Chapter 04 - Festival - I

The Rememoria Festival is approaching, held every five years to celebrate the progress our settlement has made and to honor our founders, civilians, and the departed. However, this time, the festival is happening after a ten-year gap because the river's flow rate was too dangerous for civilians during the last scheduled event, leading to its cancellation. This week-long festival began only 55 years ago, making this the 10th Rememoria Festival. I've attended four of them, and I can't help but wonder if I'm getting old I should probably think about getting married soon.

As an introvert, I find it challenging to engage in conversation, but I manage to hold my own with people I know. Still, I’d be lying if I said it’s easy, especially with extroverted people like Mistress. Recently, I’ve even started contributing a bit more to conversations, thanks to her influence.

I heard the sound of someone running across the floor it’s likely young master Brumbard, returning from school. He’s nine years old, so he’s probably still learning the basics. I never went to school myself, as it wasn’t as common back then, but I understand the basics and a bit above that too.

When he saw me mopping the floor, he apologized. It wasn’t a big deal, but Mistress has instructed me to be strict about rules, so I told him, “It’s fine, but don’t run in the house next time.” He seemed to understand he was in the wrong.

The festival begins tomorrow, and Mistress asked me to prepare the delicacies, so I headed out to buy the ingredients. The festival preparations were already well underway, with the streets decorated with cylindrical Yaromi bulbs that cast a faint yellowish glow. Some people greeted me along the way as they worked on the decorations. As a proud introvert, I didn’t say much, just smiled, nodded, and hurried to the shop. Whenever someone said hello, I quickened my pace to avoid further conversation.

By the time I reached the shop, I was out of breath. Someone laughed, and I recognized the voice it was Gisen, a familiar face since I’m a regular at the shop. Despite my introversion, I can chat with a few people I know, and Gisen is one of them. “Did a lot of people greet you on your way here? And you decided to run at top speed to avoid talking to them?” he teased. I smiled and nodded, as he was spot on. I was about to order the ingredients when Gisen preemptively told me my total of 575 Arkons and pointed to the already packed items. “The festival is after ten years, so I thought I’d pre-pack the usual items people need,” he explained. “Even Grandma was surprised by this.”

“Oh, you’re quite smart,” I teased back. “Here I was, hoping to chat while I picked out the items.” He laughed, “We both know you’re not much of a chatter, but if you want to talk, we can meet at the riverside on Day 2. I’ll be free then.” My face burned hot; my attempt at teasing had backfired. I quickly paid and left, hearing his snort of laughter as I did.

When I returned home, young Master Brumbard was doing his homework at the hall’s table. He usually seeks help from Mistress, which makes sense because she’s a retired researcher and highly educated. She noticed me as I was putting the groceries away in the kitchen and was surprised to see me back so early. “Oh, you’re back already? You usually come home huffing and puffing,” she remarked. Yea well, she didn’t need to know the reason. She took one of the bags and helped me set up the kitchen to prepare the festival delicacies.

That night, I rested in my small cabin, although I say it's small you have to keep in mind that it is being compared to compared to the rooms in Sector 3. This family has given me so much and still provides more than enough money each month. Initially, I tried to decline the extra money, but now I don’t bother it’s too exhausting to explain why I’m hesitant to accept it. I only live here because the conditions in Sector 1 aren’t great, and I was lucky enough to be appointed as Mistress’s maid right before her marriage. Living in Sector 3 is a good experience; people work hard to live here, and even some teachers can’t manage it like one of Master’s friends, who was shocked to see the home when he visited. Gisen once told me conditions in Sector 1 have improved a lot, especially since Master was elected to the council, but I haven’t been there in years, more like I don’t have anyone to visit there.

A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. It was unusual, as it was late. I opened the door to find young Master Brumbard. “Do you need something, young Master?” I asked hurriedly. “No, not really,” he replied. “Mom and Dad asked me to give you this envelope, but they didn’t tell me what’s inside. I’m curious, so open it and tell me what it is. It’s for the festival.” I took the envelope and opened it, finding a sum of money inside. After seeing that it was money, young Master left, saying, “Oh, it’s just money I should’ve guessed.” There were 10,000 Arkons inside. I was shocked. This family has done so much for me already, and I was just thinking about that. But knowing they wouldn’t let me return it, I put it in my cupboard for safekeeping, thinking it might come in handy in the future. I kept 500 Arkons out to buy new clothes.

On the first day of Rememoria, as I was mopping the floor, Mistress woke up, took her cup of milk, and greeted me. I thanked her for the festival money, to which she replied, “It comes only once every five years, so it doesn’t hurt to give you some extra. Especially since this one is after ten years,” she laughed. If I hadn’t excused myself to finish mopping, she would’ve talked about it for another ten minutes I don't really understand how she manages to do that. Usually, Master wakes up early, but the council is on break for a week due to the festival. Later, both Master and young Master woke up, and I greeted them as well.

