Chapter 6: Reason. Part 3

Unknown location

“GAH! Ah! Ah…! Ah… gsk… ah…”

Sweeping her black eyes around, the girl seemed agitated as she emerged from her slumber. She was barely able to focus her gaze, a consequence of the recent accident on the road. Her minibus had abruptly crashed into a tree, not to mention being repeatedly flipped over on the uneven terrain of the forest.

Now, they were near a stream. That's what Haeri deduced when she heard a sound similar to water flowing and splashing on rocks.

“Water…”

She slowly got up from her seat, holding her aching neck.

Her traveling companions lay scattered under sleeping bags, food supplies, and even on top of each other inside the minibus.

They reacted over time as they removed the pieces of glass from their clothing.

“But what…?”

“Ugh… My hand!”

“I-Is everyone okay?”

“Didn't you hear me?! My hand! I'm bleeding out!”

"Gitta… What 'bout you? Are you ok?" Haeri asked.

"I am… How are you feeling?" the boy addressed the others as he readjusted his beret.

"D-Doger hurt his hand," Xiomara said, holding the distressed boy.

The cut wasn't really serious, but it was deep enough for blood to drip from his fingers. That appearance is what alarmed them.

"… Where are we?"

Sein lifted his head from the driver's seat. He immediately went to his companion beside him.

"I-Izzy!?"

"Fortunately, I’m unharmed.”

“The real question is... what hit us?

Haeri wasn't entirely sure what she saw; those indistinguishable shadows in the bushes. She chose to remain silent while Nisha offered his own guesses, as best as his condition allowed.

"Tsk... Maybe... It could have been a bear... It's likely..."

"Well, unless it was a rhino or an elephant, I doubt anything else could have sent us flying like that… Either way, take care of Doger. That wound doesn't look too good," Garwin commented, glancing at him. "Don't move it too much."

Miruno appeared to be physically unharmed as well. He looked up outside and made a completely unenthusiastic announcement.

"We've arrived..."

"Arrived? To Homen?"

"Not exactly."

At that moment, he realized it. He recognized the overgrown trees, the poorly constructed homes made of tin and wood, the dirt-covered field where not a single plant ever grew…

“(How did we end up here? Again…)” Xiomara thought, looking away.

The landscape was just as she had last seen it years before: disappointing, desolate, and depressing.

“…Consider it the borders of this province,” Miruno said.

“I've already told you…”

“And I understand perfectly, Izzy. I remember the cities are close to us. Let's retreat as quickly as possible to treat our friend and avoid the already dangerous night in this remote location. This place… has already died.”

“Hey! This hurts, you know,” the restless Doger demanded from behind him. Sein heard him and was quick to start the engine.

“O-Okay. Just tell me the route, Miruno.”

“…Trust me.”

Stepping on the accelerator, the silver minibus entered a dirt road heading in the opposite direction from the village.

However, after traveling about 15 meters, it gradually slowed down until it came to a complete stop.

“W-What…? It's not accelerating! It's not accelerating! But it does have enough gas…”

“What are you saying, Sein? Let me check.” Garwin swapped seats with him and gave him a thorough check. Detecting the problem, he immediately turned off the engine. “Hm… It's lucky this minibus has such an electronic system. We would have exploded if it didn't.”

“R-Really?! Why?”

“Heh, just kidding. Although it's always dangerous for the engine to overheat to this point. The system itself has prevented it from getting any worse, but we must fix it.”

Some cars have "advanced" systems that automatically prevent overheating when they detect it. It was fortunate for them that the minibus they were traveling in had one.

"Garwin... This isn't the time to joke. We're in a hurry... What can we do?"

"Let's see... If there's no sign of smoke coming from the engine, we'll wait for its temperature to drop before pouring water into the radiator through the reservoir. Of course, there's no guarantee that some components are already fried."

"Gsk... Sein. How could you have been so blind as to not notice?" Doger exclaimed.

"It was unintentional... I didn't realize... I wasn't..."

"Don't blame him. In the midst of what's happening, it's hard for anyone to pay attention... Okay, let's do it."

"There's an issue..." Nisha intervened, holding up a clear plastic gallon.

He had been picking up items from the floor when he noticed some were wet. Now he knew why.

