The Hidden World

“Ready to go?” Yuki asked, directing her question to Yuna. 

Yuna looked around the hotel room that they had shared for a week now. She hadn’t brought much with her; only a few pairs of clothing and her weapons. She double checked to make sure she had everything though. 

“I think so,” she replied, nodding. “You?”

“I had almost nothing to begin with,” Yuki replied with a smile. “Remember? I didn’t exactly get the chance to go back home and get anything.”

“It hasn’t been that long since you escaped, hasn’t it,” Yuna said. 

“Mhm.”

“It feels so long ago already, though.”

“It’s because I want to keep it in the past,” Yuki said. “It’s over now. What’s done is done and at the end of the day, everything turned out just fine.”

“It did. So. Should we go?”

“Let’s go,” Yuki nodded. 

They left the hotel room and went down the hall and stairs to the lobby where Erica, Akira, Ember, and Mathali were waiting. With them was Laurel as she had promised she would be. 

After coming back to the hotel the day Laurel announced their training had finished, Yuna spoke to Yuki about their next move and agreed to leave the day after the next. Yuna notified Laurel of their plans and now there she was, waiting.

“There they are,” Laurel said as she smiled at Yuna and Yuki as they walked toward her. 

“I’m glad you could make it,” Yuna said. “I’m sure you’re really busy today.”

“I promised I would,” she replied. “Plus, I’m not as busy as you would think. This city almost runs itself. The people that live in it want what’s best for it and so do we. Usually, they align.”

She gave Yuna a hug, squeezing her tightly for a moment before letting go. Her eyes flickered towards Yuki for a second and gave Yuna an inquiring look. 

“Not yet,” Yuna said, answering her unspoken question. “I’m still trying to figure it out.”

“Take you time,” Laurel advised. “Rushing things like these aren’t good. You might miss something or ruin it with a small misstep.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Laurel,” Yuki greeted, stepping up to stand beside Yuna. “I want to thank you for helping Yuna. It means a lot to me.”

“It was my pleasure,” Laurel said. “She was a wonderful student. I hope you treat her well.”

That last sentence Laurel said with a meaningful gaze that Yuki replied to with a small smile. 

“I’ll try. Yuna said you would be leading us out?” 

“Indeed I will be. If you have everything, just follow me.”

With that, she turned around and gestured towards everyone to come with her as she began walking ahead of them. They followed her closely behind as she weaved around the towering buildings. 

“Ember told me that you want to go to the dragons?” Laurel asked as they walked.

“Yes, we do,” Yuki replied. Yuna’s eyes widened. That was news to her. “We have some business there to do.”

“I see. It’s good that you’re going there as soon as you can,” Laurel said. “Dragons are people that I do not want to risk antagonizing.”

“I gathered.”

“Since you’re planning to go there, I’ll be taking you towards the mountainside of the city. From there, Ember will take you to where you want to go.”

“Thank you,” Yuki said. 

“No problem.”

Laurel led them to the edge of the floating city. Before them, a mountain range rose up from the ground. Clouds hung around their snow capped tips. They must have been quite far away still; at least a few miles. 

“Do you know how you’re going to get there?” Laurel asked. 

“Em?” Yuki said, looking over at Ember who gave her a nod. “We do.”

“Perfect. Then, before you leave, I want to give you something Yuna,” Laurel said, turning to Yuna. 

“What is it?” Yuna asked. She wasn’t expecting any gifts from Laurel. 

Laurel snapped her fingers and a brush appeared in her hand. It was larger than a normal hair brush, much larger. Yuna wasn’t sure why she would need something like that, but she took it without a comment and gave Laurel a smile.

“Thank you,” she said.

“I guess you’re wondering what it’s for,” Laurel said. Yuna didn’t reply, “Yep. You’ll figure it out quickly enough. I also have some final advice for you.”

Yuna waited.

“If you ever need help, don’t hesitate to reach out to your friends,” she said. “I know that you prefer to try and solve things yourself, but that makes things harder for you for no reason. It never hurts to ask.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Yuna replied. 

“Good. Now. I guess it’s good bye,” Laurel said with a sad smile. She hugged Yuna again. “Visit some time. We’re always here if you need us.”

“I’ll try.” 

Laurel broke away and bade farewell to the rest of Yuna’s group before heading back into the city. Yuna watched her for a bit as she walked away.

“We should get down from this city first,” Yuki said behind her. “Let’s go, Yuna.”

Turning around, Yuna joined up with Yuki and the others. They went to a tower near the edge of the city and rang a bell. A moment later, an friendly looking angel stepped out.

“How may I help you?” the angel asked.

“We’re leaving the city,” Yuki replied with a polite smile. “I was told that you would escort us out?”

“Indeed,” the angel said. “Please do note that I will be sedating you. It will be just like how you came here.”

“I understand. Do as you will.”

“Wonderful. Then, please, can you all close your eyes?”

Yuna complied and shut her eyes. She heard the angel call out for assistance and soon footsteps replied. One set of footsteps went toward her and a finger touched her forehead before her consciousness was swept away.

When she woke up, she was in a forest. She recognized it as the place Mathali had led them to when they first came to the angels. Beside her was Yuki, who was already awake, along with the others. She noticed that Erica was already awake as well.

“Had a good nap?” Yuki asked, grinning. 

“Pleasant enough,” Yuna replied. “Um. You said that we were going to the dragons?”

“I did. We’ll talk about it more once everyone else is awake,” Yuki said. She paused. “I don’t think you know, do you?”

“Know what?” 

“About me. I never really had the time to tell you.”

Yuna frowned, puzzled about what Yuki was speaking about.

“We’ll go over it when everyone is awake. For now, just relax a bit. It might be a bit before they wake up.”