With spring well-underway, there were plenty of spring onions to pick, if one knew where to look. Andromeda's grandmother knew the forests longer than most; she knew every spot they grew. Yet she had become slow with age, and there was so much to pick for everyone, so she enlisted the help of Andromeda and her friend, Kiera.

They didn't pick very much from the patch, leaving some for next time, whether it would be this year or the next. They returned home to the cottage. The girls sat on the floor to wash the onions in a tub, and the grandmother sorted out what would be used now and what would be dried. She might have had some difficulties moving around, but her eyes were still sharp and vividly green.

Andromeda loved moments like these, because there was always more to it. Sometimes her grandmother told stories, as grandmothers were expected to pass them on. She was gifted at it in particular. And though Andromeda and her parents loved each other very much, she also loved the sereneness of her grandmother's company.

She didn't look away from her work when she spoke in the old tongue to the girls, "How are your school lessons?"

Both girls made a face. They did not want to be reminded of school on a day in which they had no lessons. Yet it seemed to be all their elders wanted to talk to them about.

"They're okay." Kiera shrugged.

Andromeda took more time to answer, trying to put her response in the old tongue. Her parents had taught her the common language of the world first, and the teacher did not know the old tongue at all, so insisted that his students could only speak in the common language. Only the elderly of the village spoke it well now.

"They're pointless." Andromeda finally said. "He always talks about the rest of the world. I don't care about that."

"Well you should." Her grandmother responded in the same language. Her tone implied that there would be no arguing over it. "There is much beyond our tiny village and its problems. But you are at the age where you should start taking part in our traditions. You won't learn them from that Nif spy."

"He said he's from Ulwaat." Kiera piped up. Andromeda's grandmother only snorted at that.

Andromeda had perked up as her grandmother seemed to be about to teach some traditional lesson or tell a story. Since her birthday last fall, she had been old enough to do her first hunt. However, her parents were often not around; when they were and they did take Andromeda along on a hunt, they insisted on killing the quarry while she watched. Next time, they always said. She frowned again at the thought.

Something loudly boomed out in the village, startling all three of them. They sat still, listening for other sounds. The sun was shining outside of the windows.

Then the door flew open. Kiera gave a shriek. A sharp figure stood in the doorway with windswept black hair and wild eyes. Andromeda's mother stormed across the floor. The noise of the village outside followed behind her: people shouting and fleeing, flames suddenly roaring, and clanking, marching footsteps.

"We have to go." She rushed to her own mother's side to help her out of the rocking chair. The girls stood from what they were doing. Kiera didn't wait for the adults; she ran out the door, presumably to find her own family.

"Where's Dad?" Andromeda stood from where she had sat on the floor. She glanced outside of the door, seeing neighbors flee this way and that.

"He's still on the front line. Now go." Her mother urged as her grandmother stood.

The cottage shook and the ceiling fell in. Andromeda was knocked back down by one of the large wooden beams. It laid across her rib cage, pinning her to the floor. Plenty of boards pressed against her head, blocking her sight.

She thought she heard her name called, but it was muffled through all of the debris on top of her. She tried to move her arms to push some of it away. She could only reach the beam, and that was too heavy. It was difficult to breathe. It was suddenly unbearably hot. Tears sprung up as she yelled for help. The flames became louder. So did the screams.

Andromeda continued to scream until the heat made her tears and throat burn. By now, she couldn't hear anything over the approaching flames. Yet she noticed that her mother and grandmother had stopped calling for her.

Searing pain suddenly erupted over the beam pinning her body down. It began spreading towards the rest of her body, her lower half and chest immediately burning as well. She gagged on the smell of her own burning flesh.

Then it was all suddenly gone. Andromeda found herself standing again. Her surroundings were too dark to see; it seemed like there were no surroundings at all. The village and the forest were gone.

Her grandmother and mother stood some distance away, silently looking at each other. They looked different: there seemed to be a glow softly emanating from them. The older woman gave a slow, acceding nod. Both women turned to face Andromeda as she ran to them.

They embraced the girl. Whatever this place was, she was just happy to have found them again. No one was hurt, either. It was as if the fire had been a bad dream. Perhaps they were all just dreaming.

Yet they suddenly pushed her away, the distance becoming far greater than it should have been. The women smiled sadly at her.

"Mom!" Andromeda yelled, but no matter how much she ran, she couldn't get any closer to them again. The tears began anew.

