The day wasn't over yet, the sky was only half asleep. The group split up for tonight, and while I could've spent a bit more time with Violet, I wanted to explore more of the city, so I visited the nearby library, looking for any books about the nooks and crannies of Selonika.
I quietly sat by the window, reading a book that was, to my surprise, an atlas for every piece of Selonika. It had five different regions, and the one I lived in was called the Central Region, beside that was the Scrap Yard, which seemed to be the region Jintei lived in.
The three others were Media Palace, Secluded Plains, and the last one... it had a scrap of paper attached to it. 'Citadel of the Dreaming Ghosts: An Ancient Kingdom Buried Under The World'; was this an article snippet?
'Selonika has always been a mysterious city, so much so that it has been completely forgotten about. It was once a kingdom, home to the royal family, Aeli Selonia. The kingdom vanished without a trace, and some who dare travel to the bottom, will hear the kingdom whisper, especially within the ruins of the citadel.
It's believed that the kingdom was consumed by the planet itself, for the land at the time was dying, but due to the kingdom's willing sacrifice, the land returned as something more beautiful than any soul could imagine. Yes, just like any dead vessel buried underneath the dirt, all is consumed to bring new life.
In Arionne Aeli Selonia's own words, the queen of Selonika Kingdom, 'Brothers and sisters, our death does not mean failure, for our kingdom is the source of life for the new Selonika. You may leave if you desire, but just remember, when one of us dies, a flower blossoms; when we die together, we create a vast meadow.'
The map showed what the kingdom looked like before its collapse. The ground beneath them was nothing but dirt and fragile stone, but in their sacrifice, a meadow was in fact created, and a city was built on top of it. A pillar was placed in the spot where the kingdom once stood, and written on it, was the queen's final message.
"So where is the entrance?" I asked myself.
"Beneath the pillar, obviously." I raised my head up at the figure. It was a feminine looking boy, his hair covered his left eye, and his attire felt completely bland. I didn't even hear his footsteps approaching me.
"Sorry, did I startle you?"
"A little."
"I'm Lyem Kobota. I saw you leaving the school the other day. You're Echo, right?"
"Yeah. It seems like everyone in this city recognizes a new face."
"You stick out like a sore thumb. Anyways, I see you're interested in learning about our beautiful city. It feels quite small at first, but once you know that there is more than one region, you began to wonder why almost nobody knows about it."
He held out a small lollipop. "Have you tried yeko pops yet? I have a lot of them if you want more." I took it from his hands. "What do I have to lose?" I popped it in my mouth, only to realize how ridiculously sour it was.
"You'll get used to it, Echo. They're quite addicting. You can buy them at the school vending machine."
He slipped a handful of them in my hoodie, before skipping off. As he reached the entrance, he stopped. "Oh yeah, you must be very lucky. I am a random encounter with a 1/10,000 chance."
"What kind of video game do you think we're living in?"
"I'll leave that to your imagination." With those final words, he disappeared like a lone phantom. I looked back down at the atlas. There was a flyer for a concert, more specifically, a singer that I recognized. It was Monika Amare, the one who revealed this place to the world.
I turned the flyer around noticing a concert ticket taped to it. "S-Seriously?" Lyem left a message as well, and it read, 'A Gift To My New Friend'. I don't remember agreeing to that, but I'll keep the ticket anyways. I couldn't imagine how much this costed.
It seemed the concert was taking place in the Scrap Yard. I left the library and headed towards the new region. I remembered what Jintei said about this place, and just as I stepped across the threshold, everyone looked at me with gentle smiles.
I was nervous, throwing my hood up over my head. "You're one of Jintei's friends, aren't you?" an old man asked politely. "Sorry, it's just that we don't get many visitors around here, so it's nice to see a new face."
"Isn't there a lot of visitors lately, ever since Monika's performance?"
"Of course, but she hasn't performed in this region yet, and even when she does, I don't imagine people will gladly stroll through here. They see what looks like a neighborhood full of thieves and black markets, and then they run away like spirits are chasing them."
"Sorry to hear that."
"Don't be! We have a good laugh about it! Normally, we don't say hello, but... if you're a friend to one of us, you're a friend to all of us. Did you come here to check up on Jintei?"
"Not this time, I actually have a ticket for the concert, and I was wondering where it was taking place."
"It's not until tomorrow, kiddo."
"Yeah, I know. I just don't want to get lost and end up missing it."
"Well, no worries. Jintei is a big fan of hers, and he wouldn't miss it for the world. When I see him walking by later, I'll tell him you stopped by."
"Great, thanks uh..."
"You can just call me, Gramps. That's what everyone calls me around here. I own that shop over there." he says, pointing at a nearby video store with a vibrant neon sign. "I am also the one who runs this region. I know it's quite surprising that someone my age hasn't dedicated their life to the ol' sofa, but I need to hold out until my daughter can take over."
"Your daughter?"
"Oh how I miss being young, the long journey I spent looking for love."
"I-I wasn't asking for that reason, I swear!"
"I'm just messing with you. My daughter is the one managing the shop at the moment. You can go ahead and pick out a free movie if you like as a welcoming present."
"I-I really couldn't."
"Go ahead, it won't affect my business in any way."
I sighed and entered the shop. The doorbell alerted someone in the back. "Hold on, I'll be there in a second!" As I looked around the several shelves of movies, I heard a loud bang in the back, walking over to see if they got injured. "A-Are you alright in here?"
"Y-Yeah, I'm sorry! Gramps told me a hundred times about rushing things and-"
The girl had shoulder-length brown hair and hazel eyes. Just like Violet, she was dressed in winter clothing, a blue coat and pink checkered scarf. I didn't know if it was some fashion trend, or if I missed one of the regions being a winter wonderland.
"Y-You're new around here! Finally a new customer!"
"I don't know about being a customer, Gramps told me I could pick out a free movie."
"Of course he did, that doesn't surprise me one bit. Do you drink coffee? We should have some in the vending machine."
"Sorry, I don't drink that stuff, I'll take a green tea if you have any."
"Of course!"
As I looked around the room, she introduced herself as Crystal, and she's somewhat of a coffee addict. She told me that she bought a can of coffee as a kid when Gramps told her to buy a soda; I could only imagine the chaos.
"Still haven't found a movie you like?"
"Do you have any documentaries about the city?"
"You're into that stuff?"
"Not really. I promised myself I would learn a little more about this place. I was always one for adventure, so mysterious cities popping up out of nowhere sounds like one hell of a puzzle."
"You still don't get it, do you? It didn't pop up out of nowhere. A kingdom died, and someone rediscovered this place. A city was built, and we got so comfortable here, that we forgot to pass out the invites. It's a strange city and it may seem scary at first, but once you become one with it, you'll never want to leave."
No, not again. What the hell do they mean by becoming one with the city? Violet said it, and now she says it; how am I supposed to ignore that. "Here, this is one of my favorites, I think you'll like it." It seemed to be some sort of horror movie. "I wouldn't watch it this late though."
"Thanks."
"Are you single, Echo?" she asked out of nowhere, and I quickly replied back. "No, I'm already taken."10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD21ItkiqfR
"Liar... have a good night, Echo. I'll see you around!"
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