“Well, have a good day girls” says one of the maids, as it closes the front door of the Aquamarine mansion with a heavy sound.

I’ll never get used to the door being this big, thinks Amelia.

“The door is really big” says Tomoe.

Amelia lets a slight smile escape “Lets go, we are going late, Lacus surely is waiting for us”.

“Yeah…” says Priscilla.

The girls start going down the street, with many Aquamarines going forth and back into it. The sun is still high in the sky, about to reach its highest point.

Amelia comments “Its been years, and I’m still not used to see these many people out at this hour.”

“Been in this part of the city for longer, and I’m still not used to it either” says Priscilla.

The street they are going down on are made of cobblestones, put together really close one to another, their steps making sounds against it along the way. They are walking in one of the streets connected to the main street of the city. This street cuts all the way from east to west, crossing many water channels that people can go over by thanks to wooden bridges.

Houses are to the sides, made of simple blocks, a combination of rocks and stones, that have stood the test of time for more than a thousand years, some even say more.

“It is incredible” says Amelia.

“What is it?” asks Tomoe.

“Well, history is.”

“Ehmm… I’m not following. That’s a bit vague.”

“Kinda is” says Amelia, as she chuckles in embarrassment.

“I think she is talking about the city” Intervenes Priscilla.

“Oh, but if so, how the city is incredible?”

“Care to enlighten us Amelia?”

“Well, what you said was true. The thing is, I was reading a bit more about the city this week, and was a bit impressed when I stopped to consider the facts that the book presented. It seems that this city has existed long before the Great Wolf tore asunder the world, and in inspecting these buildings, they have speculated that the city was not only made of… dirt and stones, but there was also a supernatural element added to its construction, so it would resist the pass of time.”

As Amelia said this, the three of them stopped to see one of the houses, now being chipped away, with its colors being faded enough that it may very well that the entire wall was painted brown before.

“It doesn’t seem to be working anymore, eh?” says Tomoe.

“Well, when the Great Wolf tore the world apart, many things where said to be lost, so maybe the magic holding the houses together also did” adds Priscilla.

“But still, look” says Amelia, as she puts her arms up “It is still holding up, and that in itself is amazing isn’t?”

“Kinda is, although it is also a shame to see the entire city like this, falling little by little apart” answers Tomoe, as the group starts walking again.

“You’re focusing to much on the details!” answers back Amelia “Think, if this city wasn’t here three hundred years ago when the cold war started, where would have our ancestors have gone?”

“… there are the other two cities further into land, passing the forest corridor.”

“But they weren’t proper places to have people live there. Instead, our grandfathers and grandmothers came here, and initial estimations claim that only a less than half of the city was occupied, but yet…”

“Yet?”

“In a couple of years, the city right now will be occupied completely. Think about that, about two million right now. And we all have a home thanks to coming here in the first place. Isn’t that amazing?” finally says Amelia.

As they are crossing the third water channel and take the main street of the city, the wall of houses and nature that was to their left finally gives space to reveal the view of the sea, and one of the best views in the entire of the old Aquamarine Port City, with the main plaza down the road, where everyday except Sunday it turns into a marketplace, and right now its raging on. The old cathedral further to the left. The many water channels that the city have, natural of being placed over a forming delta long ago. The many rooftops of the buildings in the city. Further down below the main plaza, another plaza known as the bay plaza, known because it connects to the lower plains that flood every night when the moon is starting to reach its highest point in the sky. Well into the lower plains, the old great citadel, known because of its size and actually being an acropolis, with its Grand Castle sitting on top. Further beyond, the sea, and well into the sea, now only seen as a point in the horizon, a red tinge, showing the looming Styx sea.

After a moment silence, Tomoe brings her hand to her chin, and answers “Maybe it is, it is as amazing as this view is” as a feeling of release runs through her body.

“I love this place” adds Priscilla “even before starting at the Beheader Corps, I remember coming here to take in this very particular view.”

“Is there something special about it for you?” Amelia asks.

“Well, yeah” answers Priscilla, looking at her and at the view once again “This is the main street of the city, so usually it is flooded with Aquamarines left and right, but for some reason, every time I am here, I feel like all my worries go away… They seems so meaningless…” She stops for a second, and adds “it is like the gentle waves of the sea, it fills me with such serenity that any worries get washed away.”

