Emil

The closest blast zone was several blocks deep into the Black Shoal.

Abandoning all pretenses of subtlety, Emil rushed along the rooftops of the dilapidated buildings, relying on his mask and night gear conceal his identity. Unlike the festivities this morning, the Black Shoal had fallen hauntingly quiet. Crowds still flooded the streets below him, but it was dead as a ghost town. Aside from the occasional cry of a child, Emil couldn't hear a single whisper of conversation or panic. The silence was terrifying. It was as though the entire district had been robbed of life, frozen into statues, overwhelmed and stunned by the godlike power of Borealis.

The outer ring of the explosion came into view. Emil glanced down from his perch atop of a rustic building. One of the bombs appeared to have detonated in the middle of a public square. A light blue haze lingered hypnotically in the aftermath. The miasma was thick and dense; the residual mana almost nauseating. The flat grounds that made up of the public square had been reduced to rubble. The damage by the epicenter was the most devastating. The earth itself appeared to have melted; the stones and gravel liquified into gray viscous goo. The unnatural smell alone was enough to make him sick.

And then there were the bodies.

The sight of the corpses themselves lacked impact as there simply wasn't much left of them to see. The explosion had destroyed most of the bodies. Either they were melted into nothingness by the smoldering heat or blown into particulate by the explosive force. He couldn't even smell blood in the area as the burnt stench of stone overpowered everything.

Nonetheless, Emil covered his masked mouth on instinct as he waded through the destruction. He clenched his teeth and bit into his lips, focusing on the sharp sting to suppress the visceral terror crawling up his guts. The knowledge that this square was probably filled with people right before the explosion made his eyes water. And now they were simply gone. Evaporated into oblivion.

Vigil, what the hell have you created?

The materials that they stolen from the Consortium suggested that they were experimenting with some sort Azurite device. That was Borealis. But neither the Council nor Steiger had considered the possibility that they would be successful, much less create a weapon of mass destruction like this.

The entire kingdom had been wary of Vigil ever since their unprecedented attack on the Academy, but the terrorist organization had still managed to take them by surprise.

"Trace."

Emil activated Seismic Sense with reluctance as he moved closer to the epicenter. The ripples of mana along the ground revealed things that he didn't want to see. For once, he was almost glad for this pervasive blue haze.

The ground began to cave. The gelatinous goo from the melted stone clung to his feet. As discreetly as possible, he created a thin coating of stone below his shoes to get closer. He was nearing the point of origin of the explosion. Seismic Sense continued to pulsate as he searched for residuals of the explosive device. Anything information that he could gather to help them uncover the nature of Borealis would be useful.

He narrowed his eyes, ignoring and filtering out the indentations and destruction caused by the explosion. He needed to look for something unusual. Something that normally would not appear in a public square. Knowledge of his time spent in Lower Dannan and its industrial district surfaced. As if on command, Seismic Sense suddenly revealed an item of interest.

Something familiar reacted to Seismic Sense. A faint resonance. The ping revealed a small fragment of Azurite resting on the floor, presumably from the core of the explosive device. Emil shrouded his body in a protective layer of stone. He gently tugged the fragment with mana and then prodded it slightly at a distance with a stone protrusion to confirm that it was inert. A glance at the surface revealed dark spots embedded into the material matrix. After another scan with Seismic Sense, Emil recognized the spots as black powder.

I guess that makes sense. Black powder is the most common explosive used in blast mining operations. He frowned, his mind suddenly itched, veering on a hypothesis. There's a precedent. Vigil has used blast mining explosives before. Van and I encountered them while trying to rescue Aoife when she was kidnapped. Assuming they used those devices as a basis, then—

His mind was suddenly flooded with information. His Exalted senses screamed. Another burst of mana swelled. Behind him.

Emil spun around, only to find a plume of blue light flood the skies. He instinctively covered his ears before the thunderclap arrived. The deafening ring overpowered all other sounds as he felt the shockwaves slam into his body. Cracks rippled along his stone armor. The ground seemed to tremble in fear.

Another Borealis.

That's near the Canticle entrance.

It must have been the same one that he used to find the missing Courier shortly after he met Graf. Emil was already on his feet before the thought settled.

As his hearing recovered, the first thing he heard were the blood-curdling screams. Terror drowned the air as the residents of the Black Shoal floundered in panic. Three consecutive explosions in the area finally shattered their stunned silence. Emil climbed onto the nearest rooftop to avoid getting swept up by the crowd. The Canticle entrance was just several blocks down.

