"Seven days?!" Aletha yelped with shock. "H-How am I going to give you that in seven days?"
As a result of the man's request, Aletha fell into a state of anguish. Her clammy hands sweated, her body remained unstill, and her heart paced rapidly.
Moreover, her anxiety increased with each second the man was in the room, turning her head away from him, knowing very well that she didn't have such a payment.
The man stood unfazed, looking back to the window and crossing his arms.
"How am I supposed to get that much?!" Aletha wailed, her voice cracking as she yanked and fisted her hair, terror vibrating through her every movement.
"Though I am not obligated to answer such a question. In truth. I don't know." The man answered as he slowly walked over to the door, fixing his collar and hair. "Figure it out. The train's owners will assume you have already made the payment. As I said, if you can't pay for the damages within the seven-day deadline…."
Walking out the door, he finished his sentence with a calm tone.
"...you will be sent to Astait's Prison."
. . .
Before long, the "visitor" left the room, leaving Aletha worried and anxious.
She stroked and rubbed her eyebrow, pinched the skin at her throat, and rolled from one side of the bed to the other. Thoughts of how she would obtain such money swirled endlessly in her mind.
"How will I get that many Gincoins? I don't understand." Aletha mumbled as she rocked her body back and forth. "There's no way I can make that much money in time! I don't have any companions who can help me. I… don't even have contact with money itself! This is awful!"
As she kept the pillow on her face, trying to suffocate herself at the thought of paying such a debt, the door to her room creaked open again, revealing five people.
"Aletha!" A young, high-pitched, feminine voice said. "Are… are you alright?"
Behind Doctor Talia were her desired visitors.
A young woman with a long, ruby-haired ponytail, a young man with silver hair and hoop earrings, and a petite girl with crimson eyes and gray hair.
Alai, Ubel, and Dina.
Though she may not have known what had happened after she had passed out, she was relieved to find their faces healthy.
"Alai!" Aletha said with a welcoming gesture and relieved smile. "There you are."
As Doctor Talia brought in four more seats for the visitors, sliding them up to Aletha's bedside, Ubel leaned forward so his face was closer to Aletha's and asked with a concerned tone.
"Are you alright, Aletha? We had to wait a day until we could come here."
"Yeah!" Dina roared, disregarding the other patients beyond the walls of Aletha's room. "We had to talk to this little girl, walk all the way, and carry you silly self toward a village. Man, it was so taxing!"
"Haha. Yeah… Then, we carried you to a horse carriage and escorted you to Linuxinia Hospital."
Alai added as she kept her eyes locked on Aletha's, tilting her head slowly and cracking up a relieved smile.
"I'm glad we made it in time."
Although the debt request lingered in her mind, Aletha pushed the thought aside to enjoy her reunion. Even Dina, who once seemed untrustworthy, had helped Alai and Ubel bring her to the hospital, giving Aletha hope.
Her eyes softened, glowing gently as her friends turned their attention to her. For a few minutes of discussion, Aletha laid her hand against her heart before gesturing to the group with a beautiful smile.
"Thank you, guys," she said, her gratitude showing. "Your commitment and care gave me hope."
Upon her grateful expression, Dina, Ubel, and Alai's faces lit up with smiles of love.
"You bet!" Dina said, keeping her voice at the minimum tone of a bird.
"No problem," Ubel said. "I can't let a friend of mine collapse like that without care."
"That's what friends are for!" Alai grinned. "Think you can get up and go outside?"
Immediately, Aletha's eyes widened and sparkled. She jumped to her feet, giving Alai and the group a bright-eyed, excited look as she shook with anticipation.
"Absolutely!" Aletha yelled, stretching both arms skyward. But as thoughts of the debt request clawed at her, her smile faded and her gaze dropped. As the four of them walked out the door, Aletha drew a shaky breath and spoke.
"But… before I do that. I have another problem."
"Really? Are you kidding me?" Dina shouted. "I thought we fixed all your problems. Now we have to wait even longer?"
