The Dawn That Questions Itself

The stars glimmering outside the window, each one with its own ending and beginning. A sole representation of what life could be, or rather, the despair that awaits. The walls are a solid grey, a prison, yet the only thing keeping those inside from being frozen and ripped apart by the vacuum that surrounds them.

The only source of light upon this vessel is the bulbs, both dim yet blinding, spreading a sense of unease throughout the world. Shadows lurked where light couldn't reach, people walked, plants lived, and children played, for this vessel was their world, for it was all they knew.

Many things have happened during this 20-year journey: plants went through their cycles, people grew older, and people rose up in the chains of command. Yet one thing remained the same: one corner of this disordered vessel, drifting through space, remained untouched.

This unopened door belonged to the head of this mission, whom no one but their personal assistant had seen or spoken to.

The centre of the room held a large table with digital data spiralled all over it, like a canvas of a mad person. To those around it, this was the purpose of their time spent on this vessel. 

Time that they were never getting back.

"You promised me info, so what's the wait?" a stern but calculated voice spoke up from around the table.

Decorated in a dark outfit, with some sort of metal mask over their eyes, almost as if they were concealing the very entrance to their inner castle. They stood firm and contrasted against everyone else in the vicinity.

"Ahem...Lady Ryuu will be with us shortly," replied the calm voice of the personal assistant. 

She was dressed in a Cheongsam Chinese dress, one that fitted her body as if it were made for her. Upon her left ear was what seemed to be half of the Yin and Yang symbol; it matched well with her dark hair, which lay in a bun, strands hugging the side of her face. 

Her eyes were shining like blue galaxies through the lenses of her round glasses as she adjusted them, making sure her outfit was perfect. 

The man stood there looking at her as if he was thinking she put a bit too much effort into the outfit.

"As if anything's going to happen today", he scoffed, looking away from her. His impatience grew with each passing second.

The Lady bowed and exited the room, walking in the direction of the room that seemed to be frozen in time. She seemed to check every part of her outfit, and her face was painted with a look that suggested she was worried about something. She adjusted her glasses one final time before preparing herself and knocking on the door.

"L...Lady Ryuu, we're ready for you. We've almost arrived," she says, her voice giving away her anxiety.

"No need to be so anxious." A calm, soft voice replied as the door slid open, revealing a lady dressed in white, the white cloth hugging her body. Each fibre of the fabric looked as though it were made from spider silk, like pure white strands of time. 

"Ah! I...I'm sorry~" The personal assistant replied, her gaze fixed on the figure in front of her.

Lady Ryuu stood up, revealing her slender figure, cuddled by her clothes. The personal assistant seemed frozen.

"L...Lady Ryuu, you look wonderful," She said, her voice rising in pitch with each word.

"Come now, Niao, you look better than I ever will." Lady Ryuu replied, never accepting the compliment but suggesting that Niao, the personal assistant, was of something out of her league.

"Thank you, are you ready to meet the others?" Niao asked gently, while trying to hide her face by looking at the floor.

"Yes, I'm ready, just one thing..." Lady Ryuu pauses in her sentence as she walks over to Niao and places her hand under her chin.

"Keep your head up, little one."

Both seem frozen in place, as if the particles in the atmosphere around them had to settle, their eyes locked as Lady Ryuu had pushed Nian's chin upwards. A tear seems to form in Niao's eye, but it is quickly wiped off. 

The two exit the room and head towards the room harbouring the others. Niao looks at Lady Ryuu one more time and fills her lungs, only to exhale again.

"I can do this," she says to herself, walking behind Lady Ryuu, almost as if to hide in the shadow of her presence.

"Ahem! Lady Ryuu is here! Please take your seat and prepare for the brief"

Niao's voice pierced through the silence as she announced the arrival of Lady Ryuu. Where this confidence came from, perhaps only the past has the answers now. The calm man sat in his seat, excited to see what information he could gather. 

The lady beside him, already sitting in her seat, peered out from under her hood, awaiting the last person who would join them on this mission.

For what was to come...

Only time could tell...