Hilde 

Slavery/trafficking, physical abuse, mentions of suicide, vomiting

Mobile cities—colossal structures built atop a foundation with wheels, made up of buildings with residential, manufacturing, commerce, and distribution purposes. In the vast desert of Wasteland, where extreme weather and natural disasters were commonplace, these cities were essential to preserving a large community.

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The mobile city "Golden Dawn" anchored itself in a mountainous region, full of rocky mountains sharpened by natural disasters. On the lowest level of Golden Dawn, where the service entrance in the foundation facing the ground was, wagons loaded with newly mined resources were brought in.

Snap!

A Scavenger girl, worn down in mind and body from the hard labor day after day—Hilde—heard the sudden dry cracking of a whip distantly, as if it were happening to someone else. The impact of being knocked to the ground made her face distort in pain.

"Ngh..."

"You imbecile! No slacking off as you please!"

The man with the whip approached Hilde. Dark red spots stained the whip all over. Once again, the whip struck the cowering Hilde's back.

"Ow... Ah...!"

"Get back to loading!"

"Y-Yes..."

Hilde suppressed the urge to vomit as she replied, and staggered to her feet. She couldn't afford to upset him any further.

"Good! You lot only live because of our charity. Don't you forget that!"

Hilde resumed transporting resources to the man's domineering shouts behind her.

When the grueling work was over, she headed to the beds in the mobile city's lowest level. She looked around several rooms, but they were all full of Scavengers.

Hilde sighed and chose the most decent-looking room she could. There was no source of light in the room other than the light filtering through the windproofed hurricane lamps hanging from the ceiling. Lit by the faint orange glow, she proceeded further in, weaving around Scavengers who slept like the dead. The light didn't reach there. Eventually, all she could rely on was the feeling of her own feet.

...Clang, clang clang clang clang...

A mechanical hum came from the engine. The mobile city had left the mountainous region. The mining project she heard about from her supervisor should have been far from completion. The fact that something changed must have meant that a Skyseeker had predicted an approaching natural disaster.

"That's not good... I've got to get somewhere—hyah!?"

She felt her body being yanked backwards. The mobile city had started going downhill. Hilde accidentally stepped on the Scavenger man sleeping at her feet and whispered an apology. Then, when she spotted a small gap caused by the tilting, she quickly moved there. She sat down slowly, keeping her balance. She could feel the hard texture of the metal beneath her.

At the same time, she felt a tremor shake her whole body. Here on the lowest level, they were closest to the wheels. The vibrations from the city moving across the ground reached them directly. She probably wouldn't be able to sleep until the tremors stopped altogether. Hilde hugged her knees and shut her eyes, deciding to wait for that time to come.

Ah, ah...

Suddenly, she heard the sound of someone sobbing. That became a catalyst as pained moans and sobbing voices came from all around. Even Scavengers were human. They had grown accustomed to an environment worse than anyone else's, but they felt pain and hunger.

Before she knew it, Hilde was crying too.

If the mining stops, I'll be kicked out of here... Where should I go...? I don't wanna die. I want to live...

The strong became rich, the weak became poor. In this dog-eat-dog world, Hilde had little to choose from in her future. Even so, she didn't want to give up on living. She believed that someday, surely, there would be a golden dawn for her.

After halting the mining operation, Golden Dawn headed to the bazaar, where five mid-size mobile cities were lined up side-by-side. In the tight space between the cities, a number of temporary midair walkways were set up so that people could cross without descending to the ground. Citizens and merchants rode across on sand rats. The cheerful sound of whistling came from somewhere, celebrating the bazaar's liveliness.

Amid the festive atmosphere, Hilde walked along the walkway with a grim complexion. Her hunch had been right—and it was only getting worse.

"Hey, keep walking."

The man who had whipped her stood in front of her. Instead of a whip, he held a chain in his hands that wrapped around Hilde's arms. Right now, she was headed to a mobile city controlled by a certain someone. She had been exchanged for several days' worth of water from that person.