"Hey! Manners!" Alai interrupted with a gentle push at the gray-haired girl. "Let the girl speak."
"Yes. And—" Doctor Talia dropped her notepad. "Please lower your voice. Other patients are worse off. If you don't, I'll have to expel you."
With that warning, Dina fell silent, pressing her lips tightly together and nervously twiddling her thumbs.
Aletha shot Dina a sharp look, disbelief edging her features. Every brash outburst chipped away at Aletha's trust—but, for now, she still counted Dina as a friend.
After the warning, Aletha crossed her arms, offering a strained laugh, beckoning the others to listen—her emotions flickering between annoyance and affection.
"It's okay. Dina didn't know," Aletha said as they walked toward the staircase. "About my problem: I have to pay a debt of eight hundred thousand Gincoins because I was in a winged train's destruction."
"Eight-hundred thousand Gincoins?!" Dina yelled abruptly, completely disregarding the doctor's warning.
Doctor Talia and the other doctors rushed over to Aletha and the group in an aggravated tone due to Dina's ignorance.
"Leave this hospital immediately," the male doctor said, crossing his arms. "We don't have time for patients who ignore the rules. Leave now, or we'll call security."
With that warning, Aletha, Ubel, Dina, and Alai were forced out of the hospital's main doors, forced to feel the sun's warm rays shine on them once more.
. . .
"I can't believe you didn't listen," Ubel said, tapping his foot. "Now see where we are."
Dina quickly bent forward apologetically and lowered her head, biting her lips as the chaotic sounds of Linuxinia City filled their ears.
"I'm sorry!" She said with wobbling puppy eyes. "I should have been quieter."
Following her apology, Alai and Aletha facepalmed and sighed, shaking their heads in disbelief, knowing Dina was aware of her mistake.
Nonetheless, at least now the group was located outside in Linuxinia City—free to wander and roam—while also facing another problem. Every corner of the blocks overflowed with traces of life and joy.
From restaurants, merchants hollered; announcers and children screamed random things. A storm of footsteps entered their ears.
Before they left the hospital, Aletha was curious about how tall the building was. She tilted her head upward and watched as the stone, wood, and iron tower continuously expanded and stretched into the sky like a spire. The hospital dwarfed the city, casting its shadow over a portion of Linuxinia City.
Consequently, Aletha was deeply impressed by the hospital's sheer size.
"It's huge!" She screamed with sparkling eyes. "I never knew the hospital was so high up!"
As Alai came in from speaking to other people walking around, she snapped her fingers and stood next to Aletha. She leaned her mouth to Aletha's ear and added as she straightened her posture.
"Yup. It's the best hospital this world has to offer." Alai informed Ubel, and Dina looked around the many establishments surrounding them. "Actually, from what I can remember… The Nation of Linuxinia is also known as The Healing Nation. It's where all healers or future healers go to learn the ways of health and potions."
"Are you serious?" Aletha said, her mouth dropping in awe. "That's amazing! That explains why there are so many healers here."
"You're fortunate," Alai winked. "So, tell me more about the debt?"
While Alai and Aletha wandered the city with Dina and Ubel, looking at the various shops, hotels, and parks, they continued to discuss the debt problem further.
"Yes. I did." Aletha answered as she saw a carriage pass by.
Scratching her chin, she kept her focus on Alai's glistening crimson eyes and continued.
"Not long before you and the others arrived in my room, a strange man appeared and said I was in debt.
He told me that if I didn't pay them the damages within the deadline, they would send me to Astait's prison!"
Upon that mention of the place, Alai's eyes widened in shock, and she gasped. But to stop getting strange looks from the others, she calmed down and took two deep breaths before hastily leaning over to Aletha's ear and whispering.
"Astait's prison?! That's the worst in the world!" she said, leading Aletha to a quieter spot. "That's where the worst go. No one's ever escaped. If you're sent there, there's no chance of release!"
"Yeah…" Aletha said, trailing her words off with an anxious shiver. "That's why I want to find a way to accumulate eight hundred thousand Gincoins before the deadline. I still have a brother. You know, if he finds out that somebody sent me to Astait's Prison, he would be devastated!"
