Arika, Feeling Nostalgic?

“....and this should be the library of this city!”

While it’s similar to Magifa’s library that existed inside a large tree that feels straight out of a fantasy, a ‘skyscraper’ class of tall tree as a library does feel quite different. It looks like a similar sentiment was also in Rama’s thought, as he gulped nervously as he gazed up to the entrance of the building.

…In fact, he looks even more distraught than I, the visitor from another world, should’ve been.

“A— an air elevator?! For a public library?!”

He’s right. There’s some kind of visibly wind magic powered elevator that goes up and down the see-through tree branch of a building. In my own view as someone from a modern world, it’s nothing much special— just having a different source of power and looks that instead gives a form of nostalgic comfort to me. Yet, to Rama who hardly left Magifa it was surprising enough that I’d feel like I should at least act surprised too so that he won’t feel alone.

“Rama is really just a small town elf, huh…” Rana shrugs her shoulders, embarrassed at her own brother’s antics. It was enough to make Rama angry with a reddened face.

“Like you've been to any cities before this, Rana…”

“Whose fault is that?! Do you need a duel, huuuh, little brother?!”

“Bring it on, you ___ piece of ___ little sister!”

“Guys, stop it. People are staring, and we don’t have any guarantor like Elder did to stop your fighting here.”

…Now I’m the one embarrassed as my palm hits my face in embarrassment. Thankfully, the ever cute and fluffy Rui also assisted me with his meowing of disapproval as he got in between the twins before they could do more.

“Right. If people stared too much at Arika and realized who she is, that'd be bad. Let’s keep this for later, you ____ kind of little sister— I mean, Rana.”

“....I’ll ignore the fact that you called me rudely just now and follow Lady Arika’s instructions for our own safety, but that doesn’t mean I give up just yet, little brother.”

Rui pushed his furry head further in between them so they wouldn’t continue fighting. Bless his fluffy fur and kind heart. I kind of wished Rui could talk now, he would totally help me dealing with these twins if he does. But since he can’t, I just clapped my hands to catch the two’s attention as if I was the teacher on an elementary school outing. In some ways, the way these twins fight does feel a lot childish just like that.

“Alright. Unfortunately, I have never been properly inside a library in this world before. What should we do first to use the Comanet?” I asked, and surprisingly, instead of Rana who knew much about cities like Marconne and guides us here with her raw talent on reading city maps, Rama was the one who raised his hand.

“I have a guild-approved library card, we should just go inside. We don’t need to pay anything as long as we have it.” said Rama proudly, before he took a glance at Rui who was yawning as he scratched his own face in a familiar cat gesture I have seen so many times in adorable cat videos back in my own world. “There’s this one big problem though…”

Rana immediately caught on as she vocally spouts the sounds of ‘Oh!’ as she glances at Rui, but I have no choice but to ask.

“....What problem?”

“Cheshires aren’t usually allowed inside the library building. We could just leave Rui here, but it’s a big city where we don’t know most people like with Magifa— I’m afraid someone would try to snatch him. I don’t know how safe it is to leave him alone.” Rama expressed his worries, as he took a glance at Rana as if telling her to explain further.

“That’s right! We should think about that too…” Rana chimed in, and that’s where I feel like I could understand Rama’s concern as Rana knew better of the city than Rama is. “Lady Arika might’ve realized it so far, but Cheshires are unusual and exotic to us elves from this world, we should take precautions…”

It sounds really troubling. I wouldn’t want Rui to be snatched too, and I feel like there’s too much trouble going into the library. I would rather fluff Rui’s gigantic furry body instead of trying to find something we didn’t even know was there. So I raised my hand and said;

“...That’s definitely a problem…. So someone should stay here with Rui? How about me—”

“No way we could leave you alone!”

The twins shouted in a harmonized unison. Really, aren’t they in a twin sync way too well? They do say two who fight a lot actually are the best at getting along, anyway…

Despite my attempt at a one-shot joke, I actually agreed with them, though. It’s way too dangerous to let me alone, even with Rui by my side. After all, I am kind of the main problem here, the reason why we’re here in the big city in the first place— the reason why Elder’s home were attacked.

….Now that I think of it, there may be chances that the Elder is also teleported here and went on his own, and even right now is somewhere in the city. I guess that’s why we need to contact Magifa to find out if he did or didn’t.

