-Natsumeeeeeeee!

That scream still echoed through her mind and ringed her eyes as the girl suddenly woke up, panting. Still confused, she expected to wake up back at her room, but what she saw was the top part of the tent and some wood logs sustaining it.

-I’m… still here...- murmured Natsume to herself.

-Oh, are you awaken?- asked Elima.

Natsume sat down on the hammock she slept and turned towards Elima, who had prepared breakfast consisting of tea and some toasts.

-We’re leaving soon and we’ll walk for a while, so it’s better to have some energy. I’ll prepare more if you want- said Elima with a smile.

The girl approached the table and sat down. Both began eating, although Natsume took small bites until she barely finished a single toast. The girl didn’t notice, but the commander stared at her the whole time, her mind still thinking about their conversation a few hours ago. Still, the woman decided not to say anything at that time. After finishing, both of them got out of the tent, Elima opened some kind of metallic tube and the tent vanished in a thin fog that went inside the tube.

-Quite convenient, don’t you think?- said Elima. -It makes traveling and exploration quite easier. Now, shall we go?

Elima began walking and Natsume followed her, having no other option since she was lost in a different world. After a few minutes, the girl seemed to notice something.

-Hey, where is that thi… sorry, I mean Blitz?- asked Natsume. -Where is it?

-Oh, after you went to sleep, I sent it to the capital with a message saying that we would arrive soon- explained Elima. -As they say, “A cold meal and a worried face for non-talkers”. Better tell them in advance so they don’t worry for us.

Natsume nodded and both kept walking in silent. During the trip, Elima tried to break the ice pointing out at some natural locations they could see, but the girl didn’t seem moved or excited. The more she tried, the more worried the commander got.

-I guess nature won’t work… Maybe she shows some emotions when we get there...- thought Elima.

The commander kept walking through a path, with Natsume following her. Sometimes, they could see a small village, like those that appear in a medieval movie, but the girl didn’t pay much attention to that. After what seemed like a couple of hours, Elima exclaimed:

-OK, there it is, the capital of this kingdom: Noinuer!

Natsume raised her eyes to look at the distance. Even the numbed girl opened her eyes a bit more than usual at seeing that scene. A few kilometers away from them, big brick walls surrounded a gigantic city full of houses and buildings, with a big, gray castle at the very end of it. Even at that distance, they could see some figures gathering around the entry gate.

-Quite impressive, right?- asked Elima smiling. -You should prepare yourself for what you’ll see inside!

The girl said nothing as both began walking again, her eyes focused on the castle. After some minutes, she understood what the commander said: there weren’t only humans at the gate, but some strange-looking creatures like a lizard-human creature with an armor, two tall women with reddish skin and big tusks coming out from their mouth and some small tiger-like creatures with big robes. Natsume looked at them in silent, but as one of them looked back at her, she turned her eyes away.

-Please, move aside! A commander is coming through!- shouted a soldier to the different creatures waiting at the gate, allowing Elima and Natsume to pass by.

If the little encounter with strange creatures at the gate could be considered “incredible”, what awaited Natsume at the other side was on a whole completely level. Before here, a long street extended towards the castle, far away at the very end. Lots of stands and stores stood along it, but they were barely visible as the street was crowded with an infinite variety of living beings, their skins covered in fur, rock, scale and steel; some walking on four or even more legs; more eyes than any spider; some parts of their bodies were made of fire or air. From creatures only possible in fairy tales to those coming out from sci-fi movies, there was no end to all the diversity. Without minding that image that much, Elima approached a small stand close to the gate, where another soldier was waiting.

-Here I have the final registration form: Natsume Kumojima- said Elima to the soldier, who checked it had the commander’s seal, added an additional seal and then introduced it inside an AMI similar to Blitz. After that, the soldier gave Elima a bunch of papers. -Well, we’re done here, Natsume.

The commander turned around to look at Natsume, expecting a face full of surprise. Instead, the view was quite different: the girl kept her usual sad look, except that her eyes moved at all places. That was proof enough for the commander that the girl was paying attention to her surroundings, she was aware of all the creatures she had in front of her, but somehow, that still didn’t trigger any emotions in her heart. With a sympathy face, the commander posed a hand on Natsume’s shoulder, making her react and look at her.

-Are you ready? I’m taking you to your accommodation- said Elima with a kind voice.

-Accommodation?- asked Natsume.

-Well, the tournament will last for some days. Contestants are given free accommodation and food during their stay. And I can say, the inn you will stay in… I know it, it’s quite good- explained Elima.

Elima and Natsume began their trip towards the inn. Even though Elima was a commander, that trick didn’t work the same way as in the gate, and both of them had to make their way through the crowded street. After strolling through some streets, they arrived at a cozy, hut-like building, made of brick and wood, with a small sign with strange symbols. The commander went in first, followed by Natsume.

The interior was not as crowded as the streets, but it was still quite full. Creatures both human-like and strange-looking sat on different tables drinking, eating and talking, nobody minding both of them, except:

-Elima, nice to see you!

At the other end of the inn there was a bar, and behind it, a black man waived at Elima. Maybe “man” could not be the right word, as that creature had pointy ears and fingers that doubled the usual length of a human one.

-Hi, Susbok! It’s been a while!- greeted Elima. -Business looks fine, as usual.

