The woman returned the exchange of names by introducing hers too.
"My name is Seijuku Reia, remember that kid."
Tsubasa nodded as she couldn't take her eyes off Reia.
A little conversation between the two brought an understanding; which was what made Tsubasa realise that this quaint person wasn't actually there to see her initially.
Reia explained that she was a detective in the midst of investigating a crime, although she got bored with her actual witness in question.
She gestures to the other room next-door by swaying her elbow followed by the trajectory of her pointing thumb.
"More like I came to your room because you seem a thousand times more interesting than my actual victim, suspect, witness or whatever they may turn out to be in the end."
Tsubasa wore a confused look.
In fairness she had been confused the whole way through since she'd woken up from a purgatory nightmare. To discern things with what felt real or not was still up to speculation; she still wanted to see what this new world upheld. Although certainly Tsubasa could see this as an absolute win, as the rays of sunlight flourished the room.
The fact that her sanity was kept intact was also a bonus.
But she didn't seem to comprehend why Reia found her so interesting to begin with.
"Look, the point is I came to see you on a whim, nothing more, nothing less."
There was a minor pause in between her words.
Reia brought her face close to Tsubasa's with a hint of interest as one of her eyebrows arched upwards whilst the other narrowed, she placed her palm on her chin in a thinking stance.
"But you look promising enough, that much I can tell."
"What does that even mean?"
"..."
Yet again, another pause of silence.
"You'll find out soon enough."
Tsubasa grimaced at that response. She was disturbed due to the fact that the first person she meets is relentless in being cryptic. Frankly it annoyed her to the very core. Imagine waking up from a coma all to get some bullshit answer.
Though I wouldn't want to sleep knowing I might end up in that place again.
A person in white clothing entered the room. She came close to Reia, whispering in her ear.
"Oh? Mhm, I see."
Tsubasa couldn't hear a word of what the nurse said. When the nurse fled the room, Reia turned her attention back to her.
"Hey Tsubasa."
"Yes, Reia?"
"Let's solve a mystery together!"
"What?"
It was a completely random request–well she wasn't sure if it was one or that Reia was just being rhetoric and had no say whether participating was mandatory.
"What better way is there for you to uncover the mysteries of your memories than to undergo the life of solving them?"
Tsubasa was taken aback, so shockingly that she crawled backwards to the edge of the bed.
I never mentioned about my memories to her
"You didn't mention anything about lost memories, I recall–
But it's written all over your face-"
Tsubasa shuddered, the feeling of goosebumps popped on the surface of her skin and so she demanded answers.
"How do you know about that!"
Reia heaved a heavy sigh and breathed slowly, perhaps to choose her next words wisely out of consideration. Tsubasa right now was as sensitive as a feral cat hissing with its arched body in hostility.
"Calm down, everything I told you wasn't a lie. I really am a detective so I can tell from the moment you woke up. The way you looked at your hands, your sweat trickling down your face even though this room is nineteen degrees cool. I wasn't one-hundred-percent confident that it had anything to do with memories in particular, call it a lucky guess."
Reia was calm in her explanation, even to the point of her surrendering her arms by simply raising them flat to prove she was no threat. She even went on to explain that Tsubasa's name wasn't even registered in the hospital they were at currently. Normally there would be records of a person's name and a date listing for how long any patient would reside in their care. But Tsubasa was an anomaly; as if she appeared out of thin air one day.
So how did she end up there?
Tsubasa still had suspicions but that subsided as quickly as it was brought on.
"I'm sorry for reacting that way."
Admittedly Tsubasa reacted impulsively.
"You have no reason to trust me, but know this–I am not the one who put you through whatever trial you've been set on."
Tsubasa crept closer to Reia.
"All right, so how do we solve this mystery then?"
"Haha, you're pretty lively for a twelve-year-old!" Reia chuckled lightly.
Is that how old I really am?
Back on topic to Reia's sudden request; it was a rather productive point of view in retrospect. It would certainly help her find out what happened to her if she knew ways of doing so. After some thought given. Tsubasa complied.
However, asking a traumatised twelve-year-old on her hospital bed to go solve mysteries wasn't an ideal turn of events. Normally, it would be good to take things slow one at a time, to discover her surroundings in a well-paced fashion.
But no.
Reia had explicitly invited her to join in her current investigation. The contents were unknown to Tsubasa, but she felt the need to repay her in some way regardless. All her hope was robbed of her back in the labyrinth, but Reia's voice had prevented her from making a close encounter with something even more sinister than what the labyrinth had to show her thus far.
Tsubasa still recalled those thundering footsteps filled with malice that utterly shook her soul.
If Reia hadn't intervened at that critical moment, she wasn't sure if she would be breathing right now.
"The nurse just now told me that my witness had woken up, how convenient wouldn't you agree?"
They swiftly entered the room next-door to where Reia's witness would lie.
"All awake now are we? – Now then, tell me what you know of last night's incident–um hello?"
The witness was a frail man.
He was sitting upright perfectly, yet there were no signs of life from him whatsoever. He wore the same white dress as Tsubasa.
I guess all injured and sick-alike dressed the same to show they were under the care of the hospital.
The frail man's head was faced downwards.
"My oh my, you haven't had any of your pills yet have you?"
Reia gestured towards the plate with pills on the bedside table. But the lack of response from the frail man urged her to feel agitated.
She approached him with haste.
"Goooooood morningggg! You hear me at all, ey?"