“Okaaay, I was just joking. So what should we do?” I crossed my arms. “Which one of you twins should stay with Rui?”

“Rui only listens to me mostly— and Arika for some reason. The choice should be obvious.”

I raised my eyebrows, and it looked like Rana shared the same sentiment and worries.

“You sure? You wouldn’t get lost or anything, little town boy?” Rana vocalized her worries faster than I could. Rama clicked his tongue, offended at his twin sister’s choice of words that felt like an insult, but he also knew nothing can be done about that.

“I’ll wait here with Rui, and I’m not going anywhere until you guys return. There’s no problem with that, isn’t it?”

“I guess so….”

Thus, Rama waited outside, slightly like a loyal blonde Golden Retriever as me and Rana made our way inside.

~*~*~*~

“What exactly happened last night when I was asleep, hm, Lady Arika?”

Once we’re down to only two, raising ourselves in the magic-powered elevator, Rana dropped a conversation that she probably thought would’ve been a bomb had I gained an understanding. Unfortunately, I was too dense to understand the implication, and instead I caught it differently.

“My dream, right? I saw the real Legendary Mage Hero Angelica and she told me that I—”

“Not that one! Though I guess it’s pretty important too– you should tell Elder when we can contact him!” Rana sighed heavily as she pouts rather childishly. “I’m talking about Rama! He insisted not to call your name before but he ended up calling you Arika!”

“Ah, that? It’s nothing much. I just complained to him that he never called me by name ....”

“Yet he listens… Really now, that little brother of mine with his human fetish…”

“Rana, seriously, what do you think your twin brother is…. ?”

Before Rana could answer my little question, we had already arrived at the fifth floor. According to the librarian that we asked for help earlier downstairs, we could use the Comanet communication services here. So without further words, we stepped out and ventured to the floor.

As I glanced around, the sight of flat screens and people meddling with its screen gave me a nostalgic sense of comfort that I’d forgotten it’s another world of fantasy I was transported in if it wasn’t for the elf ears people around us had.

I hadn’t been one in years, but back in high school, there was a time where I hung out a lot alone in internet cafes whenever I felt like school was overwhelming me— whether it’s about interpersonal relationships with my classmates or my grades that don't feel like it’ll improve even if I studied hard. Yet with me from now, even such unpleasant memories caused a small smile on my lips, as if I missed my old world.

…Do I really want to come back home, even after all the things I’ve been through? Or should I stay here, in this fantasy world forever? If I found Grandma, which one would she tell me? Would she tell me to go back to my old world or would she tell me to stay here with Rana and Rama and keep having those ‘adventures’ she told me to?

“What’s wrong, Lady Arika? You looked pale all of sudden…” Rana said rather worriedly. I couldn’t even fathom that my face looked pale since I at least realized I was smiling just before my mind was invaded by unnecessary thoughts.

“I– I’m fine. It's just… This sight feels way too familiar to me. My old world, for exact. And I end up remembering something and….” I hugged myself in desperation. As if I wanted Rana to not deny myself of finding my comfort and escape in this world.

Rana smiled gently, as she held my right palm tightly to ease my anxieties. How kind of her, I thought. If I had found a kind, understanding friend like her in my old world, maybe I wouldn’t be a mess….

“I won’t ask much about your old world, and what happened there. But let’s focus on what we need to do right now, okay, Lady Arika?”

I nodded, replying to her smile with another smile, before I pointed to a vacant, secluded space that seemed unused by anyone around the library.

“Okay. Let’s go there.”

~*~*~*~

The Comanet that the Elves had was quite different from the internet I’m already used to. First of all, the sites looked outdated to a modern me, as if it was an early 2000-ish internet. However, in some ways, it also felt more advanced with the limitless power of magic, as just one click with a magic wand in a certain site—

“....Rana? Is that you… and Arika? Thank goodness, you’re both safe! Where are you guys exactly?”

Looks like I was worried about nothing. Elder looked healthy and safe, and in the colorless, old film-like reflection of his background seemed to be the Magifa I had seen. For exactly, it’s Elder’s house, seemingly under construction after all the mess we made.

“We’re borrowing Comanet in ___, ah no, Marconne, in a Blessed Ones term.” Rana answered. Despite her trying to stay calm, she couldn’t hide the relief in her voice and facial expression that Elder wasn’t harmed. Of course, I am too.

