The Sanctuary Side-Story (1/17)

-THE DUMP-

--Kire's Perspective--

---March 14th, 2427---

"This is the area you'd like to start farming? It's kind of early in the year, don't you think?" I asked my companion, Inora.

We've had a hard life since we woke up on this weird Isle around fourteen years ago. We've met several other groups like us just trying to survive, but it's extremely easy to take advantage of such weak people like us. It's happened before, almost twice.

We were lucky to gain a new person in our ranks that was... an outlier, to say the least. Since she showed up, things have been going great, and we've really started building something that resembles a society.

We all had the idea of this perfect world in our heads, but getting there in one way seemed impossible. It took us fourteen years of foraging and hunting to finally start farming, and it all happened at the decree of that newcomer...

Inora and I woke up and we didn't know our last names, but our newcomer did. She claimed that her name was 'Nova Eternia'.

"Nova said we can plant food here. I think we should listen to her, she's quite smart, after all." Inora told me.

"You're right, I'll go ask her what she wants to be planted in here, you keep working on the field, okay? And, take a break if you need to, you just had a kid after all." I told her.

"Yeah yeah, go on, I'll be fine," Inora told me.

Our son, Ra, was named after a God of the Sun, as he was the first life in our city brought to us in the middle of the day. Sure, we've lost lives, but he was the first one we gained from the group members. He stood as a very important step in our development. We had become self-sustainable to the point of birthing a new generation.

"Hey, Nova?" I knocked on her reinforced wooden door and she swept her hair to the side as she continued to brush it, allowing me to walk into her home.

"Sorry to bother you, I just wanted to know what you wanted to be planted on that farm. Have anything specific in mind?" I asked her.

She smiled, setting her brush down and slowly skipping to the door beside me.

"We'll go see, okay?" She asked me. I was glad she was so nice to us all the time. Having a leader as nice as her was... refreshing.

I followed her from her house on the hill back onto the farm with Inora and Ra.

"Hey! You shouldn't be working, Inora! You need to take it easy with Ra, okay?!" Nova shouted out to Inora.

"I'm not working hard! But... if you say so, okay, I'll let Kire do all of the work." Inora said. She set down the hoe onto the field and Nova smiled at me, anticipating that I would pick it up.

"I'm a little older than you, Nova, I move slower," I told her.

"Not an excuse old man! Get to work! Hmm... the soil seems damp enough as is, so we don't need a crop with high maintenance, it would be wasting the potential of just leaving the farm alone and letting the soil do the work for us... potatoes, then. Remember those seeds we gathered on that volcano? We can use those here." Nova explained.

"Potatoes shouldn't need seeds, are you sure those were potato seeds?" I asked her again, but Nova shook her head.

"It's interesting you say that because I was thinking the same thing. But look, when you split one of the potatoes open, you see seeds within them, just like cucumbers. Therefore, we should plant both to see which grows fastest. Sound good?" Nova asked me.

"Understood... hey, Nova... if you don't mind me asking, where did you figure all of this stuff out?" I asked her, but she shrugged.

"I was born with as much knowledge as you, just about different things. I was born to farm, I guess!" Nova exclaimed. I couldn't help but laugh as I continued to till the ground, preparing it for potatoes.

"We can do a lot with potatoes. For young kids like me, we can grow them for snacks and food, and for you older people, we can make alcohol. I know you could use some of that, right, Inora?" Nova asked her.

"That one time you found a bottle here, it was great! That would be nice... do you know how to make that stuff with potatoes?" Inora asked Nova.

I strayed away from that conversation and focused on pushing the dirt up from the group. I was over halfway done with the field, and would probably finish by at least dusk tonight.

After about five minutes of a conversation that didn't seem to hold importance, Nova turned back over to me.

"Kire! Make sure to take breaks! I'm going to check on everybody else!" Nova said. She yelled out happily and ran off with her same smile. Inora turned over to me and gave me a jug of water as I began the last row of the farm.

"I envy that kid... she woke up claiming that she wanted to see a sister she didn't have, and yet, she's still working so hard... I envy that strength so much." Inora said.

"Strength comes in different measurements for everybody. You're strong, I mean look at you, you gave birth two months ago, and you're already trying to work your body to death. Leave the hard work to me! That's what I'm for, after all." I told Inora.

"Alright, I will from now on. Don't work yourself to death. Ra and I still need you. You can farm all you want so long as you spend time with us." She said again.

"Understood, Captain!" I saluted, getting a laugh out of her and a curious stare out of Ra.

"Watch and learn Ra! One day, you'll be doing this just like I am!" I told him.