"You can't come with us. You have to go back." Her mother instructed, shedding only a single tear.

At her words, another woman appeared, shining so brightly that much of her features could not be discerned. She stood taller than any of them. Andromeda's grandmother and mother approached her.

"Please, you can have both of us, but let the young one return to life." Her grandmother appealed to the shining woman. She bowed her head solemnly.

"There has been much bloodshed, and many are begging to return rather than come with me. Her body is very damaged." The woman acknowledged, her smooth voice echoing in the empty space. "I cannot spare everyone."

All four of them remained silent for a long moment. Andromeda watched from afar. She had given up on getting closer. She could only watch now.

"I will send her back with my blessing," The shining woman raised her head with a smile. "Because her family has not forgotten me."

She held out her hands at that. Andromeda's grandmother grasped one hand, and her mother took the other. They seemed to glow as well, then disappeared completely. A small glowing orb left each of the shining woman's hands. They floated up into the sky until they could no longer be seen.

Andromeda's tears came even harder now. They blinded her so that she did not realize when the shining woman was suddenly standing before her. She was startled when she was embraced.

"You took them from me." She lamented as the shining woman lifted her up into her arms.

"As is my duty to take the dying to the afterlife. It is not enjoyable, but it must be done. Know that it was their love that prevented me from taking you as well." The shining woman explained, brushing Andromeda's hair. "But now you must go back. A deal has been made for your life. Honor them by living. Until we meet again, Andromeda."

She pressed a kiss to the girl's forehead, and everything was gone.

The pain was no longer searing, but throbbing. The smell was gone, replaced with something clean. Andromeda awoke to a strange, sloped ceiling overhead. She was in a bed other than her own—she found herself laying on a cot.

A young woman sat in a chair next to her bed. It took a moment for Andromeda to recognize her own aunt. The woman watched her with anticipation, her eyes watery. The girl went to move her arm, only to feel a slight tug resisting her. A needle on a tube connecting her hand underneath the bandages to a clear package hanging over her head. There were a few strange machines near the bed. Her arms and torso were completely wrapped up with white bandages.

Andromeda didn't see any more, her own vision becoming blurry. Her aunt leaned over the bed to wrap her arms around her. Without words, they both burst into tears and hugged each other, even if it hurt Andromeda to move.

"I'm sorry." Her aunt gasped into her shoulder. "I'm so, so sorry I wasn't there. Thank the gods you're alive."

The tears burned Andromeda's eyes. She tried to say something, but she couldn't utter a sound and the effort hurt her throat. So she just clung onto Llinos, thankful for a familiar face in a terrifying environment.

"Careful now."

A man in a white coat stood on the other side of the bed. Andromeda watched him warily and refused to let go of Llinos, even when her aunt eased her grip.

"Good morning." He greeted Andromeda with an eerily perfect smile. "Do you feel any pain?"

At the question, Andromeda realized that she didn't feel as badly as she should have. The bandages were tight, pulling uncomfortably in spots as she continued to cling to Llinos. Other than that, the searing pain from the flames was just a memory.

She only shook her head. His smile remained.

"Do you remember what happened?"

Andromeda nodded, but couldn't tell him what it had been. The cottage had collapsed on her, her mother and grandmother, then caught on fire. Where the fire had come from, she didn't know. There had also been the clanking sound of metal...

She wanted to ask where her mother and grandmother were, looking between the doctor and her aunt as if they would understand somehow.

"It's a miracle you're alive." Llinos said, then hugged Andromeda again.

"No one should have survived it. No one else did." The doctor added. "You're very lucky."

It answered Andromeda's question. The burning in her eyes began anew at the thought of never seeing her mother or her grandmother again. It only caused Llinos to start sobbing again as well. The doctor quietly excused himself.

A few days had passed while Andromeda was unconscious. The doctor returned later and explained that her torso had been badly burned, and her arms had been burned to a lesser degree. Several ribs had been broken. Her chest, just beginning to form thanks to puberty, had also been seared. The surgeons had performed skin grafts over the area, removing the small breasts. There was no way of knowing how her chest would develop later, if it did at all. While her other organs were surprisingly unharmed from the fire, her uterus had had to be removed. Whether she developed through puberty or not, she would never be able to have children.

Andromeda's hair, grown out to be just like her mother's beautiful long black locks, had been singed in the fire as well. It was now cropped to her ears, and looked very stupid. It was possibly the biggest blow to her pride.

