"What was the world you were in like?"

This was the third time I had gone out with Rio. It was rare for him to ask me about the world I came from.

"Well, there are some things that are different from here, but there are also things that are the same."

The shape of bicycles, for example, and how AO citizens would probably use umbrellas when it rains, and take trains to go to work, just like I did in my former world—the "outside world." As I fell silent, Rio peered at me and asked:

"Is something wrong?"

I shook my head. It had been a while since I came to AO, but it seemed I was starting to understand that this city lacked many things. I say "seemed," because the difficulty in sensing their absence made it hard to be certain. If the absence were of "unnecessary things," it would be even harder to perceive. It was like how, over the course of evolution, humans lost their body hair and continue to remove the little that remains.

"You've been quiet for a while. It's unusual. What are you thinking about?"

"About hair removal, maybe."

I answered casually, but Rio looked at me with a concerned expression, which made me feel uncomfortable. Of course, body hair didn’t matter at all. The more I was in AO, the more I was certain that the absence of certain things was what made me feel at ease here. But it was frustrating not being able to put it into words. As I remained silent from some untraceable stress, Rio told me to wait for a moment. He seemed to have something to do at a nearby shop. While I was left standing there, I glanced up at the Cherubim. "New achievements in traffic flow optimization," the headline read.

The information displayed on the Cherubim, like weather reports or news, never really excited me. However, the sight of the massive structure's surface changing instantly never failed to captivate me.

"—The successful introduction of a new traffic management system across AO has greatly improved the efficiency of society, announced Nexus. According to the report, the new system has significantly reduced travel times, increasing citizens' disposable time by an average of 7%. The system works by linking to the existing traffic control network, analyzing citizens' movement data in real-time, and managing traffic by calculating the optimal routes and travel timings. Nexus mentor, Rio, stated, 'This has allowed society to unite as one, enjoying greater productivity and stability.'"

"You're quite the celebrity, Rio."

I pointed at his face, which had appeared on the Cherubim as Rio returned.

"Maybe," he replied, his tone somewhat flat.

He sounded evasive, and the side profile of him looking up at the Cherubim seemed a little sad.

"Rio’s job... Mentor. It means 'one who leads,' right?"

"You know a lot. Just as water needs someone to guide it, the city needs someone to carry a flag and lead it to true harmony."

"Someone to wave the flag... That’s you, isn’t it?"

He nodded.

"So, that’s pretty impressive, then."

"But actually, the flag doesn’t need to be visible... I think it’s better if it’s invisible."

"What do you mean? It wouldn’t make sense if it’s invisible."

"Imagine a light guiding a ship. In the dark..."

He trailed off, looking at something in his hands. He seemed to have brought me something. Both objects were fractal in structure, one red, the other blue.

"Which one do you prefer?"

"Either..."

I could barely tell they were food, but I couldn’t choose immediately since I had never seen anything like them before. I smiled faintly and took the blue one Rio offered me.

"—The third-phase testing of the next-generation transfer device, the Universe Metric Distorter (UMD), was recently hijacked. Nexus is concerned about the device being misused, and is currently tracking its whereabouts while interviewing those involved..."

The fractal object I cautiously tasted had the flavor of some kind of fruit. I wondered if it was something like sherbet as I glanced up at the Cherubim, which displayed unsettling news. This was the first time I had heard a clear report of an "incident" since coming to this city. Though it felt inappropriate, I couldn’t help but let my voice tremble slightly.

"The UMD. That’s the device that brought me to this world."

"Yes."

"You said it was hijacked. I thought nothing like that would ever happen in AO."

"How wonderful it would be if that were the case... But you see..."

Before Rio could finish, a loud noise suddenly echoed across the area. I instinctively crouched down. I looked up at the sky, wondering if it was thunder, but the sky was still clear. As I cautiously stood up, I saw that the people around me were also wearing puzzled expressions.

"What was that sound?"

Rio was staring at a point in the sky. Though there were no clouds, what was he looking at? I followed his gaze and saw something strange. There was a noise running through the empty air, as if the sky itself was cracked like a monitor displaying an image. Was that the Cherubim? My doubts were quickly denied as the noise grew louder and began to form shapes. Like constellations being drawn from countless stars, what appeared was—

"A ship?"

A massive ship suddenly materialized in the air, as if transparent scales were shedding from it. My legs froze at the unexpected sight. Its simple appearance seemed almost like a pillar floating in the sky, yet it was a structure that didn’t belong in AO at all. The surface was uneven, like metal plates hastily welded together, resembling Frankenstein’s monster. It was so crude that I even thought it looked grotesque. The underside of the ship had unreadable characters scrawled on it like some sort of message.

Then, another loud noise came. I instinctively wrapped my arms around myself.

"What is this... Rio!"

The volume of the sound increased. It felt like an invisible hand was trying to crush me. It wasn’t just a loud noise; it was an uncomfortable sensation that shook my insides. I couldn’t tell if the ground was distorting or if my vision was messed up. I could only hold my ground to avoid falling and glared at the source of the sound. The ship, which had appeared out of nowhere, was now extending a wing or scaffold from its exterior, and something was moving on it.

"People?"

While being nearly crushed by the sound, I desperately focused on the figure moving across the ship’s scaffold. It was a person. Someone was standing there, and to my disbelief, the sound would rise and fall in volume depending on their movements. Was this person causing all that noise...?

My thoughts were abruptly interrupted when I collided with a man. I lost my balance and staggered, while several people ran past me. I couldn’t afford to think about how this was the first time someone had bumped into me since coming to AO. Looking around, I saw that dozens of people were running, seemingly chasing something.

(Are they all chasing the ship...?)

My head was aching as I wondered. I even felt like I might start crying. Why were they running toward that noisy, ugly ship? I wanted to get away from here, but my legs wouldn’t move as I wished. On top of that, I was being pushed by the crowd toward the direction of the ship. My eyes welled up, and the sky seemed dark. The Cherubim was gone. Had it been destroyed by the deafening noise? As I was swept along in the human tide, a large hand grabbed me.

"Don’t go."

"Rio..."

I could hear ringing in my ears. I didn’t know whether the sound was still happening. But Rio’s voice reached me. He pulled my hand and finally, we escaped the chaos. The moment we stepped out of the turmoil, I felt a sense of relief that made all my strength drain away.

"Don’t worry."

Held by Rio, my thoughts froze. Cautiously, I looked up at the sky. The ship was gone. I let out a sigh. It was alright; the noise had stopped. Even so, I still had the illusion that I could hear something deep in my ears. The noise had been that loud.

"What was that...?"

As I murmured in Rio’s arms, gradually my hearing returned to normal. Looking around, no one seemed to be paying attention to the sky anymore. I suddenly felt embarrassed, and I pulled away from Rio.

"Thank you, Rio."

What was that all about? It was the first time since coming to AO that I had been so shocked, and it wasn’t a positive surprise. The noise, the ship, but more than anything, the incomprehensibility was terrifying. What was that? Why was there a person flying on that ship? And what about the people chasing it?

"What was that?"

Rio didn’t answer. It didn’t fit AO at all. The grotesque ship, the woman on it, and the sound. What in the world was it? There were so many things I wanted to ask, but Rio just stared at me and didn’t say a word.

That’s why... I couldn’t swallow the words Rio finally spoke.

"I want you to find her... Noah."