Chapter 2: Reunion

The town's eyes and ears were all about the arrival of South British colonial soldiers in their community. The platoon marched around the village with their red uniforms buttoned with bronze and white leather strapped around them with their haversack. They were led by a captain, a young girl named Iowa Campbell.

She had blonde hair braided to the side and wore a blue shawl. Instead of a rifle, the captain carried around her a sabre and a Webley revolver. The captain ordered the platoon to stop as they marched to the town's centre.

"Spread out into groups", Iowa ordered as she raised her hand sideways, signalling dispersion. The soldiers immediately formed into groups of four, and each went on with their directions.

A frail old man approached the captain. Upon first look, he does not look like he means to harm, reaching Iowa slowly and kindly with his wooden cane and curved back.

"Miss?" Asked the old man in a soft, weak voice.

"Yes, sir?"

The people spectating the scene from their balconies held their breath as the old man, and the captain talked to each other.

"May I ask the reason why you're here?" Asked the old man as his legs shivered nervously. The captain paused, thinking about her decision on what to tell the old man.

The young girl smiled on the old man as she knelt down to match his eye level. "We've heard reports of weird events lately, and it felt like in the best interests of our general to investigate the irregularities and then leave the town alone..." Iowa answered as she looked around the surrounding houses.

"Are you sure your government isn't doing this to smooth talk our town into joining your colony again?" Asked the old man as he looked the captain in the eye, this time in a firm voice. Instead of being offended, however, the captain laughed at the old man's question.

"No, sir! We shan't do that!" she smiled at the old man.

"For whatever purpose, we're not doing this to save our reputation in any way, sir." Added the captain as she stood up and looked around the houses.

The spectators from the balconies scratched their heads, trying to figure out what happened. The old man paused. He cleared his throat slowly stood up straight as best as she could.

"Then I'll leave you to it." The old man said as he extended his thin hands, offering a handshake. In return, Iowa happily shook his hand.

"This is my hometown... So it's nice to see some familiar faces." Answered the captain as she nodded to say her goodbyes and left the centre.

The spectators saw the handshake and sighed, relieved to realise that the colonials would not do anything drastic that could hamper the town's peace. Meanwhile, the old man started to feel a familiar tone about that girl, and as he dug through his memories, she realised who the captain really was.

He shouted her name as the girl walked away, "I-Iowa?!" which alerted the spectators, making them rush to the balconies once again.

That was then when the people realised who the girl was, Iowa. A child who once lived in this town.

Hearing the commotion away from the centre, Iowa giggled, "Looks like they still remember me... But what about her? Guess I'll just have to find out."

As she walked by the sidewalk, she noticed the roads were not so full as the hot afternoon meant horses couldn't travel.

The beach on the other side of the road, however, was full of people of all ages. Children played around the smooth shores, the men tried to swim as far as they could against the freezing water, and others took a stroll around with the penguins. She arrived at a clock tower and sat down on a bench beside and started to think.

"Now where do I find her?" wondered Iowa as she fidgeted her legs around. Watching the pigeons that sat on top of the clock, driving them away as the clock started ringing its bells.

She looked at a hill near the edge of the village, noticing the roof of a large house. Eureka struck Iowa as she realised what that house was.

"There it is." She suddenly stood up, patting her knees as she ran to the hill.

Meanwhile, on top of the hill, the orphanage was quiet. The children were asleep, and the nuns held their afternoon prayers. Naturally, Eleya would come to Isuzu's room to talk to her because she couldn't sleep during the day. But this time she never came.

Isuzu sat down on her bed, thinking about the dream and the letter. Squeezing every last bit of detail about what it could mean.

'Are the dream and letter related?'

'Does Eleya or sister Maya have anything to do with it?'

'Is this some sort of prank - no, I don't think Eleya is the kind of person to do pranks and neither the other children.'

Several other thoughts looped around her head as she looked out the window, watching one of the massive stars - affectionately called a star pillar.

Eleya was also deep in her thoughts. Watching the same sky as Isuzu. However, she was acting a little off, someone Isuzu doesn't really see as being her. Eleya's eyes took a serious tone with her arms crossed.

