This story is part of the Wanderer series.
“This seal is broken.”
Green’s voice dropped to a whisper as she finished her sentence.
“Huh?” Nozomi looked back and forth between her friend and the rocks. “It is?”
“What does that mean?” Rin asked. “Is that a bad sign?”
“Well… If it is a flying castle, the seal should be maintained to a very high degree at all times.”
Nozomi watched her friend with a long stare. “Then… Can we go in?”
Sighing, Green looked unsure what to do. “I… don’t know. I don’t know if it’s safe to.”
This alarmed Rin, grabbing Nozomi’s shoulder. “Will the seal hurt us if it’s broken?”
“It… shouldn’t…”
“What if we throw a stone into it?” Nozomi suggested.
Green continued on. “If it could, we can tell from the outside. But… I don’t know if it will be safe inside.”
Aimlessly glancing down to the side, Rin assessed her words in silence as Nozomi leaned forward again to get a better look. “Do you think someone broke in?”
Green nodded. “That’s the danger I’m concerned about. There could be someone there, or it could be long abandoned already.”
Rin breathed out, raising her eyes again. She crossed her arms and scratched her chin. “And since most of the seal is intact, it’s hard to sense if anything is there, huh?”
“Yes—”
“Hey, I do see something behind the rocks!” Suddenly blurting out, Nozomi leaned a little too far forward as she pointed, losing her balance. “W-woah!”
“Nozomi!”
Rin launched forward to try and catch her, but she was too late. Green rushed to the platform edge, though there was nothing she could do either. Nozomi fell off the platform towards the rocks. However, instead of smacking her head on the side of the cliff-face, her body phased through the rocks as if she dove into water, the rock surface subtly rippling as she disappeared.
Watching from above, they both gasped. There was no sound from the other end, leaving them with baited breath.
“Nozomi?!” Rin finally shouted again. “Are you alright?!”
After a hair-raising moment of silence, there was a reply from the other side, but completely unintelligible. Muted, but distinctly human. Certainly a voice.
Rin and Green glanced at each other, unsure what to do. It was only after they heard the unintelligible voice cry out again when they both mutually agreed without a word to enter in after her. Green brought the platform closer to where they last saw Nozomi. Reaching out to touch the rocks, Rin felt it ripple as her fingertips touched it, the surface as malleable as water. She then half-bent her knees and took an awkward jump into the seal, not knowing how high the jump would be. Green watched, and then took the same jump after her, the turquoise platform disappearing after her body slipped in.
Entering the seal, it was almost completely dark inside. Rin’s eyes were wide open as she tried to determine how far she would have to fall, only to feel her feet hit a hard rocky surface immediately. Knees still bent, she stumbled backwards a bit before regaining her balance.
“Rin!”
Nozomi’s voice echoed from the darkness. Peering around, Rin could see the dark silhouette of her friend in front of her. Before she could say anything, she felt Green collide with her, crashing into her back as she slipped through the seal. They both stumbled forward, Rin catching her footing, stopping Green from falling over.
“Sorry!” she cried out.
Nozomi got together with them in the darkness.
“This way, there’s a light over there!”
Both looking up, they could indeed see a faint light at the end of the rocky tunnel, Nozomi’s silhouetted figure running towards it, completely oblivious of any danger.
“Hey, stay together!” Rin shouted after her. “Did you completely forget what we said earlier?”
Green and Rin rushed in after her. When they emerged at the end, squinting against the comparatively bright light, they found themselves in a small, circular chamber, overrun by vines. There was a soft glow from above, a round window letting in sunlight. On the other side, a hallway deeper into the castle. In the middle, a large round pedestal.
The three girls looked around in silence for a moment.
“Huh,” Rin eventually uttered. “I didn’t think there would be sunlight in here.”
“Is this a room for a sword?” Nozomi inquired, hopping on top of the pedestal.
“No, that…” Green began, seeming to recognize it. “That is where the elder would place their staff and steer the castle.”
“Oh.” Nozomi looked down at her feet.
Rin turned to her companion. “Steer it? You mean, to fly?”
“Yes.”
“So this is a flying castle,” Nozomi chimed in.
“Yes, I’m fairly certain.”
Rin brushed her hand along the wall of vines. “But probably abandoned.”
“I can’t say for sure,” said Green. “Some elders let their castle overgrow.”
Nozomi ventured towards the tunnel.
“Wait!” Rin raised a hand, gesturing for her to stop.
“What?” Nozomi glanced back, stopping. “What if they’re still here and just need help?”
“Well, what if they aren’t and someone bad is hiding here?”
“We won’t know until we look, right?”
“You want to get us into that kind of trouble?”
“I’ll be careful!” Nozomi protested. “Besides, aren’t you curious?”
“I am, but…! Not enough to take this risk!”
They both stood still, staring at each other. Eventually, Rin turned to Green.
“What do you think?”
Sheepish to have the pressure on her, Green stammered. “Um… I don’t have a preference, really! If you want to go I’ll go. I’ll do my best to identify anything dangerous about the castle.”
This was enough for Nozomi. “Then, let’s go then!” And without letting Rin debate any further, she rushed in.
“Cripes,” Rin muttered, and followed her. Green followed along.