(V1) I Know What You Did Last Isekai - Chapter 5

Lacking anything else to do, Kimberly followed the robed woman as she led the kids inside the structure.  The entrance led to a hallway that ran alongside the building and then to a door that went below ground into a basement or crypt.  The halls were lit with the same glowing crystals that the street lamps and homes used, casting a soft glow over the length. 

Multiple doors split off along the hall, and they walked past each one.  The kids tried to contain their excitement, but the little girl was particularly expressive when they passed some of the other robed individuals.  At least they didn’t seem put off by the sight of dirty children in what appeared to be their dorms. 

A healthy sign that the poor weren’t as looked down upon as the residents of the district seemed to indicate.  Reaching the end of the hall, the young woman opened one of the doors and beckoned the children inside.  Peeking in, Kimberly gaped at the literal shower stalls, all with the same water producing glyph crystals affixed to the ceilings. 

She had thought enchantments like those were something rare and valuable given the apparent tech levels in the city.  Hell, Viola’s home even had a working toilet.  Kinda.  The less said about the weird seashells and how Viola needed to demonstrate the correct methods, the better.  Kimberly was now forced to reevaluate her assessment of the tech.  Then again, the church was situated among the wealthiest homes she had seen so far, and right across from the hanging gardens.  If there was money to go around, no doubt the church was getting some of it. 

It was yet another question she would need to ask once she had a better grasp of the language being spoken.  Listening to the people around her was giving her more impressions of the grammatical structure and flow, but she needed to work with Viola further before she could begin to tackle a deeper understanding.

Kimberly didn’t follow the woman into the restroom, getting an odd look from the woman tasked with watching her.  She started to say something, but paused as she frowned.  Well, at least Viola explained that she didn’t speak the language.  Kimberly smiled back and pointed at the ground where she stood, then herself.

Immediately she missed how easily Viola seemed to intuit what she wanted to convey as the woman just stared at her with incomprehension.  After several moments Kimberly let out a sigh and let herself sink to the ground and leaned against the wall.  Finally it seemed to click that she would be waiting there until they were done. 

As much as she wanted to explore, or to go back to that carved mural, she knew better than to wander off to someplace where she couldn’t say a word to explain herself aside from the name and title of the woman who had left her in their care.  Uttering ‘Maester Viola Chandler’ would only get her so far.  Sure, that might be enough to keep them from slapping her in chains or whatever they used for criminals, but why tempt fate or push the bounds of propriety? 

Besides, it was a chance to just stop and reflect on everything that had happened.  Kimberly had died.  Murdered by some prick that hit on her at a damn frat party.  She’d only gone because a couple of their friends wanted some safety in numbers.  Heather had even expressed reservations!  She should have listened to her girlfriend and stayed home instead. 

Rory had creeped her out the moment he saw her from across the yard.  He’d tried hitting on her and Heather had made it quite clear that she was taken with a public display of affection that left her breathless.  That should have been the end of it, and for a few hours it was.  One of the girls they had come to look out for had even managed to secure a date with the guy she was interested in. 

Just when they were about to leave one of the girls threw up on herself while Kimberly was in the restroom.  She’d exited to an empty hall and Rory had grabbed her, pulling her into one of the rooms of the house.  He blathered something about showing her what a real man was like but Kimberly wasn’t about to let that happen. 

She hit him; hard.  He went down and just as she was unlocking the door the bastard had pulled a knife and stuck her with it.  And just like that, her life had ended.  All because of a pig in human clothing.  Would he face justice?  Probably not, knowing how law enforcement in their shit town loved to coddle the frat boys. 

All she could hope for was that Heather found some closure and managed to move on.  Yet, putting herself in Heather’s shoes if the situation were reversed?  She couldn’t see herself loving anyone else the same way.  They had known each other since the Second Grade.  They were inseparable growing up.  She couldn’t even pinpoint when their relationship grew from the closest of friends to properly dating.  One day they just kissed and that was it.  All the other firsts weren’t far behind. 

Kimberly died at twenty-one, and she honestly couldn’t pinpoint how close they were to the ten year anniversary of their first kiss.  They kept it hidden from their parents, because neither of them would be accepting.  Came with the territory of Heather being the pastor’s daughter and Kimberly’s parents being important figures in the church. 

Maybe that was why the church felt comfortable despite being for a completely unknown religion.  It was what she knew for most of her life.  She was fairly certain their first kiss had happened in the backrooms of the church building.  Despite everything, she had mostly pleasant memories of such places.

Shit.  Hopefully Heather knew to hide any signs of their relationship when their parents inevitably showed up.  That was not a revelation she needed to be dealing with on top of the grief of losing Kimberly to a brutal murder. 

Tears dripped down her cheeks, falling freely onto her knees as she wept in silence.  Kimberly hadn’t ever been much of a crier.  That had been beaten out of her at a young age by a man who prided himself on his image, and the family was a reflection of his leadership.  It was a common belief among the congregation, and it wasn’t until Kimberly got to college that she started to see how fucked up her childhood really was. 

