Hololand
When Takanashi Kiara is still a little girl. She always asks her mother what it feels like to be fighting with in the war and face the death itself.
Her mother, Shiranui Flare never answer, but she always strokes kiara head harder than usual and hug her tightly.
Shirogane Noel master of war, however, tell her that "It is something you will never want to face." But she didn't denied when kiara beg noel to teach her some martial art
(Behind her mother back of course!)
Kiara never knows much about the title but she knows that her mom is being called master of peace because she take care of the city. Trade and agriculture, building thing
and such a boring job like that.
Noel however, prepare some of their people and turn them into a solider. Trained them to ride a horse, shooting arrow and close quarter combat which is something kiara look
very highly.
When flare leave kiara to play freely in the city and palace while she is working. Kiara often walking to the training ground and see the soldier training, fighting on elk back in
group shooting arrow, practicing a shield wall or even sword fight.
Some of her friend start training there since they were nine years old but kiara's mother never allow her to join with them.
"But why?" she asks when flare shook her head for a hundreds time.
"You are too important, my love. I can stand watching you hurt."her mother answer.
"But kinu is already practice with them! "kiara protest, kinu is her closest friend. She came from one of the hunter clans and it is showing on her face that look similar to one
of those leopard men.
"You can still meet her during practice art of magic and crafting or cooking lesson. No need to go and risk getting hurt during those fighting lesson, why little girl needs to
fight when she can eat dessert on soft bed and read marine's space adventure story all days?" shiranui asks.
Kiara frown, while she is very good with fire magic so her teacher tells her that in a few years she will not need to cast a spell while using it anymore, she is not so good with
other magic, especially dark and water magic.
Other lesson is very boring, except maybe a cooking. Because it has something to do with fire that she grows to fond of each year.
"What if we get attack?"kiara said, hugging her mother who snort at the idea.
"With elves technologies we create a virtual camouflage barrier around our planet. Nobody can see us for thousands of years. Let those bugger outside fighting each other
without realizing that they are passing us for hundreds of time.
And in worst case scenario that someone manage to attack us, our armies under noel command will surely wipe them out, do you think you can fight better than her? " flare
ask.
Kiara shook her head, during the training she saw noel beat ten swords' equip opponent with nothing but a small stick and kiara know that she will never feel comfortable
while facing her again. Even if it was just a mock battle.
"Then forget about it, besides, it already dinner time." flare finally smile and both of them go to the dining room, eating fruit salad, red bean soup and some roast fish as a
dinner before washes it all with custard pudding.
While her mother favor for fruit and vegetable, she insists that kiara must eat other stuff too, in order to have a better nutrition.
After dinner it's a story time, kiara always ask for her favorites story, even though her mother don't like it that much, but flare don't want to ruin her daughter jolly mood.
"Tonight we will read about "war between life and death", your favorites, aren't you? " flare has to smile when seeing sparking in kiara eyes ask she nod.
"After the war between galactic empire and the council. People around the galaxies start building back what they lost during the war, everyone life is filled with joyed, using
ancient star people technologies so that nobody has to dies by old age anymore.
Everyone is young and healthy, like our hololand planet. " flare stroke kiara head softly while she read the stories.
"When will the villain came out?"kiara raise her voice in an excitement, flare frown when hearing that but still to keep going.
"One day queen of Necromancer tribes decides to conquer the galactic empire by controlling everyone soul under her hand.
Her first victims is a sailor people, now they are all die out because of her scheme. " flare open the book page, showing a picture of green hair necromancer who sit on the
throne of skulls while undead armies surround her ,absolute loyal to their only master.
Shiranui flare eyes seem to fill with sadness and anger emotion, but she continues anyway.
"Her name is Uruxia, self-proclaims goddess of the death." Picture book showing that Uruxia trying to perform a ritual with one person lying in the middle of magic circle, there is no detail of who that person is, around the magic circle guarding by white rabbit men with gun.
"War criminal of galaxies Usada Pekora from snow dweller tribe tried to help Uruxia complete her scheme. "
"Luckily, with the allies between gravity knight and elves armies we manage to end their plan"
Next pictures show a knights in full armor charging in the ritual, destroying it.
Uruxia scream in agony when Shirogane Noel destroy the body in the middle of magic circle with her mace.
"Who is this?" kiara point at the crushed body, flare avoid looking at her eyes as she speak. "Who know? Maybe some unholy monster that green hair necromancer plan to
wake in order to conquer all of the galaxies. " she said softly, almost with herself but kiara already look at next picture.
