The Grounds Keeper

Chapter 1 The Girl In The Green Robe And The Ship From Nowhere

Chapter 1: The Girl in the Green Robe and the Ship from Nowhere

Eathon ran as fast as he could, his overloaded backpack thumping painfully against his spine. Just ahead, the red glow of tail lights disappeared into the distance — the last bus of the night pulling away from the stop. He dropped his bag with a grunt and kicked it, wincing as his toe hit solid books and tools. Perfect.

If he hadn't gotten stuck in that lecture hall arguing with his arrogant professor over a grade revision, he wouldn't be stranded right now. Being an international student was already hard enough. One year out of Italy, and if he didn't keep his average above 75%, he'd be slammed with international fees he couldn't afford.

He slumped onto the cold metal bench and threw his head back, eyes shut tight. What now? He was broke. Living off dry noodles and eggs. His apartment stank of wet carpet and disappointment.

Eathon didn't mind hard work — he was built for it. Towering over most men, broad and powerful, he could lift what others couldn't. But he didn't want to spend his life hauling wood just because he was strong. His adoptive father, Giuseppe, was a kind, wiry man — and a better human being than most. It was a cruel twist of fate that such a gentle soul never had children of his own. Still, Eathon had always felt like he owed it to Giuseppe to carry the load in his old age.

But things changed. For his own safety, Eathon left. He saved every euro he could and flew to Vienna to study. So far, the "great plan" felt like a cosmic joke.

He opened his eyes and frowned. For the first time since arriving in this noisy city... it was silent. Dead silent. No cars. No people. No wind. Just an eerie stillness that made his skin crawl.

A dense, unnatural fog had rolled in. Thick enough that he could barely see his feet. A muffled clap echoed in the distance — footsteps? He grabbed his bag by the handle, holding it like a shield. If someone tried something, at least the bag was heavy enough to knock them flat.

From the mist, a figure emerged. A woman, bobbing her head with a swagger that felt oddly cheerful given the circumstances. Long brown hair in a tight braid bounced to the beat of hip-hop blasting from her headphones.

She smiled wide, pulling off her headphones. Her voice was bright and unbothered.

"Hi! You're waiting for the ship too, right? Of course you are — why else would you be here? I'm Tatzurie."

Eathon stared. He shook her outstretched hand on instinct, still thrown by her outfit: a green, almost military-style ensemble. A button-up blouse with ivory and gold buttons, fitted green pants cinched at the calves, and tall green-laced heeled boots with a leafy design and large golden buckles. Over all that, a sage-green trench coat flared dramatically at the waist, reinforced with armored pads at the shoulders, elbows, and knees.

Was this fashion now? Or cosplay? This was Vienna, after all.

"I'm Eathon. And I think you're mistaken. This is a bus stop. The last bus left five minutes ago. There's no—"

The ground shook.

His words froze as a nearby building warped — like its structure had liquefied. From the edge of the skyscraper, something massive began to emerge. A towering ocean liner, impossibly large, pushing out of solid concrete like a ghost through a wall.

Eathon couldn't move. His body locked as the monstrous ship sailed toward them. The bow twisted grotesquely into a mouth — human-shaped — and in one impossible gulp, it swallowed them whole.

He curled protectively around the girl, bracing for impact.

Silence.

Then, a voice under his chest. "Um... can you let go of me, please?"