༺ Subjugation of the Floating Island (5) ༻
Dorothy Gale had always preferred running to walking.
In the vast meadows of a countryside village, she was an innocent child, whose innocence was second to none.
Despite often causing trouble to the villagers with her pranks, which sometimes led to minor accidents…
When the mud-covered girl brightly smiled as if all was well, the hearts of the villagers melted.
“…Ah.”
As she opened her eyes, a desolate landscape unfolded before Dorothy’s eyes.
It was the scenery of the village where Dorothy had once lived. However, it was absolutely desolate, as if it had always been this way.
Her maternal aunt and uncle who lived with her were nowhere to be found. Even her dog Toto was gone.
It all began with a tornado that struck one day.
Dorothy’s board-framed house was torn away by this tornado, soaring high into the sky.
And that house landed in the country of Munchkins.
In this very strange fantasy land, Dorothy set out to find the Archwizard Oz, who was said to grant any wish, in an effort to return home.
As she followed the Yellow Brick Road…
She made friends with a Scarecrow who wanted a brain, a Tin man who wanted a heart, and a Cowardly Lion who wanted courage.
After facing near-death situations and fighting the Wicked Witch, Dorothy finally reached Archwizard Oz.
After obtaining her wish from the Archwizard Oz, she had requested to return home. However, just as she was about to ride the hot air balloon to her beloved village…
A fairy, who secretly harbored affection for Dorothy, intervened, pulling her back to reality.
Only then did Dorothy realize that her adventures in this fantasy land were nothing more than an elaborate illusion that was made to devour her life force.
With the help of the fairy, Dorothy escaped from the massive floating landmass and returned home.
However, by then, the Floating Island had already swept away her hometown.
Even as the sunlight faded and a chilly wind blew, Dorothy, who was as expressionless and silent as a scarecrow, stared at her hometown which had turned utterly desolate.
When she lowered her eyes, the stigma of a curse engraved on her abdomen was visible through her torn maroon dress.
What was left for Dorothy was nothing but an inevitable death.
The lonely moonlight shone sadly upon her.
In the dead of night, as rain fell and dawn broke, a rainbow appeared beyond the vast wasteland, stretching across the world.
Even though the girl was soaked in the rain, she paid no attention to it, endlessly gazing at the shining rainbow.
Up there, beyond the rainbow…
There was a place she had only heard about in lullabies.
As a sense of drowsiness overwhelmed her…
The young girl quietly fell into a deep slumber, wishing to wake up in that beautiful dreamland.
The 9-year-old girl with lavender hair, Dorothy Gale, blinked open her eyes and gazed at the vast sky.
She couldn’t tell when night had fallen, but the enchanting starlight densely adorned the navy blue sky.
Although there was nothing around, her expression was remarkably serene, unlike the version of herself in her memories.
“Heut!”
She abruptly lifted her torso.
“Well, what a nonsensical illusion!”
Dorothy had a laughing face as she sprung up.
“Hello? Is there nothing but baggage here?!”
She loudly shouted in a playful manner all by herself and started to twirl around as if dancing.
The hem of her maroon dress swirled along with her steps.
“How cruel! Isn’t it too much to enjoy this romantic scene all by myself?! Even the night sky is this beautiful!
The 9-year-old girl, who was a mere commoner, shouted as if she was a Queen. However, she suddenly stopped as she felt soft tufts of fur touching her leg.
Dorothy lowered her gaze with a face full of suspicion.
A dark brown puppy was sticking out its tongue, panting, while looking at her.
“…”
Dorothy’s face trembled. Her expression gradually stiffened; so much so that the lively and playful laughter from just a moment ago seemed like a lie.
She knelt on the ground and embraced the puppy in her arms.
“Toto.”
She closed her eyes and called out the name of her beloved pet. The small puppy snugly fit into the young Dorothy’s embrace.
Soon, a feeling of familiarity enveloped her. When she quietly opened her eyes, the landscape of her hometown under the night sky began to appear.
Villagers.
A board-framed house with a red roof.
Standing in front of such a house were Dorothy’s gray-haired aunt and uncle who gazed at her affectionately.
Dorothy’s eyes widened and said, “Toto, wait a moment.” Before gently placing the puppy Toto on the ground and approaching the board-framed house.
As she stood there with some distance…
Dorothy forced a weak smile upon her face.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen Aunt and Uncle! Nihihi, it seems like I am going to join you soon.”
The fading flame of life felt much more palpable than she had imagined. Dorothy was keenly aware that she was not far from death.
And just before death, a flash of light passed through her mind. Is this part of the world? Or is it the threshold to the afterlife?
“Hey, you know…”
For Dorothy, there was no way to know, but it didn’t matter to her.
She just wanted to tell them her story.
“After everyone was gone, I thought… maybe I should just stop living, you know? But I couldn’t do it. So, I decided to live diligently. Ah, but it was so hard… It was so so hard! I bet there has never been a beggar as destitute as me.”
As Dorothy recalled her past, she waved her hand with disgust.
“But even so, I earned some money while working as an adventurer… Made a decent living, and got older… Then for some reason, I felt like I wanted to experience something more fitting for my age. So, I entered the academy. Well, I was naturally talented, so I didn’t really need to attend classes, but still… It was so much fun!”
Before her death, she wanted to live a life suitable for her age.
And that was when she thought of the academy. Going to classes with friends her age, taking the same exams, and bonding with peers… For Dorothy, who had struggled so much all her life, it was her greatest dream.
“As expected of me, I got a ton of demerits too, nehehe! But still, I am pretty popular. I have a cute fan club President and many fans. Somehow, everyone seems to like me so much! I don’t know why, but they just can’t get enough of me~!”
Dorothy placed her hand on her chest and closed her eyes as she spoke triumphantly. Her tone was one of pride.