When he arrived, he nearly forgot how to breathe.

An entire block of buildings had vanished. Gone. Azure flames feasted on what little remained of the neighborhood. The proximity of the Canticle entrance had been a densely populated residential area. Now the entirety of the neighborhood had been flattened and marred by collapsed rubble and melted stone. Concentrated mana permeated the air, slowly settling into the blue haze that Emil saw earlier.

Those who were lucky enough to evade the explosion lingered on the edge of the blast radius, staring blankly into the destruction. Whether it was from shock of the damage or the concussive effects of the explosion, the bystanders remained frozen behind rubble and ruins. Emil had a terrible premonition as he took in the full power of Borealis. Vigil had created something insane—a weapon of unparalleled destruction. What else could they do with a bomb like this? Suddenly, their proclamations of tearing Ardair apart didn't seem so outrageous. For the first time in awhile, he felt his hands shaking uncontrollably.

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Out of nowhere, a violent shriek tore through the air. Emil turned and found himself eye-to-eye with an insectoid monster. Roughly the size of a child, the flying monster clattered with this vicious mandibles. Wings buzzed. He glared, despair worming into his heart as he realized what was happening.

The Canticle entrance had been blasted open. The sewers were still in the process of being cleaned up. Lionhearts and Steiger agents were supposed to be stationed in this area of the Canticle, but there were no signs of them to be found. Emil didn't dare ponder where they had gone.

One by one, monsters emerged from the Canticle opening, seemingly drawn to the concentrated mana left behind by the bomb.

Emil reached for the Pulsar and pointed the device skyward. A blast of mana erupted into the air before spreading outwards into a blanket of blue. The monsters reacted violently to the sudden perturbation. They lunged at him, their mouths chattering with glee.

Flames swelled from Emil's back. Blaze burned with vengeance. Pain, grief, and adrenaline flooded his veins and he channeled it all into his Gift. With the roar of a pained beast, he unleashed the hell upon the monsters of the Canticle.

***

The last of the insects dropped to the ground. Residual flames continued to devour its corpse, sparing no remains to rest amidst the ruins. Emil grabbed his chest. His throat was dry and his breaths were heavy. The source of his distress wasn't physical exhaustion, but mental fatigue from the madness around him. How much time had passed since Melody's announcement?

There were seven bombs left before the hour arrived.

Get a hold of yourself.

He slammed his chest with a fist, trying to stir his frazzled mind into action. Steiger reinforcements had arrived in response to his Pulsar and were beginning to evacuate the wounded. With the immediate threat taken care of, Emil trudged closer to the blast zone. Seismic Sense scanned the vicinity.

Now that he had an idea of what he was looking for, it didn't take long before he found something that matched his description. There were more fragments of Azurite near the epicenter. Again, the stones had residual black powder embedded in a material matrix.

I don't see anything else.

Emil did another scan just in case, but came up empty. There was probably nothing more than he could gather observing the epicenter.

I should get back to Graf and inform him of my findings.

It was a weak hunch, but he had a feeling that the areas that Vigil had bombed weren't chosen at random. With a heavy heart, he took the samples of explosive residuals and rushed towards the Administrative District.

Aoife

The stench of blood hung in the air like a damp veil. Aoife's head spun with distress. Despair clawed at her throat, and her ears rang from the wretched cries of the wounded.

Death was everywhere.

Bodies lined up in rows and columns on the ground like cattle prepped for slaughter. Some of them were unconscious. Some were screaming. Some couldn't make a sound as they had the bottom half of their face tore off by the shrapnel from the explosions. Most were missing some sort of body part or limb—whether ripped off by the force of the blast or scorched into uselessness by the ensuing heat.

She wanted to shut her eyes and close off her ears. She wanted to run away. Somewhere. Anywhere to get as far as she could from this nightmarish cacophony. From this hell.

The bodies kept pouring in, hauled by volunteers drenched in blood. They threw the injured onto the floor haphazardly without care. Not because they were brutal and violent, but because there were simply too many still awaiting rescue. There weren't enough time and hands for delicacy.

"More supplies coming in from the Seibert Merchant Company! We need help organizing the bandage and medical supplies!" someone shouted overhead.

