"Ran! What are you doing here?" I heard someone call me from a distance, from her voice, and I knew it was Sylvia.
I couldn't stand the atmosphere; I had to leave. I tried to find something to shift my attention to, but nothing happened. Almost half of the town was now nothing more than a giant hole, just like my feelings right now. Even the pain from my injuries was completely numbed; I don't know why.
"Sylvia..." I turned around to greet her, trying to gauge what kind of emotion she was wearing, but there was nothing there. Her expression was like usual, a mask hiding whatever thoughts lingered behind her eyes.
"Were your injuries okay?" she asked, her voice steady, almost detached.
I paused, feeling the dull throb in my side, but I didn't want to dwell on it. "Mmmm... They've been numbed since a moment ago..." My answer was simple, dismissive even, as I turned my back on her. I didn't need to say more. I didn't want to.
Instead, my attention shifted to the giant hole in the distance. I couldn't help but wonder how deep it was. The darkness at the bottom seemed endless, just a void that swallowed everything in its path.
"To have so much power to cause all this... If only they had arrived earlier, then..." I blurted out before I could stop myself. The words felt heavy as if I were blaming others, and I quickly regretted saying anything.
"Then?" she asked, now standing beside me, her voice soft but probing.
I didn't know how to answer her. My thoughts and emotions were a tangled mess, chaotic and out of control. This was why I hated feeling this way. It wasn't like me to place blame on others, yet here I was, caught up in it. The images of their overwhelming strength. Of what they could have done if they'd been there sooner, kept replaying in my mind, and I couldn't shake them.
If only they had arrived earlier... then we wouldn't have had to suffer so much. It could have been an easier victory. They wouldn't have had to die. No one would be crying right now. I wouldn't feel like this.
"Nothing..." I replied, my voice flat. I couldn't bring myself to express what I was feeling at that moment.
"That pipsqueak really does pack a punch. Look at this hole, I can't even see the bottom," she said, peering down into the abyss. Her tone was casual, almost impressed, but there was no sense of weight behind her words. It was as if she wasn't at all affected by what had happened.
"Well, it's too bad for Vera and the others," she continued nonchalantly, "but Katherine will be fine. As for the others, they just need time to recover."
My frustration boiled over. "Do you not feel bad? It's like you're not even concerned," I shot back, my voice sharper than I intended. For the first time since I arrived in this world, I felt anger, raw, hot anger. My fist clenched so tightly, my knuckles ached.
"So, are you going to punch me?" she asked, not even glancing in my direction.
"Sorry..." I muttered, taking a deep breath. There was no point in letting my anger control me. Nothing would change by acting on it.
"Vera, huh..." she continued, her voice softer now. "She's really strong, you know. If this had happened two years ago, there wouldn't have been much of a problem." There was a pause, and though her tone remained casual, I sensed something, maybe a hint of regret, or even care. It was subtle, but it was there. Perhaps, just for a moment, she did care.
"I heard she helped you with your training. Did you even learn anything?"
"Yeah, more than what you had ever taught me," I snapped, bitterness seeping through my words.
She didn't react, her tone distant, as if she were telling a story about someone long gone. "Had she been born earlier, she would have been one of the current heroes," she said, then paused before continuing. "To have as much talent as she does... it might've been better if she hadn't met Silica."
Her words caught my attention. "What do you mean?"
"Well, whatever. You need to rest now," she replied dismissively. "We'll be having a discussion tomorrow." With that, she casually stood up and walked away. I was left wondering what she meant, but I knew she wouldn't say more than she already had.
Agatha was completely destroyed now. I couldn't see how it could ever be restored. I couldn't help but wonder what would happen tomorrow.
...
The residents who had escaped the invasion gathered in front of the Northgate. They were shocked by what they saw as they looked upon the ruins of their town. Their homes were destroyed, and there was nowhere left for them to go. Devastation hung in the air, but at least they were still alive. Still, some are mourning their friends who had volunteered and died during the invasion.
As for I am, I had decided to remain in the mansion, waiting for things to calm down before stepping out.
"To the people of Agatha!" Silica called, addressing her people. She had been a complete mess last night, and though she hadn't fully recovered, there she was, standing before them. She had just lost an important friend, but she was still pushing forward, doing her best for those who remained.
Evangeline and Sena stood behind her. If you looked at them, they seemed no different from any other human, except for the tails they bore. I had been briefed about the decisions made regarding their future plans, and those decisions had already been accepted by two other nations.
Silica cleared her throat and continued, her voice steady but heavy with emotion. "Last night was the darkest night we, as the citizens of Agatha, have ever endured. We lost our town. We lost our homes, our belongings, the things we had built with our own hands. And for some of us, we lost loved ones." Her voice faltered, and a brief silence filled the air as she took a breath. "We are grieving, but we will not let this defeat us."