The first day is dedicated to honoring the founders of our civilization. In the evening, everyone gathers at the cremation ground to light candles. The first ones to light up the candles are the council member's family and after that everyone follows, so as you might've guessed Master and family were out in front far from this crowd. it’s always crowded and there was barely any space to move. I was standing in the middle of the crowd when someone grabbed my hand then I realized it was young Master Brum, he grabbed my hand and pulled me to the front. “Where were you? You need to light a candle too, or others won’t be able to,” he said. I was surprised and whispered, “That’s only for council members’ families I’m just your maid.” “Well, so what? You’re still part of the family, right?” he replied. I could’ve burst into tears, but my introverted nature wouldn’t allow it. Master and Mistress insisted I light a candle too. Although a few people weren’t happy about it, I didn’t care, I was just happy to be part of a family, to have someone to visit if I ever moved away.

After the council members and their families finished lighting the candles, the bioluminescent algae began glowing green. Most adults went home afterward, while the children and teens went to a different hall where the elders told stories about the founders and how they built the settlement. I’ve heard these stories four times already, and it’s funny because a part of the story changes every time. This is probably how history gets twisted as it’s passed down through generations. I made an excuse to leave, saying I needed to ensure young Master Brumbard’s safety on the way home. I half-expected him to argue that he didn’t need me, which would’ve made me sad because it took a lot of energy to make a valid excuse, but instead, he said, “Yeah, it’s better to have Miss Nocraine with me.” I’m not sure if he really understood that I wanted to attend or if it was just a fluke, but I’m sure he’ll grow into a fine person in the future.

The elder began the story, his voice carrying a weight that made every child lean in closer. "Once upon a time, in the distant past, humanity was at its peak. They lived on the surface, ruling the land, the air, and the seas. They were the apex species of the planet, but they were also kind, helping others and living in peace and harmony. But then, one day, out of nowhere, dragons appeared and tore through their technological advancements like paper. Most of humanity was wiped out, but those who survived fought fiercely to protect their loved ones. However, not all survivors shared this idea."

Every child sat wide-eyed, probably because we now live underground and, of course, we’re not exactly ruling anything anymore.

The elder continued, "There were eight people who formed a group—these eight are now known as The Founders. They told everyone that this fight was pointless and that continuing to battle the dragons would only further decimate their numbers, which was bad news for civilization. To stay safe, they decided to live underground. After finding an ideal spot for the settlement, they divided the work among themselves. Some worked on the structure, others on gathering resources, some developed ventilation systems, while others focused on laws and mining. It took time, but eventually, the place became habitable, and people started living there. Because there were eight founding members, it was decided that the settlement would have a council with eight members in each term. Our founders knew the power of knowledge, so they made sure to pass down everything they knew through books and schools. Interestingly, the founders believed dragons were just myths in their time, friendly creatures that only appeared in children’s stories. Unlike the dragons we have today, who, well, are much hostile towards us."

I noticed a few kids getting spooked at that last part, and the elder wisely decided to wrap things up before he gave them nightmares. "And that, my dear children, marks the end of the story for today. Time to head home, sleep tight, and get excited for the second day."

Of course, he conveniently skipped the part about what happened to the people who didn’t agree with the founders’ opinion at the start. It was only mentioned to us once, and no one ever brought it up again probably because of how gruesome it was. I mean, I was traumatized for quite a while as a kid after hearing it. From what I remember, after the seven founders separated from the original group—yes, seven, not eight—the original group went ahead to fight the dragons with their existing technology. They were said to have had better tech than we do now, but the dragons slaughtered them mercilessly. Only one survived, who later became the eighth founder and managed to find the settlement that the other founders had created. But when the founders saw him, they were shocked—he was carrying a bag filled with someone’s head, a finger, a leg, a stomach, and other body parts. He said these were the remains of his comrades; the rest were killed and eaten by the dragons. Even the survivor himself was missing a leg. He cremated his comrades after meeting the founders, which eventually became the ritual we use today to honor the dead. Before that, it’s said that the founders’ ancestors used to bury the dead. Not exactly practical for an underground civilization, though. Imagine someone buries the dead, and then years later, someone digs below that and a skeleton drops from the ceiling. Yeah, not a great idea.

As the elder finished, I took the young master’s hand, and we started to walk home. He looked up at me and asked, "What’s it like outside?"

I had to think for a moment. "Well, the only time I’ve been outside was on the fifth day of the Rememoria Festival, and even that’s at night, so I didn’t see much. It’s almost always dark out there, but the sky is full of stars, and the full moon is mesmerizing. I even collected a few leaves from the plants that grow outside, just to compare them later. They’re almost like the crops we grow here, except with different shapes because they’re different plants, right? Soon, you’ll be able to go outside too and enjoy the starry night." "Oh, that sounds fascinating! I’m even more excited now," he replied, his voice bubbling with enthusiasm. "That’s great! Keep up that excitement—it only happens once every five years, after all."

Honestly, I was surprised I managed to hold a conversation for so long without feeling drained. Maybe I’m just so natural at it. Yeah, right. As if.