Chapter 80
Chapter 80
Isaac, for reasons unknown to them, was currently allowing Arietta to stay at the Remains Investigation Unit’s residence. However, as mentioned, taking her away was another story entirely. They couldn’t simply take her without Isaac’s permission; it would be a significant burden on the Investigation Unit. Benjamin paced.
‘I can’t leave Arietta here.’
He pitied her. How could he not, knowing she had been treated as an object, trapped for so long, her love unrequited? Arietta was temperamental yet beautiful, bold and assertive yet prone to melancholy.
She could appear endlessly cynical, but at times, an inexplicable, almost manic passion consumed her. Benjamin was captivated by her volatile nature. He wanted to understand her enigmatic psyche, to uncover what lay beneath the fervor, but… “It’s none of your business,” Arietta would coldly retort each time.
Yet, she could also be unexpectedly affable. Whenever she changed her tune and inquired about Sky City, Benjamin felt like he was walking on clouds. During these conversations, he sensed something in her words and actions. She didn’t simply yearn for Sky City with the typical Downstream longing for luxury and escape.
She had no interest in the riches and pleasures unavailable in the Downstream. Instead, she was curious about the songs they sang in Sky City, the dances they performed, the stories they told. “There’s something different about her,” the other Unit members acknowledged, also sensing this peculiar quality. Benjamin only understood the nature of this difference after two days of deep conversation with Arietta.
She was sitting on the bed, her long hair cascading down her back, when she called out to him in a languid voice, “Have I ever told you about my family?”
“No.”
“My mother was called a witch in the Downstream.”
“Why?” Benjamin asked innocently. Arietta, amused by his naivete, turned her head and chuckled. “Because it was rumored she came from Sky City.”
Benjamin stared at her, stunned. Arietta, however, was looking past him, at the wall, as if old memories were being projected onto it. Her jewel-like eyes sparkled, her face focused as if watching a screen. “When I was young, I didn’t believe it. I thought it was just a silly rumor. But as I grew older, Mother told me something.”
Her expression softened, dreamy, like a young girl. “When I turn sixteen and am strong enough for a long journey, we’ll go back home.” A silence hung in the air. “If it’s not the Downstream, it must be Sky City, right?”
Benjamin nodded, almost hypnotized. Satisfied with his response, Arietta continued, “But I don’t know how she planned to get there. You can’t travel between here and Sky City without an airship, can you? Mother wouldn’t have the skill to build one… so what was it?” Benjamin almost blurted out the answer without thinking: a way to travel between Sky City and the surface without an airship. The fact that such a method existed. But that was classified information.
A secret path unknown even to most Sky City residents. A very arduous route, as Arietta’s mother might have put it, and a perilous one at that. “Tell me more about your mother,” Benjamin said, sitting at her bedside, looking up at her. And so, Arietta continued, her gaze shifting between the empty air and Benjamin’s jade-green eyes. Benjamin followed her gaze, as if waiting for those fleeting moments of connection.
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