Andromeda, and a few other patients in the medical tent, could only receive the care that the field medics could provide. Niflheim now controlled Tenebrae, and they had decreed that no one was to leave. A couple of patients later died from their injuries. She was only awake for one instance when a patient was on the brink; Llinos explained that there had been others, too.

Despite the losses, the fact that Andromeda had survived and woken was contributed to the success of Imperial medicine. All sorts of medical people stopped by Andromeda's small enclosed section of the tent to congratulate her when she was awake. She was still tired and on a lot of medicine, so they all seemed to be the same person. One doctor tried to explain that he was writing a report about her that would get sent straight to Gralea, but the importance of it was lost on her. The doctors did much more celebration amongst themselves.

Survivors could not return to their homes, as they were all burned down. The invading army gave them provisions to set up a large encampment in a glade while the rebuilding would be done. After a couple of days in the medical tent for observation, Andromeda was allowed to go with Llinos to the encampment. They were fortunate enough to have a tent to themselves.

There was some excitement among the survivors as Andromeda was allowed to join them. At sight of her, they would all say how proud her parents would be. Yet with so many dead, there was no cause for celebration. A mass grave had been made for the dead. Andromeda's grandmother and both of her parents laid among the many bodies, but she had missed the burial. Her father, one of the many in the village who resisted Niflheim, had been killed on the front line shortly before the invasion. His body was returned to the village to be buried.

After visiting the mass grave, Andromeda rarely left the tent she shared with Llinos. Most of her excursions were to the medical tent, where her bandages were changed and she was given more medicine. The skin on her arms, chest and torso was twisted and shriveled, discolored with shades of yellow and red. The doctors assured that at least the discoloration and the smell would disappear with time, but the skin would forever have that twisted, waxy appearance. The fire had burned deep into her skin.

Llinos was the only other person to see below Andromeda's bandages. She had tried to keep from reacting, but Andromeda had seen how she had used a hand to cover the shock on her face. At least the mystery had been solved for her—Andromeda was aware of how the other survivors stared at the bandages. They stopped by the tent often to visit, and sometimes bring food.

Kiera did not bring food when she came by to sit with Andromeda. It was quiet between them as Andromeda still hadn't recovered her voice. Honestly, there was nothing she had to say. Neither did Keira. They had both lost their parents in the attack. Kiera, however, had managed to avoid the fires.

"Does it hurt?" The other girl finally asked after they had been sitting for several minutes of silence. She couldn't hide her staring at all.

Andromeda gave a slight nod. The doctors didn't give her nearly as much medicine as she had gotten while staying in their tent. She ached all over, and thus always felt tired. If Kiera wasn't right there, she would have taken a nap.

She said nothing to that and they resumed sitting in silence. Eventually her grandmother, the only other survivor of her family, came to collect her. She patted Andromeda's head as she did.

"Your parents would have been proud of you." She reminded her. "Get some rest."

As the two walked towards the new frames of cottages, Andromeda felt tears on her cheeks. What good was her parents' pride when they were dead?

The troops planned to remain for a long time to oversee the village as it was rebuilt. Metal soldiers kept a constant watch, patrolling the encampment and guarding the village borders. Everyone in the village realized with horror that they were not men at all, but some kind of automatons easily capable of killing them.

There were some humans among these metal soldiers, serving as their superiors. The human soldiers gave orders to the villagers as well. They question a lot of people, eventually coming for Llinos. She and Andromeda stood mortified as they had watched the human captain and two metal soldiers approach their tent. He only had to order her to come, and Llinos followed him to the large general's tent. Andromeda almost followed, but the captain turned with a sharp look. She halted, frozen in place.

A villager soon spotted her and coaxed her back to her tent. She sat and waited as the day passed. A few people stopped by to give her company, as was becoming normal. Andromeda could rasp simple answers, providing little conversation.

At dusk, Llinos returned in tears. Andromeda didn't ask questions, guessing that she had been asked too many.

They sat alone silently, even as someone nicely brought dinner to them. It was only when darkness fell and Andromeda decided to go to bed that Llinos suddenly clung to her.

"It's just the two of us now." She mumbled.

Andromeda was already dozing off, too tired to ask what she meant by that. She drifted off without much thought about it.

Most people set about cleaning up and rebuilding. Some outside help was allowed in. After her interrogation, though, Llinos was reluctant to help her neighbors. Andromeda, her hands still burned, was still too weak to do much of anything. She and Llinos simply sat at their tent. Occasionally, when Llinos was nagged enough by other villagers to help out, someone would still come sit with Andromeda. After awhile the silence, the bandages, and the burned hands was starting to unsettle the villagers.