It was just a few drops away from emptying completely; the gallon in which they stored all the water for the journey.

“A hole must have opened up when it just fell...”

There never was a rill, as Haeri had thought, it turned out to be that leak she heard the moment she came to.

“…”

The robust boy just sighed in disappointment and got out of the vehicle. Soon his companions followed suit.

“All my clothes… wet…”

“What do we do now?”

Stepping on the mud-covered ground, Doger sat on the steps of the minibus held by Xiomara and Nisha, while the others scanned the dark surroundings while they thought of a solution.

“We can walk there, right?” Sein suggested timidly. He had already made a mistake and didn’t want to do it again.

The light-eyed lady retorted.

“I do not know the route from here, but I know we’re not close enough to walk. By then, Doger’s wound could get swollen and then infected, and this damp environment isn’t helping.”

Miruno, who was waiting seated on a nearby stump, ran a hand through his blond hair and addressed the young woman.

"It's unnecessary to get more hostile. I know of a water source in this area."

"If I heard correctly, you said a minute ago that this town is desolate, Miruno."

"It certainly is. It was a victim of neglect after the events Nisha already mentioned, especially after the closure of the very place that will help us in our current predicament."

Raising his emerald gaze, he indicated where his colleagues should continue to discover the truth behind his convoluted words.

"...The Homen Orphanage."

A vast building rose up around the corner.

Measuring 750 square meters, made of wood, with two floors and in the middle of a wooded lot, it turned out to be the most prominent structure in the humble town.

"If there are water reserves anywhere, it's here," Izzy said to herself before referring to the rest of the group. “In that case, let Garwin, Sein, and Gitta accompany you.”

"Me?" the stranger asked, somewhat surprised.

His companion, Haeri, took a few steps forward as a sign that she would also go, but before she could say a word, the light-eyed lady intervened.

"Only. The rest of us will wait for their return."

"I'll follow him"

"It’s… all right, Haeri. Wait here with them."

Of course, she didn't like the idea of ​​separating, surrounded by strangers. The feeling was mutual. She took Gitta by his jacket and murmured closely.

"...Something's not right here, Gitta. And... I know you well. At least try not to trust them more than necessary."

She was right.

It wasn't just the fact that he was accompanying revolutionaries that worried Gitta, but also what he saw in the forest. He still didn't know if the dream had played a trick on him or if it turned out to be something more.

"Yes..."

She was beginning to realize the same thing. Perhaps the recent accident had opened her eyes to the seriousness of the situation they were in.

Manecia was anything but a safe place. They had to be cautious; that was Manecia.

"Okay, buddy. Let's not waste any more time," Garwin announced with a smile, preparing himself with sacks on his back alongside Sein and Miruno.

Gitta nodded and, exchanging glances with his companion one last time, joined the group, setting off for the Homen Orphanage.

-[Ø]-

Bathed in the light of the moon setting behind the gray clouds, stood the monumental and unusual orphanage in the province of Homen.

All that could be heard was the chirping of crickets, the waves of wind against the branches, and the footsteps of the group members.

The four young people; Garwin, Sein, Gitta, and Miruno made their way through the ancient bushes leading to the main entrance.

The two-meter-high gate was covered in a thick fence of dried, thorny roots and chilling cobwebs. Using a piece of wood, Garwin moved them and with his thick arms grasped both door handles to carefully open it.

Stepping inside, each of his steps left a wave of dust and a faint echo behind them in the cloudiness inside. It was then that Sein slung one of the bags he was carrying from his shoulder and, with Miruno's help, they extracted a pair of flashlights. They turned them on and illuminated their surroundings.

"Oh, it's big... Bigger than I expected."

"You think so, Sein? I must say it seems smaller to me, according to my memory," Miruno commented.

The first thing they noticed was the large room they were in, and beyond it, a circular staircase leading to the second floor, splitting into opposite paths.

"We only have two lanterns..."

"Keep one; Garwin will go with you. I'll search with our newest companion. We're short on time, so you'll take care of the first level. Usually the storage rooms are in the kitchens. Let's keep water as a priority, but if you find any useful 'extras'..."

"We'll take what's necessary, Miruno," Garwin replied, readjusting the sack on his back. "Now I ask you, is there anything else we should know before we begin?"

