Misha and Her World [FINAL]

Cool air drifted against Misha’s skin when she heard a set of doors being opened, the hum of something distinctly mechanical working itself throughout the walls. Strangely enough, shades of color began to swim through her mind’s eye as if it were by second nature. She could see the rough outline of two small roundtables flanked by two stools each; all of which were short enough for her to sit on. Beyond that was a long counter with several more seats sat in front of it, dressed in the same hue of warmth cast down by a glimmering sunset.

Great, it’s a bar. Dad really made me love those, huh? Tch.

Misha couldn’t help but shiver, trying her best to keep a smile.

For some reason, though, it feels cozier than I expected… I guess she must have been here a lot.

“Arven!” Rheed called out from beside her.

“Hm? Ah, gimme a sec cap, I’m tryna work on something here…” Arven’s voice, as gravelly and deep as it was, reminded Misha of a grizzly bear. Not one that was so menacing to warrant fear necessarily, but rather one that was larger than life and cuddly all the same. She didn’t even realize that was possible.

“Ahem… It’s me, Mister Arven. I’m awake! Sorry for being out for so lo— YAGH!”

“Kiddo!”

Booming footsteps rushed towards her so quickly that, by the time she finally reacted, she felt tree trunks wrapping around her in a tight squeeze.

“T-Too tight…! Can’t breathe…!”

“Kiddo, you’re okay…!” It took Arven a while before he finally let her go, placing his hands on her shoulders. “You know how worried I’ve been about ya? Could barely catch a wink of sleep, thinkin’ you really bit the dust like that…”

“Come on Arven, there’s no need to be so dramatic,” Rheed laughed softly. “I told you, Labrysta said she was going to be fine from the start.”

“Oh really, cap? At least I wasn’t the one pacin’ around the entire Sanctorium not knowing what to do with themselves,” Arven scoffed. “Betcha when she woke up you sounded all calm-like. No need to hide your feelings, eh?”

“I wasn’t hiding anything,” Rheed audibly sighed. “I was just putting my trust in Labrysta’s judgement, that’s all. Plus, getting all worked up would’ve done nothing for her, especially when she was still in such a weak state…”

“Yeah, yeah, cut me the logistics,” Arven sounded a little sarcastic at that. With a gentle yet still sudden sweep of an arm, Misha wasn’t expecting to be swept off her feet. She let out a small yelp before she felt herself being placed atop what felt like a broad shoulder.

“W-Whoa!”

“Huh? My bad, was it too early for that?” Arven sounded a little confused, setting her down until she was standing on her own again.

“N-No, it’s fine, I was just surprised, that’s all. Have I really been out for that long, though?”

“It has been several cycles since you were last conscious, yes,” Kiria added, but that only confused her more. “Typically if a person were to fall into a pit of memoria, they would be completely eviscerated… a rather pleasant way of summing it up. Frankly, your case befuddles me.”

The heck? That sounds terrifying!

“I guess I just got lucky?”

“Luck hardly describes the start of it.”

Arven cleared his throat rather loudly. “Ah-em! Let’s not go into the details, yeah? Why don’t we all sit down and have a nice drink to celebrate?”

It took just about every bit of Misha’s willpower to not cringe at the thought. “Ahaha, sorry, I don’t do well with drinks…”

“Well with drinks? You’ve always been a heavy drinker, though!”

Wait a second. I kept assuming that Misha was a pretty normal girl, but what if she’s actually some kind of insane delinquent? You guys are terrible role models! You shouldn’t be encouraging this kind of thing!

“Misha’s still in the process of reconnecting to her memories in the archivia, Arven.”

Yes, I knew it! Thanks for the save, Rheed!

“Though I’m sure if you give her her usual, I’m sure she’ll perk right up and remember a few things,” he continued.

What? No! How could you betray me like this?!

“Good idea, cap! Here, lemme whip something up real sharp. Why don’t you all take a seat? Oh, and new girl, I’m gonna need to know what you want.”

“I’ll take one glass of whatever you have, I don’t particularly mind." Kiria droned.

“You know that isn’t an answer, right?” Arven said.

“It is now.”

