It was a Friday evening in Haiden city, the busiest city in the world, and the capital of Land of Raijin. The date is December 31st 2066, and the snow is slowly building up as the sun is going down on this New Year's eve evening. New Year's day is a day to celebrate the gods in Land of Raijin , and to do so families gather, exchange gifts and spend time together.

There was this strange feeling throughout the city, a city usually so busy you'd have a hard time getting by, was quiet, peaceful even. And as the sun was setting, a loud explosion went off in the distance. 

*Around 30 minutes before.* 

Captain : "What's the situation Officer ?" 

Officer 1 : "Captain!" He said as he saluted, "there seems to be a terrorist attack in the Haiden City Mall. Most have been evacuated, but the terrorist is still holding people hostage."

Officer 2 : "Wait… The terrorist is proclaiming to be the 'Midnight Bomber' sir!"

The Captain bites on his thumb nail as his empty gaze falls onto the white snow. The officers' faces shift into confused concern, but they remain silent.

Captain: " Warn the council immediately!"

The council of the Land of Raijin, a group of 10 members each specialized and in charge of a department. Together, they run the Land of Raijin and take executive decisions for its betterment. 

"Enter!" 

Secretary : "Sir, an emergency council meeting has been requested by the Head of the Police force. It's concerning the 'Midnight Bomber'."

"I'll be there immediately!" Said the mysterious man with a rather angered voice.

Head of the Police force : "I'm glad to see you all could make it here so urgently, virtually or physically. The reason for this meeting, as most of you already know, is that the 'Midnight Bomber' was found and cornered at Haiden City Mall."

"What's the holdup Commissioner Codwell?!" 

Head of the Police Force: "When he realized he was cornered he took 10 hostages and requested a safe escape route."

Head of Education: "Who does he think he is?"

Head of the Police force : "The rest of the building has already been evacuated." 

A brief silence struck the room.

"I say we blow the whole place up."

Head of Education: "Unacceptable!"

Head of Finances : "Blaze, could you explain your reasoning ?" 

Blaze Dark is the Commander of the Military Force of The Land of Raijin, and one of the more dominant voices in the council. He was first appointed to the council in 2058, after having many accomplishments in the army as a Colonel and later on the youngest ever Lieutenant General in The land of Raijin's history.

Blaze Dark: "We cannot let him escape that building. If he does, he will take the lives of many more."

Council member 5 : " Are you sure your judgment isn't being clouded by your pride Commander Dark?"

Said an elderly council member.

Head of Education: "What is he talking about?"

Council member 5: "Ahh I see, you joined recently so you wouldn't have known. Mr. Dark here was put in charge of the operation to capture the 'Midnight Bomber' as his first duty as Head of the military. But the operation failed miserably, resulting in the 'incident of 2058'. That being said, it has been a while since any attacks have been related to the Midnight Bomber. I'm merely surmising that his pride may have affected his judgment."

Head of Education: " You're sacrificing all of these people's lives for your PRIDE !!?"

Blaze Dark : "Calm down Head of Education, you're still young and have much to learn. You are even younger than I was when I joined the council, and that is no small accomplishment. But this matter is far more important than mere pride. If we were to let him go, he would go on to kill many more, and how would you live with that then young Levi?"

Head of Education: "You don't know tha-"

Head of the Police Force: "Enough! We are short on time and must take a decision immediately. We will take a vote. All for blowing up the building raise your hand."

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Kid: "Mom, can I start eating my Ice cream?" asked the little boy.

Mother: "Not yet honey, we're almost home."

Kid: "Awww…"

Big brother: "Don't worry Leo, we're almost there."

Leo: "No fair!"

As this family of three were walking home from the grocery store in Haiden City, a tv in the street caught the big brother's attention. 

News Reporter: "Breaking News, after being cornered by the police, the Midnight Bomber blew himself up taking 10 hostages along with him on this New year's eve evening. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of these victims. We have a reporter live with an officer, ready to tell us how it went down."

Officer on news: "We tried everything we could to negotiate with him, but in the end, his objective was clear, that sick bastard just wanted to kill everyone in that building. Thankfully, we were able to evacuate the rest of the building, but those 10 poor souls didn't get that luxury."

News reporter : "How terrible! We thank you sir for your work on the police force, and I'm sure those victims were grateful for your attempts to save them. In other news…"

The older brother saw this and wasn't sure what to think of it. 

Kid: "Mom, what happened to these people?"

Mom : "Don't worry about it dear, there are some very bad people in this world who want to do bad things to innocent people like you and mommy. But good people like Dad are here to protect us."

*Hmm dad…*

 The older brother thought. 

*As if he'd ever bother to protect us.* 

 After this incident, there was this heavy feeling in the air. A day that was meant to be celebrated, was tainted in the blood of those 10 people who had unfortunately passed away. The world can be cruel at times, and the truth of the matter is that we have no control over that. Even those who have sworn to protect us, can be the first ones to throw us under the bus according to their interests. But even so, the council dedicated the next day to a memorial for those who died in the tragedy. "Because the world may be cold, but those who have died shall always be cherished."