The blond boy took a few seconds before replying.

"...Be careful where you walk, some boards could collapse."

“Okay. It's time to move. If you finish early, wait at this entrance, and we'll do the same.

With a wave of his hand, Sein and Garwin headed to the back of the hall. Meanwhile, Miruno and the stranger climbed the steps.

“…Could you remind me of your name?”

“Ah, you can call me Gitta. Gitta Vintana.”

“It's a pleasure again, Gitta Vintana. My sincere apologies that you have to pay attention to our trivialities.”

“(Trivialities?…) Don't worry, I'll be happy to help.”

“Hm… You're really formal. Try not to get overwhelmed by it.”

“…Excuse me for asking, about that girl… why would I…?”

“You mean Izzy? She is indeed a reasonable woman; her every decision is based on logic. That fact hasn't changed since I met her. She may have sent 'just the bare minimum,' which indicates that you mean something to her. However, just don't overthink it, just trust.”

“…”

Stopping at the top of the steps, Miruno began to cough repeatedly.

“Are you okay...?”

“Cough... It's nothing. Concentrations of dust tend to harm me... Cough...

They then found themselves immersed in a maze of rooms along the two corridors. The water could be in any of them. Even remembering the use of each room wouldn't help with such a long time. Miruno knew that.

“I couldn't tell you where to begin... cough...”

“Let me do it for you, please.”

The stranger offered, holding out his hand to receive the sack. Miruno agreed to hand it over along with the lantern, but kept a small bag.

“Start with the opposite row, I'll do what I can in this one.”

“Good.”

Without wasting any more time, Gitta followed the order and began the search, entering one of the rooms.

-[Ø]-

“Guh… It hurts, man...”

Surrounded by the abandoned villa, the wind blew less strongly against the dry trees, leaving a deeper silence in the solitary environment. If it weren't for the boy's complaints, nothing at all would have been heard on that dark night.

They were outside, a few meters from the minibus, sitting on thick, cut trees left on the ground.

“Don’t move too much, Doger.”

Receiving a bottle of ethyl alcohol from Xiomara, Izzy cleaned her own hands, then took his and brought another container closer.

“This is saline solution; it might bother you a little.”

“W-Wait. Do it very carefully… Tsk…”

Having sterilized the wound on the boy's hand, the girl took bandages from one of her pants pockets and proceeded to cover it.

"…Izzy, none of this would have happened if it weren't for your obsession with saving space. You're taking all of this too seriously."

"That doesn't matter now, Doger," Xiomara retorted. "Besides, it's not her fault things ended up this way. Stop being…"

"The wound has stopped bleeding. Adjusting these bandages will suffice for now."

Xiomara had countered for her friend, but the latter calmly intervened.

"…"

"Xiomara, I'll take care of the rest. Go and rest in the minibus while the others return."

Those clear eyes had seen right through her. Indeed, Xiomara was showing signs of uncertainty that she thought she hid well from her friends, but it seemed to be ineffective against Izzy's keen insight.

"Fine. If you need anything..."

"Don't worry."

"..."

Heeding her friend's direct request, she got up from the trunk and, after shaking out her long cardigan a bit, headed toward the minibus.

Seeing this, Izzy turned back to the boy holding his injured hand.

"Tsk, all for listening to them... Izzy.”

She remained silent as she finished bandaging him.

Meanwhile, the blonde girl returned to the vehicle. Although she didn't enter, she simply sat on the steps and hid her face, in a position where others couldn't see her depressed state.

Just hearing the name of the place where she grew up was shocking. Now she found herself right in front of that horrifying place.

The night everything changed for her was just one more of the repulsive memories that relentlessly flooded her mind.

A long time had passed. And she thought she could handle it.

Clearly, she couldn't.

"…"

A girl hanging around had noticed her, but walked right past.

It was Yong Haeri, the foreigner accompanying them; oblivious to them and their worries.

She occupied her time looking around: the dilapidated old homes, the decaying nature, and the graffiti-covered walls. Among the latter, one of the pieces of paper stuck to them caught her eye.

It rippled in the few remaining breezes. She peeled it off and looked closely.

"('Join... Do something with... your life. Wolves?' I still can't read this...)" she thought.