One night, Llinos roused Andromeda from her sleep and guided her through the camp.

They crept by the guards stationed at various spots, then crawled into the back of a wagon. Llinos threw a heavy tarp over both of them, along with various objects nearby. Its weight reminded Andromeda of the beam that had pinned her underneath the cottage roof.

"Stay still. Don't say a word." Llinos instructed her once she laid beside her, even if there was no need to say it. Andromeda could speak a little now, but it was painful. It got a little better each day, but there wasn't much she wanted to say.

The girl took a deep breath of the musty air. Soon after, the wagon jerked into movement. Then it stopped just as suddenly. She held her breath as there were voices outside. Their conversation was short, and the wagon continued to move along the bumpy road.

Much like having been pinned underneath the house beam, the wagon ride seemed to last forever. It bounced too much for aunt and niece to get any sleep. Both were too alert to their situation anyway; sleep was impossible. Neither could breathe very well under all of the weight, as well as the smothering tarp.

It dawned on Andromeda only too late that they were leaving the village, and there would be no returning. She wanted to ask Llinos so many questions, and demand to go back to where their family was buried. Yet she feared being caught by one of the metal soldiers, certain that one was ever close by. They frightened her more than the daemons that lurked in the night, making travel unsafe.

Just as the trip seemed to go on forever, it abruptly stopped. All was quiet for a long moment. Then someone outside announced something. Andromeda didn't understand it. However, Llinos pushed the tarp away. She sat up and responded.

"There are no sylleblossoms where we're going."

With a sweeping shove, she pushed aside all that was laying on top of them. Andromeda also sat up, taking a gulp of much cleaner air. A man stood at the wagon's door, holding it open for both of them to climb out.

Yet no sooner had they stood on their feet were they shoved into a train car, barely able to glimpse the dawnlit sky, much less where they were. Andromeda stumbled as she stepped inside. Llinos caught her and pulled her in as the door was quickly shut behind them, leaving them in the dark again.

"Up there." She ordered, looking up at the overhead storage rack. There was enough space for Andromeda to squeeze into. Getting a leg-up from Llinos, she obediently did as told.

"Where are we going?" She finally asked, her voice cracking from being silent for so long.

"I'll explain when we get there." Her aunt stated, digging through some stuff on the floor.

Andromeda tucked herself between two suitcases. She rasped, "I'm hungry."

"I know. We'll get food at the next stop, hopefully."

"I'm scared. I want to go home."

"Shh!" Llinos hissed as the door at the front of the car opened. She squeezed herself between the wall and a crate.

A faint red orb glided through the car, accompanied by clanking metal steps. Andromeda held her breath and shut her eyes until it passed into the next car. She decided not to speak again until they were off of the train.

As soon as the train stopped and they were let out of the car, they were shoved into a crate, which was then put on other vehicles and moved.. They were let out shortly afterwards and marched down a cliffside to a beach. A boat was waiting for them. It took them to an even larger boat, where they were crammed into a storage container, locked in darkness. That ride was the longest, taking a few days. Sometimes food was dropped off for them and they were let out for bathroom breaks, but other than that, they were left in the darkness. Even so, the journey left Andromeda exhausted; she slept much of the time.

Eventually, they were taken off of the boat and onto land. For two days, they were marched through a forest similar to home, but it wasn't home. They stayed at havens, large flat stone structures etched with ancient glowing symbols, during the night, their guide unwilling to encounter daemons. They did not speak; he only ordered them around.

On the third day, they came to a road with a truck waiting. Once more, Llinos and Andromeda were shoved into the bed and covered up. This time, Andromeda was able to sleep through the ride.

That ride was thankfully very short, but night had just begun. The truck stopped in a narrow cobblestone back alley. The driver led them into a building, then pointed them to an office. They entered after knocking.

A small old man sat behind a big desk. It was difficult to see him; the room was made dark by heavy curtains blocking the windows, and the lights were kept dim. He gestured for both of them to take a seat. Andromeda followed her aunt's lead in doing so, even if her body felt restless.

"I trust you can pay for the paperwork." The man spoke with a shaky voice after observing the two for a moment. Andromeda found herself staring at a water pitcher and two glasses on his desk, but didn't dare move.

