Without giving me time to think, she grabbed my wrist and dragged me along with her.
She took me to the other side of the room, where we walked down another hallway.
As we did, I couldn't help but ask Kia about something that came up just now.
"Say Kia, just now you told Astress that I'm a Wanderer. What exactly is that?"
"A Wanderer is what we call people from your world. It is those who are 'lost' from their world of origin. A derogatory term it might be perhaps, I do hope that it does not vex you."
We neared a pair of enormous doors.
They were coloured gold and were ornate with gemstones and silver leaf motifs - all while shining brilliantly in the chandeliers' light hanging right above us.
As we moved closer, the doors opened on their own.
A deafening screeching sound echoed through the hallway.
My heart was beating furiously inside my chest when we entered the room.
The wind inside was chilly, despite the entire room itself being lit by dozens of candles.
On each side of the room were placed a series of wooden benches, in rows of five.
Every so often, these benches were separated by one of the giant columns carrying the roof.
These columns were made out of marble and had a similar design to those of the Romans.
In the middle of the room lay a long red carpet, stretching all the way from the entrance to the podium at the back.
On the podium stood two thrones made out of gold and red velvet, with one being slightly smaller than the other.
My attention got drawn towards the right one, on which a middle-aged man, who was wearing the most luxurious clothing I had seen in Fira yet, sat.
He had a large brown beard and his narrow eyes were a deep red, like Kia's.
But most importantly was the golden crown he wore on top of his head.
"So this is their king?"
He looked displeased – almost scornful – at us.
The tension built up drastically as we walked towards him.
I could hear my heart beat inside my throat, almost choking me.
"My daughter, did I not prohibit you from leaving Gehenna? How come, despite that, you still ignore my order?"
Kia clicked her tongue and replied in a quasi-cheerful way:
"Glad to see you too, father. I expected you would have left that in the past by now. However, it appears even now you enslave yourself to those outdated rules of yours."
Fire burned in the king's eyes.
From the sounds of it, this wasn't the first time Kia and her father were clashing with each other.
Even so, it likely took him a lot of restraint not to yell at her.
"You would do well to pick your words carefully, daughter o' mine. Otherwise, they might come back to bite you."
Both glared at each other with such venomous stares, you could see sparks fly between them.
Their staring contest didn't last long fortunately, as Kia turned her head around with the sight of sheer frustration stuck on it like ink on a piece of paper.
"Anyway, may I assume this to be the Wanderer I have just been informed about? Truly, has the will to cast away your duty as princess finally led you astray?"
"I did not cast away my duties as a princess! I simply believe it is our obligation to look after people like him. Even after what happened last time."
Last time?
What did she mean by that?
I glanced at her in confusion, but her attention remained fixed on her father.
"As long as I am king, I shan't give him the chance to desecrate our sacred grounds. If you truly care about the future of our kingdom, you would do well to distance yourself from him."
"Dad, at the very least, allow him to stay here until tomorrow morning. This boy has nowhere else to go. Please, I beg of you. Not as your heir, but as your daughter. Can you not show a glimmer of kindness to this poor soul?"
The king seemed surprised by Kia's commitment, although he was far from giving in.
"And if I do, how will you prevent him from causing any trouble?"
"You already know." she answered swiftly and seriously.
The king hesitated.
Alongside frowning eyebrows, a look of doubt appeared on his face.
He plucked his beard, while an occasional hum left his lips.
His eyes were closed, as he contemplated his final decision.
With a slight irritation in his voice, he eventually admitted defeat.
"What have I done to deserve such a rebellious child? Fine! I accept your proposal. The boy may stay until tomorrow morning. Now, get out of my sight before I change my mind."
Kia celebrated and made a little jump as soon as she heard her father's decision.
I was glad as well, of course, but I also realized that this was only a temporary solution.
This fact left a damper on what would have otherwise been a great moment.
"Come, follow me. I shall escort you to your room."
We left the throne room and went to another hallway in the palace.
At its end, there was a set of spiraling stairs going upwards.
Each few steps, there was a burning torch hanging on the wall.
We climbed the stairs until we arrived at the top, where another long hallway awaited us.
The walls were decorated with paintings of people, landscapes, and flowers.
Through the windows in the opposite wall, you could see the town of Gehenna and its people walking around.
I paused for a moment and looked outside, taking in the view, before Kia asked me to hurry up.
While we were walking, I told Kia:
"Your father's not really the Wanderer-loving type, it seems. He must have a valid reason not to trust me, right? Say, where is your mother? I would have loved to meet her as well."