The sheet had a few words written in Spanish, a language she hadn't fully mastered yet, but what truly caught her interest was the strange drawing that appeared; a kind of deformed wolf in the night, or was it a bull? It was so poorly drawn that she even found it a little funny. It reminded her of the ones we all drew in elementary school.

Taking her hood off, as well as the curious piece of paper from her eyes, she glimpsed the last member of the group waiting outside, Nisha Quinto.

The boy had taken most of the luggage out of the minibus, trying not to get any wet from the recent incident with the leaky water cans.

He was then engrossed in searching for something specific.

Haeri wanted to remain distant, until the stepping on a branch made the boy notice her.

"Oh, Haeri... right? Not to bother you, but... could you help me with something?"

"...I can't. I'm still injured from the accident this morning," the young woman immediately excused herself as she approached and threw the paper aside. The injury to her arm and shoulder wasn't so severe that it prevented her from moving a few bags and books.

"Sorry... It was disastrous, unfortunately. It's... It's still good that we're okay after what's happened to us so far. It could have ended much worse," Nisha said, pausing momentarily to hold his forehead.

"I barely remember it, and honestly, I'd rather stay that way."

"Uh... I didn't mean-... Gsk...!"

Continuing on his own, the boy tried to move some heavy bags without success. His leg gave way to the pain.

And before he dropped the items, Haeri approached to help him hold them.

"Tsk, I thought you were unharmed."

"H-He he... I thought you weren't."

"..."

Checking his leg, there was a purple spot, a clear bruise near his knee.

"Shouldn't that girl be checking you out?" "Iz…zy?

“This will heal itself in a few days, and... she already has enough on her plate."

"(We all have them...) If that's what you want... What are you desperately looking for?"

"Oh, a map. There should be one with directions to the center of Homen, or at least our location. I'm sure I collected several from my house... Where could they be?"

Miruno's memory seemed clouded by time. After all, like him, they were traveling through the area years ago.

Just to be sure, Nisha was looking for a detailed map that would better guide them to their destination.

Continuing with the task, Haeri knelt down to help.

"What exactly awaits us at that famous place?"

"Our families..." Nisha clarified. "Once there, we'll try to contact our colleagues in the capital. As I recall, there's a housing development in the district, so we hope there's a mobile signal." And when we contact them, we'll find them as soon as possible. In this scenario, it's best to be together before doing anything else... Besides, my mother wants me to go there specifically, for some reason. I just hope she's okay. For as long as I can remember, she's always been a somewhat... restless person.

"Heh, I understand very well. My father is exactly the same."

"Where is he now? Could it be that..." (Was he on the plane with them?)

"If you think he was accompanying us, he wasn't. Luckily for him, he wasn't. He's probably happily flying over the Atlantic right now. You know, he's the best pilot in the air force. The best of this era."

"Oh, I see."

Seeing the girl before him finally begin to express herself, Nisha couldn't help but smile.

"Is this what you were looking for, right?"

Pushing aside some soggy books, she found what she assumed was the aforementioned map. In fact, she found several.

Taking care not to break them because of the water, she handed them to the boy.

"Hm..."

"Is it?"

He examined them with some disappointment on his face. He approached Haeri and showed them to her. Most were illegible and crumbled to pieces in his hands.

Only one remained, the map of the country. Of little use due to its scale.

So as not to diminish her efforts, the boy acted as if it were very useful.

"(I was expecting a district map...) We're here, and we're heading this way," Nisha explained, pointing with his finger at a spot near the center of the map. He slid it a few millimeters to the right, showing the nearest destination.

"So close...? If it's that far away, we could walk there."

"This isn't a map of a city or district, it's the entire Republic of Manecia. Each section is a province."

“Ugh… (I only see mountains… Or so they seem… Can we go back like this?) How do you know that where we're going even exists a city like this?

“Well… My mother has several acquaintances there. Before we moved to Los Canes, we lived in Homen. I was just a kid.”

“(That's true… This is their country, after all. Tsk, we're the ones who are truly lost…).”

“Haeri?”

“So I should assume it's not the only city here, or am I wrong? … What about the other provinces?”

