"I am sorry Rei, but I cannot bring you with me." my father said in a stern tone. The dimly lit lights hid my fathers face, but his shadow enveloped the entire staircase, and me along with it.
"But why not?" I pleaded. "What if she's suffering right now and needs our help-"
"Our help?" his voice boomed. You are weak. I cannot afford to be hasty, especially since you are incapable of defending yourself."
He then turned his back to me.
"I'm sending you to New Ragna like you wanted me to. While you are there, prove to me that you are a woman befit of the Sato Clan. Only then will you be allowed to search." His voice was firm and resolute, but not in a way that encouraged me. Rather it was cold and indifferent.
I reached out towards my father but before my arm could fully outstretch, my lightless house melted and faded into blackness.
I awoke from my dream with a jolt. My eyes darted back and forth in panic before I remembered where I was. The hover-rail I was riding rumbled slightly and a light jingle played over the intercom.
"Welcome to New Ragna, this craft will descend shortly!" a voice exclaimed.
Ah, are we here?
I rubbed her eyes and leaned up in my chair to look outside the window. What greeted me was the radiant steampunk city of New Ragna—the modern city of progress. From above, it looked like a multitude of rings encircled by each other; however, inside of these rings lay entire communities. Each ring had its own culture and identity. In the 3rd ring you could smell the pungent aroma of food circulating in the air, and in the 4th you could hear the metallic crashes of machines which vehicles and other goods to be later distributed and sold to the populace.
The concept of segregating each individual point of commerce may seem impractical at first glance, but since each ring is solely dedicated towards one point of commerce, it becomes quite easy to find exactly what you are looking for in a short period of time.
As the craft edged closer and closer towards its landing pad, something very unpleasant caught my eye.
"Oh c'mon, I'm even not someone famous; why are you guys even here?" I complained out loud.
Since the pursuit of progress is the focal point of what drives New Ragna forward, when something or someone arrives in such a city with the ability to bring about change it naturally will garner attention from a certain sub-class of intrusive, stalker-like people that I hate with a passion:
Paparazzi.
"Oh my god, it's Rei Sato!" I heard people around me cry out as I got off the Cross Country Hover rail. The moment I took a step onto the platform, I was bombarded by paparazzi and reporters desperate for a scoop. They all yelled out questions in hopes of getting an answer; unfortunately, all of them had the same idea. They all asked at the same time, rendering all of their questions completely incoherent. All I could do was awkwardly smile as a group of suits marched towards me: the Sato family bodyguards.
"Took you long enough," I joked in a sarcastic tone.
One of my bodyguards, a Japanese woman in her late thirties, gave me a smile.
"What can I say? Don't the hero's always arrive fashionably late?" the Asian women lifted her hand for a high-five.
I scoffed and slightly smacked the hand away. "Just get me to the car, Monica. I think my ear drums are going to burst open at this rate."
Monica laughed as she patted me on the back. 'Whatever you say, Peaches."
I winced at Monica's statement, though I guess she didn't seem to notice as Monica looked at the rest of the bodyguards and nodded her head.
"Make way for the Bishop." she yelled out as they cleared a path through the sea of people and towards a waiting limousine.
"Ms. Sato, is it true your clan perfected stealth technology?"
"Ms. Sato, what are your plans at New Ragna?"
"Ms. Sato..."
All I could hear was incoherent gibberish all around me, which made my walk towards the car in waiting all the more painful. Once I finally reached the car which was parked in the designated parking zone, my bodyguards opened up the doors and bowed slightly. I curtsied in response and entering the vehicle.
When the doors closed, the loud noises that plagued my eardrums ceased entirely. In fact, it was so quiet that I could hear the rhythmic thumping of my heart. After a few moments, a slight hum cried out as the engine started and the car set off towards its destination.
"Miss Sato, is the stealth tech. finished? Miss Sato this, Miss Sato that. Do you think if my clan perfected stealth technology you'd be able to see me right now?" I muttered out in frustration.
"Was your trip enjoyable Rei?" a older man's voiced asked from the driver's seat
"Eh, the seat I was sitting on could've been more comfortable Leonard."
"I'm sorry young miss; we should've gotten you a better seat-"
"I'm kidding," I leaned back in her chair and looked into the rear-view mirror. "The trip was very comfortable and the people were very accommodating."
I looked outside the window at the cityscape passing her eyes. 'Almost too accommodating.'
"That is wonderful news. Your father will be most pleased."
"Oh," my mouth contorted into a frown. "That's why."
I was wondering why the attendants were overly nice to her, and now I knew why.
"C'mon Dad, I'm not a kid anymore. I don't need your help." I grumbled under her breath.
I heard a small cough come from the front of the car. I glanced in the rear-view mirror and saw that the old driver was smiling.
"When the bird leaves the nest for the first time, it is natural to be a bit worried. It would be more shocking if he did nothing." Leonard said, letting out a hearty chuckle.
I crossed my arms. "How can I learn to be independent if he's always doing everything for me."
"I wouldn't call it helping," Leonard retorted. "I would call it being proactive about their daughter's safety."
The car suddenly came to a halt. I leaned up in my seat and saw that it had stopped directly in front of the school. It was parked in a very conspicuous spot, so it didn't take long for another horde of reporting to congregate near our car.
"Look Rei, that was the last time your father said he was going to interfere before he left; consider it a present for your sixteenth birthday. From here on out, you're on your own,"
A resounding click echoed throughout the car as the doors unlocked.
"Do you think you can handle it?"
I looked at Leonard for a couple moments before a smile emerged on my face.
"Of course I can. Even if it's only temporary I'm the head of the Sato clan. I cannot afford to be held back by such trivial emotions."
Leonard studied my face, his eyebrows furrowing as he stared.
"Whatever you say."
He then pressed a button on the side of the dashboard, and the doors on my side of the vehicle slowly opened up.
"Well, I hope you find your stay at New Ragna most enjoyable Ms. Sato."
"I will Leo, don't worry." I said as she stepped outside the vehicle, closing the door behind me with a thud.