In a private room, a middle aged man with a bald spot on his head and a long, white beard sat across a frail, young girl, his gaze soft and comforting, as if not wanting to scare the frail girl in front of him. A helmet of a soldier is placed on the table between the man and the young girl, the same helmet the girl was wearing when she came out of the Gate.
The man spoke, "Do you know the mysterious soldier who helped you?" The voice of the man was calming, soothing the tense girl in front of him.
The frail girl shook her head with her long hair swaying side to side, words not spoken but the answer was given.
The man nodded his head once, understanding the girl's answer. Preparing to say another word, he opened his mouth, but the sound of a bell ringing—signifying the time of interview is over—stopped him from doing so.
Standing straight, he extended his arm, placing his hand on the girl's head, patting her head gently and looking at her with empathy.
The girl flinched from the sudden contact but didn't pull away, secretly appreciating the gesture of the man in front.
"Let's take a break, okay, little girl?" The man smiled, his voice still comforting. "We will continue after a short while."
The man retracted his arm, walking to the exit of the private room. He grabbed the knob, twisting it in a clockwise motion and looked back at the frail girl. He smiled at her reassuringly before taking a step and closing the door from behind.
The frail girl was left alone in the quiet room, relaxing after the man had left. Living on the other world for a while, she has grown accustomed to being alone, and tight spaces that protected him from the beasts calmed her down.
She looked at the door in front of her, thinking if the man would come back and ask other sorts of questions, or if someone else would inquire her after the break.
The door opened and the same man from earlier came back, carrying a tray and placing it on the table.
"Here is your meal, little girl. Remember to eat slowly, okay?" His voice, once again, gentle.
The man then left the room, leaving the frail girl alone once more.
The meal in front of her caused her stomach to let out a growl, only realizing how hungry she actually was.
She grabbed the spoon, placed it inside the bowl and sank it to the soup and raised it up. She brought the spoon close to her lips, blowing on the soup gently before placing it in her mouth. The taste was average, however, for someone who hasn't eaten in a while, the taste was heavenly, enough to make her tear up.
***
Two short figures are walking side-by-side, heading in the direction of the academy. They walk on the street of the capital city, Orion, hearing people around them talk about the incident.
People continuously talk about the incident, causing the slightly taller figure to grimace, annoyed by having to constantly hear the same thing just like from earlier. But his annoyance disappeared after remembering the young girl from the gate.
"That girl… was the missing kid two months ago."
"..."
"Why aren't you speaking, lady Shina?"
"The thought of the girl being inside the Gate at such a young age… concerns me."
The two stopped speaking, only walking in silence with the only source of noise the machinery and people around them.
I feel bad for the kid. She's seen things that no one her age should've seen.
The thought of the girl witnessing horrors that he may have not been able to withstand made him shiver. Surviving for two months alone in the Gate is a crazy feat, even for first class government officials.
A sigh escaped from his mouth which grabbed the attention of the girl next to him.
Smack!
The girl's hand playfully landed on his back with a little force, resulting in a slight pain.
"What was that for?"
The girl smiled, giggling to herself.
"Stop thinking about what happened earlier. We're almost in the academy, you know? It will only distract you during the lessons."
What the girl said was right, but how could he possibly get rid of the thought that has filled his mind seconds after witnessing the frail kid coming out of the Gate?
"I know, but you didn't have to hit me in the back!" he frowned.
The girl giggled again, not responding to the boy.
"Hey, don't ignore me!"
The girl increases her speed, increasing it with every second. She then ran, laughing and attracting attention from other people, and leaving the boy behind.
"Hey! Wait for me!" The boy said, running to catch up to the girl, who left him behind. The girl, being slightly stronger than the boy, was faster and created more distance between her and the boy.
The boy ran, pushing his limit to catch up to the girl, but the speed of the girl was superior to his speed.
The girl stopped running and looked behind, still having a cheerful smile on her face.