Frankly, it was a minor miracle that their parents hadn’t figured out that they were dating right under their noses.  That shared room would have never happened if they had even an inkling of what they were.  

Pulling her knees closer, Kimberly whispered.  “Fuck, please stay safe.  You deserve to be happy.  And so do I.  Just not together…Like we promised.”

Despite knowing better, she sat there and just mourned the life she had lost.  The love she would never know again.  That alone was crushing.  She had found her soul mate early in life and lived alongside her for many years, only to lose her.  Yet, Kimberly was alive.  There was potential for her to carve out a future in this new world, she just had to make something of it. 

Easier said than done when she was still grieving the life lost.

The little girl came running out, now in clean clothes and with decidedly less dirt smeared across her face.  She was grinning, babbling excitedly about something or other.  The boy followed a moment later, decidedly less excited as the young woman trailed behind them.  She wore a bemused expression as the boy looked anywhere but at her. 

Ah right, he was probably embarrassed about someone having to help clean him up.  She’d been similarly embarrassed when Viola had to help her with the shower controls last night.  

More than that, the few minor scuffs, scrapes, and cuts were all missing from the children.  Was that the result of healing magic, or something else?  More questions she would need to have answered in due time.

The robed woman finally looked at her, then blinked, a hand reaching for her cheek only for Kimberly to gently swat it aside.  She wiped her own tears away and stood, turning her eyes down the hall so that she wouldn’t have to see the raw compassion in those young eyes.

She didn’t need the pity. 

Their next destination was a communal dining area full of tables and chairs arranged across the open floor.  On the far wall was a serving line where two robed individuals worked over steaming surfaces.  The young woman led the kids over and got them both bowls of some steaming dish loaded with pasta and greens.  The smell was heavenly, and Kimberly was once again reminded that she didn’t really get to finish her lunch excursion. 

Another bowl was passed her way, and this time she offered a weak smile back.  This woman might be younger than her by at least a few years, but she carried out the task at hand with a warm smile and open heart.  At least, that was what Kimberly told herself as she ate the leafy soup.  The greens weren’t cabbage or spinach, not that Kimberly was an expert on vegetables.  Bits of grain not unlike rice floated in it, along with some type of bean.  It was a pleasant and savory meal; unlike anything she was truly familiar with.  

Still, it was nice, and the kids practically squealed when they were offered a second bowl.  She hoped their story wasn’t all too common, but something told her that for all the marvels of magic in this new world, some things still fell through the cracks in the facade.  

It was only as she reached the bottom of her bowl that she began to truly unwind.  She just had to trust that Viola would return soon.  It wasn’t even that she was a familiar face-the only familiar face so far—but that she could grasp languages as easily as Kimberly.  That was a comfort in this strange and new world.

A tour of the grounds followed, from the back rooms that held a possible medical unit to a library packed full of books both large and small.  Picking one up, she wasn’t surprised to see that it was hand written.  The lack of a printing press was interesting, given the magical advancements she had seen in use through everyday life. 

Maybe that could be something she looked into.

The sanctuary was familiar territory, with the raised podium where sermons would be delivered to the masses.  The rows of seating were cushioned and ornate, with enough space to seat thousands.  Probably not the entire breadth of the city’s populace, but a fair percentage of it nonetheless.  

From there it was back outside, where each tree bore fruit.  One robed man casually plucked a yellow orb and bit into it without a second thought.  Kimberly vaguely recognized one or two from her earlier fruit cup, but none were a direct analog to anything from Earth.

Coming back to the mural, Kimberly stopped in front of it.  Once again the woman depicted called to her.  Was the resemblance truly coincidence, or was there something deeper at play.  The woman that had been escorting them came to stand beside her.  She too was looking intently at the mural, then back at Kimberly. 

“Lilim,” the woman said.  

She pointed at the mural and continued speaking, but the word Lilim was repeated a few more times as she did.  Was that a title, or a name?  Yet another question for her to ask once she understood more of the language.  If the depicted woman was someone central to the religion of the city, then it was probably a good idea for her to attend some of the messages no doubt being taught on the regular. 

A sudden uptick in volume pulled Kimberly from her musing as commotion swept over the courtyard.  She turned along with the others and blinked at the sight of Viola.  She wore a bright smile as several others in robes practically swarmed her, but her own robes were torn and battered.  Worse, her sleeve was stained dark, as though she had been bleeding only recently. 

Had Viola gotten into a fight since they last saw one another?  Kimberly was on her feet, moving along with the others.  Viola was speaking, casual and calm.  Once again her lack of understanding reared its ugly head.  Some gasped, others spoke in hushed tones, but one thing was clear.  Whatever had happened wasn’t normal, and had implications.

There were no signs of blemished flesh, but healing magic of some sort existed in this world.  She could have been on death’s door five minutes ago for all Kimberly knew.  Yet, Viola’s easy going nature helped put Kimberly back at ease with how unbothered she appeared given her current state.  It couldn’t have been too bad if Viola was all smiles. 

Right?

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Yes, that is a three seashells joke. No I will not elaborate further.