She felt something was coming. Her mind was puzzled with thoughts that felt irregular like it was reaching out to Eleya directly. She was not bothered out by it; however, she embraced it, understood it, and believed in it.

Then whispers started to loom in her head again, this time with a darker tone than the previous one she had an hour ago.

It got increasingly more robust, like a tornado of whispers were raging all over her mind, she didn't flinch, however. In fact, she was amplifying it.

She broke down the whispers just like last time, understanding every word it threw at her. Then, during the height of it all, she started to hear the shore's waves, the woodland's rustling, and many other noises in the natures of the continent.

And then in the height of it all, her eyes started glowing a faint light.

But all this was not new to her, she was used to it, and had been using it.

The noises then started focusing in on one place, the shores of Terra Australis. She saw visions under the sight of what she thought to be of a crab. It dug itself out of the sand and beside it was a sleeping girl, and beside her was an envelope. The crab approached the envelope, and then, the vision faded away.

When all of it stopped, and she could only hear the constant silence of her room. The glowing on her eyes has stopped and immediately, she took off. Sneaking out of the house through the window and ran away to the woods beside the house.

Isuzu laid down on the bed with her arms stretched across the mattress. She watched the white ceiling get covered in grey as large clouds eclipsed the sun. She was as scared as she was curious, hoping that this is not as serious as she could imagine.

She couldn't take her mind off of it, however. She placed her hand in her mouth to cover herself, yawning, "Maybe I just need some sleep." She muttered.

She settled on the warmest part of the mattress and faced herself away from the bright window. She rested her head upon a white pillow and closed her eyes, the thoughts kept haunting her, but she forced herself to sleep anyway.

A few minutes pass, and she started to hear something climb up the house.

'A squirrel?' she thought as she waited for the noise to stop. But the noise just kept getting heavier.

The noise eventually did stop, but Isuzu was already awake. But as soon as Isuzu thought it was over, she started hearing exhausted breathing. She looked at the door and back at the window, wondering where it is coming from.

As she focused on the window, however, she noticed a string of golden hair poking out the window.

"Who's there?" asked Isuzu.

She slowly got out of her bed and walked to the window. She stopped as soon as she got close enough, quietly reaching one her hands to the handles of the window to try and close it, but the string of hair and the breathing were still there.

"Who's there?" she asked again, stuttering, anxiously waiting for a response. The breathing stopped, making Isuzu feel a lot more anxious, and then, a gasp.

She heard a familiar gasp followed by the string of hair bouncing around.

Then the young girl took off from her window, crashing into Isuzu.

"ISUZU!!!"

"IOWA-" Isuzu shouted as the girl crashed into Isuzu, pinning her down on the floor.

"Isuzu!" the girl yelled, "I'm so glad to see you're still here!" she hugged Isuzu tightly.

"Iowa? What are you doing here?" Isuzu asked, pushing her away.

Isuzu and Iowa were great friends since childhood. The captain, who had a sister, was born near the orphanage. She had always played with Isuzu and a baby Eleya for as long as her childhood memories remember.

They moved to South Britain, the leading British colony in Terra Australis when she was ten years old. She studied at the South British Colonial Army Academy, a military school.

"Well... To be honest, I came here to see you", told Iowa as she stood up and helped Isuzu get up. 

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you see." Iowa then looked around outside and closed the window.

"A lot of things are happening in this continent right now", said Iowa as she looked at Isuzu.

"I don't think I should be telling this to you but..." the captain hesitated a little. 

"Ever since that event we've started receiving reports of an unknown force, lurking here," she whispered.

"People had seen things they probably shouldn't," added Iowa, brushing off dust from her uniform.

"What?" asked Isuzu, trying to make sense of all the things Iowa said.

The young captain cleared her throat and held Isuzu's hands.

"I was sent here to today to look for you."

"W-what? Me? What did I do?"

Iowa then once again checked for anything that could potentially compromise the conversation. 

"Well, last night... what was your dream?" Iowa asked as she looked at her in the eye.

Isuzu instantly recalled in head the scenes of her dream, from the garden to the ray of light.

Isuzu tried to answer Iowa, but she couldn't think of words to describe it. Instead, she walked to her drawer and gave her the envelope she found.