"Where the hell is the Belle family?! Don't tell me they're too busy celebrating in the middle of a disaster!"

Aoife felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped up, nerves rattling, startled by the sudden touch.

"Aoife, are you okay?"

The familiar voice echoed in her head, knocking her out of her stupor. It was Charlotte. Her friend's eyes were wide and wild. Water shimmered in her pupils. Sweat and blood coated her face and her long brunette hair dangled messily to her shoulders. The vibrant smock that she wore for the opening day of the Aurous Festival had lost all its colors. Now it clung to her body like rags, smeared with ash and blood.

"Aoife?"

Another shake of her shoulders reminded her that she needed to respond.

"Y-Yeah. I'm fine," she mumbled unconvincingly. Pain stabbed into her palms. She looked down and unclenched her hands, realizing that she was squeezing hard onto her Azurite pendant. The ethereal energies within the blue stone spiraled with a hypnotic violence.

"Let me know if you need me. I'm going to help them unload the supplies," Charlotte said.

Aoife muttered a curt acknowledgement. Charlotte left after shooting her a few concerned glances. She sent her off with a faint smile. Soon enough, Charlotte disappeared amidst the crowd. Aoife turned her attention back towards the medical tent. More bodies were coming in with every passing second.

Vigil, what have you done?

Before the explosions happened, she and Charlotte were passing through the Black Shoal. They had just gotten off the boat ride on the canal and were trekking back towards the Commerce District when all hell broke loose. The sound of Melody's voice blaring over the broadcast system triggered a visceral reaction. Aoife nearly lost herself to the deluge of unpleasant memories that accompanied her former captor's voice.

Then, the world went mad.

They were a few blocks away when the first explosions occurred in the Black Shoal. She blanked when she arrived at the site of the blast zone. Hell was the only apt word she could find to describe it.

Luckily, the Seibert Merchant Company was in the area. With their aid, medical tents were quickly sprung up and a makeshift system to provide support was put in place from able-bodied volunteers. Still, they were hopelessly lacking in everything. From medical supplies to actual doctors with medical experience to hands that could carry bodies.

Now Aoife stood in a sea of injured. A lady nearby pleaded to the Goddess for a merciful end. A child was crying. A man screamed as he discovered that he was missing an arm and a leg. Someone was moaning, trying to produce words with what remained of their mouth.

Aoife took in all of their suffering and let out a solemn breath.

"Tan lei yeshu'a," she intoned.

Her body glowed a serene blue. Snow-white wings sprouted from her back. Mana coalesced in a faint aura, spreading amongst the injured within the medical tent. The cacophony of suffering began to lessen. The wretched expressions on the injured softened. Some drifted asleep. Others embraced inevitability with gentle acceptance.

Aoife maintained the healing aura with her hands clasped in prayer. She imagined the Goddess Endora and her benevolent divine light, reaching out to the unfortunate seeking her name. Emil had always told her that Gifts relied on visualization and will, and so she poured everything she had into the image.

It didn't take long before the back of her head throbbed with pain. Her limbs began to shake and her heart palpitated wildly with irregularity. Symptoms of Overclock. Still, she resolved to push through it. She could endure. This amount of pain was nothing compared to the agony of the people around her.

"Your Highness!"

Another disturbance stirred her awake. She winced at the abrupt end to her connection with mana. Fatigue struck her in an instant. A pair of hands steadied her before she could collapse.

"…Diana?"

Diana was one of her personal knights assigned by Rohan. She had arrived with a squadron of Lionhearts. The young dame gave her a quick scan. After making sure she was okay, Diana gave orders to assist with the injured.

"Rest for now. Let me take over your healing duties until you're ready again."

Aoife nodded as Diana went to work. The dame possessed a healing Gift and was well-trained in medical science. Those skills combined with her composed demeanor and overall competence made her easy to trust. With the help of a few men, Diana began to triage the wounded.

Left idle, Aoife intoned a quick prayer for the safety of her friends. Her eyes then drifted to the wounded around her. The man from earlier had stopped screaming. The child ceased their tears. And the lady who pleaded for a merciful end had closed her eyes. Aoife extended her hands, hoping for a pulse.

Silence.

An echo tremored through her soul. She wanted to cry, but no tears would arrive. Instead, she thought about the culprit behind all these tragedies.

"Vigil," she cursed through clenched teeth.

Her heart bled with vengeance.

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