After taking some moments in, Tomoe says “lets keep moving, they are waiting for us.”

“You’re right” answers Amelia, as the girls start going down the main street, towards the main plaza.

“This is really an old city” suddenly says Tomoe.

“It is.”

“Why would you say was the reason that it was build here in the first place?” asks Priscilla.

“Well, as I read in the book, they aren’t sure, all thanks to the Great jerk who tore the world apart, but the main guess is that is should be that this city and the grand castle at the top of the citadel are somehow related.”

“I see, so something like a kingdom, with the king living at the castle?”

“That is the main idea, yeah.”

“But how come they don’t know by now? Can’t they go to the citadel and search for more clues there?”

“Hmm… That is what I thought, but after asking William, he told me that only those authorized by Lady Aquamarine can go there. It seems that they need her approval for the entrance to the citadel to open, the same thing with the castle.”

“Eh? How the Aquamarines living there can know if Lady Aquamarine gave some her approval?”

“Well… ” starts saying Amelia, before starting to think again.

“Wait, what?” asks Priscilla.

“Well, I don’t know how much of this is true, but it seems that there is no one living there.”

“No way… ” says Priscilla, opening her eyes quite a bit, then adding “Then, how? Please don’t tell me ghosts.”

“It seems tied to the supernatural, the old magic of this world some may say. Either way, it is through magic that the citadel seems to know if someone has the approval of Lady Aquamarine or not.”

“Wow… this is quite something… It is giving me the chills…” says Priscilla, as she starts hugging herself “What do you think Tomoe?”

“I believe what she said is right. I have heard something similar from my mother, although it was a long time ago” Tomoe answers, while she keeps going on walking.

Amelia feels that her throat ties a knot itself, her chest tightens and her cheeks fluster in red.

As they go through the marketplace, evading the people and stalls full of fruits, clothes, tools, dishware and even hunting weapons, they take another path, to their right, another street connection with cobblestones. Only the important and most used streets have cobblestones, all the others that aren’t essential to the main functions of the city are streets of only dirt.

“Ahoy girl!” they hear. Tomoe turns to her right, and sees an old man, with a stall of fruits to the side.

“Oh, it is you sir” she says, as she comes closer.

While she moves closer, both Amelia and Priscilla are left behind a bit.

And again, reality was sinking into Amelia. Again and again reality has sunk into her, and this time wasn’t the exception. The bitter reality that makes her shake with a combination of shame, sadness and rage, at her inability to cross this huge wall all the way to the other side.

Why? She has asked herself a thousand times. Why? She wanted to ask her a thousand times too, yet, she can’t. She knows why, and because of the very reason that she was able to cross this wall like it didn’t exist before, it is right now the very reason reason why she is unable to cross it right now.

Or maybe because of this very same reason, she is holding back too.

If both of them continued like this, how would things end between them? Are they going to end as complete strangers? These mere questions made Amelia’s head spin, and sometimes would keep her up at night. Would the first true friendship Amelia managed to get end up like this, end up in such a pathetic whimper?

Amelia felt completely flustered, her face keeping the red tinge. Feeling a bit embarrassed and frustrated about this, she lowered her head, and casted her eyes to the ground.

“Don’t let it bother you” says Priscilla, putting a hand to her shoulder.

“Its been three years, three years like this” answers Amelia.

“I know, I know.”

“Yet… why can’t we talk like we used to?”

Priscilla moves her hand to the other shoulder, giving Amelia a sideway hug “You know the answer to that” she adds.

“… ” Amelia goes silent, then takes a deep breath, and adds “Stupid Cotton.”

“Now there is something I haven’t heard in a while” says Priscilla as she giggles. Amelia snorts, and answers with a slight smile.

“Now, lets go and take Tomoe away. We are still with good time, but I would like to take on the good winds while they still are blowing.”

As they get closer, they started to hear clearly the exchange between Tomoe and the old man. In his stall, only one apple remained, while there are many Pineapples left.

“Sir, how are you doing with your daughter?” they hear Tomoe say.

“Oh girl,” the old man says while letting a chuckle escape “nothing has changed, really” a pause, while the man cast his eyes down and a smirk is drawn in his face “sadly” he adds.