As the sounds of birds chirping and the flowing waterfalls wedged in between the natural, lush walls of the city filled their ears, Alai gave her a wink and easy nod before patting Aletha's back and replying with a modest tone.
"Ha ha! Don't you worry, Aletha?" She said as she saw Ubel and Dina return from the shops. "With me by your side, we can find a way to pay your debt within the deadline."
"R-Really?" Aleha mumbled with unsure eyes.
Thrusting her chest out, Alai bounced up and nodded with a snap of her fingers.
"Yup!"
Placing her hand on her chest, Aletha smiled with genuine warmth, her face lighting up with gratitude.
"Thank you so much!" She said as she bent down to Alai. "If only I could repay you."
"You can repay me with your pretty smile," Alai answered with her wink. "That's it, nothing more."
Upon her request, Aletha's face flushed red. She gulped down a breath of fluster and sighed deeply, saying in her head.
(She really is friendly.)
With all her joy and gratitude at that moment, Aletha raised her prominent cheekbones into a broad smile, her eyes danced and sparkled like the many people around the city, and she thanked Alai with a bubbly voice.
"Okay!"
. . .
"So, Alai. What's next on our agenda?" Ubel asked as the group stood at the center of a block, watching the many carriages and people pass by.
"We're going to try and find a way to pay Aletha's debt!" Alai enthusiastically replied.
"Oh, right, I remember her mentioning the debt." The silver-haired young man said, his eyes flashing with realization. "But… just how are we going to do so?"
A silence broke in between his questions.
"I'm not sure," Alai said, shrugging her shoulders. "We'll just have to look around the city and find out for ourselves. Isn't that right, Aletha?" She finished while nudging Aletha's shoulders.
"Right!" Aletha hollered joyfully with wide gray eyes.
"Understood. Then how about we split up?" Ubel suggested, raising his hands in an informal gesture. "We'll wander the city and try to find any method to pay for Aletha's debt. Once someone has found a successful method, return to this place and ring this bell."
As Aletha, Alai, and Dina paid close attention, Ubel grabbed the bottom of a golden bell atop a podium underneath a tree at the center of the square block.
He then rang it for demonstration purposes, alerting everyone within a seven-kilometer radius. Ubel continued as the people resumed their daily duties.
"By ringing this bell, it will alert everyone in the group to return here. If one of us rings this bell, it will imply that you have found a method to pay for Aletha's debt." Ubel said, nodding and tapping his foot. "This, in return, will lead you to show us where you found that source. Any questions?"
After a long silence, staring at the eyes of Aletha, Dina, and Alai, Ubel clicked his teeth and said.
"Okay. Then get to it!"
And so, the group split up to search for any method to pay off a debt as taxing as Aletha's in all corners of Linuxinia City.
. . .
Alai approached the first section of the city, near the docks. She figured that if a bank were nearby, she might be able to get a loan. Despite her best efforts to use her exceptional social skills and converse with the many people of Linuxinia City, she ultimately failed.
On the other hand, Dina chose to go to the further outskirts of the city. She needed to be more knowledgeable about what she was doing, bouncing from person to person and asking for payment. Dina even tried to persuade the guards to accept anything that would pay off the debt.
However, due to her actions at Linuxinia Hospital, her efforts ultimately failed.
Furthermore, Ubel went to the wealthiest part of Linuxinia City, the far east. There, buildings of residency ranging from the richest to the poorest came to fruition. Ubel was intelligent.
He tried to exploit the area's residents by using his appearance and natural features as some tangible form.
Although he was fortunate in most respects, invited to homes, and even scored flawless "victories," there was no chance of persuading the richest, inevitably leading to another failure on his part.
Lastly, it was Aletha's turn. Instead of going to the wealthiest area, she decided to go to the more rural parts of Linuxinia City.
"Goodness, it's been hours, and they still haven't found anything?" Aletha mumbled as she carefully advanced through the rural towns and alleyways.