Her aunt and uncle silently listened to her story with smiling faces.
There were no sad tales. Dorothy only spoke of joyful stories that she could laugh and chatter about.
Dorothy endlessly unfolded her tales of exciting adventures, described delicious foods she had eaten, and recounted delightful incidents from her time at the academy.
She even mixed in dumb jokes and erupted into uncontrollable laughter.
She vividly explained to them how much fun she had while living, almost as if painting a picture of her life.
As she continued, her eyes gradually moistened and her voice slowed down, as if time itself was stretching infinitely.
Gradually, tears began to trickle down Dorothy’s smiling face.
Even though she was sharing mundane everyday stories, her throat choked up. Even when she tried to hold back her tears, they couldn’t help but fall.
When she wiped away the tears with her palm and wrist, Dorothy continued to wear the mask of a smiling face, as if it was just another beautiful and joyful day.
Having finally met her aunt and uncle, she didn’t want to show them an expression of sorrow.
Suddenly, her throat felt so tight that even her joyous stories could be let out.
As she began to sniffle like she had a cold, she involuntarily let out a sudden burst of uncontrollable laughter at her own ridiculousness.
Despite her attempts to hold back tears, more and more sobs continued to spill out.
Dorothy covered her face with both hands, as her head drooped low.
Struggling to find the strength to speak, she took a moment, before finally uttering the words she had most wanted to say.
“…I missed you.”
Dorothy’s heart crumbled.
Whenever she tried to capture the beautiful parts of the world in her eyes, she always saw them.
And when she endlessly watched their lovely smiles peer down on her…
…She couldn’t help but hope that one day, she could return to their embrace.
It was a serene night.
The cold, bright moonlight and the twinkling starlight quietly overlooked the young girl who was now shivering and sobbing.
In this desolate land of her hometown, the girl attempted to fall into a deep slumber that she would never wake up from.
Reality was different from the fantasy world of dreams, romance, and unending adventures.
In reality, Dorothy had nothing. No precious people. No beloved hometown. All that remained was a stigma that indicated a looming deadline; she had less than ten years left before facing death.
However, the girl desired to shine.
Even if nothing but despair remained in her dull life, she decided to live like the protagonist of a play.
She decided to savor every beautiful bit of her remaining years.
And so, she endured.
If the girl learned anything throughout her whole life, it was how to endure.
Dorothy’s aunt and uncle approached before embracing her tightly.
An impoverished countryside village. Dorothy’s beloved people, who had loved her even when she was just an orphan.
Dorothy lowered both hands and forced herself to smile once again.
Her aunt wiped away the tears in Dorothy’s eyes.
Dorothy tried to clearly engrave the face of her beloved aunt deeply into her memories.
But suddenly…
In the far distance where the rainbow had risen, the opposite side of the world became covered in dazzling starlight of various colors.
As if contrasting with where Dorothy was, half of the world was enveloped in a dazzling light.
As she watched the changing world with a surprised expression, Dorothy soon realized what was happening and erupted with wry laughter.
“Well then~.”
Dorothy innocently smiled and kissed her aunt, uncle, and Toto on the cheeks before lifting herself up.
“Aunt, Uncle, Toto! I’ll go join you a little later! After all, someone said he would come and save me!”
With the starlit world to her back, the 9-year-old girl had her hands behind her as she let out a bright smile.
“He’s the president of my fan club. He always works like some training fanatic and pours all his time into improving himself. Sometimes he seems smart, but he’s actually a complete fool… Even so, he’s incredibly cute. Since he said he would come and save me, I’ll gladly get saved. Nihihi.”
Her aunt and uncle wore subtle smiles.
How were they so lovable? How could she not heart-wrenchingly miss them?
Dorothy suppressed her overwhelming emotions and began to take a few steps backward.
“That’s why… I’ll be coming a little later… I love you.”
With those words, Dorothy Gale turned around and walked toward the radiant world of starlight.
As she set foot in that world, the 9-year-old girl transformed into a respectable student.
Wearing a witch hat on her head and donning a Märchen Academy uniform, this student was an incomparably unique and rare genius. She was the ‘Witch of Stars’.
She was Dorothy Heartnova.
“I’m already excited.”
With light footsteps akin to a bouncing rabbit.
Dorothy pressed down her blue witch hat, as she let out a genuine laugh.
She couldn’t wait to see Isaac.
***
The frosty silver wind, [Frostwind], blew fiercely.
The Floating Island’s yellow mana gas, capable of leading anyone to their deaths, exploded, obliterating the Emerald Palace into smithereens.
However, [Frostwind] quickly swirled as it dispersed the mana gas.
A silver-blue-haired male student easily deflected the threat of death that came his way with [Ice Sovereign’s Majesty].
Then, with the rock gauntlet he had made from partially summoning his golem familiar, Eden, he shattered the black spherical barrier in one blow.
With the clear sound of shattering glass, the barrier collapsed.
And what he saw was a lavender-haired female student with half of her body absorbed into a black pillar. Black spots akin to flames were blooming all over her body.
The boy dispelled the partial summoning of Eden and stood still before her.
Unexpected beams of light poured out as she weakly opened her eyes. Then, while slowly lifting her head, she silently stared at the male student who had come all this way to find her.
The man, who stood with beams of light behind him, looked very familiar.
“…”
Suddenly, she realized how ridiculous this all was.
After all, she, who had once given up on everything and accepted death, now had so many things she wanted to do just because of a few words from this man.
As if it was natural to come and save her, the man spoke in a peaceful and calm voice.
“Let’s go back.”
Although her body was devoid of strength…
Dorothy managed to squeeze out whatever strength she had left and let out a weak smile with great difficulty.
After all, if possible, she wanted to face Isaac with a smile.
