The harsh reality of most war veterans comes not only when they are in the warzone, but also after when they are out of service. Most of the time, they struggle to adapt to a more civilized society due to the sheer differences in the battle environment they have strongly adjusted themselves to. Even our haniwa warriors suffer from this. Specialized for battle purposes only, most of the army from the Haniwa Corps are left behind, burdening our people.
Mayumi Joutouguu is an exception.
After leaving the Animal Realm, the ex-leader of the Haniwa Army Corps devotes her life to the people around her, eventually making her one of the most well-known haniwa in our village. There has been a rumor going around, saying that she has such a good reputation that even the local ordinary magician has grown quite fond of the elite soldier.
"What is your name, by the way?" The soldier asks me upon walking through the street of our village. The site is not in its best condition at the moment, as most of it is still under construction.
"We do not have a name," I answer her.
"Then, how should I call you?" Mayumi's gait is kept constant, with a certain thud for each fixed period of time.
"Keiki referred to us as Pawn."
"Pawn, huh?" Her short, blonde hair flows in the wind, swaying the locked bundles on each side. Her hair buns are held tightly with a white strap in each, making me wonder whether it comes from her own volition or, by proxy, from her base design. Our faces are completely different. Her head is lively, adorned with yellow eyes and fresh lips whereas my round, plain head—which does not represent a coconut in any shape or form except possibly the arches—only has three holes as its decoration. Her fashion consists of a white one-piece, branching from her legs into the neck, covered under yellow lamellar armor. The remaining unprotected cloth turns into short sleeves on her upper arms, a sturdy purple armguard covering the rest of her upper extremities. A small haniwa necklace can be seen hanging on her neck, a brief reminder of her status. In a way, her design is similar to the last project Keiki worked on before. "What are we searching for, again?"
"I believe Keiki will explain that once we get to the garden." The stressful traffic of noise hinders my sound. It happens that the road we are following intersects with the spot where construction is at its busiest. Rods of metals fill the sideways of the road. We keep strolling through the bustling place until a cacophonous scream breaks my focus.
"WATCH OUT!" A cue of a falling massive object catches my attention. Before I can react, our path is shrouded under a shadow, but nothing comes hitting the ground. I look around my back until I see the person responsible for stopping the falling object.
Mayumi holds the massive wooden log that is dropping into our area, with only one hand. She scans her back to find the source of the trouble.
"M-MISS MAYUMI!" A constructor haniwa approaches us. "S-SORRY ABOUT THIS, THERE IS AN A-ACCIDENT!"
"It's fine." She turns to the haniwa with a smile. "Nobody's harmed, luckily. You guys need some help there?"
The constructor bows. "N-NO MISS, WE OWE YOU ENOUGH. THERE'S NO NEED TO TROUBLE YOURSELF."
Mayumi shrugs, bringing the massive log on her shoulder. "Come on, where do I put this."
The haniwa points to a stack of logs of the same kind. "O-Over there, Miss."
The elite soldier effortlessly carries the massive log to the stack and puts it where it belongs. "Be more cautious next time. Not all haniwa could withstand that thing."
The constructor nods repeatedly. "Y-Yes, Miss Mayumi. T-Thank you."
Mayumi then comes to reunite with me. "Sorry for that."
I am confused by her statement, what is she sorry for? Nevertheless, we continue our path to the garden, strolling through the hectic construction site to the more exuberant forest outside our village. There, we find an aggregated structure full of creeping plants of some kind.
"Corporal Mayumi!" A haniwa guard stops us upon arrival. "It is good to see you around, and you are…" The idol stares at me quizzically.
"Keiki ordered us here," Mayumi replies with ease. "It would be kind of you to let us through."
After observing us for a second, the guard steps away from the entrance. "The two of you shall pass."
The lush scenery of the Garden welcomes us as we enter our way. The sun illuminating from the cavity above serves as the only light source of the place. The ramping growth of vines furnishes the garden's walls. A line of static idols is present in the garden's outline with the purpose of collecting the souls stemming from the corpse flower. In our sight, we see our creator standing amidst the four-gridded lane. We descend to the garden in order to gain a better view of the Rafflesia patches. The flower petals, despite not looking fresh, bloom towards the air, showing their rigid insides. The corpse flower ranges from sixty to one hundred centimeters in diameter. Their giant size makes our effort to cross noticeably harder.
"How are you, my dear idols?" Keiki gracefully uses one of her hands to brush the petals of a Rafflesia, while she uses the other hand to elegantly cover her nose.
"We're in our prime," Mayumi says as the two of us bow before her. "At your service, my Highness."
"See the state of your primary source."
We take a brief look over the rotting flowers around us.
"Rafflesia is less of your typical flowers and more of a parasite. It spreads its seeds to nearby plants until said seeds find a host. From its birth, the plant leeches the essence of others in order to survive. This trait naturally makes them rich in the essence of life," The sculpture goddess blesses us with her smile. "Souls, as we usually call them. Ever since we migrated here, we can not depend on the faith of the human spirits for our souls. So I have no choice but to find an alternative."
"We're ready to serve you, my Highness."
"The extreme terrestrial of the Animal Realm, supported by their general rule of survival of the fittest, makes them a suitable place for the growth of Rafflesia." Keiki clasps her hands together. "Go out your way and find them."
Mayumi and I nod in agreement before settling back on our feet. We then head to exit the place before Keiki mentions us once more.
"One more thing. Chances are the Animal Realm still holds its history on us. Make minimum conflict."