"You're slow!" She shouts, attracting even more attention around her.
Ajax felt embarrassed hearing the girl, not because of being called slow, but because of the attention and look he received.
A few seconds later, he caught up to the energetic girl, panting and gasping for air in front of her.
"Your stamina sucks!" She teased, emphasizing on the word 'sucks' by saying it a little louder than the words from before.
"Huff… huff… Damn it." Ajax mumbled, even more annoyed after hearing the girl's teasing.
Shina smiled amusedly, giving the boy a mocking look.
"We're in front of the academy, mister."
Students exiting and entering the big gate of the academy gave the two of them a strange look.
"Stop resting. Let's go!" She said cheerfully, raising her arm enthusiastically and catching more attention.
"Aren't you embarrassed?"
"Embarrassed of what? I don't have any reason to be embarrassed. After all, I haven't done anything embarrassing at all."
"I… nevermind," Ajax didn't complete his thought, certain that what he was going to say won't change the girl's action.
"Hm?" Shina hummed confusedly, curious of the Ajax' reaction.
Shina then smiled while looking at Ajax.
"Let's go?" She asked, the energy behind her words gone, replaced by calm and dignified one.
The sudden change caught Ajax off guard, but he nodded in response, following the now graceful girl in front of him.
***
The girl finished her meal, feeling satiated and joyful of the food she had eaten.
The man from earlier came back to the room again. His eyes landed on the girl, relaxed and carefree, unlike earlier when she was tense and guarded.
The girl looked up from her food, her eyes landing on the man with a delightful look, smiling as he stared at her.
The girl blushed from embarrassment and looked away, feeling embarrassed of how happy the man was looking at her..
"Thank… you…" The girl muttered, her hair lowered slightly and the voice coming out as barely audible to the man.
"You should thank the person who cooked that instead," the man replied, grabbing the top of the chair and pulling it slightly, then sat.
"How do you feel?"
"Good…" She muttered once more, making it a little difficult for the man in front to hear.
The man nodded.
His face then turned serious, but the look he gave to the frail girl was still soft.
"Would you please share your experience at the Gate?"
The frail girl flinched at his words, remembering all the bad memories she had momentarily forgotten during her meal.
The frail girl's body stiffened upon recalling those memories, her demeanor returning to when she first came out of the Gate.
The sight of the frail girl being afraid made him feel bad. He wanted to stop, to take back his words and ask something instead, but he stopped himself, knowing the information given by the frail girl would be valuable.
The man smiled reassuringly to the girl, but the girl's reaction didn't change, still stiff and afraid.
The man sighed, unable to withstand the suffering of the frail girl.
"It's okay, you don't have to tell me."
"Do you want to play?" He said, changing the topic.
However, the girl remained the same, still stiff and afraid.
The man cursed himself silently, regretting the question that made the frail girl recall her experience in the Gate.
The man extended his arm, reassuring the girl by patting her head once more.
Slowly, he retracted his arm, still looking at the girl with pity and empathy.
He left the room, leaving the girl alone for the third time.
The tight space in the room and being alone slowly comforted her.
Her breathing began to stead and her body relaxed.
She understood that the man meant no harm and didn't mean to hurt her, but her experience in the Gate was something that still terrified her. She can never forget the screams, the bloodshed, the dead bodies and the menacing grin of the four limb monster… and the nameless soldier.
She fidgeted her fingers, wondering if she should tell the kind man her experience and everything she knows.
In a few minutes, she clenched her hand, looking determined and prepared. She has made up her mind.
The man came back once more, ready to see the scared, frail girl. But the scared, frail girl was nowhere to be seen, only a determined one.
The man took a seat and opened his mouth, ready to say something but was stopped by the frail girl.
"My experience… I will tell you."
The man's eyes widened, shocked and surprised by the frail girl's courage to recall her bad memories.
He smiled, ready to listen to the girl.