Llinos dug through her small bag, pulling out two stacks of bills and setting them on the desk. "Here, sir. It's the exact amount I was told it would be for two of us."

He pursed his lips as he took the stacks and quickly counted them. He then noticed where Andromeda's attention was. "You may have some."

Before she could help herself, Llinos rose from her chair and grabbed the pitcher. She poured a glass for her and herself. Andromeda took the glass carefully when it was handed to her. The water was gone within five seconds. Never before had water tasted so good. Llinos did not give her any more, taking her seat again.

The man turned his attention to a large box on his desk that Andromeda assumed to be his computer. The light from it shone eerily on his face. "Where are you going?"

"Insomnia, sir." She replied. Andromeda had heard of it—it was the capital of Lucis. She realized that they were probably sitting in Lucis right now.

"And your names?"

"Linda and Andrea Hulda."

"No they're not-" Andromeda began, but Llinos gave her a sharp look. She hadn't acted like her old self since the invasion in Tenebrae; she used to be more patient and playful. Andromeda was scared of this new side of Llinos.

The man ignored the interruption. "Mother and daughter?"

"Aunt and niece." Llinos clarified.

"Ages?"

"Twenty and twelve."

"Dates of birth?"

"July 16th and August 26th."

The exchange between them went on for awhile. Andromeda eventually poured herself another glass of water, although Llinos chided her briefly to not drink too much. Other than that, the adults ignored that she was there. She had to wonder what the point was to lie about their names, and why they were going to Insomnia.

The old man took them both to a much brighter room to take both of their pictures. They were shooed away afterwards, after he told them to return in the morning for their papers. Llinos took Andromeda out into the cobblestone streets again.

It had to be late at night, but the streets were well-lit and many people were still walking about, the threat of daemons kept at bay with all of the lights. There was so much to take in; neither one of them had been in such a crowded place before. Llinos took Andromeda's hand to keep them together. Seeing as it was quieter on the other side of the wide, paved road, they crossed it and went down the flight of stairs to an overlook.

"Why are we going to Insomnia?" Andromeda finally felt safe enough to start talking as they crossed a large paved area where cars were parked. The land was already proving to be a strange place.

"It's the safest place in the world. Niflheim has never been able to get past the king's wall. We'll never have to worry about them again." Llinos explained earnestly, giving her hand a squeeze.

"But we should be home. That's where Mom and Dad and Grandmother are buried." The younger girl insisted as they stopped by a giant floral display. There was only one tired-looking food vendor there, making the area very quiet.

"Do you think they would want us to stay under Imperial rule, when we have a chance to escape?" Llinos asked. "They're gone. It doesn't matter where their bodies lay. I'm using the last of our savings to get us to safety."

Andromeda thought it over. She had had the hunch that they would never return to Tenebrae. She hated how Llinos had made the decision for her, and dragged her along like some little kid. She hadn't even told Andromeda about the money. She should have had a say in how it was spent.

She was so caught up in her frustration that she hadn't noticed Llinos step away. Suddenly her aunt stood before her, holding out a stick that had meat chunks on it. Andromeda didn't think twice about where it had come from before taking it and biting into a thick chunk of meat.

"Look," Llinos pointed out into the distance. Much of the surrounding land was too dark to discern what was out there. Yet far off, there was a large crater. Large spires stood in the center of it, their bases glowing faintly as blue wisps embraced them.

"What is it?" Andromeda asked after a few bites of her food.

Llinos peered at some plaque in front of them. "The Disc of Cauthess. It's too dark to read the rest of it. It must be one of the natural wonders of Lucis. I'm sure we'll see a few of them on our way to Insomnia."

Though Andromeda didn't like the idea of moving to a city any more than before, she did look forward to seeing some more of the strange things in this land. It also made her long for home.

"Once we have those papers, those will be the names we go by for everything. We're lucky that we already look like Lucians. No one can find out that we're not. If they do, they'll send us back." Llinos explained.

"Why would they do that? Aren't they fighting against Niflheim?" Andromeda thought that they would be welcomed as Tenebraens.

"That's just how it works." Her aunt sighed. "I wish it was more simple than it is."

"I like my name." Andromeda grumbled. 'Andrea' sounded too stuffy and boring to her.

"Well I don't." Llinos crossed her arms. "I got stuck with an old name that no one can pronounce or spell. 'Linda' is short and easy."

The younger girl looked down at her empty stick, her first taste of Lucian food. The spiciness burned in her throat. "I can do both."