“I’m sorry for being nosy, but I’m sure if you keep trying, you will reach her.”

“No need to apologize girl, I know you mean well. And maybe… someday I can reach her, to make her stop throwing her life away… that fool girl.”

“Ehmm, excuse me sir” interrupts Priscilla “We need to keep going, and we need to drag Tomoe with us” she says, putting both of her hands in Tomoe’s shoulders.

“We still have some time don’t we?” asks Tomoe.

“They’re waiting for us” answers Amelia.

“If I may be nosy in return, where are you going?” asks the Old Man.

“We need to get to the shore of Quenching sir” answers Amelia.

“Yeah, the mother of a friend passed away, and we are going to send her off.”

“I see, I see, then please don’t let me take more of your time. I assume you have some time left, but better be on the safe side” and seeing Tomoe to the eyes, he adds “Those who died need to go and find peace, lest their cinders come back for us.”

Tomoe closed her eyes and felt silent “I… I agree” she then answered.

“Good” said the Old Man “here, take this apple, its better to have something easy on your stomach when sending them off” while giving Tomoe the apple that was left “and for you girls, since I don’t have anymore apples, please take one pineapple each.”

“Wow what? Please, we can’t. I mean, this is your merchandise” asks Priscilla.

“Yeah, I mean, thank you for the gesture but I wouldn’t feel well taking this.” Says Amelia.

“Don’t mind it girls, I’m about to close for the day anyway.”

“You sure?” asks Amelia.

“You girls are too mindful. I’m the owner, I can do with my fruits whatever I want.”

Priscilla takes one, and, smiling, Amelia takes another one “Thank you sir.”

“Your welcome” says the Old Man, flashing a smile full of teeth right back. Then, looking back at Tomoe, he adds “I’ll try once more… I wonder, how much could have she changed?”

“Only one way to find out” she answers “goodbye.” She adds, as the Old Man starts picking up his stall.

“Goodbye sir, and thanks for the fruits!” say Amelia and Priscilla, at unison.

“Take care” answers the Old Man, as the girls hit the road again to the shore of Quenching.

After walking for a while, out of the city and over the ridge, they get to the floating piers that are beyond the lower plains, well into the sea. The sounds of the waves crashing into the shore, the caresses of the wind blowing, the rays of the sun shining without mercy, and the smell of the salt water, all of this invaded the girls as they started to come closer and closer to the shore.

At the end of the pier, there where a group of people reunited. A guy, about to enter its twenties, with a slim build, an angular face, and wearing a dark green shirt, leather brown pants and leather boots, came to the girls as they where drawing closer.

“There you are.”

“Sorry if we took our time” says Priscilla.

“Don’t worry, we couldn’t have started anyway… we have an issue here too.”

“What’s the matter?” asks Tomoe.

“Its Lacus” the guy says, as he takes his right hand to his face “he went to try and make his father come.”

“What?” exclaims Amelia “doesn’t he knows better than anybody that his father will not come?”

“Quite stubborn he is uh?” adds Priscilla.

“Bran!” a girl wearing a black sleeveless gown to the neck and with white hair, yells, as she is coming closer “Oh, hi there, thank Hazuki that you came in time.”

“No need to yell Titania, what’s the matter?” asks Bran.

“The problem is bigger than what we expected.”

“Ah?”

“The priest, Sonoko, just confirmed that Lacus’ mom has more than twenty four hours of being dead.”

Even with the sun’s ray shining without mercy over them, a chill was suddenly felt by everyone present, while cold sweat fell down Bran’s forehead.

“We will start with the parting right away” he says.

“But-”

“No ‘buts’ Titania!” he interrupts her “We already suspected that this was the case and Lacus knew this. He still went away anyway knowing very well himself that he will fail again in convincing his father to come” and runs towards the end of the pier, to where the boat of parting is, and the priest alongside it.

“Sonoko-” he started to call the priest, and she turned to him, but then he suddenly stopped on his tracks.

From the boat of parting where Lacus’ mother body laid down, decorated with flowers and various objects, a mist started to form. It came out of the boat, to the ground. In just seconds, Tomoe, Amelia and Bran ran to Sonoko, while from the boat, a sudden surge of mist came out, much like an explosion, covering them all.