"You should be glad someone wants a Scavenger like you. I get my water, and you don't have to worry about starving. Be a little happier, will you?"

Even Hilde could easily imagine what became of Scavengers who didn't provide significant manpower. It would undoubtedly be an even crueler place than this. Still, it was far better than leaving the city and roaming the desert.

"Tch, mannerless brat."

Then, they arrived at the midair walkway of the furthest mobile city. Each city had its own distinguishing features, but this one was undeniably bleak. It was a sorry sight with rows of gray buildings and the sound of wind wailing through the streets like grieving elderly.

"This...is my new..."

"Make the most of it," the man spat, then took his water from a man waiting on the walkway, and hurriedly made his retreat.

"Follow me."

She followed the other man into the barren square. For such an open space, there were no signs of human life, and a sharp odor assailed her nostrils. The questions bubbling up within her made her anxious.

I want to get out of here right now. I want to run away!

Wish as she might, she was powerless to resist that man. Awaiting Hilde at their destination was—

"Helhenir, I've brought her."

There was an ominous-looking woman seated on a bench formed from crushed metal. She was probably about thirty years old. Her mouth was covered by a metallic mask, and her right arm had been replaced with a steel prosthetic from shoulder to end. The skin visible under her open rubber suit was affixed with thin metal plates, and that patchwork of metal and skin only made her eerier.

"Ah... Um..."

Just looking at her made Hilde's body tremble.

No. I mustn't upset my new employer.

"M-My name is Hil—"

"I don't care what your name is."

"Um?"

As she struggled for a proper response, the woman approached her. The moment after she was right in front of her, Hilde fell to the hard floor. The woman had smacked her hard on the cheek.

"Guh...! W-Why..."

Clink.

She heard the unpleasant sound of metal touching metal around her neck. Next, the sound of something being fastened.

With a sadistic smile, Helhenir said flatly, "I am Helhenir, the ruler of this city. I am your master. From now on, your life, your body—I will handle them as I please."

"Ahahahahaha!"

Behind Helhenir stood men and women with vulgar smiles on their faces who must have been watching for some time. They could hardly be called citizens with their filthy clothes, and they wore the same metallic masks and prosthetic arms as Helhenir. If anything, they looked more like Scavengers. However, the jewels and accessories they wore around their necks were not the sort of thing a Scavenger would wear.

"Don't tell me—"

Hilde realized a certain truth, and her breath caught in her throat.

That stench earlier was from the people who used to be citizens of this place...

"Hah. I can't imagine what you're imagining from that look on your face, but you're in our city. Is there a problem?"

"N-No..."

Hilde despaired. She was a powerless Scavenger. In this chaotic world, the weak existed only to be oppressed.

Hilde began to sob.

"Heh. Cry all you like while you still can, okay? When your tears run dry, I'll take good care of you."

"Boss! Please, don't break her first thing!"

"Well you're not the boss, are you? I rule this city!"

That day, Hilde fell from human to livestock.

"Now then, shall we have a welcome party for our newcomer?"

Helhenir clinked her prosthetic arm's claws together and shouted joyfully, pulling a sharp knife from her pocket. Then, she put it to the sorrow-stricken Hilde's ankle, and...

What awaited Hilde was a hell that made her previous life seem like paradise. Her owner Helhenir had a violent temper, and she was moody as well. As she witnessed over and over the disconnect between her actions and words when she vented her frustration, she came to realize there was no point in striving for devotion.

Later, she would learn that it wasn't enough for Helhenir to just kill the citizens of the cities she plundered, but she used them as bait for the sandworms as well. The only survivors were the people necessary to keep the mobile city running, and children that Helhenir took a liking to. However, most of them died to her "discipline."