Along her footsteps, she found many signs of graffiti and art on the walls everywhere. She saw paintings of clouds, mythical beasts, people, and motivational and offensive words on bridges, roads, and the walls of homes.
Though the sun shone brightly, Aletha felt uneasy, as if she wasn't supposed to belong there.
As she saw many poor people giving off strange stares at her, Aletha hurriedly sprinted back to the clean part of the city in rapid breaths.
In addition to her fleeing, she noticed posters hanging from the walls of buildings and towers at varying heights, one of which stood out from the rest.
"Wait a minute," Aletha mumbled as she approached a purple poster decorated with words and vivid images. "Does that say…?"
Abruptly, Aletha's eyes broadened at the words plastered in bold at the center of the poster.
"CASH PRIZE: 1,000,000 GINCOINS!" It read with large pictures of golden coins flying across the page.
Not only had the poster been accompanied by many illustrations of Gincoins, but also by figures that seemed to have been drawn in a sprinting stance. A large map of Linuxinia was plastered at the corner of the giant poster, revealing red lines that had extended and swerved around like a race track.
As people gathered around the large, flashy poster, Aletha's fingers touched her parted lips in shock as she read the text below the bolded letters.
"Come and participate in a foot race of a lifetime spanning across the nation! Join around a thousand contestants worldwide as you pace your way through the beautiful nation of Linuxinia! Let the world know who the fastest REALLY is!"
When she had seen the poster and the acknowledgment of a race, it sparked a memory in Aletha.
A half-ghoul girl with long, light-black hair and crystal turquoise eyes, wearing two-layered clothing, had stepped into the memory. Aletha remembered her mentioning…
://: "... to compensate for me saving both of you, you will have to participate in a foot race within the upcoming days. You must be trained by me, informed by the books I have prepared, and be fed healthy portions of calorie intake and hydrated."://
It was Emine who had said that.
Though events may not have worked out as the ghoul girl had intended, the mentions of that foot race came back to Aletha as if fate chose her.
As the memories faded, more people gathered around the poster, pushing Aletha away.
"So THIS is what Emine meant by foot race!" Aletha shouted with realization in her round, gray eyes, pushing people back so she could read it.
"Get out of my way!" Screamed a stranger.
"Move it!" Another person hollered.
Ignoring the people, Aletha continued to scrutinize every detail of the poster as she recognized another object illustrated on it...
...An illustration of a heart-shaped azure blue locket.
Suddenly, memories of a familiar dark-haired man emerged in Aletha's mind.
In a passenger car, Phthonus screamed at Duron.
"He killed DRIMI!"
"No, I didn't kill her, but captured her soul in this necklace. The power that lurks inside her is so great that it has the power of a thousand suns."
Aletha remembered Duron providing his and Drimi's past to Aletha and how The Perfect Darkness' influence consumed Drimi. She remembered everything about it.
(Wait…) She thought as the memory of a strawberry-haired girl with pink hair formed in her mind. (... didn't that vampire girl also tease me with her necklace? Did she lose it?)
Noticing the glossy edges and fabric of the poster, Aletha scratched her chin in speculation and mumbled.
"Now that I mention it, this poster does look fairly recent. C-Could it be that Rinnea lost the necklace? This is a two-for-one situation!"
After moments of pondering, Aletha shook her head and hurriedly sprinted back to the meeting area, knowing what to do next.
"If I win that foot race, it could solve not only my debt problem… but the possibility of getting Drimi back!" She screamed as she paced the roads, pushing people out of her path. With that, she clenched her fists with a determined look, mumbling as she ran to the golden bell. "I HAVE to win this race! It could mean so much for Asahi and me too!"
Upon hopeful thoughts, Aletha grabbed the bottom of the golden bell underneath the tree at the center of the block. At first, she was hesitant. But having the thought of the foot race grapple onto her mind, Aletha took a deep breath and threw the bell with all the force she had.
(RING!)
As a result of the swing, the golden bell's ringing echoed across every corner of the city, greatly alerting the city's people, Ubel, Alai, and Dina, to Aletha's position.