Phoenix (Disconnected)

VIII-XX

Nhinx

The cold wind hits my face, and the fallen snows piled up, enough to cover my heel.

"Please settle down Ms. Reese." Sir Elliot tried to pin Nicole at her place by putting both of his hands on her shoulders.

Sir Elliot is the person whom grandfather sent to accompany us. He's a butler, about in his late 30's. He's nice and very patient.

Nicole slip on his grip like she's made out of soap and proceeds to run around like a toddler, jumping and squealing, playing with snow.

"Look! It's a Snowflake!" She giddily pointed above, her breath fogged just above her mouth. I looked where she's pointing and saw a delicately formed flake of snow. "It is pretty," I muttered.

"Come now, the blimp is inside of that station." Sir Elliot ushered us to walk faster. Nicole ran ahead of us. "Ms. Reese!" Poor Mr. Elliot

Nicole slips and tried to resist her fall but failed by landing on her calves and proceeds to slide-spin until the glass doors stopped her body from spinning.

"Oh, dear. Are you alright?" He helped her to get up. Nicole patted her pants full of snow and giggled. "Dizzy, but it's fun while it lasted!" Both Sir Elliot and I sigh in defeat.

We went inside. The Inside was surprisingly warm, both the temperature and the ambiance, given that the place is modernly structured with glass from inside and out.

Hologram boards and signs with Ginean characters. "Sit for a moment, I'll check our transport." Sir Elliot looked at us, expecting us to sit and wait. I nodded.

He went to talk to the staff. I looked to see Nicole wasn't sitting but walking, not far from me, and curiously poke the hologram advertisement stand, it just passed  through her index finger with a bzzt. She's amazed alright...she even rapidly poked is from different angles.

"Nicole!" I called her quietly but warningly. She stopped and pouted then came back to sit beside me. Sir Elliot came back with a smile. "The blimp is ready to take off! Let's go!"

Excitement rushes through my body, making me shiver. Here goes nothing!

The airship is very big and minimalist arranged inside. "It's so cool!" I blurted out. Sir Elliot proudly smiled. "I'm glad you think so! She's one of the best! Dear Onward."

When everything is secured, I felt the ship moved. "How many hours before we get there?" I asked. He replied without getting distracted on arranging the semi-circled couches. "About 48 hours."

We heard a thump. Nicole is lying on the floorboard of the ship. "F-forty eight hours! Goodbye food from my breakfast and last night dinner..." She dramatically placed her right arm to cover her eyes.

I shook my head and looked at Sir Elliot. "She doesn't like any transportation if it isn't open." He nodded for a moment and asked. "Motion sickness perhaps?" I inclined my head to the left. "I guess?"

The ride is peaceful, aside from Nicole groaning on the couch every five minutes and asking for a bucket than a medicine. The food is surprisingly many, Sir Elliot packed a lot!

The snow eventually stopped, Sir Elliot told us that every land has their own change of season, so we're not in Gineo right now.

Hours passed and eventually, we reached Ethelunia's border. They did a security check before letting the blimp in. They have this scanner that can check any airship above their border.

I snapped back to reality, that I didn't realize, I slipped out into when Nicole grab my sleeves while looking at the structures as we passed it. "It looks like old yet new...did I made sense?" She asked. I smiled and shook my head. "I think so but I don't get it."

Sir Elliot stand beside me and looked at the structures too. "I believe the term you're looking for is the preservation of culture," Nicole made a funny contorted face at Sir Elliot. He just laughs gently.

"Ethelunia is known for having a diverse culture and art preservation in its land. It could be like living in the old times at some part and present at the others. It means, they take their culture very seriously." He explained.

The structures are old styled but modernized types of equipment like the street lamps are bulbed.

"Here it's like time stopped itself. People don't go only for their old structures but what lies beneath the city's heart. They say it's a beacon of the beginning. It is said that it came from above. They say it to sign, some say it's a curse. They say it's the raw core itself. But who knows...Ethelunians have been researching that millennia and have been using that to protect the city from the dangers outside of the walls." Sir Elliot told us like a story shared on a bonfire.

"Exploration! I can't wait to land! Both for the sake of my supper and adventure!" Nicole giddily said, removing her hands on my sleeves and pressed herself on the glass.

Me to buddy, Me too.