Misha could barely believe this was happening to her as Rheed guided her to one of the counter stools, letting her feel around the place until she was able to sit down. A part of her wanted to get up and run away, but she knew that would only make her look even more suspicious—not to mention the very obvious elephant in the room that was nowhere to be seen. The best she could do in this situation was keep a shaky smile, tapping her nails on the wooden counter.

“First up for the little lady is a classic: the Moonlit Waves.”

Misha heard the soft clinkling of a glass, followed by the noise of liquid trickling steadily like the thrum of a heartbeat. With a slow swish, bits and pieces of what she assumed to be crushed ice collided with one another, creating a predictable symphony that eased her into her seat. Perhaps the image was enhanced in her mind because she couldn’t see, but ocean waves washed lovingly along her ankles under the watch of the endless sea of the sky.

By the time Arven set the drink before her, she could already tell what shades it took on. Dotted with little white stars, and an ethereal fade from a deep blue to a nebulaic purple. It reminded her of whenever she looked outside the window in her room, past the great oak tree in her backyard and into the vastness beyond.

Hesitant hands reached out to cup the glass, pressing the rim to her lips. What slipped down her throat was not the harsh flavors she was expecting: rather, there was the sweet tanginess of fruits that she’d never tasted before. It reeled her in before pulling away from her taste buds just as quickly, and its sudden withdrawal only made her want to take another sip.

“The Moonlit Waves is a special drink. The taste leaves you wondering if what you experienced was real or simply a forgotten memory with each sip. Like watching stardust fall from the skies, you can only experience the awe of it briefly before you have to return to your normal life,” Arven whispered, waiting until Misha finished the whole of her drink. “Was it to your taste, little lady?”

Whether she knew it or not, her answer was written plainly on her lips. Her earlier assumptions couldn’t have been more wrong—judging by the scent alone, there was no alcohol in this drink, only fruit.

When was the last time I drank something so delicious? Vending machine soda doesn’t even come close to this. I shouldn’t have doubted them before, but… these people are good people.

“Glad you enjoyed it,” Arven laughed softly, letting her bask in its aftertaste before speaking up again. “Now then, cap and uh…”

“Kiria.”

“Kiria, right. I’ll go and get your drinks whipped up: a plain old Waterfall for the cap and some black tea for you.”

“That sounds… rather perfect. My thanks,” Kiria sounded a little dumbfounded at that.

It’s all so strange. I’ve only known these people for so long, but it feels like I’m right at home. To be honest, it feels more like home than… well, home. If I get too comfortable, will I end up forgetting the reason why I’m here? That can’t happen—I won’t let that happen. There’s still something I have to do.

Just as Misha was sorting through her thoughts, she heard the doors to the bar swing open, and by instinct she turned her head towards the sound.

“Ohhh, Misha~!” A mature woman’s lively voice practically sung off of the walls. Weirdly enough she didn’t hear any footsteps coming her way, so when the mysterious woman brought her into a weightless hug, she was caught by surprise.

“Wah!”

“What’re you surprised about? It’s just me, silly,” the woman drew back, pinching Misha’s cheeks.

“Labrysta? What’re you doing out of the archivia?” Rheed sounded more than a little shocked, but all he received was a monotonous hum.

“You guys were taking too long, so I came down to see her for myself,” Labrysta yawned. “And plus, some good news… Misha’s fully recalibrated with the archivia! She should be fully recovered now.”

“I’m still astonished by the effectiveness of a Sanctorium’s technology,” Kiria said. “Perhaps miracles do exist, after all.”

“There’re no miracles Kiria, it’s just how the world works,” Labrysta hummed. “Anywho, Rheed, Kiria. Are you two finished with your drinks? If you’ll let me pull a leg, I want to have a chat with you both.”

“We didn’t get them yet, but we can leave now, if that is your wish,” Misha heard the wobble of a stool in Kiria’s direction, followed by the pitter patter of her footsteps. “Come now, Rheed. Let us get going.”

“What, cutting the celebration off early?” Arven sighed. “Alright, fine, go on ahead then. I’ll keep watch over the little lady here.”

“Thanks, Arven,” Rheed said before his voice directed itself to Misha. “Don’t worry, we’ll be back in a bit.”