"This is you! Mother."kiara point at the picture of shiranui flare who shot an arrow through Uruxia heart.
Flare looks at it for a second before turning her head away.
"Yes, kiara it's me." "Does you feel proud for killing this tyranny unjust god?" kiara said in excitement, flare mood turns cold before realized that her daughter genuinely
asking.
"No. Not at all." Flare forces a smile back on her face. "Nobody deserve to die, even though how bad they are, remember that kiara"
Next picture showing pekora carried Uruxia away while her men and undead armies fighting to protect their master.
Noel throwing her mace at the same time as their ship start use warping technologies.
It destroys one of the engines and the ship start exploding, but not before they travel through the wormhole, out of galactic armies reach.
"After the civil war we don't have enough survivor to maintain the empire so a lot of tribe scatter and back to their life before the empire.
But I offer anyone who wish to follow me to this planet and using elves technologies to build the paradise that no one has to die anymore."
"Hololand!" kiara yell joyfully, flare smile and stroke her cheek.
"It already late, sleep and tomorrow I will tell you a new story."
"Good night mother!"kiara said and diving under the blanket.
Flare smile as she is walking out of the bedroom.
When the light is gone kiara quickly open the window and climbing out of the building, before running in the dark woods.
The forest is not scary since she has walking pass it for a years and if it too dark she could use the fire magic to look at the way.
After running deep in the forest, kiara finally see what she is looking for. A campfire with a rabbit grilling over the fire.
Shirogane noel didn't turn her head from the fire but she smiles when kiara approaching the camp.
"You are late tonight." Noel said, bite in one of rabbit juicy leg.
"And you are eating the food late at night, my mother tells me that it will make you fat." Kiara scold back.
Noel chuckle before tossing one of rabbit leg to kiara who gladly eat it.
"That why we have to burn some fat out, pick the sword and shield. Today I will teach you how attack without lowering you shield."
"Why do I keep practicing it though? Why not spear or bow, even fighting magic?"
Noel smile. "You mother never told you? The best weapon we have is the sword and shield that made by star people technologies, using the same energy as the core of the
star.
It's hiding in the planetarium tower over there."
"What? I use to go there but never heard about it."kiara exclaimed.
"Well, ask her to look for it one days but please, don't tell her you know it from me!" noel laugh nervously.
"One day I will!" kiara pick up the sword
During their fight kiara swing her wooden sword at noel who block it effortlessly with her shield and swing her sword until it touches kiara cheek.
"Don't lower you shield, your enemies are not as kind as me." Kiara swallow.
"Okay okay." She changes her tactic and tries to attack noel leg while using shield to block her head from the attack, but noel effortlessly dodge her sword and stomping the
shield, knocking kiara on her feet.
"A little better. But remember kid, attack low with the shield on your face will did nothing but invite them to hit where you wasn't looking at. "
Kiara suddenly get up and jump at noel with the sword aiming at her face stabbing instead of slashing like usual.
It was too close for noel to block so she has to swing her own sword to destroy the attack, however she use too much force and noel sword break kiara's sword before hitting the side of her body.
"Are you okay?" Noel quickly run at kiara and lift her cloth to look at the wound.
To noel astonishment, there is no wound or even a little bruise on kiara skin.
"How?" noel said in disbelief but kiara get up and smile.
"I don't know, but whenever I get hurt it gone very quickly. This might be a reason while I never have to go to the sick room."
Noel sigh in relief "I thought I just broke your rib, however you should go to the sick room anyway. I know that those succubus nurse is kinda creepy, but they are really good
at healing magic…"
Noel suddenly kneel and kiara know who is coming without even looking back.
Shiranui flare walking in the campfire without a sound, her face is showing no emotion.
"Thousand years of managing this land, No one ever refuse my order before. Who will know the first two will be my best friend and my own daughter!" She yells, couldn't hold
her anger any longer.
"I am the one who beg her mother. Noel just…" kiara start.
"Back to your bedroom kiara." Flare said and two elves guard appear from the dark wood, looking at their feet while bringing kiara back to the palace.
"Now what shall I do with you? " flare said at noel who still kneel down.
"I just prepare her for the fight." noel said.
"What fight exactly, we don't have a war with outside planet for thousands of years." flare ask.
"The same war you just tell your daughter a propaganda story this night. Do you really think she is dead? You know damn well that one arrow shot couldn't kill necromancer.