The more she delved into the subject, the more she tried to find a way to find her friends again, the further she strayed from the path back home. Such regression frustrated her, but she had to continue; she had to squeeze as much information out of him as she could, necessary or unnecessary; anything went her way.

Nisha wasn't aware of such thoughts, but he intended to help her one way or another, so he didn't hesitate.

"Mm... Let's see... Most of the residential areas are located in the center, in the province of Matria, although Seles and Menestra have also developed in recent years. The... problems in Matria have led to a mobilization, and this in turn has caused new ones."

"What kind of problems?"

"...”

"...?"

He didn't answer the question. He just continued with the explanation.

"T-The other provinces... Loa and Anima have smaller populations, especially Anima."

"Is there a... port or bay?" Haeri asked.

The boy drew an imaginary line on the nation's west coast.

"As far as I understand, La Quilla is the only province with functioning ports. I don't watch the news much."

“(Flying now would be suicide. It's simple, if we can't leave by air, we'll do it by sea...). The immense Atlantic Ocean is in the East; you're not going to tell me there are no ports there either. Heh, that would be a really bad joke. For example, here...” Haeri pointed to a specific spot, to the east of Manecia.

Blurred by the water, it was the only province impossible to distinguish on that map.

Palhas, the eighth province.

“Everything in this country has a funny name, huh? “the girl expressed sarcastically.

“He he, yeah... Uhm... Hm... To be honest, little is known about that province. No one mentions it these days, and no one visits it. Although in a way, I understand. For Palhas, Acracia functions as a natural boundary that isolates it from the rest of the country... I remember when I was a child, I visited it with my mother one Christmas... Miles of meadows and a beautiful beach are all I remember. I wonder if there's still a way you can get there without crossing the difficult mountains.

"GUYS, WE'RE BACK!"

They were interrupted by the group of four they were waiting for in the distance.

Garwin was chatting amicably with Gitta. It seemed like he was starting to like the stranger, or was it simply due to the sociable nature of his personality?

They were returning from the Orphanage carrying several sacks of bottled water and other trinkets.

"Was it necessary to shout it from the rooftops? You gave me quite a scare, Gar," Doger commented as he stood up to greet them.

"I thought you were sleeping. I couldn't help but miss the opportunity to disturb you.”

"...Who could sleep here, man"

"But you're as fit as a fiddle, Doger. Was there any need to rush in the first place?"

"This is just a quick fix. If I don't want my hand to fall off, let's get out of here." The boy with messy hair showed his bandaged hand with an annoyed expression.

“(I see the lack of sleep is affecting us, huh) Okay, let's get to work.”

Not wanting to waste another second, he instructed his companions to leave the water near the minibus's engine while they loaded the rest of their luggage.

And he wasn't the only one in a hurry; right after, Gitta approached his traveling companion, who was waiting next to Nisha.

“Haeri, are you okay? Has something happened?”

“Nothing at all.”

She had some business to discuss, based on the recent information she'd gathered, but seeing him tired made her change her mind. There would be another time for that.

“Excuse me, Gitta. Could you help us get all this stuff back into the minibus?” Nisha said, gathering the books and sacks from the floor.

There was a certain inexplicable silence before Gitta's reply.

“…”

“?”

"I'll do it right away. Haeri's arm is hurt, so I'll take care of her part as well."

"Um, fine, sure."

Having completed their respective tasks, the group returned to the minibus. They tested whether it would start this time.

"Come on, turn on!"

The "repair" turned out to be a mere temporary fix, which they hoped would at least get them to their destination. There was no guarantee that more than one internal component wasn't already carbonized.

"It started! Heh, I'm a master at this," Garwin said, this time driving. "Now rest, I'll take care of the rest. I'm warning you there might be a bit of turbulence, I hope you understand."

"So another bear can send us flying? I won't blink until we get there, man, I won't," Doger replied as he closed one of the few windows that hadn't been broken by the incident and used duct tape to cover the others.

Ultimately, he spoke for all his companions, since no one contradicted him.

"Even so, it would be impossible for you without my guidance."

"You're right, Miruno," Garwin prepared himself. "A cup of coffee would help right now... Oh well, we're off."

Leaving the Homen Orphanage behind, Xiomara watched it far away, hidden by the withered trees along the road. Miruno had noticed her expression, responding with indifferent silence.