The City of Ionia

“I see someone had a good nap,” I said while walking down the stairs.

The man was finally awake, frantically looking around the dim, warm room. His head turned all over the place at the speed of light. The chair's limbs were connected to his own. His blue helmet was on the ground beside him. Truth be told, him being awake was a lucky guess.

It was an empty room with a few tables and chairs and all sorts of weapons scattered on them. Nothing too special.

I didn’t blame him for being uncomfortable. I’ve been tied up in a dark room in unfamiliar territory. That feeling could never be forgotten.

When I went to grab a chair, I noticed something on the ground—my shadow. I felt something I hadn’t felt in a while, something I couldn’t explain. What was that strange feeling? It felt almost reassuring. I didn't understand why. Maybe I was forgetting something.

Regardless, I shoved that feeling in my pocket.

I sat face–to–face with a SCAR agent. How would Raphtalia react? What would she say to him? Would she tie him up as I did or free him, knowing the possible consequences?

“So, what are you going to do with me?” he asked, looking straight into my eyes.

“You aren’t in the position to ask questions.”

A quick giggle escaped from his mouth. There was no reason to laugh. Nobody said anything funny. Did I do something weird? Did I look funny?

“Yeah, yeah, even a fool could understand my position. So what do you want from me? Spit it out. Do you want something valuable?”

His quick laughter and remark took me by surprise. Never in a million years would I have expected to encounter someone who seemed to care so little about their situation.

Well, I shouldn’t say little. He was sweating like a wild animal. Maybe because it was stuffy here, and his armor certainly didn’t help. Or it could be that he cared for himself. Perhaps a mix of both?

His eyes weren't darting around anymore, and his breathing wasn’t as heavy as I expected. His head was held high, trying to show off to someone absent.

“You’re showing little to no signs of fear. You seem rather comfortable in this situation; why is that? Does being in such a circumstance make you comfortable?”

His tongue clicked at the top of his mouth. “Comfortable? Why the hell would I be comfortable in this situation? I can barely name things that make me comfortable, and I can guarantee this ain't one of them.”

I can barely name things that put me in comfort.

Those words replayed in my head a few times. “You can’t even name stuff that puts you at ease. That’s kind of pathetic.”

“I’m not sure why you think that.”

The man held his ground, trying not to break. At first glance, he seemed like he didn’t care for himself. His head was held high, trying not to show any fear. I could tell he took deeper breaths than a normal person would.

Before he noticed me, he looked around, trying to understand what was coming. Once I opened the basement door, I could smell the fear. I thought he would be a shaken rabbit the entire time, but when I sat across from him, he locked away his fear where he couldn’t reach it.

Trying not to break down. Trying to do whatever it took to look confident. Trying to be comfortable.

Presumably, he didn’t want to seem weak. It reminded me of myself.

I got up from my chair and stomped my foot flat on his bulky thighs. His head shook more than before.

I leaned into his ears, whispering, “You’re not going to see the sun again, so you might as well tell me everything you know.”

This was the one opportunity I had. This was the only one who spoke a word out of all the agents I'd encountered.

Maybe it was a coincidence this man was there. Perhaps it was Raphtalia’s doing: A perfectly gifted SCAR agent within the grasp of my nails.

Whatever information he had could help me move forward.

I pushed myself off his armor and reclaimed my seat.

“Man, whatever. I got nothing to lose. Might as well. C’mon, hit me with a few,” he said, shaking his head defeatedly.

Really? Did he not have an ounce of care left in his body? Was he going to tell me anything I wanted to know?

A bit stunned, I cleared my throat, “Um…ok. So…how does one get past the wall?”

The wall separated me from the one place I desperately wanted to go. It separated me from fulfilling my promise and my own desire. It was the first yet giant obstacle I’ve been trying to tackle for years.

But now, I finally had the chance to clear that obstacle. I wanted to go to the place I wanted and be an inch closer to fulfilling my promise.

“What makes you think I know how to get past the wall? Is it because of my appearance? If so, then you don’t know anything about the city.”

That wasn’t the response I was hoping for. It made no sense to me at all.

I leaned in, snapping my finger inches away from his face. “Just answer the question. You’re a SCAR agent, so you should know how to walk through the walls freely.”

I pulled my hand back to the armrest while he said, “Look at you getting frustrated for no reason. Are all outsiders like this? Quick-tempered? Well, whatever, it doesn’t concern me if all of you are. Anyway, I will openly share a nice little secret about the City of Ionia—a secret I guarantee no outsiders know.”

My body was at the edge of my seat. I was so close to him, a little too close. His repulsive, hot breath gently bounced off my skin.

He slightly leaned into my already-close face, “The City of Ionia isn’t this happy paradise that your people imagine it to be.”

I had the urge to slap him across the face violently. Ionia isn’t a happy paradise? Why would he bluntly say a blatant lie?

“Meaning? What are you trying to say? Why did you tell such an obnoxious lie? Are you trying to keep me away from the city? Why? What good is it if you—”

“I’m not lying,” the man interrupted me, looking straight into my eyes. “Forget about this now. You will be able to see why Ionia isn’t considered paradise. First, I want you to answer me. It could be a simple nod; I really don’t care. Tell me, do you know why outsiders are in their position today?”