“Huh? Wait! Where are you guys going?”

“We’re just going to connect Kiria to the archivia, that’s all,” Labrysta said. “With her around, the Sanctorium’s going to be moving even faster than before. You can count on it!”

Even though Misha felt like she should’ve said something else, the three had already left, leaving her alone with the bartender.

And that leaves two…

Though disappointed at first, she began to shift gears.

Wait a second, this is a perfect time, isn’t it? I can finally ask about the Ley Lines! Bartenders are supposed to be knowledgable about the world, right?

“Say, Mister Arven. Do you know about these things called the ‘Ley Lines’?”

“Hm? Can’t say I have, no,” the squeak of a cloth brushing against glass cut between his words. “Why do you ask? Is that something you found while you were out exploring with the cap?”

Okay, that’s a little weird. Everybody knows about the Ley Lines. Come to think of it, the restored world is supposed to have a lot of people, right? So why is there basically nobody here?

“Y-Yeah! They were these large red streaks that I saw on the ground once. Apparently, they breathe life into their surroundings to create organic stuff from nothing. Not only do they give abundance, but legend has it that they were made to restore the world… or something like that, hahaha.”

“Uh… huh,” Arven fell silent for a moment. “It must be nice, that.”

“Huh?”

“That little story, I mean. Your brother’s good at spinning those: amazing, even. I have no idea how he does it, but I guess he’s had your whole life to practice it,” Arven said. “Do you believe in his stories?”

“But it’s true… The Ley Lines really do exist.”

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Arven’s tone dipped into something melancholic. “Stories are incredible. They can capture the picture of a moment eternally and paint as beautiful a scene as they want. It doesn’t matter how ugly it might actually be. So long as whoever’s writing the story has the pen, they can make you see what you want to see.”

“Um… what? I don’t get it.”

“Don’t worry about it, I’m just rambling. It’s something from an old book I read back when I was working in Rumia. All I’m saying is that your brother is a good man, and I wouldn’t doubt the truth of his stories for the world.”

Rheed seems to be pretty well-respected around here. Arven calls him “cap,” and that woman from before—Labrysta, was it?—wanted to talk to him too. He must be the leader of this “Sanctorium.” But what is a Sanctorium, anyways? Maybe if I can word this a little more carefully for a two-in-one combo...

"It's so quiet here. I know there's my brother, Miss Labrysta, and Kiria, but where did everybody else go? Is it just us here? Sorry, my memory's still all over the place..."

"Hey, no sweat off of you, little lady," Arven laughed. "It's always been just the four of us... well, until Kiria came along with your brother from the caverns. It's a wonder how Labrysta keeps this thing moving."

"The Sanctorium?"

"Yeah, the Sanctorium. Y'see, whenever somebody comes on board, we get a new Leg. Those Legs let us move across the land, and the more we've got, the faster we go. You'd think we're pretty slow just because we only have five of 'em now, but we're still holding decent pace."

So that's it, then. A Sanctorium must be like a moving fortress, or something... but somehow it knows when to grow Legs when a person is on it? Aha!

"Ohhh, so wait, the thing that Miss Labrysta mentioned... she said she was going to connect Kiria to the archivia, right? is that how the Legs sprout out?"

"Yup..." Arven cleared his throat. "Don't tell your brother I told you all that, but I think at this point you deserve to know this much."

So let me get this straight. The Sanctorium is a moving fortress that grows as more people board it, and by connecting somebody to an archivia, it proceeds to grow more Legs. That's actually really cool! I wonder what kind of tech they're using to even do that, though... Ah! I know! Maybe I can find out from them! I'm sure Arven knows where they went, right?  

“Mister Arven, could you take me to wherever Miss Labrysta went? I want to talk to her.”

“...S’that so?”

Arven wrapped around the counter to pick Misha up, making sure that she was comfortable sitting on his shoulder.

“I’ll take ya there, but before you head in, just give their words a listen, a’ight?”

The doors to the bar opened, and a cool breeze brushed against her skin yet again. After a bit of walking, it dissipated, and in its place, Arven’s footsteps began echoing against distant, concave walls. Misha could only imagine where in the world she was when she heard a set of doors sliding open followed by a chime, a deep rumble vibrating all throughout her body.

