“Hah. This was interesting. By the way, Celeste, I am excited, although you aren't. Anxiety isn't uncommon in anyone like you or people in general, and a lot of people should feel even worse, no matter the safety. I think you are lucky.” Ellie said, sticking close to Celeste.
“Lucky?” What was that word even about? To her, it lost most of its meaning—what was even its meaning?
“There is enough room for your exponential growth. Since you learned to talk out there alone, you should be proud of yourself and not be improper.”
“I wasn't... really alone,” Celeste muttered behind Hound.
“But Mi-Yung said...” Ellie paused. Perhaps Celeste meant something else that she shouldn't touch it if it upheld what she believed. That dark did seem quite attached to this girl, or it was vice-versa, which was even worse, or maybe... not. Nothing at all.
“Never mind. Do you want to know something? Anything. I can give it all to you, so say a word and I shall start right there. Or, if you want, I can be a much assertive guide and do it myself. Where to start this lesson?” She glanced at her closely, and Hound murmured a tight howl that got lost in a much tighter hug.
Celeste took her up on this offer. “World.”
“That is a big word. But I can show even that to you! A thing called books and pictures gives words vision and hope. A world, perhaps? I think you will like them a lot.”
Getting up, she passed passages, grabbed a bunch of books and encyclopedias, and wrapped a great deal of heavy interest.
It will be a rich, long, and substantial day for everyone.
And Celeste's mind will be blown out of proportion just with pictures, drawings, and art, because her sky was about to break.
***
“Hey, wait for me,” Mi-Yung hurried forward to catch up with William, which didn’t take any effort at all for her long legs.
“I am not waiting anymore. Was I just an excuse for your so-called job?”
“No—well, it is called being polite and resourceful. What is a problem? Are you jealous to see Ellie gone and busy with someone else?” Mi-Yung asked with importance and a small taunting smile.
“Why would I be? No. She is free and, frankly, great at it. Celeste seemed she need it more than me. And this is important to Ellie, by the way, so don't think of it too much. I am not sorry enough to hinder her from options. I have my card and also my eyes. That's enough... and you as well, perhaps.”
“Hey, I was joking. Don't worry. I will give you justice. It was a promise.”
“Like a promise to that... man, who cares for Celeste?”
“No.”
“I never asked for a lot of things, including you or Ellie. In fact, I never asked for any of you. Accepting it is not a grudge or a gift, so letting it run its course is next. Should I worry about something else popping off? Don't you have very important things to do as a Rank 6 Walker, or will I be tossed somewhere else?” William wondered, gritting his teeth, and walked further away.
He rightfully guessed and pointed to a complicated system that Walkers had to consider. To be free, what was that word even about in here? Since the morning, William felt very weird about it.
He felt Mi-Yung shouldn't be like this, even at Rank 6, which was a point of power that was turning inhumanly extraordinary, and hers even more.
Mi-Yung would digress if she cared.
Everything had some orders and laws. Meanings made up human societies, and Walkers had theirs. He had yet to experience their direct and inner chaotic nature, or how Walkers were barely people, or way too full of being people, or trying to keep it loose or mild.
Unbeknownst to him, the order wasn't as firm as the former world, and most people in the Federation and Walkers would tell the same thing. Their mind was at all sorts of stages of grief, acceptance, and writs of this new era.
All because of those Emblems, their life was set into terrifying motions. Many would just quit, but knew they couldn’t. Many did so regardless.
Observing William, Mi-Yung had no objections to give. “I only do what I want to do. No one will bother me with things I don’t really want to do. It is like that. I am very greedy, capable, and…. well, it is who I am. Dislike me if you wish.” She explained her ideal in almost the same manner Ellie did in the past.
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
Worse thing was, her demeanor reminded William of Kaufman way too freaking much.
A proud woman could be very dangerous to step on, and she also achieved a lot in her life, and who knew how much she had sacrificed or done to hold this position. She was also before his face, willing and looking great and helpful. Ellie was way too difference from a Rank 6 Walker, for obvious reasons and benefits of doubts.
William couldn't help but shudder at the idea of becoming a functional adult, and Mi-Yung's ideal was like an excuse for a teenager. Acting like this, he didn't know if he should feel sorry for her or himself.
“I thought you would have restrictions, or is it because you are at Rank 6, or.... what you previously said to, is even more true than it is right?”
“I am strong, so I don’t care about a lot of little things. I pulled a vacation card, and its not like its all dread and fight all the time. From time to time, it is even mandatory to sit down and rest. For some, it is much more than that because Rank-ups provide much more than significant transformation and change. It needs flow. It needs thoughts. Rest, simply.”
