Act I - Awakening
Chapter 5 - Descent
"I think I did well today..."
It was three weeks after I moved to Alde Baran, and I couldn't be happier. I missed my family, yes, but somehow, I didn't feel it. To be honest...as much as I love them, something always seemed to be missing...
"That's great!" Mei smiled back at me from her seated position before promptly turning back to the man she was talking to. She was the receptionist, after all. She can't neglect her work just for me.
Mei's been helping a lot. She introduced me to more of the staff, who seemed to hardly care about me. One even outright ignored me after we were introduced. Mei had apologized for the lady, whom she said was busy. I wasn't convinced. But I didn't tell her that.
I was at her house every day. I would go to the main office after my shift, seating myself at the other chair behind the desk, waiting for her to finish. We would go to her house and do what friends do. Talk for most of the evening. She always escorted me home, warning me to get there safe and sound. As for her going back to her home...Mei would just wink at me and give me a mysterious smile. Maybe she knows self-defense? She never told me if she did. That would be cool though. Maybe I can get her to teach me sometime.
I took another glance at my friend. She wore the standard Kafra uniform, but somehow stood out from among the other Kafras. Mei kept experimenting with her long black hair, sometimes tying it in a bouncy ponytail, a few times in twin braids, at times in a design so intricate that it seemed to have taken hours to make. Right now, she preferred it free-flowing.
I found myself holding one of my ponytails in my hand, looking at my own hair with a bit of dissatisfaction. That's when I noticed. Did my hair just get more color? I slowly separated one strand from the rest, running it between my fingers. It was now a darker shade of blue. I'm worried. Was there a condition where your hair gets darker?
"Hey, Amelia. Let's go."
I looked up and saw my friend, holding her usual black leather handbag.
"Sure." I stood up, following Mei as she slowly walked away.
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I laughed as my friend finished her joke, the living room providing a good ambience for out nightly talks. We talked about everything; our work, family, friends, life.
Friends?
"Mei...I just noticed something..."
"Hm?"
I squirmed a bit, my eyes following an imaginary speck on the carpet floor. "You don't go out much...and people are cold towards you..."
I heard Mei sigh, and the rustle as she shifted her position on the couch. Silence reigned for a few minutes.
"Because..." she finally said, "...I'm not all that I seem."
By instinct, I was at her side, my hand on her shoulder. I had unconsciously acted on the catch in her voice.
"I may look like someone who's contented, someone who has everything..."
I saw her eyes water, ever so slightly.
"Everyone here knows...they know who I was. And because of that, they are all afraid of me. Amelia, I'll tell you, someday. You're my friend. But not right now. I promise."
"I understand..." I whisper in her ear, smiling. "Take your time."
"Thank you."
The rest of the coversation is blurry to me. Don't blame me. The events that happened after eclipsed them all.
"Oh...I left something at the building!" I blurted out in the middle of my storytelling, realizing my mistake. "I left my backpack there!"
"Really?" Mei grabbed her handbag from beside her, and pulled out a big brass key. "This unlocks the door to the right of the main entrance. Bring it back, okay? And stay on the main road this time. It's a bit late."
"Thanks." I smiled at her, taking the key. "I'll try to be quick!"
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Once more, I was in front of the headquarters, which was now strangely foreboding. I shivered as a cold gust of air whipped past me, adding to my nervousness.
I quickly found the door, and opened it after a few tries. The lock seemed new, but I had a hard time turning the heavy key. They should replace the thing.
I stepped inside, the experience three weeks prior fresh in my mind. There wasn't anything here, I told myself. Nothing. It's just my mind playing tricks on me. I picked up a lighted lamp which stood on a table in the same room.
The room was directly adjacent to the main hallway, where the reception desk was. I slowly inched towards the desk, feeling a bead of sweat flowing down from my forehead. I could see the chair I sat in before, still in the same place. Within a minute, I was kneeling beside it, getting my bag from under the chair where I left it.
"I'm done here..."
I stood up, and returned to the right side of the hall, lamp in tow.
"Wha..." I blinked, then rubbed my eyes. Where was the passage to the other room? It wasn't there!
Okay, this is getting really creepy.
Maybe I should go through the secret entrance. If I can stop my teeth chattering.
I crept along the wall towards the other end of the hallway, to make sure that the passage I saw didn't vanish. Just in case. I felt the stone with one hand and held the lamp with the other.
Suddenly, I felt my hand sink into the wall, depressing a stone brick. I shreiked in surprise, jumping away from it, landing on my butt.
"Ouch..." I picked myself up from the floor, dusting off my apron. I was still holding the lamp. Hearing a sliding noise, I looked up. To my surprise, a new hallway had appeared in front of me.
I then proceeded to do what would become one of the most stupid things in the world.
I went in.
It was a long passage, walls made of the same grey stone. As I went in deeper though, the color changed. The walls slowly transformed from grey to black. The place seemed to go on forever. I already felt tired, and the ominous feeling that my body felt didn't help any. My lamp was starting to flicker, its fuel already low.
"C'mon..." I whispered. "Hold on just a bit longer..."
I eventually reached the end, the lamp still working. A big room greeted my eyes as the lamp's light struck the dark wall. Was everything here black? I held my backpack tighter. That's when I noticed it.
I walked, closer to the pedestal in the middle of the room. It was easy to miss in the dark. But I felt drawn to it. On the pedestal was a plain black ball. Nothing that would be very interesting.
I did another stupid thing.
I touched it with my left hand.
Immediately, the ball turned into a glowing blue beacon, its light piercing the darkness and illuminating the entire room. The ball itself begun to hover in the air. I stepped back. I was afraid. What had I done?
"Subject recognized."
I jumped when I heard the voice. Someone was here? I shook my head, trying to calm myself. If there were people here, it won't be so bad.
"ID Number 000008."
Where was that coming from? In front of me?
"Accessing records."
I realized that the voice was coming from the ball itself. I looked at the sphere with wonder as it just hovered there, uttering words I could barely hear.
"Last entry is Second Month, Twenty-First Day, Year 31 of the Reign of King Sachiel."
The world seemed to stop moving at that moment, as I processed this information. I realized, shocked, that the King Sachiel they were talking about is an old king of Rune-Midgard, when Payon and Geffen were still under Pronteran control.
That was around a thousand years ago.
Was this place that old?
"Subject Name is...Maliea Peirolle. Granting Access."
I didn't recognize the name. I didn't have time to. A circle of blue light appeared at my feet. I was being warped. The surroundings began to fade, and new scenery took its place.
What happened next is something I will never forget.
I was in the middle of a room. But that's not what shocked me to the core. No.
The room was full of clear glass tubes filled with clear liquid. Inside each...were sleeping babies.
I tried to scream. But I couldn't. My mouth did not work. My jaw was frozen due to utter shock. My mind started to shut down.
That was when I made another mistake.
I looked to my left.
Behind another tube was an empty one, with writing etched onto the glass. When my eyes met the marks, I felt my heart beat at an abnormal pace, my breathing became heavier. My knees hit the floor. The world seemed to fade to black.
What was written?
Amelia. Third Month, Eleventh Day. Year 9 of King Tristan III.
The day I was found by my father on the riverside.
End of Act I.