Fifty years ago, on Christmas day, a bright light shone over the city of Lily. The shadow it casted over the world enshrouded the entire city in darkness, and ever since then, no one has been able to get out. Not one person, not one information, it was as if a hole was placed in the middle of the world.
Of course, what use is a void in the world? Within a few months, they decided that people inside that 'void' were dead, so it became a dumping ground for whatever the world decided was not worthwhile to exist, recycled or otherwise. It just so happens that prisoners were included in this arrangement.
Back to the present. A lonesome train departs from Damara Station 100 Kilometers away from Lily. It was to be decommissioned, and the company in charge of it found it more expensive to scrap and recycle it. So, with automated features, it was to be driven straight into the void, where it will never be seen again.
There was only one prisoner this time around, as opposed to the bulk dumping that they normally do. His eyes were downcast, though momentarily it looked towards the window in front of him. The railway was built in the middle of salt flats, and it had rained the prior night. So, there, in that moment it seemed that the outside world was reflected by the shallow mirror of dried salts.
There was a sunset that showed a sky of lilacs. It was a peaceful sight for a man such as him. It almost didn't feel like an execution at all, rather just a show of mercy. He didn't quite understand why that was the case. After all, if all his karma in this life were to be atoned for in the next, then he'll be spending plenty of time in the depths of Naraka.
He chuckled at the thought. It was too late for him now.
The beautiful scene outside was quickly enveloped by total darkness. The train rumbled, and jerked all over. This was it, the point of no return. Everything after here would be inexistence, whatever that entailed. After all, everything put in the city is to be forgotten by the outside world. Just another piece of trash never to be put back.
Then, an automated female voice came through the radio. It was, partially, one of the sweetest voices that the man ever heard, "Now approaching: Kisaragi Station."
Quite odd that such facets of inexistence still have a station to end on. But I digress, it felt weird just now to narrate over my own death but there I was, and now here I am. I opened my eyes once the rumbling stopped, and was introduced, formally, to the city of Lily.
It was a vast cityscape bathed in an ethereal night. It was unlike the pictures in the textbooks, no, it was more than that. One would imagine that after decades of "inexistence" that the city would fall into ruin, gradually forming into vast trunks of concrete fallen over by time, but it wasn't. They stood tall, taller than any building of any city that I've seen. The railway, and subsequently, the station, seemed to be built hundreds of meters above ground, and it gave me a perfect view of the entire city.
The moon shone brightly here, but it was just sunset earlier outside. I saw then, in front of the moon was the silhouette of a mighty flying beast, a dragon! It flew across the night sky and disappeared into the horizon. After a few moments, I saw several streaks of light fly across in the direction of the dragon. I was… I wasn't on Earth anymore. This was something else.
I couldn't see what else was there in the city below me, all I knew was that it was very much populated. Even at night as deep as I perceive it to be now, numerous lights were still on across the million buildings that make up the city's skyline. Cars still traveled around the branching roadways, and seemingly more normal trains below snake across rails built upon reasonable altitudes.
Soon, the train stopped, and I was introduced to the station. I stepped outside and felt the cool breeze across my coat. The moon felt so large tonight, as if it shone to highlight my appearance specifically. And yet, there was no one else at the station. At least, no one obviously standing around.
The first moment I knew something was wrong was when it started snowing. It wouldn't be amiss normally, it is a cold December night after all. However, the snow came from inside the station. But it didn't feel cool to the touch. It was like warm rain, almost nothing in temperature compared to the regular chill I already feel around my body.
Then, she descended.
As if she came directly from the moon.
A girl whose hair seemed to reflect that of the galaxy's hues, and silent foreboding eyes draped in the color of the moon. She wore a wide brimmed hat, and a long frilly petticoat dress adorned in hues of black and blue. Her sleeves were long, if she wasn't careful it would cover the rest of her hands. Hands which held a wand made seemingly out of wood.
This was a witch. No doubt. Characteristically, of course, from all that I've read. I knew this was what they were supposed to look like.
And that witch in question calmly, slowly descended from the moon and stood atop the station's railings. As if ready to fall into the city below at a moment's notice. She stared at me with a look of adoration and endearment that I could not reflect back at her. Rather, I was confused, afraid.
She smiled, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you!"
"Who? Me?" I asked. A hollow wind rises through the air and blows through me. There was no one else in the station other than us.
She nodded and held out her hand in introduction, "I'm Yuki, leader of the Night Parade, an agency dedicated to solving the problems of the citizens of Takamagahara. As I see here, you've just recently arrived through Ame-No-Ukihashi. I'm the first person to greet you in the city, thus it is my solemn duty to formally introduce you to it."
"Uhm, thank you?" Reluctantly, I reached out for her hand, "I'm John Zegrus, prisoner. Well, former. I suppose I'm dead now. I've nothing to myself, I'm just new here, after all. So please, introduce me." I grabbed and shook it.
"Very well." With a shake of our hands, and a quick jolt of action, she pulled me out of the station, over the railings, to the city below.
I screamed, of course. What can I do? I was falling for my life in the heads of a terrible woman! "Calm yourself, I can feel your heartbeat so strongly. Surely, a person like you who came from Ame-No-Ukihashi can handle something as fearsome as this, no?" No! Absolutely not. I can't even say it to her face out of the pure fear I'm feeling right now.
I stared away from the city slowly crashing to us, and instead towards the station we leapt from. It gradually disappeared, tiny sprinkles of stardust unforming, falling back into the sky, like how we're falling to the earth. It was beautiful, and yet the nature of that beauty is compounded by the fear in my arms.
Falling…
Falling…
Falling still. I closed my eyes and let the world have its way with me. If this was my final breath then so be it. At least I am held warmly in someone's arms.
I opened my eyes as we walked out of an office building. Street level, not a single scratch in my body, nor hers. Rather she stared up, into the sky, and of course, I followed her gaze. From below the city looks almost claustrophobic. Bridges upon bridges, roads built on top of each other, all going different places, same destinations. But nevermind that! "What the hell did you just do?!"
"I got you down?" She responded, confused by my statement.
I touched every part of my body to ensure I don't have a missing piece somewhere. No broken bones, no fallen limbs, no missing eyes. But I was clean. At least, as clean as I was when I arrived, "How?!"
"You shouldn't doubt a witch as great as I!" She proudly proclaimed, "So consider yourself honored, John Zegrus, to be found by me!"
"Right. If it weren't you, who would it have been?"
"Why don't you see for yourself?" She stared behind me, and I turned around to witness for myself what it was.
What it was, was a raving group of orcs. Or at least, I saw them as orcs, "W-who, what?"
"You may not have seen those in the outside world, but believe me. They're here for you."
They bare sharp teeth and a predatory eye. They looked past crowds, sniffed the air with their large nose, all to look for me. And of course, thinking about it now, they weren't out of the ordinary in this city too. As I looked around I saw similar fantastical entities.
Elves, dwarves, even tiny drakes acted as pets that hung to the shoulders of people. I was in a different world, and yet they wore the clothes of humans. Even the orcs wore button up suits fitted to them, should I come to accept that? Yet again, in my fears I couldn't ask that question to Yuki. One of the orcs, green and mighty as he was, found me. Our eyes locked, and I thought he wouldn't recognize me one bit, but indeed, he did.
It happened in the span of a single blink, my right arm was torn away from its hinges on my shoulder. A clean cut through the bones, and the perpetrator of that bloodshed stood beside me, a bloodied sword stuck to the ground by its force of momentum.