“That far from that small magic stone alone?!” Elder gasped in surprise. “Where’s Rama? And Rui?”

“They’re together. Waiting outside the library. Cheshires aren’t allowed inside.” I answered. There’s so much we need to ask for, like what happened with Dellney and her croons, but I needed to focus on a much pressing matter; “Um, Elder. There’s something I need to talk about. It’s okay, right, Rana?”

“Sure. I’m pretty sure Elder would’ve known better than just that rumor I heard before.” Rana puts herself aside so she wouldn’t be covering the screen, just so I could talk with Elder.

Then, I began telling him the story of my Grandma who appeared in my dreams….

~*~*~*~

“I see…. So the true Mage Hero Angelica told you that… and she’s also related to the ‘Arika’ who’s in here…”

“Do you think it might be related and not just a dream, Elder?”

“...Let’s see… That Temple cult also said something about the dreams they saw, so it might’ve been related….”

Elder, looking as handsome as ever even beyond the limitation of a sepia-colored magic powered video call— no, in fact, that makes him look like the likes of an actor from an old time classic movie— puts his fist in front of his mouth and chin, as if trying to recall something important within his memories. Rana intervenes before he could, however— with a question that’s fair to be asked in this situation, so I didn’t stop her.

“What happened with that Temple cult who attacked our home, by the way?” asked Rana, tilting her head curiously. That made me realize something.

“...Did I accidentally send some of them to orbit for real? Oops….” Words came out of my mouth as I realized that I might have committed my first kill in this fantasy world. Elder visibly shook his head, thankfully confirming that I did not commit elf murder.

“Some of the ones you sent above have teleportation magic, so they’re safe and sound,” said Elder. “Dellney backed off for now and did nothing. She refuses to help me rebuild our home or say anything more on the subject, though. I think it’s because Arika’s gone somewhere and she had no way to convince her underlings to stay helping her out with her…. business.”

…Their cult bonds are surprisingly shallow. Thank goodness for that.

“....Should we get back to Magifa as soon as possible?” Rana asked. Though, from the looks of it, it looks like she wouldn’t want to. Thankfully, Elder had enabled her desire to stay around the city, in some form.

“Probably not, from the looks of it. Rumors have already been spread wide that the Mage Hero Angelica is somewhere around this town or even world. It’s better if Arika isn’t found for now, just for her safety. Us elves, especially in small towns, are such bored creatures with our long lifespans.” Elder sighed, as he crossed his arms. “I’d need you guys to be on the run for a while until we figured things out. Especially with the dream Arika had….”

And by that, suddenly the call with Elder stopped. The screen told us that we ran out of time and had to wait for a while— a classic internet limitation, except there’s no way around it with the power of money and premium subscription when I tried clicking around. I guess it’s just one of the limitations of magic-powered video calls.

“Eh?! We ran out of time?!” I said while I panicked a little at the suddenly cutted short kind of magical video call, yet Rana suddenly spoke out.

“If we needed to wait, it can’t be helped, but….. That rumor I heard! It might help, so let’s find some old books on it!” she said, turning her head to me before pulling my hand to go to the magical elevator. “Lady Arika, you know that a lot of people are having dreams here and there and get Cheshire by their side as they do, right?”

“Uh-huh. What about that?”

“....I forgot the details so we need to read it in some books that should’ve been here, but dreams are said to be a form of communication Higher Beings such as the Goddess used to contact chosen people, especially during the ages of war against the Demon Lord!” said Rana, as we made our way higher up to the books section of the library.

…However, I could care less about what we’re doing at that moment, or that we should search more for the facts in the library, as something clicked in my mind at last. I couldn’t even bother walking out of the elevator in favor of being lost in my thoughts and speculations, which did worry Rana for a while.

The existence of Cheshires that are feline beings formerly nonexistent in this world.

The fact that my Grandma is a huge cat lover like I did, and would give cats another chance in this world given the chance.

The fact that Grandma’s character that I lived in today, Angelica, was praised as a Legendary Mage Hero enough to have people chasing after her.

The fact that Grandma ‘contacted’ me in my dreams and ‘wanted me to have an adventure again like I was a kid’.

The fact that a Goddess would contact people they chose in their dreams.

It all made too much sense not to be.

“No. Wait.” I bit my lips as I held Rana’s hand from leaving the elevator. “Are you telling me that my Grandma has become the Goddess of this world?”