Reia cupped one of her palms close to her mouth to amplify her voice, although it looked like she wasn't serious and did it mockingly. Losing her patience alas she grabbed the man's head that was violently clinched within her fist, and raised it as if it were just a worthless object.
To her dismay, a gush of blood drooled out from his mouth, nose and eyes.
Tsubasa's eyes widened, whilst Reia wasn't fazed by this revelation.
Shaken to the sight, Tsubasa took a step back.
"Shit."
Reia tossed the ragdolling carcass away.
"But didn't the nurse just say he was fine!" Tsubasa coiled a retort.
Reia, who had been composed the entire time, was still glaring at the dead corpse of her witness.
But a smirk surfaced on her face.
Her elation really had Tsubasa questioning whether Reia was a sane person.
"What nurse?"
Behind them was the same woman in white clothing from before, presumed to be a nurse who had told them to come to the room in the first place. Standing idle by the door, a jagged knife was equipped in her right hand. Adjusting her aim towards Reia as she swiftly charged.
Unfazed, Reia's movements were extraordinary and her reflexes reflected that. She gripped the imposter's wrist with her back still against her.
Forcefully luring the enemy's wrist forward, it seemed like she didn't take her seriously as a threat.
"Ooh an assassin's blade? Just from whom did you get this from?" Reia giggled sarcastically.
The assassin struggled to get her arm free from Reia's grip. However Reia's strength was greatly underestimated as there wasn't an ounce of struggle from her. The assassin managed to free herself from Reia's grip and heaved her body backwards away from the two of them in the room.
The black-haired assassin dug out a barricade of knives from inside her uniform and sent them hurling towards them.
What should I do? What can I do!
Meanwhile, Tsubasa remained frozen; there was conflict where she stood, fighting with herself over what to do because there was simply nothing she could do but watch how everything unfolds. The shiny dots of mirage emanating from the dozen projectiles reflected in her eyes as she could not react to its high speeds. Because she couldn't predict what would happen next, she was utterly defenceless.
Slow, too slow.
She had a reaction worse than a rabbits.
Her new life, with the purpose of regaining the one from the old would soon end–
"Divine Aptitude: Chime of Springs Warmth."
That is, if it weren't for Reia's intervention once again.
She stepped out in front of Tsubasa at the last second, using her body as a shield literally. A green hue of other-worldly energy manifested, the knives that were a sure hit, ricocheted off her like bouncy balls. As if all that force and power quickly dispersed when it came into contact with Reia. And as she stood in front, Tsubasa could feel that pulsating energy.
"What is this?"
Reia's laughter grew more prominent than the energy whirling from her.
"You can't possibly kill me, thanks to my aptitude given by the gods!"
She then did a little taunt at the assassin that spoke– "Miss me, miss me, you can't even hit me!"
Her provocation worked. The assassin got in close and personal, clearly not shaken by the fact her super sharp knives did zero damage to her target whatsoever, but throwing punches should do the trick?
Kicks and punches were exchanged…mostly by the assassin. Hits were clearly landed as visibly seen in the eyes of Tsubasa. However Reia didn't give any effort to prevent the assassin from throwing her attacks at her. Same with the knives just now, they were meaningless and ineffective to harm.
Reia then shrugged herself off of boredom.
Upon realising that Reia couldn't be killed by normal standards, the assassin fled in plight.
"Restricto."
A futile attempt in apprehending her. Despite the clear distinction between the two in terms of strength. Reia had certainly returned the favour of underestimating the assassin as she did with her.
Her magic spell missed by a slight margin, which gave her opponent the open window of escape.
"Shit."
Reia scratched her head in disappointment.
"You ok kid?"
"Yeah I think so…"
From the entirety of that short encounter, Tsubasa hadn't moved a muscle.
As Tsubasa digested what just happened, Reia pulled a cigar from her coat, a spark of fire lit from her index finger was used to light it up. The cigar itself was weirdly shaped similar to a curved horn and it shared a resemblance to Reia's own attire.
But a peering question beckoned Tsubasa.
"Who was that?"
"An assassin sent to destroy me I guess, typical Tuesday."
Tsubasa wanted to make a correction to her question. Because that wasn't what she was talking about.
"No, I meant that ability you used."
Reia faced Tsubasa who was crouched on the floor with her arms sprawled out protecting her head, it looked like she did that out of second-nature. Reia began to answer whilst shutting her left eye.
"It's called a 'Divine Aptitude', a special ability that far surpasses the nature of normal magic.
She said that in a matter-of-fact tone, as if it were normal for anyone to understand what she meant. But that didn't make sense to Tsubasa, given her current predicament.
"Magic? Divine Aptitude?"
From what she gathered, the world she resided in was more complicated on the surface.
"And yes I do question that woman just now."
"Obviously she was never a nurse to begin with, her shit trademark attempt in killing me was so cliche I yawned. Anyways, that's irrelevant from what I'm about to show you."
How can she be so calm after being attacked out of nowhere like that? Reia truly was a mystery.
She walked towards the windowsill and unveiled the room's curtains.
"This world is so interesting y'know?"
"?" Tsubasa cocked her head.
"Welcome to the World Of Eldoria!"
What lay on the other side was a canvas of unlimited beauty. A captivating scenery with beautiful structures, bustling streets with people and creatures as well as flying machines soaring alongside dragons for as far as Tsubasa could see. Tsubasa's eyes were filled with dread the moment she had woken up, but after seeing what Reia had shown her, those ruby eyes of hers lit fluorescently.
"It's beautiful." And at that moment, more life bloomed in her like a marigold flower.