She is still out there, somewhere." Noel said.
"After those long years has pass? If she really want a revenge, she would come back now." Flare rejects the idea.
"And don't call that story propaganda, it is official story of what happen, at least for citizen of hololand."flare said softly.
Noel flush. "I am with you that she is in the wrong, and if I can go back in time, I will do it again. But it wasn't changing the fact that she is not a monster. Ru-." Noel said but
flare stop her.
"Don't say the name out loud shirogane noel, why do you think I changing her name in the story and prevent everyone from dying in this planet for thousands of years? If no
one speak of her and death couldn't reach this world, maybe she will never found us. "
"You just avoiding problem, not fixing it" noel said.
"And you know that kiara is our only hope to end this war, flare. Isn't this is why we find and raise the phoenix egg in the first place?"
"Stop! I don't want to hear any of this." Flare shook her head.
"You watch her grow with me noel, how beautiful and innocent she is, I can't watch her fighting and killing someone like us."
"Then raise her as an honored warrior who will fight for the right thing, not a pampered child like this. She almost hit me tonight even without proper training. If she had,
kiara will beat me in a few years. " flare has to smile at that.
"I really want so see her doing that right now."
After silent for a while shiranui flare made up her mind.
"Train her as one of your soldiers, starting tomorrow. I expect nothing but best training from you, master of war."
Noel get up at last. "I will not disappoint you."
…
After a years have pass Takanashi kiara finally reach an adult age she stand high among the rank of soldier, no longer a child she use to be anymore.
She learn how to ride an elk or horse ,shoot the arrow, use a magic spell and made a fire ball without casting a spell, even though she is not good with other magic but her
teacher still look at her with proud eyes.
The most important skill is sword and shield and she became master of it ,even noel aren't sure if she can still beat her in one on one fight or not.
Now she is fighting with five enemies at the same time with wooden sword and shield.
One of the opponents is her friend from hunter, kinu who grow up as much as her and both has semi serious competition in everything from cooking to the bow shooting skill,
kiara always win every fight but just barely.
Today it will be another loss of kinu. Kiara is sure.
The fight starts and five of them rush to attack her at the same time, kiara jump in the air and kick one of the enemies head knocking her unconscious.
The rest follow but kiara block their attack with her shield and hit their leg with her wooden sword, knocking two people on the ground.
Now there is only two people left, one is kinu and other is elf from nearby village. Three of them walking around the arena, trying to find each other weak point or mistake.
Kinu attack from the front while elf attack from behind kiara who jump back to avoid their sword and kick poor elf in the leg, make him stagger away, kinu rush to attack but
kiara block with her sword and slam the shield at her.
Kinu tried to block the attack with her shield but kiara is too strong. So, she finally push kinu on the ground. Staggering elf tried to attack from behind but kiara just dodge
and hit his leg with her sword, knocking him too.
Kiara look up at noel and smile at her, jolly in the triumph.
Noel smile back and walk toward her, instead of hugging or praising her student, noel pick the wooden sword and shield from the ground.
"Let see how much you learn kiara" noel said, making kiara smile, both ready for an attack that will surely follow.
Noel attack first. Swing the sword, aiming at kiara who quickly block and counter with her weapon that miss noel head only a few inches.
"Great." Noel smile as both walking around, prepare to attack each other.
Noel strike again, faster and harder than ever but, to everyone surprised kiara can match her speed and power.
Both women swing their weapon so quick that normal human eyes couldn't follow, blocking and attacking each other again and again.
Noel smile and kiara actually laugh while people shouting and cheering for both warrior, this is the best thing they ever did after many years of peace and training. All-out
attack without holding back.
Kiara slash low, aiming at noel leg, but her opponent raise one foot to avoid an attack, this is what she is aiming for kiara slam noel who still standing in one leg with her
shield and every strength she has knocking noel on her foot.
Kiara smile and swing her sword, aiming at noel face.
Before her weapon could touch the target noel kick kiara in the leg, knocking her down.
Kiara try to get up but noel kick her again, this time making sword fall from her hand and before kiara could do anything noel start swinging her wooden sword at kiara again,
forcing her to block it with her shield .
"You are still too careless." Noel hiss, beating the wooden shield hard enough to start breaking it.
"In the real fight you must look at opponent every movement. You look only on my sword and now you have to paid for it" as she said noel finally break kiara shield in half.
