Cholidean Skies

Torikou wakes up in the sunlight of the morning. It was a fresh start, without anybody. It’s time to navigate the world with her own eyes. She folds the blanket, stands up, and walks out of the room, ignoring the fresh bowl of porridge on the table beside her.

It was a sunny morning. The sight was beautiful. It’s a perfect place for healing. A building was next to the large area of grass, trees, and umbrellas. It was the Rescuer Military Base (RMB). Hoping to bring back life into a more peaceful place for everyone—like her childhood once was— she walks slowly toward it, passing by the playing children. As it turns out, there was a massive base surrounding the vast healing space. 

She entered the RMB building. Entering it, there was a bright corridor. It had a large corkboard, filled with papers of advertisements made to recruit new members. She touches the vast amount of papers pinned to the large corkboard on the wall. She stumbles upon an informative poster. It was pretty recent, January 5th, 1867. Today was January 7th. It said: “The world needs a hero. You are a hero. Sign up now.” As she read it, there was a page behind it, and she flipped it open. It wrote: “The world is at the beginning of mass extinction. Our planet, supposedly a land filled with abundance, is running out into scarcity. The metabolism of our planet is weakening because of growing demands. One can only fill the balance between man and machine, but machines are outrunning us.” Torikou is interested, she flips another page open. It was a heavier paper of propaganda. Into it, written: “Histeria is our enemy. They are overusing the planet’s resources, filling it with dump waste. They continue to take the scope of more and more Cores, luring people with the propaganda of eternal life, filled with machines. Do not be like them. Let us be the original. Plant trees today. Save the people from Histerian oppression. Be a rescuer. Sign up now.” With that, the page ended. “The outside, filled with breeze and beauty, was a fresh start,” Torikou thought. But she didn’t care about any politics because all it ever did was steal her parents from her. She decided to sign up. She did it for the sake of bringing back the good life she thought life really should be, and to see her father again. She never saw her mother pass away, she only heard the gunshot. She pinned the poster back to the corkboard, picked up a piece of paper for the recruits, took a pen, and wrote her credentials. She slipped it into the office.

As Torikou walked and explored around, she found a tall man, looking like was in his middle 20s, wearing light brown slacks and a green polo. It was her brother! Whom she last saw, she was ten years old when he went to become a soldier. Thomas Jikutou, walked toward her to greet her. She told him the news of their parents. It was saddening news. After telling Thomas of the news, Torikou broke into anger, a disguise for her overwhelming sadness, saying,

“Why didn’t you come to save us? Where were you when Mom got shot? Why did another person have to be the one to save me? I was alone in the treehouse, I was scared and you didn’t come for us!” Torikou yelled. Thomas was too shocked to respond to her, she ran away from him. She ran towards the vast space and found a safe park filled with benches and sakura blossoms where it was safe to cry. There in that spot, beside her on the bench was a woman. She didn’t realize there was somebody else sitting there. As she cried, the woman looked at her in worry and asked her, 

“Are you okay?” Torikou was shocked and looked at her. She looked very kind and positive, kind of cute. She wore a bright pink blouse with coral-red flower designs. She had soft brown hair swaying along the wind. But most of all, she had blue eyes. Toriko responded, 

“Oh, yes I’m okay! I’m sorry I didn’t realize you were there but please mind your own business!” Then she quickly stood up in guilt. The woman answered, 

“Oh, relax, you! Let me introduce myself. My name’s Hyonae. What’s your name?” Torikou slightly calmed down but was still breathing tensely. She replied, 

“I-I- I’m T-Torikou. Torikou Jikutou! Nice to meet you!” And bowed quickly. Hyonae laughed. She was amazed at Torikou. She said, 

“Torikou? Tori-Kou, that means bird child, right?” Toriko nodded. 

“Oh stop feeling so guilty, you! Sit down and let’s get to know each other.” Hyonae said.

Torikou calmed down. It felt nice to have a friend. Well, somehow an acquaintance. Toriko never really did have a true friend yet, just her family members. Nevertheless, it was nice to get to know somebody. Hyonae and Torikou talked to each other as if they were close friends from the beginning. It was a cool weekend. Then Toriko noticed that Hyonae was holding a book. She asked what it was. 

“Oh, this one? It’s called ‘The Majesty of Cholidea.’ It’s a book of the most amazing insights and majesty of this floating mountain.” Toriko was amazed, and asked, 

“A floating mountain?” 

Hyonae chuckled. She replied, 

“Come on, I have something to show you.” Hyonae and Torikou left the park and walked to a high level of staircases going down. It was a blissful nature. In this place, one would even wonder if the world had any problems at all. They each took their steps one by one, and lo, and behold a beautiful sight! It was a mountain overlooking the horizon. The clouds were not far from the sky, as the clouds were so close to them on the top. The view was very bright blue, and you could see the Solarpunk villages below. It was called the Meadow Continent. Hyonae said,

“This is the air city of Cholidea. The main branch. Around the planet are numerous Cholidean air cities. Where the Stone and Wind Cores unite in harmony.” 

Torikou was constantly in awe. Hyonae spoke again, 

“This planet’s Cores are vital to the life of every living thing. It lives in unison.” 

Toriko was looking at the sightful view, Hyonae looked at her, and said with a smile, 

“So? Are you joining the Rescuer Military Base? You look fit for one. I bet you are going to join the Ground Rescuers.” Torikou replied, 

“Yes, I just signed up.” Torikou paused and looked down. She felt the need to say something. 

“As I was going back to my dorm, I met my brother. The whole family knows he is an Air Region Soldier, but he wasn’t there when my family needed him the most… Miss Hyonae, which Region did you take?” Hyonae replied, 

“I’m an air rescuer!” And smiled at her as her hair waved by the smooth, gentle winds with leaves blowing around the sky. It was… amazing.

. . .

Meanwhile, deep in the depths of an underground cave, Ayaka Histeria looms in it. The space was filled with silence and mystery. It was grumbling with dust and gloom. Beside her, in the darkest place of the underground cave, there was a white cat. It was not just a cat, it was a cat greater than the biggest lion. It had white, shiny fur, and was as large as an elephant. It was a demon called the Hellcat. The Hellcat was a polite monster with fierce fangs, and Ayaka conversed with it. Ayaka tells the Hellcat, 

“I want to rule the entire Eorthe, forget it, and call it the planet of Histeria. There’s no place for Mother Nature to come to us.” 

Since the Hellcat cannot speak, it uses its flame to give its emotional signals. Its flame surrounded the cave, but Ayaka could not be burned. She is strong enough and invulnerable. 

“The sky will begin to leak smoke, the oceans will be filled with oil, and the lands will be covered in war machines. I have to please my father.” 

Then Hellcat’s flame burns in deep red. 

“The world deserves liberation from traditions. We are not weak, we are stronger than we can be. Without us, they will continue to live happily. I cannot accept that. Why was I living a life of suffering while they enjoyed their lives? They do not deserve any good. I will make sure to be the one to set them on fire.” Ayaka explains as her husky voice echoes around the cave.

The Hellcat suddenly merges into Ayaka’s soul. Ayaka’s rage went into overdrive. Ayaka’s soul was distorted and violently merged into a demon’s. She hysterically laughed so hard and in pain. Her obsidian black hair turned white as a snow tiger. Ayaka’s complexion is white and barely toned—she lacks blood inside her. Her dress was demonically beautiful and evil. Once the Hellcat merges inside her, she can feel she is super powerful. She breathes deeply, and says, 

“I will make sure people will suffer.”