“I’ll set you down here, little lady, but remember: don’t say a word. Just listen. I’ll be heading back to the bar for now.”

When the doors slid open, she felt Arven’s large hand ushering her forward, leaving her completely in the dark.

“Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Believe in yourself.”

Just as Misha heard the doors sliding closed, she could hear bits and pieces of a few familiar voices echoing from deeper within the room she found herself in.

I don’t know what Arven was talking about, but… I trust him.

“...do…”

“...thoughts… exactly…”

When she slowly creeped closer to the voices, they became much clearer.

“So what do you intend to do now, Rheed? We can take the risk, but we’d have to put all of our resources into the manuever. Our success is fully dependent on whether or not the Seekers can come in time to aid us.”

The voice was distinctly Labrysta’s, but it sounded much calmer and more calculated than from what Misha was gauging earlier.

“We have to do it. Thea only gave us one week of supplies, and with Kiria here now, that might not even be the case. The plan is to absorb as many people into our Sanctorium as possible so we have enough Legs to get to Rumia,” Rheed said.

“Are you not worried about whether they might pose a threat to your younger sister? Not all who are absorbed into a Sanctorium have pleasant thoughts about their captors,” Kiria chimed in.

“That’s the thing, we shouldn’t be seen as captors. According to Thea, the Exile Colony is en route to clash with Society #28 inside of Yuriel Valley. If we can save #28 from them, then I’m sure they’ll feel inclined to act as our Legs for a bit, with the added bonus of getting access to Rumia because of our ties with the Saintess. The Seekers can back us up by then.”

What the heck is this?  Why couldn't they just talk about this in front of me?

“Assuming you and I are the only able combatants on this Sanctorium, it is entirely possible that while we are out, both #28 and the Exile Colony may board in hopes of destroying Society #37 in its entirety. How do you plan to stop that?” Kiria queried.

“Leave that to me,” Labrysta said with a hint of superiority. “How do you think I can operate with just four Legs on a daily basis and still keep everybody alive?”

“No… she has a point. You’ll only have three Legs once we both leave, so the Sanctorium wouldn’t be able to move as much.” Rheed paused for a moment. “We’ll have to bring my sister along with us. She can handle herself, I’m sure.”

“Handle herself as well as she did in the caverns, Rheed?” Kiria sounded a little harsh. “You know as well as I do that she is a liability.”

What?

It took everything that Misha had to hold in an exasperated laugh.

Seriously? Does she think I WANTED to be like this? I can’t go anywhere without somebody else holding my hand, and so I’m just supposed to sit here and do nothing? Am I just meant to be pretty and be coddled like a baby? Even if it wasn’t me, Misha could still fight, she did that in the caverns. I can do that too if I put my mind to it. Don’t underestimate me!

Before Rheed was about to respond, Misha ran in the general direction of the trio. She fell flat a few ways away from them, something warm dripping down her nose. She wasn’t even sure if she was looking in the right direction, but she spat her words out anyway.

“I’m not a liability! I’m going to help!”

“M-Misha? What’re you doing here?” Rheed sounded dumbfounded, rushing over to her side to help her up.

“I know I’m not smart, nor am I strong… but I want to help, dammit! I swear I’ll make it so that you won’t ever have to hold my hand ever again!”

“...Well, Rheed? What say you?” Labrysta chuckled.

After a long period of silence, Rheed helped her to stand up, wiping away the warmth spilling down her nose.

“She’ll go with us. The goal is to end the fight as quickly as we possibly can."

Rheed paused, before letting out a shaky sigh. "Misha, look, I... I don't want you to get hurt again. Can you promise me that much?”

"I won't make any promises, but..."

As Misha stands before the trio, she isn’t sure what spurred this flame of hers on, but the idea of being left in the dark while everybody else led their lives in earnest terrified her. 

"...there's one thing I do know. There's no way I'm gonna stay here in the dust."

I think I can confidently say that this world isn't the world that I know. At least, whatever this world is, it's so different that I have to start from zero. Once this is all over, I'm going to get answers from my brother, no matter what. I hate being left in the dark like this, so this time... I'm chasing after the light!