The wooden blade hitting kiara shoulder, knocking her on the ground.
"Come on kiara, fight back! I know you are better than this." Noel start hitting kiara body with wooden sword, even if kiara tries to block the attack with her wooden shield
but noel's sword seems to find a way to reach kiara body by miracle.
Flare frown but decide to silent instead of stopping the lesson, kiara has to learn the truth about fighting even if it is very hard for her to watch.
Kiara tries to hold her tear and anger as she gets beaten for the hundred time. She never loses in public before and now she is get beaten like a child in front of her mother
and everyone eyes.
Her pride as one of the strongest warriors is now shatter in front of everyone, she dares look up and see what she wouldn't want to see most. Flare is looking at her with a
sad and disappoint face.
All because noel is so mean and cheating during the fight, now she is stand high and beating kiara nonstop like one of those bad parent in the tale she used to read as a child.
The burning rage come in her eyes and kiara see nothing but enemy, everyone is mocking and look down on her.
Even her mother is looking down on her because kiara lost one battle and ignore the hundreds that she won.
Now she wants it all to stop, the rage is coming and kaira know she don't need to hold it any longer.
"Get away from me!" kiara shout at the same time as the giant fireball come out of her body, blowing noel who tries to block the attack with her shield but failed.
The explosive send noel flaming body out of the arena and land on the nearby field.
Flare shouts an order so, the soldier come up with water bucket and splash it over noel body to ceased the fire.
Kiara finally realized what happen and running at noel.
"Noel!" she cried, pushing everyone out of her way and reaching her teacher body.
To everyone surprise, shirogane noel get up and laugh. Except from some smoke on her body she look completely fine.
"What? Do you think I will die for that attack?" Noel laugh again when seeing kiara face "compared to the dragon breath, this is just a warm breeze, kiddo."
"I…I though…"kiara hug noel and cried "I lost my temper and use the fire magic, I am a worst warrior who cannot control her emotion. I am sorry, noel after everything you
have teach me and I still only a child. "kiara cries again.
Noel laugh again. "no worry, using the fire during the battle is completely fine for you, it is in your blood after all. Besides, I know that it's hard to control your temper when
you are still young."
Flare smack noel head with her bow, making everyone laugh.
"Who is a child here? Playing around and get knock out by her student in front of everyone eyes." she turns her head toward kiara and smile "You did well kiara, noel said that
you will knock her down in a few years but I didn't expect it to be this fast."
Kiara looks at her hand. "But why? I am not and elf or magician but I can use the fire magic without casting a spell. Now I know that when I am angry I can use the flame
power without any thought, only instinct and no one ever do that before, what am I exactly mother?"kiara ask.
Flare and noel look at each other eyes.
"I think it's time to learn who you really are, kiara." Flare said at last.
"The training is over, rest for a while and we will talk about this okay? " Noel suggest and kiara nod, trying to hold her curiosity.
She never realizes that she is different than other people that much until today, but kiara see the result of what happen when she is not holding her emotion, maybe wait for a
while will calm her down enough to listen what her mother has to say about her.
Kiara walking alone in the wilderness until she reaches the great lake.
When she wants to be alone, kiara will always come here since no one except from some of hunter clan who want to catch a fish would come to this lake.
Kiara look at the sky again and wonder what it feel like to be travel among the star, like what the other race outside this planet probably did.
She never saw a spaceship before except from some old junk in the museum, it must be really fun to travel in those and wonder around the universe.
She knows that noel and other warriors sometime use the wormhole to travel to other planet but they never said much about what they saw outside hololand except from
"As horrible as usual."
Who know, one day kiara might travel among the star and maybe built her own home in another planet. Only time will tell.
While she still looks at the bright blue sky, kiara saw something falling, it wasn't look like meteor or shooting star but the shape is seem familiar…
"A spaceship!"kiara exclaim. This one is pretty small, maybe for one or two person travel ship.
But it isn't landing smoothly like she would normally imagine, in fact kiara think it is burning, maybe its engine is broken somewhere.
Before kiara could react, the ship falling in the lake, making the water splatter while it sinking under the wave.
Kiara jump in the water before thinking, if there is a survivor she has to help them before they drowning under the lake, beside, she know that water drake or mermaid
probably heard the fall too. She doesn't want the first visitor of hololand after thousands years of no contact has been eaten by some local animal.
Kiara diving in the blue water and tries to open the ship door, she only sees one pilot who wear a black helmet and strange latex suit.
