Tonight was the night. At least, that was what Harmonia had decided as she stood in the dark park away from any of the lamps that lit the walkways. It had been a few weeks since she had spoken to Chaonis about homeworlds and space. In fact, she had been so excited then to go that she had intended to go and explore Harmonia that next night, but things hadn’t worked out. So much had happened recently. In fact, after witnessing a forced corruption the idea of being on patrol was not something she much fancied. Not at that moment anyway. She needed something to possibly calm her. Something that might help ease the anxiety that had been present. A vacation away perhaps? Well she hoped the time on her planet would be therapeutic anyway.

So, there she stood in the dark. The sky was mostly cloudy but a few spots here and there revealed the twinkle of the stars up above. In her hand shone the pale light of her phone which she had just finished looking at. Well, more precisely, she had finished studying how to get to her planet. It didn’t seem all that difficult, but Chaonis had warned her how tiring it could be. So, taking a deep breath the senshi looked up through the break in the clouds to the stars above. She tried to focus on the unique vibration or hum that would indicate her planet. It was odd to do at first since she wasn’t all that sure what to expect but something eventually seemed to click. Like the flick of a switch being turned on Harmonia ‘felt’ what she knew to be her planet. Her thumb felt for the center button on her phone and pressed it. An odd sensation hit her. It felt similar to the way you feel when you ride a roller coaster and are going down that first big plummet. It wasn’t all that uncomfortable as it was a bit unnerving since she hadn’t been expecting it.

Not realizing she had closed her eyes, Harmonia took a deep breath before slowly opening them. What greeted her was far from the tame and well groomed park she had just been at. Instead the sight that greeted her was anything but well manicured. Vegetation and trees grew everywhere and in any way they deemed to do so. That wasn’t what completely amazed her though. It was the color of the leaves on the trees. Instead of the normal green that the trees from earth, these ones were vibrant red as if in the peak of fall but no leaves littered the ground. “It’s so pretty.” It had a magical feel to it and a smile of wonder graced the senshi’s face. “It’s like stepping into my own fairy tale story.”

Taking the time to really look at her surroundings, Harmonia noted that she was in a small clearing. Well, as much of a clearing as was possible in a forest. She took a few steps towards a nearby bush that was also red in color but was neighbor to a golden hued one that had delicate white flowers growing on it. Her boot though indicated more than the green grass at her feet. Glancing down she noticed a stone that was far too square to be normal and it was nestled with others. A pathway. Gazing around at the ground Harmonia now understood why the forest hadn’t completely taken over the area. Though grass had grown between the crevices of the stones there was a decently defined, paved circle with a pathway leading into the forest.

With nothing else to do Harmonia set off down the overgrown pathway. Besides the sound of her boots heels on stone the only thing that broke the silence was the occasional gust of wind. Not even a chirp of a bird was heard. Maybe there were never any birds here. I mean, just because Earth has them doesn’t mean that Harmonia does..or did?. It was a bit odd for the senshi to be walking a stone path that she assumed had to have been built by people she had once been a part of. While the planet was still here it was obvious that there was no human life still around.

After walking for some time Harmonia was beginning to think that maybe there wasn’t anything else to be seen when the trees began to thin out until a large stone structure stood in front of her as the path split to continue on around it. “A wall?” Reaching forward Harmonia pushed aside vines and moss that had obviously been well situated so that her hand rested on the almost white hued structure. The whole thing was constructed of hundreds of stones, most no bigger than her own head, that had been carefully placed and mortared together. In fact, the mortar that hadn’t crumbled and flaked away was what was supporting the vines ascent. The stone itself was strangely smooth and polish to the touch making it difficult for much of anything to hold onto it.

With her curiosity peaked she looked down both ways in which the path continued on and noticed the wall had crumbled apart, leaving a large hole. Hurrying down to it she picked her way over the rubble, most of it on the inside half of the wall, and entered a courtyard of a sorts. A variety of flowers she had yet to see had completely taken over, but it wasn’t the plants that caught her attention but the massive body of water that stretched on from the courtyard. Instead of a crystal blue color though it was yellow in color and as she got closer Harmonia began to wonder if it was suppose to be that color.

A statue of a woman in long draping robes stood covered in vines, her right arm missing from the wear of time, stood staring out at the lake. Harmonia stared at it. Something about the statue seemed familiar to her.