The days of enduring the onslaught of violence dressed as discipline left scars on Hilde's body. Her heart was broken, she lost her voice, and was even robbed of her sight. Unable to even interact with the other survivors, she endured those days of solitude in perpetual darkness. Death awaited her, sooner or later. As long as Helhenir and the others were around, there was no running away.

Perhaps she would have been better off choosing to end it herself. Even so, Hilde chose to live. That feeling grew stronger by the day, like a guiding light.

One day, after enduring so many such days, Hilde began to experience something strange.

Hilde awoke in the morning with the strange sense that something was wrong.

"Wah!?"

The vision Helhenir had taken from her was back.

"Where...am I?"

She realized that the voice she thought she lost was back, too. Hilde leapt out of bed and turned to look at her surroundings. The white-walled room was spacious, fit for light exercise. The furniture, white like the walls, was arranged neatly. Hilde's attention shifted rapidly between nearby chairs, tables, and objects. All of them had eye-catching designs with charming curves.

"Wow... Amazing..."

After walking around the room for some time, Hilde gradually regained her composure.

"I'm dreaming."

Otherwise, there was no explanation for this disconnect from reality.

"Maybe that's why my heart feels somehow calm."

Just then, Hilde felt the wind and turned around. The white lace curtains fluttered gently. The wind seemed to be flowing from the other side of the window. Guided by the gentle scent tickling her nostrils, she walked to the window and pulled the curtains.

Outside the window she saw waves of light pouring from the sky—like some kind of aurora.

"Beautiful..."

I wonder what that is. And where am I? If it's a dream world, maybe I can reach out and touch it.

With that thought, Hilde leaned out of the window and stretched her hand up to the sky, when—

"What are you doing, Tilly!?"

"!?"

Hilde's heart pounded when the name was called so suddenly. It sounded just like the voice of someone precious she thought she would never hear again...

"M-Mom?"

Hilde's mother Margot had lost her life when she was still young. After that, Hilde had no relatives, so she got by as a Scavenger picking up trash.

"That's dangerous! You were about to fall!"

"S-Sorry."

"You're not hurt, are you?"

"No... Um, is...is it really you, Mom?"

Margot paused for a brief moment, then calmly replied, "Yes."

"Thank goodness..."

Margot gently embraced Hilde.

...Huh? What?

Hilde couldn't comprehend her situation. All she wanted to do right now was reassure her teary-eyed mother.

When Margot calmed down, Hilde learned that her dream world self had begun having symptoms of unknown origin, crying out in her sleep. Apparently, there were days where she collapsed with a high fever or screamed when someone touched her. When she first collapsed from fever, Margot thought she would die and never wake up.

"While you were in bed with a fever, you would always say, 'I won't resist anymore,' over and and over. I would ask what kind of nightmares you were having, but you never answered... I was truly so worried for you."

"I'm sorry..." Hilde said, the words still running through her mind. I won't resist anymore. That was what she said within her heart while taking Helhenir's discipline.

How does Mom know...?

Was it really a dream to begin with? It felt awfully realistic. She didn't want to think that the warmth of her mother's embrace and the beating of her heart were just illusions. Plus, she was curious about the word "Tilly" her mother said earlier.

I don't know what's happening, but right now, I want...to stay...just a little—

Regardless of Hilde's heartfelt wish, that world filled with happiness suddenly crumbled away.

"—How long's this gonna go on?"

A splash of water on her face brought Hilde back to consciousness, and she felt as if she met eyes with Helhenir's piercing gaze.

"Eee!"

"Heh! I thought you were already broken...but you still show such innocent reactions. What a good girl."

She changed her mind and decided to continue. With a smirk, she resumed her discipline to satisfy her own desires.

As she distantly experienced a pain that felt almost nostalgic, Hilde thought...

It was a dream after all. This is the world I live in...

From that day on, Hilde was able to cross over to the dream world by thinking strongly of it. However, just being aware of it didn't mean it worked every time. The key to cross over there was feeling pain. The principle was unclear, but it seemed like pain was the fuel that let her cross over.

