Chapter 2 : Karelia and Vitania

The boy's slap aimed at Flo was prevented by the nurse. Weiss Karny, who had just treated Alisa's wound, held the boy's hand and glared at him.

“Si-sister Weiss?”

“What are you doing, Abraham? Slapping a girl, is this what we taught you?”

The two boys behind him looked panicked after seeing the nurse's expression that was about to scold them. But it was different with the boy named Abraham. He rebelled against her instead.

“But Sister Weiss, she is Vitanian. The ones who wiped out our family here. I will never be able to reconcile with her.”

Abraham looks very angry at Flo, hating her background. The girl just listened to Abraham's words, unable to say anything. But Sister Weiss immediately advised him.

“Listen to this, Abraham. Even though she is a Vitanian and you are a Karelian, we are still both Hamu Kamina, right, both Kamina humans?”

“That’s ..., I ...”

“We were all born in the Kingdom of Archipelahia, right? So why should we hate each other just because of different ethnicities?”

Abraham was silent when he heard that.

“Come on, Abraham. You may still be hurt by what happened to your family. But that is no reason for you to hate the other Hamu Kamina. We all need to stop this cycle of hatred. We want to make peace with each other, we don’t want any more bad things to happen, right?” Weiss explained.

Apparently, the words uttered by the nurse managed to melt his heart. Weiss then released her grip.

“I’m sorry, Sister Weiss, Floria,” Abraham said, bowing his head and regretting his actions.

Saw that, Sister Weiss immediately rubbed his head before finally letting the three of them go.

Not long after, Alisa, with a bandaged left leg, walked over to the two of them.

“Flo ...”

That Vitanian girl just smiled thinly at her before finally inviting her to the garden in front of the orphanage.

They sat together on a swing. Alisa still looked down dejected, while Flo just looked at her beside her.

“Flo ...”

“Yes, Alisa?”

"Why did you just keep quiet when those kids were talking nonsense to you?" asked Alisa.

Flo sighed.

“Don’t worry about that. I’m fine.”

“But I still don’t understand. Karelia, Vitania, why are they enemies? Why are Vitanian people like you considered monsters by the Karelians here?” Alisa asked again.

Flo answered her in a confused tone.

“I, I don’t know either. I never intended to hurt anyone here, including you, who are Karelian. In fact, I want to always be with you, Alisa. I want to protect you, because you are my best friend,” Flo answered.

Alisa immediately turned to that girl.

“Best friend?”

“Yes, Alisa. You are my best friend while I am here,” Flo said, smiling at her.

“But, I always make things difficult for you, Flo. I’m always a burden to you,” Alisa said.

She heard that, Flo immediately patted Alisa's shoulder and comforted her.

“No, it’s not. It’s my job to protect my best friend. I should be thanking you for being my friend while I’m here.”

Alisa smiled heard those words. Her heart melted because of that.

“Thanks too, Flo.”

***

The friendship between Alisa Garbareva and Floria Fresilca began to form from that moment on. Both of them always showed their togetherness at all times. Alisa, who was a clumsy and shy girl, was always helped by Flo, who was much braver than her. As a result, the story of their friendship became the talk of many people, including the orphanage nurses.

They looked so happy with the friendship between the warring ethnicities. Everyone was happy because this could be the beginning of a peacemaking for all of them. To appreciate it, Sister Weiss gave them a big box containing a pair of model clothes, right in front of the childrens and the other nurses.

“Eh, Sister Weiss. What is this?” Alisa asked.

“That’s a gift to both of you for showing your solidarity and togetherness while you were here.”

"Wow, it's beautiful," praised Alisa.

“Okay. Now try it on.”

They both immediately put it on together. It turned out that the model of the clothes was so harmonious. Right when they finished putting it on, Sister Weiss immediately called out to everyone there.

“Alright. This is a gift for Alisa and Floria for showing good togetherness. I hope this will be a trigger for you to unite. We are one Archipelahia, fellow Hamu Kamina. We should not be hostile towards each other just because of different ethnicities. Hopefully, our kingdom will be peaceful in the future.”

Sister Weiss then turned to the two of them.

“Let's give a big round of applause to Alisa Garbareva and Floria Fresilca,” she continued.

The nurses and childrens at the orphanage applauded that two girls from different ethnicities, including Abraham, who smiled.

Alisa held Flo's hand and bowed their heads together as a sign of respect for their appreciation for both of them.

“With this we will always be together, Alisa,” Flo said in her heart.

***

It was a clear night to watch the stars in the sky. The nurses were in their respective rooms and some were accompanying some of the childrens. Meanwhile, other orphanage childrens were playing in the park. Abraham and his two friends were also seen buying food at a shop not too far from the place.

"So peaceful, Flo," said Alisa, who could only watch the view from behind the bedroom window.

“Hmm…” Flo mumbled while nodding her head.

The city seemed peaceful and serene as usual. They witnessed the beauty of the starry night sky, and the houses of the residents were lit up by the sparkling lights. But in the midst of the peaceful atmosphere, Flo saw something strange.

Her gaze focused on a hill in front of her. A strange red light was seen that produced smoke rising high into the air. Alisa was also curious about what her friend saw.

“What do you see, Flo?” Alisa asked, approaching her.

"I don't know. What's that?" Flo asked back, pointing towards the hill.

Luckily, Alisa had a very good and sharp sense of sight. Objects at that distance could be seen clearly. And that turned out to be something that surprised them.

“Fire,” said Alisa.

“What? Fire?”

Alisa could see it quite clearly. It was a big fire that was visible from the direction of the hill. But after she looked again, it turned out that it was not an ordinary fire, but several small flames that merged into a big fire.

WHOOSH

As if controlled by someone, the fireball suddenly shot into the sky very quickly, then broke into several small pieces like fireworks. The fragments of the fireball attracted the attention of everyone who saw it. Some of them were even amazed to see it.

“What is that?”

“A fireworks?”

“It’s so beautiful.”

Many thought that it was a giant firework like the ones usually launched every New Year's Eve. But unfortunately, their guess was wrong. That was the beginning of their disaster.

***