"What's this?" asked Iowa.

"I couldn't think of words to describe it... but when I woke up, I found it beside me." Answered Isuzu.

Iowa opened the envelope and unfolded the white piece of paper to see the contents. Iowa paused for a while, unable to speak. She stared at the letter and nodded in complete silence.

She looked at Isuzu and asked, without having to mention the letter, "Could you describe the dream for me?" Iowa's eyes started to look more seriously, folding the letter and putting it back on the envelope.

Isuzu closed her eyes and tried to think. Trying to recall every last detail of the dream, and then as she dug deep into her mind, piece by piece, she attempted to describe everything.

"I saw myself in a dark garden, wearing a white dress...

In front of me was a long pond with lanterns on the sides, the only source of light...

I walked around the place and looked at my reflection in the water...

I saw a flower and tried to touch it but, then it started to glow...

I looked up to see every flower glowing a bright golden colour...

Then I looked back to see a large sphere, emitting blinding light..."

Isuzu opened her eyes to see Iowa looking back at her. Iowa didn't say anything, however, letting her focus on the dream. Isuzu closed her eyes once more.

"I started to hear whispers in my head...

It got louder and louder as it carried on...

I closed my eyes, hoping it to go away...

Instead, it kept chanting my name...

I was scared, but I decided to reach my hand into the sphere...

As soon as I placed my hand on it, stems of light started to blast...

Then the light started to consume everything...

I closed my eyes, hoping it would all go away...

Then... I woke up..."

Isuzu opened her eyes. Anxious, she started to lose her balance, but Iowa caught her before she fell down and helped her sit on the bed.

"Thanks..." softly said Isuzu, holding her burning forehead. "You got a fever just by recalling it", Iowa said as she sat beside her.

"What does it have to do with all of this?" Isuzu asked.

"No one really knows for sure... I'm sorry." Iowa replied without much enthusiasm, "But I was tasked to look for you and inform you that the general is calling you in the capital."

"The general?!" Isuzu exclaimed.

These mysterious events are carefully handled by the high-ups." Iowa stood up and walked to the window.

"Something is about to happen, Isuzu... something that will determine everyone's fate in this continent."

"We need you Isuzu. At least the general does." Said Iowa as she looked at Isuzu.

"I couldn't tell this to anyone I guess." Isuzu assumed.

Iowa nodded, "Not a soul..."

"Can I think about it?" Asked Isuzu. Iowa paused, thinking about what she had just said.

"Sure, you can." Iowa answered, "We'll be staying here until we bring you to the capital." "But," Iowa then added as she looked at Isuzu in the eye, "It's not only us who's after you..."

Isuzu's legs shivered and started to sweat.

"Oh..." Isuzu looked down as she watched her hands shake nervously.

She heard the boots of Iowa walk toward her and saw her kneel down and hold her hand. She felt relieved from the calm and warm hands of the captain. She faced Iowa in front of her, her sweet smile reassured her feeling of safety for the time being.

"We'll be ready to protect you Isuzu", Iowa said as she held Isuzu's shoulder. She then immediately poked her neck, causing Isuzu to tilt her head as her ticklish spot was struck.

She gave off a chuckle comforting her in the best possible way. Iowa laughed at Isuzu, happy that she was finally reunited with her best friend.

I should be going now." said Iowa as she stood up and walked to the window. She opened it and vaulted over, smiling as she waved at Isuzu as she let gravity pull her down. Isuzu chuckled at the scene of her friend,

"She never changed", said Isuzu as she watched Iowa sneak away from her house.

Iowa walked by the side as soon as she climbed out of the hill. Watching the sun close its shift for the day until she crossed paths with a familiar-looking girl wearing the same clothes as Isuzu.

'An orphan?' She thought to herself.

The girl seemed to be onto Iowa as well, 'Iowa?' The girl thought, trying to figure out why she was walking alone, and then something in her mind clicked on.

As soon as the two of them lost sight of each other, they picked up their paces. The two of them realised who they were dealing with.

The table was finally set for the struggle against the two driving forces of the mysterious events. Iowa and the girl laid plans and strategies as their target slept in the night,

Hoping to never dream again.