After trying it several more times, she learned that the physical strain was crucial for crossing into the dream world. Even painless service to Helhenir was enough to let her enter. However, it never lasted very long. If she wanted it to last longer, she had to give her whole body. The answer Hilde reached was to "draw out" intense pain from Helhenir without her noticing. If Helhenir realized she was leading her on, she would surely kill her. That was the one thing she had to avoid no matter what. She struggled to get it right at first, but as she focused everything on the feeling that she was still safe, her success rate rose.

Hilde never broke even once. She didn't have a particular tolerance for pain. She just wanted to return to that happy world. With her whole heart, Hilde endured the endless pain and scars inflicted on her body to travel to that dream world.

----------

"Thanks for the food!"

When Hilde returned to the dream world, she saw the scene of a family sitting at the table together and praying. Many dishes were lined up across a rectangular table with a white tablecloth, and a savory scent wafted around the area.

"What's wrong, Sis?"

"Huh?"

After staring blankly at the dining table, the boy's voice on her left brought Hilde back to her senses. He was probably about seven or eight. Diagonally opposite her sat a sister around his age.

"She was just discharged from the hospital, so she might still have a fever. Are you all right?"

"Hm...I bet she's just so excited to eat your home cooking, Maggie!"

"Oh, you!"

"Hahaha!"

Seeing them laugh happily with each other, Hilde naturally found herself smiling. At her mother's urging, Hilde reached out to the dishes in front of her. There was a big round hollow piece of bread filled to the brim with white soup. Apparently, it was Margot's specialty dish called clam chowder. It was a dish she'd never seen before. Hilde didn't know how to eat it, so she put her hands on the table to sip it directly and brought the bread to her mouth.

"Tilly. I know you got a little carried away because you wanted to eat Maggie's cooking. But you'll burn yourself if you don't use a spoon."

"Oh... Um..."

Hilde didn't know the etiquette of this world. She shot a pleading look at Margot, who smiled gently and made a scooping gesture with her spoon. Hilde followed her example and scooped the soup up with her spoon to bring it to her mouth. Then, a rich seafood flavor rushed through her mouth...

"Hilde..."

"Daddy, why's Sis crying?"

"Hehe, it's only natural. Maggie's clam chowder is the best in the world!"

Hilde didn't know why she was crying. For her, the act of eating was something dull and dry. It was a simple chore of washing down tough jerky with murky water. But this was different—sitting around the dining table with family, exchanging conversation with constant smiles. Hilde had never felt so happy before.

"...It's great. It's delicious, Mom."

With each sip, the tears she thought had run dry spilled over ceaselessly.

"Oh, Tilly. You'll make me cry, too..."

How wonderful it would have been for this to be reality. Hilde resolved never to forget this moment, closing her eyes to savor it.

----------

In the middle of the meal, Hilde was pulled back to reality by an intense pain in her stomach. She was writhing in agony in a room Helhenir had prepared.

No...! I wanted to stay longer...!

Suddenly, something touched her hand. She gingerly tried to feel it and realized it was partly digested jerky. Maybe it hadn't been processed properly, or it was spoiled.

"...ngh...mmm...!"

She wanted to go back to that warm place again. She squeezed her eyes shut and wished over and over, but the pain in her stomach wouldn't allow her.

...I wanna go back to where everyone else is.

Immersed in the dream world, Hilde had come to know happiness, and it was all she could depend on.

Please! Let me go back! No, nooo!

But her impatience created a crack in the thin ice she walked on with Helhenir—and at last, the situation she feared came to be.

"...Did you think you could manipulate me?"

Wanting to go to the dream world as soon as possible, Hilde had deliberately sought out pain during Helhenir's discipline. Helhenir hadn't missed that tiny change. She was no more than a foolish plaything, but she showed a strong emotion like desire.

"You tried to pull one over on me, of all people!"

"Nn...nnn!"