Two children playing a game circled the statue before dashing out to splash in the crystalline blue waters.

“What was that?” She furrowed her brows at the flash of a vision...memory?

“This place is so different but I feel almost like I’ve come home after being away for a very long time.” She mused as she turned away from the lake and statue. She hadn’t noticed it before with the direction she had entered the courtyard from, but a palace, made of the same material as the wall, loomed over her. Unfortunately it looked as if time was not as kind to it as other things. In fact the only visible way in from where she was at was completely blocked by fallen debris and thick vegetation.

With time not on her side at this point Harmonia forwent trying to get inside. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been away but felt like her time would be better used if she explored outside of the building instead of wasting time trying to force her way in. So, exiting the courtyard the same way she entered Harmonia picked up her pace and walked along the towering white wall. Eventually more, smaller buildings began to appear. All were in various stages of decay. Some were still standing proud and tall with only roods or doors being gone while others were nothing more than rubble piles.

Her little pathway had grown wider and split off in multiple directions as the buildings became more numerous until she was sure that she was walking the streets of a city from long past. Few buildings stood taller than two stories. Most that had at once been that height had collapsed in on themselves, but here and there one managed to survive the passing of time. It was the single story buildings that Harmonia felt were the most structurally sound. They, like the palace and wall, were constructed from stone but from a grey stone that was much rougher in texture. Almost like something she’d expect to find on Earth. Like a curious kitten Harmonia poked her head inside of a building that was missing it’s door. Inside there wasn’t much to see. Wood, possibly from furniture and some ceramic pieces like bowls and cups were all that she saw. Tentatively she walked inside. The sound of glass cracking under her boot caused her to jump a bit in surprise. She had gotten so use to the silence of the world that something other than the quiet startled her.

Moving her foot off of the object, Harmonia found a pale blue piece of glass that was no bigger than her hand. As she looked around for more she found the majority of the remains focused under a window. Assuming that it had once been in the actual window Harmonia moved on through the house. It consisted of five rooms, none of which she could really decipher. She assumed most of them had been bedrooms and maybe another was a study which she guessed by it’s rather larger size than the others. Overall though the building didn’t really give her much insight.

Leaving the building behind her Harmonia traveled the streets of the city. She had peeked into other buildings that looked remotely safe but all of them turned out to be the same. Desolate, bare, and slightly depressing. Harmonia felt like the city was in mourning for it’s once past self which surely had to have been a glorious thing.

Turning down a road that looked much wider than the others she had been on she saw a bustling street with many stands set up and vendors barking their goods and prices for people who perused the merchandise.

The vision was short, fast, and not completely clear but it had been enough for Harmonia to know how busy of an area this had been. “I bet there were all sorts of people who came here every day.”

She followed the wide road that she knew so many people had once traversed until she came upon a gate. The iron bars which had once stood proudly in their intricate designs were swung open and barely hanging onto the hinges that held them to the wall. In fact, one of the gates looked as if a good stiff breeze would knock it right off. The road continued on out of the city and through a vast field of tall grasses.

By this point the sun had begun to set. It cast a golden glow on the city that was soft and warm. Taking a deep breath Harmonia soaked up the feeling of calm she was getting. It really was like she was being welcomed home in a sense. She felt….safe and reassured as she took in the view.

Stars were beginning to peek out on the opposite side of the sky from the sun. Only the brightest ones were making themselves known at that point but as Harmonia looked up at them she wondered how many of those stars possibly had planets like her own circling them? It was a humbling thought.

With the sun having just about disappeared over the forest horizon and the stars growing more numerous the sense of time began to itch at Harmonia. She had no idea how much of the night she had spent on her planet and an anxious sensation began to grow in the pit of her stomach. “I better get home.”

She was somewhat reluctant to leave. She wanted to search more but with the darkness getting ever more prominent and the lack of light she wouldn’t have been able to see much. So, turning her face up to the sky she focused herself on Earth and felt the buzz of her now home planet. She fingered the button on her phone and felt that same similar sensation as if she were falling before she found herself back where she had left Earth from and the sun was just getting ready to rise.

Not wasting time Harmonia hurried through the park and to her home. She powered down in an alley on the way back and as quietly as possible she sneaked back up into her bedroom via her window. Quickly she slipped into pajamas and crawled underneath her blankets. Not minutes later she heard an alarm go off down the hallway. She had cut it close.

But it had been completely worth it.

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