She paused, collecting herself, before speaking again. "To the ones who fought bravely, thank you. I am sorry I could not arrive sooner. I am sorry I left you to fight alone. I am sorry that you had to lose someone so important to you. And yet, despite everything, you stood strong. For your courage, for your sacrifice, I thank you. Your bravery will never be forgotten."
"Now, we stand at a crossroads," Silica said, her eyes scanning the crowd. "We have lost the place we once called home, the symbol of our unity. The hope that one day, the world will know true peace, a world where no one is persecuted because of their race, where no child has to sleep with an empty stomach, where no one has to lose a loved one to war."
She paused, taking a deep breath, as if gathering her strength. "I want to rebuild this place. It won't be an easy task, and that is why..." Silica stopped, and to everyone's surprise, she bowed her head. As a princess, this wasn't something she was expected to do, yet there she was, humbling herself before her people.
"I want to ask for your help."
"Your Highness!" someone from the crowd called out, drawing her attention. "There's no need to ask. This is our home too! You don't abandon your house just because it's been damaged. You repair it."
"That's right."
"Yeah."
"It might not be the same as before, but give it time, and it'll be better than ever."
"Where else would we go? This is our only home."
"We'll rebuild it, won't we? We can start today."
"Yeah!"
The voices from the crowd grew louder, more confident, as the weight of their unity became clear.
Silica lifted her head, and for the first time, I saw the most genuine smile on her face.
"Thank you. Everyone, thank you!"
...
"Ran!" Silica's voice rang out as I walked away from the crowd. The devastation was still fresh, but the people were trying to move on. They ate voraciously, digging through the food that had been served, perhaps to convince their Princess that they were alright. Maybe it was their way of saying not to worry about them.
"Silica?" I turned to face her, noting the strain in her eyes despite the calm exterior she was trying to maintain.
"Were your injuries already healed?" She asked, her voice soft but tinged with concern.
"Yes, Pruscha healed me last night. The pain is still there, but it's manageable." I stretched my shoulders, trying to ease the lingering discomfort.
"I see," she nodded, then her gaze grew distant for a moment. "Katherine will be sent to the capital. I want you to accompany her."
My stomach tightened at the mention of Katherine. "How is she?" I hadn't seen her since I decided to rest yesterday. I knew they had completed the operation, but the details of her condition were still unclear. To add to that, I hadn't seen Rouge or Pristina either.
"She hasn't woken up yet, but she'll be fine," Silica replied. There was a reassuring certainty in her tone, but I could sense the worry just beneath the surface. "For now, she needs to go back to the capital to fully recover."
"I see." My thoughts lingered on Katherine, but I pushed them aside for now. Silica was already moving on to the next matter.
"Conflict is breaking out across the world," she continued, her voice growing more serious. "What happened here is already a declaration of war on us. The Kingdom surely will act, but it's going to be complicated."
"What exactly is going on?" I asked, the weight of the situation pressing heavily on my chest.
"Caldris," she began, her voice firm. "The ones who invaded us—they've joined forces with several other nations and declared war on the eastern countries."
"Eastern?" I frowned. If I remember correctly, Silford is in the western part of the continent. "That doesn't make sense."
She nodded, acknowledging the confusion. "There was no formal declaration of war on us, but considering what happened here, we can take it as one."
A cold shiver ran down my spine. If they were willing to go this far without regard for the consequences... "And what are you planning to do about it?"
She hesitated for a moment, her gaze distant, as if weighing the enormity of what lay ahead. "I've made my decision," she said, her voice steady. She didn't finish the thought but forced a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "For now, I need you to go to the capital. Meet with the king my father and Visha, the Hero of Elaiea, one of our allied countries. I already asked Evangeline and Sena to accompany you."
I nodded, the weight of responsibility settling heavily on my shoulders. "Understood."
But I couldn't shake the uneasy feeling creeping up on me. There was something, something off. It was the same look she had shown me before. A darkness, a chill that cut through me. It lasted only a second, but the intensity, the weight of it, didn't match her words.
"Just don't do anything stupid," I added, my voice quieter now, a warning I couldn't hold back. I was afraid she might do something irreversible.
Silica let out a soft, amused snort as if my concern both irritated and amused her. "Pft... Don't worry. I may not look like it, but I am a hero." Her playful smirk didn't quite reach her eyes, and for a moment, I saw that flicker of something unsettling again. But then she turned away, quickening her pace as if already moving forward, leaving me to catch up.
"Ah I forgot, after all is settled, you can go and ask for my hand, Peanut," she called back over her shoulder, her tone light, teasing, but there was an edge to it I couldn't ignore. She didn't wait for a reply, disappearing into the crowd of survivors.
I stood there for a moment, still processing her words. A bad feeling gnawed at me. Something was wrong, and I wasn't sure what it was, but I had to trust that I'd find out soon enough. The thought of Silica's hidden turmoil, the weight of her secret, only made the pit in my stomach grow deeper.