"I thought you were different. You took any kind of discipline I gave you—you were different. But I was wrong."

Helhenir's voice was dreadfully cold. Her words and her attitude made her thoughts inscrutable.

"You'll be bait for the sandworms."

With those words, Helhenir left Hilde. Only Hilde's short breaths filled the room's deathly silence.

No... I don't wanna die...

Once Helhenir said something, she would carry it out without fail. The next time she left this room, Hilde would die. She had to run away right now. But the collar and chain and her eyes and legs would make escaping difficult. It was impossible to escape the mobile city without anyone discovering her.

I don't...wanna die...!

—Tap. Tap, tap, tap.

Just then, Hilde heard a faint noise.

Who's there!?

The sound came steadily from the other side of the window. The room was in a place with a complete view of the outside—in other words, it was highly likely the person outside the window was an intruder. Hilde held her breath and observed as the intruder stepped down into the room.

"Whew... Made it in somehow."

The intruder let out a sigh of relief. He sounded like a young man around Hilde's age.

Hilde held her breath as she observed the boy who entered the room. But she forgot about her collar.

—Clink.

Oh no!

"Whoa!?"

The boy yelped and turned around toward Hilde.

"Who're you?"

"Nn...uh... Ah..."

Hilde's body froze up in terror. If the boy was the same sort of cold-hearted person as Helhenir, he would probably kill her before she could make a fuss. She wanted to explain her situation, but without her voice, there was nothing she could do.

"Mmm, ah!"

"Huh? The hell're you trying to say?"

The boy drew closer. Hilde continued to protest, putting a hand to her throat despite her fear.

"Nn, nnn!"

"You can't talk, can you?"

Hilde nodded repeatedly.

"What are you even doing in a place like—"

Just then, the boy seemed to notice the state Hilde was in and the words caught in his throat.

"Shit, that's messed up," he spat, walking away from her. He must have realized Hilde was harmless. But she couldn't miss this opportunity.

"Uh, uhhh!"

"Hey," the boy hissed, returning. "I've got business here. If you make a racket, I'll have to kill you. Got that?"

"Mmm." Hilde shook her head.

"Huh? You wanna die that badly?"

"Mmm."

"Sheesh, which is it...?"

All her attempts to communicate with him were in vain. She could understand his words, but she couldn't convey hers. The frustration was painful.

"Oh, is it that you wanna escape?"

"Mm, mm-hm!"

For the first time since she ended up this way, Hilde was able to communicate properly. She cried.

"Huh? Whoa, what're you crying for...?"

She thought she would never cry again in this brutal world. But she was wrong. If her tears had truly run dry, she couldn't be crying so much at being understood just a bit by this boy she had never met.

He sighed. "Fine."

With that, he put his hand on Hilde's neck.

"...!?"

Hilde squeezed her eyes shut, unsure of what he was doing. He hummed something to himself, and in that moment, Hilde heard a harsh creaking sound, and the feeling of the collar clamped around her neck vanished.

What? ...How!?

"I destroyed your bindings. Let's go."

"...?"

Without waiting for her reply, he lifted her up in his arms.

"——!?"

"You're lighter than I thought. This'll be fine."

"Nn, ahh!"

"W-Whoa, don't struggle! Are you hurt somewhere? Sorry, just bear with me."

The boy told Hilde to turn around behind him and approached the window.

"I'm gonna take you outta here with me. If you still wanna live, whatever you do, don't let go, you got it?"

He had chosen to give up on his business here and turn back with Hilde in tow. She tightened her arms around his neck.

"All right, let's go!"

It was the first time she had been outside the city since losing her eyesight. From now on, she would return from being livestock to being human.

As the boy carried her on his back out of the mobile city, Hilde fell asleep in no time and crossed over to the dream world. A high ceiling entered her field of vision. Apparently she had been sleeping over here, too. She tried to get up, but someone's voice suddenly stopped her.

"You're up, Tilly."