-Well, can’t complain, except for all the work!- exclaimed the man named Susbok. -The tournament is always a great chance to push the business further! And who do we have here?

Susbok looked at Natsume, who was behind Elima. The girl inclined a bit to greet him.

-She’s Natsume, she/her, a contestant of the tournament- explained Elima. -She’s staying here. Hope you treat her well.

-Oh, let me check- said Susbok, taking out a list and reading it thoroughly. -Oh, here it is! Natsume Ku… Kumu… Komu?

-I’m Natsume Kumojima- said Natsume with her usual sad voice. -Natsume’s fine.

-All right, Kumojima! I’m quite old to keep up with so many languages, sorry! After learning the fifty six most commonly-used languages, I couldn't learn anymore!- exclaimed Susbok with a big laugh.

Elima laughed a bit as well, but the girl said nothing.

-Let me introduce you: this is Susbok Klavmet, pronouns he/they, an acquaintance of mine- explained Elima. -During your stay, you’re under good hands, promise. He’s the best innkeeper in the capital.

-Oh, you flatter me, Elima! You know our motto “we don’t adapt our rooms to our customers; we remodel them!”. If there is any special needs you need, I can change your room in an instant, but first, I have to give you something else, young lady- explained Susbok as he took out a box with some things inside.

From inside the box, Susbok took out a small sack and a purple bracelet and put them on the bar. Natsume looked at them a bit confused.

-Let me explain- said Elima. -First of all, the court grants all contestants a small amount of money. Sure, your meals at the inn are already covered, but in case you want to buy something else from the stores in the capital, you can use this money. Now, as a “concealed”, you have some limits; that’s the purpose of this bracelet. It will tell sellers that you are a concealed, which means there are things you can’t buy. Essentially, you can buy any food as long as you eat it before going back to your world. You can’t buy weapons, clothing or items infused with magic to take them with you, but you can buy any non-magical clothing, items and books to keep as souvenirs though. Now, if you’d like more money, you can exchange any currency you may have on you to Susbok.

Hearing that, Natsume looked at the back pocket in her shorts. She still had some change from the vending machine, but couldn’t believe it was still there after her previous fight. Exactly 156 yen, which was quite a small amount. Still, the girl thought carrying that around would be a waste, so she silently put the coins on the bar. Susbok grabbed them and took a closer look.

-Well, let’s see… Concealed currency...- murmured Susbok showing interest in the coins. -Since there’s no connection with concealed worlds for obvious reasons, there isn’t a huge variety of items out there unless you look in the black market. These coins can grab someone’s attention so… take this.

Susbok took out another small sack of coins, similar to the previous one.

-I’ll say you can enjoy some shopping and food with all these money!- exclaimed Susbok with a happy smile.

Without saying any word, Natsume took the two sacks and put them inside the pockets in her jacket. Susbok was a bit shocked at the girl’s apathetic behavior, but Elima continued as nothing happen.

-Well, I’ll take my leave for a while. I must go back to the castle and report some things, but I will come back this afternoon to explain the next steps for you- said Elima. -You can go out if you want, I’ll be able to find you at any time.

-I’d… I’d like to go to my room- said Natsume with her usual sad voice.

-OK, then… I’ll take you there. It’s already prepared- said Susbok.

The elf-like man walked around the bar and lead Natsume through the crowd in the bar towards some stairs. The inn had four different floors aside from the main one, all of them full of rooms, but they didn’t need to go that far, as the girl’s room was on the second floor, almost at the end of the corridor. Susbok opened the door and revealed Natsume her new lodgings: a simple room with a bed, a wooden wardrobe, a desk and a chair. There was also a window showing the street Elima and she came through.

-It only has the basics at this moment, but if you need anything else to feel comfortable, just ask!- said Susbok.

-No, this… this is enough. Thanks- said Natsume. -I’d like to sleep, if that’s OK.

-Sure! You look a bit tired, should I say- said Susbok. -You can go downstairs whenever you want to eat something. You’ll have a feast for sure!

After Susbok left the room and closed the door, Natsume remained still for a while. She took another look around and closed her eyes.

-So… I’m really here… if I get this, everything will be over… I just need to… wait a bit more- murmured Natsume, then she walked towards the bed and fell down on it.

On the other side, Susbok went downstairs back to the pub. Elima was still there, sitting on a stool.

-Still here? I thought you had to go- said Susbok.

-I have to, but there’s no rush- answered Elima. -How is she?

-Asleep, I think- said Susbok. -Is it me, or she doesn’t look very well?

Elima couldn’t help but sighing at that question.

-Really, I’ve never met anyone like her- said Elima with sad voice.

-Aren’t you exaggerating? I’ve seen lots of contestants over the years: some are happy and cheerful, some are a bit big-headed… and there are gloomy ones as well.

-No, this is different- said Elima. -I can’t tell you her wish, it’s confidential but… that and being dead is no different.

-Woah, is something like that allowed?- asked Susbok surprised.

-Technically, yes: you can’t use your wish to harm others, but there’s nothing about harming oneself. She didn’t tell me, but I know for sure there’s more to it, and I don’t want to pressure her. If I do, she will close herself even more. I’ll just… wait and see what happens- explained Elima. -Anyway, I’ll come back later to check on her.