“People grow tired, despise and fear war, death….

And other people.”

Vladilena Milizé – ‘Memoirs’

Prologue: When I Look Back…

It was like a palace made of moonlight from my favorite fairy tale. The city was dazzlingly new, as white and pristine as could be.

This was a newly established bedroom community on the outskirts of the large city where I used to live. With its characteristic wide, straight roads and neatly divided blocks, elegant buildings, and graceful streetlights, it was a city of the future and hope, where emerging designers flourished. They adorned the squares, parks, and houses with unified designs, and colorful flowers bloomed everywhere, like something out of a fairy tale, a dreamy, beautiful city.

The residents of the Republic, descendants of the Alba Race, as well as immigrants from other countries who had settled here over generations, already had hometowns and relationships. 

Thus, those who moved to this new town were families with a variety of inherent colors, just like the family of Chitori, who was born in the Republic but with parents who were immigrants from the United Kingdom of Roa Gracia, they were among the many families with diverse backgrounds and origins. There was only one family of pure Alba race descent next door, immigrants from the Giad Empire.

Yes, the family next door. Dustin Jaeger, who was the same age.

The Jaeger family was apparently noble in the Empire, and Dustin had been brought up with the manners and behaviors befitting a nobleman’s son. Despite being a child, he had a dignified and calm demeanor, gentle yet firm, like a proper grown man.

He never bullied younger children or girls, so compared to the other mischievous boys in the neighborhood who would pull hair or throw insects, he seemed like a prince from a fairy tale.

I liked him.

I admired him, I think.

Making crowns and rings out of garden flowers, saying thank you for helping me, and often putting them on him. Dustin treated me like a princess, and it made me so happy.

We went to school together every day, and played together after school.

He would always walk me home as usual, waving goodbye with a promise to see each other again tomorrow.

That night.

†

When I woke up, I found myself in the prefab shed we used as temporary lodging.

It was the management office of a bridge on a large river whose name I didn’t know. It was originally located on the outskirts of town, already deserted by staff at night, so we slipped in.

Though there was a light snowfall in the early hours, it wasn’t cold enough to bother us, thanks to the sturdy construction typical of the Federacy and the warmth of my comrades. We had gathered here in response to a call before time ran out, comrades I hadn’t seen since the days of that laboratory in the 86th Sector.

Yet, there were still many absent. Perhaps they couldn’t find their way here, or perhaps they had no intention of joining Chitori and the others.

While I didn’t think the Republic’s shelters were particularly hidden, they hadn’t been widely publicized either, so I hoped everything was alright…

As I peeled off my coat, serving as a makeshift blanket, and sat up, it seemed the girls were just waking up too. Kiki, Karine, Ashiha, Imeno, Totori, Ran, and Shiohi.

… No. Someone was missing.

“Where’s Totori?”

Karine, with her long, straight red hair, nodded slightly. She was like an older sister figure to everyone, both in the laboratory and in this group.

“During the night”,  she murmured to herself, as if realizing her fate. Like a noble cat of the field, sensing its time has come, heading alone to its place of death.

No, not quite like that.

“Is that so…”

Still, at least.

On the outskirts of the city, by the river, where there are no signs of people. Leaving the unmanned cabin at night. To disappear quietly alone into the darkness, without involving anyone else, perhaps, was at least something to be grateful for.

After all, it was for this reason that we had gathered here, knowing this.

Realizing that another companion, who had joined us knowing the reason, was also missing, I glanced around nervously.

“Where’s Yuuto?”

The way Chitori searched, like a chick looking for its mother, made the companions quietly laugh.

“He’s gone to get food. He said that by this time, the morning market should be open already.”

“He plans to return before the caretaker arrives, but if he doesn’t make it in time, he said to move under that tall tree over there.”

Kiki, with her petite frame and her short golden hair shining, curled up even smaller, sitting with her knees drawn up and laughed.

“I was surprised when Chitori brought him along, even though we might get caught. But being able to eat something warm and freshly made, thanks to him, is truly something to be thankful for.”

Yuuto, stepping in for Chitori and the others who wished to avoid people, would bring back warm dishes from stalls and booths when possible. In remote locations, he’d light a fire to brew tea or warm up canned food, and once even caught and prepared a large pheasant without using a gun. To Chitori and the others, who had never dressed a fish or hunted, his skills seemed like magic.

The warm meals he served, in the cold of the Federacy’s northern climate, were surprisingly comforting to both body and soul. The first night, Chitori found herself moved to tears by the heat of freshly made hot soup and the red glow of the fire in the darkness, reminiscent of a warmth and affection so dearly missed.

… More so than the cold of this winter, or the snow of the Federacy. It must be a skill acquired to continue fighting on the cold battlefield.

Having fought not only against the Legion, but also against snow, darkness, forests, and the coldness and malice of people, they could continue to live proudly like lone wolves in this cold world, even now.

Different from us, the “Fawns,” who had been basking in the warmth of the dimly lit laboratory, not even able to properly start a fire—one could say, they were true fighters who had fought and survived.

Feeling this realization, for some reason, it felt terribly lonely.

“… Ah. We haven’t moved yet?”

The buildings of the Federacy, even a day-use cabin on the outskirts of a territorial town, were well-constructed, the door opening without a creak to reveal Yuuto who opened the door and poked his head in.

Although it had been several days since leaving Sankt Jeder, there was not a trace of fatigue on his refined face. To Chitori, who still felt the heaviness of her body even though she had just woken up, it was unbelievable how cool and composed he looked, as he now indicated the direction of the road he had just traveled.

“The caretaker still hasn’t come, but it might be better to move just in case. The town seems to be larger than we speculated last night, and there’s more pedestrian traffic around here during the day—what’s wrong?”

“No,”

Chitori looked up as if struck by a sudden emotion, and was met with a puzzled gaze in return. She shook her head slightly.

Her pale, golden hair. Eyes the color of sunset, tinged with a hint of orange.

It was like the pure, clear moonlight. It suddenly occurred to her that this color was like the beloved flicker of a solitary, cherished firelight in the darkness of the night.