When it won't budge kiara use her fire magic to melt the iron door and tear it away, if some scientist sees her right now, they probably scream "Fire under water! How!" but
kiara just brush the idea away and drag pilot out of the sinking ship.
When they come ashore, kiara drop the pilot on the ground and wondering what to do next.
Kiara used to learn about how to put the air in drowning person lung, but let's be real here, who can randomly remember what you studied years ago without any training?
Probably not her.
Anyway, she has to open stranger helmet first, she tries to pull it out, failed. Spin it like a bottle? Failed. Find a switch, failed.
Kiara actually thinks about just burning the helmet when she randomly hit a red button on the stranger wrist and the helmet actually come off by its own.
"Oh!" kiara exclaimed as looking at stranger face behind the helmet, the pilot is a beautiful pink hair woman that cut short around her neck, her skin is a little bit pale like
someone who never see the sun for years, but there is nothing difference between her and kiara's people that much.
Kiara sigh in disappointment, she half expects to find a plant or arachnid people in the book that kiara read as a child. But still it was better than no visitor at all.
The stranger still not awake yet so kiara start preparing mouth to mouth treatment.
while not remember about it that much kiara recognize that it has something to do with kissing the patient, blowing air in their lung or something.
Lucky for both, before kiara could do anything weird the stranger finally wakes up and spat water at kiara face.
"…No need to thank me." Kiara said, wiping water on her face as stranger get up and look around her.
"Where am I?" pink hair women ask wearily.
"Hololand. And you must be mortal from the outside." Kiara answer, since everyone on this planet never need to face death anymore with the help of elves technologies.
So, they call outsider "mortal" meaning those who still died by old age while people of hololand will never grow older more than they need to be.
Stranger blink. "Yes, I am a mortal. I mean who isn't?"
Kiara laugh "A lot more than you think, especially here. What is your name?"
"Mori Calliope." stranger said.
"Car-li-o-pay?" kiara repeat a strange word she never heard before. What a bizarre name!
Pink hair women laugh. "Not the shortest name in the world.
I know, my mother love reading about story of those ancient civilization, so she probably picks the name from somewhere."
She silent for a second before said again. "You know what? Call me whatever you want."
"Okay! Calli." Kiara said cheerfully, pick the easiest route of calling someone with a long name, cut it short.
"My name is Takanashi Kiara, daughter of Shiranui Flare, master of peace in this hololand planet.
Calli from the outside. Why are you here? "kiara greeting formally.
After all, this is the first guest from different world she ever met, as a daughter of the leader, she doesn't want to embarrassed her mother.
"Woah woah, hold your horse for a second. I don't know what the heck are you talking about, but first can you lend me your hololive 's equipment? I want to contact
someone. "calliope stop as kiara look at her blankly.
"Please don't say that you don't know what it is. Come on! Nowadays everyone in the universe have it."calli swear when kiara shook her head.
"I have no idea what you are talking about, but I will bring you to my mother, she probably knows about outside this planet more than me." Kiara grab calliope hand and drag
her toward a town direction.
"But who are you and why you are here again?"kiara said during their walk.
Calli open her mouth to answer but she suddenly looks at the sky and swear, kiara who wonder while everything went darker look up too and see what calli is looking at.
A giant spaceship longer than hundred meters suddenly appear in the sky, left and right side of the ship body suddenly open and release hundreds of smaller aircraft that look
very similar to calli's ship.
All of that strange thing starts reaching their direction.
"In short. I am a good guy and those are bad guys!" calliope said as both starts running in the deep forest.
…
Flare watching the radar again in disbelief, but it was not a mistake. Some spaceships finally reaching their Eden after thousands of years has pass.
"Is it her?" flare whisper to herself but noel shook her head.
"Probably not, even if this is a warship, it still not and all-out war we use to face, the ship is very small, probably carries less than thousand warriors. We will beat them in no time."
"But if there was a death on this planet, it's mean we aren't safe anymore." flare said, still hesitate.
"Then hope they would come in peace. But I won't count on that." Noel pick up her mace and shield.
"Bring your knight in the battlefield, noel. I will support you with elves and hunter armies." Flare dicied at last
"Already give an order." Noel jump toward the battleship location after she speak, disappear from the city in one second.
Flare sighed "Always looking for next war aren't you? I wonder if one day you will get tired of it."
Shiranui flare looking at the radar again.
Somehow, she couldn't erase the feeling that death already reaching her homeland.