I was led out of the hallway, accompanied by the man in white that I recently met without even having his name. His attire indicates that he might be related to some sort of official duty that relates to the government of this… well, wherever this place is.
After exiting the building, I witnessed with my own eyes the scenery of a fantastical metropolitan city, nothing like the days of Tokyo, Japan. Some cars had tires, others were floating, and another was dragged by a horse. It's like someone compressed all eras that ever existed into one singular timeline.
And the building was most bizarre; a few of them pierced through even the atmosphere itself while overshadowing the rest beneath their concrete foundation.
"This is so… weird… places like this exist?"
I looked up at him.
"Yes. In fact, this is nothing compared to the other districts."
"Other districts?"
He nodded, crossing his arms, and looked up at the seemingly normal sky, yet it felt too perfect to be real. It's like a canvas of blue and white filling the unreachable limit of what we call 'sky.'
"This is the Realm-Keeping District, where we are responsible for transferring lost souls into their designated districts and societal duties based on the traits they possessed in their past lives. We called it the 'Origin Signature'."
Lost souls? Past life? Origin Signature? Reincarnated into another world…? Am I…
"HUH?! AM I DEAD?!?!"
I touched my face and body frantically to test whether I've entered some sort of metaphysical form, but everything seems intact enough.
"D-d-did I die on the train...?"
The man beside me closed in to me, placing his palm on my shoulder reassuringly. His touch made my heart race for a brief moment before the warmth from his hand transferred into my shoulder—subiding my panic attack.
"We don't know for sure, Miss. You came into this world, and yet you are the most alien one we've ever encountered. I can't promise you anything but this; whatever or whoever you are, we'll see it to the end."
He patted my shoulder before withdrawing away.
"Let us go. They're waiting."
With the two sentences, he began to walk up towards a sleek black car that was parked by the roadside. They… who are 'they'? Masters of this world? Divine beings? Devils?
No, it doesn't matter who they are or what they want from me. I need to find a way to get back into the real world, back into the office life that awaited me, back to… my family.
At all costs.
With newfound determination, I followed the guy in white towards the waiting car. Upon reaching it, he politely opened the door for me to enter the passenger seat, but I didn't say anything yet to him and slid inside the car—followed by his entry.
The driver then drove off the roadside, leaving the both of us together in the tight space of the vehicle's backseats. This is quite awkward… being stuck with a man I just knew a few minutes earlier inside this confined space! And he is like twice my size to top it off.
Maybe I can… strike up a conversation? But what should I say? My mind drifts off elsewhere as the car driver navigates through the busy streets of this world that I couldn't even get my grasp on.
"Um... I wanted to ask you, is this really the realm of the dead?"
I asked hesitantly, my hands gripped tightly on the hem of the blazer as I fidgeted with its smooth fabric. He shot an eyebrow at me before replying.
"We call this place the final resting place, where every soul from every generation that has ever existed gathered in one place. It's true, every being with a soul shall taste death."
"So to answer your question, yes. This is where the dead have once again awakened from their eternal slumber."
I stared into his eyes, searching for any sign of deception. Yet all I found was a man of his word; every letter conveyed was as sincere as a child's promise.
"Who are you really?" I blurted out suddenly.
"Me? I'm just an ordinary officer working for the Realm-Keeping Bureau. My name is Anh Lee; you can call me anything that fits your tongue."
Anh Lee… Anh it is.
"I see. My name is Hozumi Fumiko; glad to make your acquaintance."
"Fumiko, huh? I'll keep that in mind the next time we cross paths."
He looked out the window, the light reflected in his eyes, burning like a lantern of passion.
The silence stretched on for a long time, accompanied by the soft hum of the engine and the occasional honking of other vehicles. And it got me thinking, perhaps… There is an answer to my question somewhere in this world.
"We've arrived, sir," the driver announced, stopping outside of a particularly tall building.
On the front was a massive insignia, similar to the one on his armband.
"Come on, let's go inside. They're already waiting for you."
He opened the door and exited first before extending his arm to me. I hesitated for a moment as my hand hovered over his. In the end, I decided to reluctantly accept his helping hand—allowing him to lead me out of the backseat.
We then made our ways inside the building. The first thing I saw was how ridiculously huge the automated door was. What are they trying to fit in? Giants?
"This is the office of the general administration body where the central constitution across all districts was established." He explained briefly.
Both of us continued to navigate the vast space of the reception hall; the place was relatively empty for a place that is supposed to be the main governing body of this world.
"Hey, Anh..? You keep mentioning 'they', who are they?"
But before I could get an answer out of him, a mechanical noise suddenly filled the room—
"Anomaly arrival detected, deploying security units."
—a robotic voice rang in the air as armed automatons started to appear from the hidden doors behind the walls. Their weapons were trained on their sides.
"W-what's going on...?"
I stammered out of nervousness. Anh shoved me behind him, placing himself between me and the robots protectively.
"Stay back, Fumiko."
His voice suddenly turned serious; his breathing turned into a low growl.
Suddenly, a figure stepped out of the main entrance, then another, and another. Until there were five of them standing at the entrance of the reception hall.
"Stand down, Officer Anh. The situation is under control; hand the girl over to us so we may begin the meeting." The middle one said with a stern voice, stepping closer to our position.
"I demand that I'm also included, sir."
"You? This matter does not concern you. This girl over here is a force of nature. Her existence is a contradiction. Being reincarnated without an Origin Signature… simply does not exist."
The finality of his word struck a nerve inside me, making me gasp breathlessly. Contradiction… inexistence.
"And who decided that?" I asked.
"Excuse you. But you're speaking out of turn."
One of them tried to interrupt me from speaking, but I will not be stomped over.
"I said who decided that? My existence, my right to live—who decided that? Just because I don't have this stupid signature you folks have, it makes me invalid to live? To hell with that!"
With a deep breath, I continued.
"No. I refuse that my very existence be dictated by an otherworldly government. I'm here, alive."
The five figures stood frozen in place, unable to find the right words at my sudden outburst about the right to live, to feel, and…to exist. But I really just did it, didn't I? Making a speech like a poet crying about freedom and salvation that made the folks in power stunned.
"Living? What man lives in the world of death? You cried for the right to exist, yet you have no place in our world. You have no role in our society; what are you without a reason to exist?"
He challenged again, this time taking a step closer to me until we met at eye level. Before I could even think of an answer, another footstep emerged from behind the five figures, this time with lighter, almost ballet-like steps.
Their dark violet hair dangled freely from their shoulders, walking with confident steps while keeping their posture authoritative.
"Enough of this bickering; this is a civil administration office, not a radical public debate."
She walked past the men in white blazers; every step she took made them look down to stare at the ground beneath their feet.
"I'll take it from here; the rest of you are dismissed."
The other nodded without further questioning, slowly retreating back from where they came.
"As you command, director."
The armed automatons began to disperse accordingly, returning to their stationed bases—leaving no traces of earlier conflict. This woman… Who is she? It's like there's an unsettling aura surrounding her, as if she holds the world's agendas in her palms.