"For most of your life, you called me 'She-no' and wrote it like that, too." She pointed out with a chuckle. It had been such a long time since Andromeda had heard anyone laugh.

She didn't laugh, her mind spinning with all of these changes. "Llinos, I saw Etro."

"What?"

"Before I woke up, I saw Mom and Grandmother cross over. I almost did too, but they stopped me, and Etro sent me back. I actually saw her."

It all tumbled out of Andromeda. She didn't like being in this new land, but she suddenly felt free to speak to her aunt again. They hadn't had such a moment since before Niflheim invaded. All of her grandmother's stories made more sense now.

Llinos's reaction surprised her. "Don't talk about things like that. It was probably just a dream."

"But it was real-"

"Let's go find some place to sleep." A dark look came over the young woman's face, much like it had while she had been applying for their new paperwork. Andromeda dropped the subject, once again noticing the new rift between herself and her aunt.

"Can we get more food?"

"In the morning."

It took some time in the night to find a hostel with a spare bed for the two of them to share. Yet even though they were sleeping close together, Andromeda's dreams of fire and metal soldiers made her restless. If Llinos and her hunger hadn't woken her in the morning, she might have continued sleeping until noon.

Their papers were ready as promised, and their bus was leaving in twenty minutes. It didn't give them much time to find food, stopping at a corner store for sandwiches and drinks. Once they finished, they rushed to board the bus. It left as soon as they were seated.

The bus ride was much more comfortable than the trains and wagons had been, as Andromeda and Llinos didn't have to hide from metal soldiers. Instead, they sat comfortably among everyone else, as if they were supposed to be there.

Her aunt had put her own papers away immediately, but she took some time to read hers. Her new birth certificate said she was born in Old Lestallum, which was not the same Lestallum they had left. On all of the papers, her name was listed as Andrea. She stared at the name for awhile to get it to sink in.

The name felt as though it belonged to someone else. The same age and looking exactly like Andromeda, Andrea was a girl born in Old Lestallum, who was now moving with her Aunt Linda to Insomnia for a new life. Both girls had recently lost their parents and grandmother, so they had that in common. By taking on this new identity, Andromeda worried about what would happen to herself—the one that identified as Andromeda. Would that just disappear? Would she forget who she really was and where she came from?

Llinos had said that they were fortunate enough to already look like Lucians. In fact, they stuck out in Tenebrae. Whereas most people had been fair-haired, the women in her family had always had darker hair. Andromeda had grown hers out just as her mother had, before the fire burned some of it. Llinos had always kept hers very short, for as long as she could remember. Her aunt, mother, and grandmother had all had green eyes, but Andromeda had her father's grey eyes. That was all that she seemed to inherit from him.

Her parents' first names weren't changed on her birth certificate. Llinos had a point: there was no need to stay in one land because her parents were buried there. They were far beyond anyone's reach now.

It wasn't long into the bus ride that Andromeda began to feel restless and hungry again. Yet it was late afternoon before the bus came to a stop at a small station. The Disc of Cauthess could still be seen, although it was further away now, and it was mostly blocked by natural stone formations that arched over the landscape.

Most of the passengers had the same idea to go to the diner for food. Neither Llinos nor Andromeda had been to one before, but it wasn't hard to figure out how to order. They ate a small meal in order to save money. She didn't know how much her family had had, but there couldn't be much left now.

With night so close, the buses would not run again until morning. They wandered the outpost, browsed in the convenience store, and watched the Disc become brighter as the sun set. Andromeda read about the nearby petting zoo of chocobos, and begged Llinos to go, but she simply put it off as something they would do another time.

They stayed in a caravan for the night. Llinos found food for them before Andromeda woke. She was barely able to stretch her legs before being pulled onto the earliest bus for the final part of the journey.

There was one more stop before the city, in a desert outpost called Hammerhead. Knowing that they were so close to the end, Llinos and Andromeda didn't dawdle, impatiently waiting for the next bus. They were the first to board.

Compared to the rest of the journey, the last bus ride was short. In three hours, they had left the desert and crossed a long bridge, the city's skyline revealing that they were finally reaching the end. The bus stopped at a gate. A guard boarded to check everyone's papers. Llinos and Andromeda had theirs ready, but the guard barely looked at them before moving on. Once she left and the bus was cleared to move, both breathed a sigh of relief. They had finally made it to Insomnia, the safest place in the world.