Seeing her mother Margot's face peering at her with concern, she instantly understood her situation.

"You collapsed right after you came back from the hospital. I was so worried."

"...I'm sorry."

Her mother was so kind in this dream world. She was devoted, giving her all the unsparing love she wished for. Hilde wanted to doze off like this forever. However, she somehow had the feeling she wouldn't be able to return to this world.

"Why are you crying?"

She hadn't even noticed until her mother pointed it out, but she was crying yet again.

"You're quite the crybaby. But if you want to cry, there's no need to hold back. Cry it all out, okay?"

"Yeah," Hilde murmured, throwing herself into her mother's chest. "I'm sorry, 'Tilly.'"

She meant to say it so Margot wouldn't hear, but it didn't go unnoticed.

"Tilly, what did you mean by that?"

If this was the end, she could come clean. Hilde backed away from Margot, looked her in the eyes, and said, "You probably won't believe this, but...right now, I'm not the Tilly you know."

"What?"

"My name is Hilde. I'm borrowing Tilly's body for a bit."

"Hilde..."

Margot murmured Hilde's name several times in affirmation.

"I'm sorry for deceiving you. But today is the last—"

"I knew it. I knew you weren't Tilly."

"!?"

Margot continued with a smile, assuring the shaken Hilde, "I'm the mother who bore you, aren't I? I knew right away that you weren't Tilly."

"Then, why did you treat me like normal?"

"Well, Hilde, you seemed like you wanted to depend on me."

Mom's amazing. I wonder if I could be such a wonderful person someday...

The moment Hilde wished that, her vision slowly began to turn white. She was sure that when it became completely white, it would mark the end of this dream world. There would be no more time to spend with Margot.

"You said it was the last time—you're going back to the other world, aren't you, Hilde?"

Hilde gave a small nod, and said, "Can I make one last request?"

"Yes."

"Can I call you Mom—"

Before she could finish speaking, Margot embraced her. "Of course. You're my child, too, Hilde."

She could hardly see anything anymore through her tears. But the warmth in her hands hadn't faded yet.

"Hilde, remember this one thing. Never forget the love you received. I'll always be at your side."

With those words, Hilde felt her heart become lighter. This secret meeting was probably a mere moment in reality. Still, she would carry the love she received within her forever.

"Thank you, Mom—"

----------

After escaping from Helhenir's mobile city, Hilde began living with the boy who saved her in his hideout. His name was Ankh. He saved Scavenger children like themselves and fended off marauders.

But the results weren't always so spectacular—some children who weren't accustomed to fighting would lose their lives. As the days went on, conflicts among the group were naturally unavoidable. Ankh was reliable in combat. However, he wasn't so considerate of others. A lack of communication would lead to needless arguments. Hilde, who could do nothing but wait for them to return to the hideout, suddenly thought of an idea about their situation.

"I have a request of everyone today."

"What's your request?" Ankh asked doubtfully as Hilde drew symbols on the ground. That was the method Hilde created to communicate with Ankh and the others, since she could no longer speak.

"I want to eat together."

"Together? What's the point of that?"

Everyone agreed with Ankh's question. With no hesitation, Hilde calmly put her words together.

"There is a point. You might not get it now. But one day you will."

"..."

"No good, Ankh?"

"I-I didn't say that!" Ankh snorted, ordering the others to fulfill Hilde's wish. The way they spoke and handled things was rough, but they were all people who shouldered their own pain. It was clumsy, but they had their own ways of showing care for others.

"Ankh."

"Hm, something else?"

"Thank you."

"...Yeah."

This was a place of rest, where no one had to feel scared. The girl savored her happiness at finally finding a place to belong. Together with everyone here, she would live for a yet unseen tomorrow.

"Skyseeker" is the provided reading of "natural disaster observer" on Heike Heimrich's official character page. Her story is unimplemented at the time of writing, but I chose to pull the term ahead of time for consistency!