"My mother passed away a few years ago. Nonetheless, I am sure she would have accepted you with open arms, in contrast to my father."
I felt like a real jerk after hearing her answer.
The urge to dig a hole and jump in it became very prevalent at that moment.
A few awkward seconds passed in which no one said anything.
The sounds of our footsteps were the only ones resounding through this hallway.
Right as I thought we still had a ways to go, Kia stopped and told me we had arrived.
We were standing in front of a dark-brown, wooden door with a golden plaque attached, reading:
GUEST BEDROOM.
She grabbed the doorknob, opened the door, and invited me inside.
Spacious would be an understatement to describe the size of this room.
It had a king-size bed, several bookcases and drawers, a large writing table, and enough room left to walk around without bumping into anything.
All that, in just one room.
A big purple carpet with golden edges covered almost the entire floor.
From the ceiling hung a similar chandelier like the ones I saw in the hallways downstairs.
Next, Kia guided me towards the bathroom.
The floor consisted of black and white tiles, and the walls were coloured a very light orange.
But the thing that stood out to me the most was the golden bathtub standing in the far-right corner.
After I finished my tour of the room, I laid down exhausted onto the soft sheets of my new bed.
Kia sat down beside me and asked:
"Does this room meet all your needs?"
"This is more than I could ask for. Thank you so much, Kia!"
"You are welcome. Now, I have some time left to answer some of the questions you might have regarding our world. What do you wish to know first?"
A few things came to mind, though I decided to start with the one I'd been holding onto for the longest.
"Do you know how I got here?"
"The stories of old tell us that Wanderers are the consciousnesses of people that unintentionally ended up here after they passed away. These consciousnesses then take on the form of their former vessel, alongside any major wound suffered right before death."
"What do you mean by that?"
Kia stood up and walked to one of the drawers. From there, she grabbed a small mirror and handed it to me.
When I looked in the mirror, I saw that there was a large scar on my throat.
I thought back to the moment I killed myself, when a sudden wave of intense pain shot through my throat.
"Are you alright, Shako?"
"Y-Yeah. My throat just started to hurt like crazy."
Kia walked to the bathroom and returned with a cup filled with Ignis.
"Here, drink. It might help soothe the pain."
"Thanks."
I hesitantly took a few sips and put the glass down on the night stand beside my bed.
"And? Did it help?"
"I think so."
She let out a sigh of relief and continued:
"Anything else you might wish to know?"
"Do you know how I can go back to Earth?"
This time, Kia looked surprised at me.
I know it might sound strange and somewhat rude, especially after all the trouble she went through to allow me to stay here.
However, I felt like it was a question I needed an answer to.
"Do you miss it?"
"Not really. However, I have this…feeling telling me that it's the right thing to do. Kind of like an instinct, as if it's letting me know that this is how life should be. Sorry if I'm not making any sense right now."
She shook her head in response.
"I believe I understand what you are trying to say. Sadly, I do not have an answer to that particular question."
Somehow, I had already guessed it wouldn't be that easy.
Ever since I first woke up here, I had the strong sensation that something was keeping me here.
What it was and where it came from, I did not know.
All I could do was take guesses and hope it was just a false alarm.
"I must take my leave now. I apologize for not being able to share better news with you. May you have a restful night, Shako."
Right before she grabbed the doorknob, something came to mind, and I quickly stopped her.
"Wait, Kia! There is one last thing I would like to ask if you don't mind?"
She turned around and nodded.
"Could you explain to me why I'm still alive? You know, after that Lucifer guy killed me."
"That is quite a complex topic to explain. Perhaps we should leave that for later? I reckon your mind is at full capacity right now anyway. Take some much-needed rest, and we will continue this tomorrow at breakfast, alright?"
Without much delay, Kia left the room.
I slowly made my way over to the bathroom, where I decided to have a bath.
When I turned the valve, it was still a bit uncomfortable to see lava – or Ignis, as Kia called it – flow out of the tap.
After the bath filled up, I took off all my clothes and went in.
I lowered my foot and was instantly blessed by a blissful warmth surrounding it.
Such a pleasant feeling, it washed away all my worries in an instant.
"Ah, this is what I needed."
The feeling of complete relaxation soothed me, dragging the rest of my body in like a fish on a hook.
Perhaps I spent an hour in that bath, or maybe even longer.
I honestly forgot the time and wasn't too eager to find out either.
When I was done bathing, I dried myself up, put on my underwear, and jumped straight into bed.