herself.
"Oh, that. You've got it all wrong, Big Sister. We treated that spirit woman harshly because she had preyed on many men here. She was a troublemaker who almost burned our entire village to the ground."
"Eh?"
Aya stopped retreating. She listened intently to the boy's explanation.
"So that was... the punishment? I don't really understand those things. But then, what about the food that suddenly vanished?" Aya asked, her fear still lingering.
"Oh, that? We were just playing a prank on you."
"Hey! That's a terrible joke! I don't like it!" Aya snapped.
"We're sorry. We don't get many visitors here, so we tend to go overboard when someone stops by," he explained with a sheepish look.
"Well, if you welcome them with terrifying pranks, of course nobody is going to visit!" Aya retorted.
"It's a village habit by now. Everyone does it."
"And what about the 'bravery' and the 'hair'?" Aya pressed, her voice firm.
"You mean Uncle Go's words? That's just our accent. We sound like we're shouting even when we aren't. Please don't hold it against them."
Everything began to make sense. There was no dark secret; the villagers of Gugua were just eccentric and had a very twisted sense of humor.
"So... you aren't monster hunters?"
"Of course not! Why else would we welcome you? By the way, the main course really is ready. You should eat before heading to the city," he said, gently tugging her hand.
My tail popped out because I was scared, Aya thought. I need to learn how to control these shifts.
The other villagers approached her. They looked guilty, though none of them were as brave as the boy when it came to apologizing.
"So, is the welcome party back on?" they asked. They tried to act as if nothing had happened, though they pointedly avoided meeting Aya's annoyed gaze.
"Hmph! I'm leaving!"
"Wait, Big Sister!"
Aya had had enough of their pranks. She wanted out of Gugua Village immediately. She finally relented and asked the boy to show her the way out. At the village boundary, the forest gave way to a vast, shimmering coastline.
"Let me explain a few more things before you go," the boy pleaded.
"I know, I know. I forgive you, but it was still too much. At least the part about the criminal spirit was true."
"Yes, only that part was real. Everything else was a joke," the boy nodded.
"Fine. So, do I just walk straight?" Aya asked, pointing toward the horizon.
"You'll die if you do that. The city is a week's walk from here, and I doubt you have enough supplies."
"Eh? Then what am I supposed to do?"
Aya gasped. A week of walking sounded like a nightmare.
"Relax."
The boy held out his hand, and an oval, transparent shimmer appeared in the air. It looked like a mirror, but there was no reflection of Aya in it.
"What is this?" Aya asked, looking back at the boy.
"A portal," he answered simply. "It will take you to the city in an instant."
Aya was stunned. She hadn't expected this scantily-clad boy to possess such powerful magic. "Who are you, exactly?"
"All of us in Gugua are sorcerers. Even though our village is on land, we are bound to the undersea realm where our comrade has taken the throne."
Comrade... sorcerer... Queen. It all pointed to one person.
"You mean Queen Fiu? She told me she was a sorceress. Are you all her descendants or relatives?"
"Yes," the boy nodded. "Fiu became Queen because of the crisis below. I assume you know the story if you're here."
"I do. I met her."
The boy gestured toward the portal. Aya stepped forward, feeling a strange vibration hum through her body as she approached the shimmering glass.
"Oh, Big Sister! I forgot one thing! The destination is random, so I can't be sure which city you'll hit! Sorry!"
"HUH!?"
Before she could protest yet another Gugua prank, a massive surge of energy swallowed her.
In a flash, the quiet forest was replaced by the deafening roar of a bustling metropolis.
"That little brat! Why didn't he tell me I'd end up in some random city?!" Aya grumbled, brushing the dust off her still-damp clothes.
The portal flickered and vanished behind her. She stood in the middle of a chaotic street filled with the sounds of iron-clad carriages, real horses, and thousands of voices.
"Welcome! Please, take a brochure! Everything you need to know is right here. Enjoy your stay!"
A girl dressed in a bunny-girl waitress outfit skipped up to Aya, thrusting a piece of paper into her hand with a bright, wide smile.
Aya looked down at the brochure. Bold, flashy letters screamed from the front page:
'WELCOME TO D-DANCE CITY!'
The name was so eccentric and flashy that Aya could only stand there, blinking in total shock.