The Heart of Naya

Chapter 055 - Jade

We watch the sea until finally there is an interference in the air. It pulses and contracts and finally a ship comes towards us. Contrary to what I thought the first time I discover the contraption, the ship is not small. It can carry at least ten people inside. It stops on the shore then it opens up and a stair comes out.

"Oh shit," Aian exclaims.

I press another button, and it disappears in front of our eyes. I press it again and it becomes visible. I hear Aian gasp beside me.

"This is like a machine in the future," he comments.

"We are in the future," I point out and approach it.

I enter, and Aian follows. I press once again on the hologram to make the ship invisible and to close the door behind us. I look around. The clothes I am wearing are in contrast to the inside of the ship. We walk through the dais. The main control room is on the other side of the ship.

"So, is this really from a Fuhuan guest? Or from the Rajah?" Aian asks.

"Fuhuan guest," I insist. "The Rajah will not give me something like this."

"So you're still doing that thing nightly with him, huh? You still screaming or you're used to him by now?"

I flush at his question. "I don't scream," I say.

Damn his callousness. "If you get pregnant from those nights, I think Migo would like to hear the news," he grins.

I glare at him, and then he continues his questioning, "You love him? Or is it lust?"

"Both," I admit. "Probably."

We enter the main control room. Aian walks closer to it and starts to ponder how to make things work.

"Help me make sense of these functions."

I stand beside him and analyze the control. The first time I've seen it, it also looks like a maze to me, a gibberish set of controls that's only there to confuse the users.

"Migo could make sense of this," I whisper.

"And he's preparing for that damnable farewell feast. It's only been two weeks since he lost his arm."

I clench my jaw upon the mention of the last feast that I will ever have in Hiraya.

Instead of mulling over it, I activate the hologram. I go to the notes of the owner of the contraption. It took me a while to find it when I was still exploring around the functions. The owner might have been a scatterbrain that he needs to write all the set of commands and write a description next to it.

I look back at the controls and press a couple of commands based on what is written on the notes. I open up the map and find a place to hide the ship. I press another set of commands and timed it for five minutes.

I look back at Aian, he's studying me. He knows something is up but can't place what is wrong.

"Aian," I start. I deactivate the hologram and hand it to him. "Here, I am giving you this. Ask Migo to find a way to check if there is a tracker inside. If there is, ask him to deactivate it."

"Mine? You should give it to Migo. He will understand this better than I do. And wait, it has a tracker?"

I smile. "How long will it take you to understand the functions of this ship?" I ask.

"A day probably, but that's the best-case scenario. I could stay here for days."

"That's better," I say, and he c*cks his head at me in confusion.

I press one of the buttons and a compartment near the door opens. It's a food cabinet. I step back from Aian and move closer to the door.

"Say, Aian, did you know? In this world, we are called Nayans?" He frowns at me. "We are bound to be slaves. The islands around the Fuhua, do you remember?"

"I did. I don't easily forget geography. Why are you backing away from me, anyway?" he asks.

"Hiraya looks special, is it not? Feels so comfortable here, the ocean, the rustic, primitive environment. It looks like the ancient times."

"Yes, I talk to Laya about this place being a paradise. But that's before I knew better."

I chuckle. He really thinks of the islands as prisons. "The islands are rehabilitation centers for people who sinned and went against the Fuhuan law. Hiraya is patterned after the primitive life of humans. Other islands are different, patterned, and designed after different cultures and environments to effectively rehabilitate those who sinned."

"Yeah, we've talked about Fuhua and its islands before," he starts to walk towards me and I raise my hands to stop him.

"Only, they have this system of sending the Islanders to Fuhua as a slave, to make everyone remember that they sinned against the people. It is also a symbol of apology for those they did wrong."

"Yes, the tribute system. Where did you learn more about it?" he asks. He's slowly approaching me. I'm sure he has the gist of my plans for him. "From the Rajah's Collections?"

I ignore his question and continue, "Every three years, Hiraya gives up one of its inhabitants as a slave to Fuhua. Tonight it will happen again." I take another step. I am very close to the door now. "According to the records, Hiraya decides the next slave to be shipped off based on their usefulness. Usually, old people volunteers but this time, there is no one older than the current head Babaylan. And you know how Rosa is currently the most useful Babaylan? She won't volunteer herself and the people won't allow it even if she did."

He grabs me but I am fast enough to recoil from him. I go to the door and close it, locking him inside the control room. I see him pound on the door. But the control room is soundproof that I can't hear what he's screaming about. I'm sure it has something to do about me letting him out.

I can't. He must stay safe and be the one to tell the others. I hear the ship coming to life. The time I set is nearly done. I go out of the ship and jump into the shore just in time before it whirs away. The sound it makes is the only thing that gives away its location.