“How long are those rests? I can’t even think of it.”
“Years at most. Add injuries, events, needs, or mental issues, and you are in line with a lot of troubled people or curses, boy. Consolidation, stability, and focus mean a lot to everyone. For example, I spent an entire year without barely seeing a person, let alone Darks. Then, I walked on my own feet as a Rank 6 Walker into a brand new glory. Of course, my case was unique. I am not your average Rank 6. Hm!” she explained without hiding her proud heart.
“Anyway, there is no point in arguing about this. I touched upon this because of your doubts. Now, what do you want to learn and where? I can fetch you interesting news and talk even more about them since the context of this place is great.”
“I was thinking of upper floors.”
“Well, certain people forced me to go through this library, William, although it was a different idea back then. I had to figure out a lot of things myself, or from others. I still learn every day, frankly, and rushing it to the top ain’t it.”
William sighed for his sake and chose the simplest and easiest path ahead.
“I will walk around these academic floors since I am already here. If you have things to add, I wouldn't mind to listen to you great lessons.”
Mi-Yung beamed in light and nodded, following him as he walked between bookshelves.
Academic floors had mathematics, statistics, economics, ecology, and many other topics. School was ideal, and the world needed it, and Federation’s new generations need to stir the engine even more and let the future prosper.
William reached out to the sector that Ellie suggested to him a long time ago.
“Economics? Is it not better to let me explain this to you than you pushing your head into that silly word press?” Mi-Yung asked; she knew much more about this than books, as she took part in many major economic budgeting, and oversaw countless matters across the world.
She was a small piece of a massive engine, operating as a big piece that overlooked the rest. If anything, her agreement and arrangement were a testament to the Assembly Island.
“How about leaving me be, and when I need to know something specific, I will ask?” William glanced at her, and Mi-Yung didn't like his tone.
What was wrong with him? William never intended to bother her, and since she forced herself to do so, she should adapt to it.
He was still a teenager, so Mi-Yung took no offence anywhere. He could even ignore her to his best of his ability and win for a while. Not forever, however. There was no way.
Not out of spite, but because of a mistake she had chosen and enforced. Both were stubborn in their own way.
William chose a book about money, resources, and the way the market worked in the lost world. Many parts of it had exceptional impacts, and the Federation worked with them in mind.
Demand and supply were interesting topics that dived deeper into businesses and people in general. Shops. Resources. Farms. Reading page after page, he uncovered surprises and validated his already established thoughts from Outside or from Ellie.
“Complicated. People used money all the time in the past. I thought it was fake news, but there were hundreds of currencies, and what is even tax and cryptocurrency? What are calls, or stocks?” William asked out loud.
Mi-Yung sneered and knew the obvious story and facts about those prospects, even though she shouldn’t.
“Humanity lost its shape in 2014. It was the modern age by all means, where money went way beyond the consent of numbers. Thousands of years of human history were full of politics, gadgets, economics, and the way it went was by groups and needs. Humans are not lonesome creatures. We made homes, then villages, then cities, and countries. Money is a power to establish rules. The economy is all about it. People created it.”
“I see,” William muttered without looking at Mi-Yung, who was standing behind him, glancing past his shoulder.
Flipping through the pages, William spent half an hour reading. It was more like he forced himself to do it, since his mind was full of the upper floors. He was used to doing things he didn't want to do as long as they wouldn't be borderline boring. He will manage these basics, at least, before rumbling again.
“Understand that many ideas are not fitting for our timeline, William. We live in a different world, where people are struggling with something that the past did not. Humans adapted and managed to live as much as they could. Federation is getting into close territory. For nearly three decades, it harbors an idea and started to look decent. All thanks to the collective groups of past nations and many Walkers.”
She was completely correct. Tough times made tougher people, but what if it was far beyond even those people? Could they even go on forever and advance without breaks? In the middle of the ocean, this idea sounded wrong.
The fears of extinction must be real. In that sense, what were those Walkers doing, and what did they plan to do?
Since their beginning, they protected people and gave Darks their first taste of defeat. That kept going for more than eighty years and counting.
It wasn't just the Federation. Other places around the world had similar positions, and they often lost all they had against terrible darkness.
Protection of the camps was a comparable issue, albeit it was a gamble for better times, whereas sheer survival of proper settlements was a matter of death for entire cultures and remains of nations.
Like South Korea, to be exact, or if the Federation got wiped out, many cultures would face complete annihilation.
Which explained the proximity of the Academy, but not many thought about it too much, or knew where exactly it was. Many things were vague. It was a weird assurance, yet people were probably fine with that, as far as William was able to get it.
