Screams erupted. Rin yelled, "Elir!!" Elir was still gripping Berko's hand, oblivious to the chaos, only caring that Berko had touched Nier. Nier shouted, "Elir, this isn't the time!"
Nier scanned frantically, eyes wide. "No dark souls here—but…" He saw white auras vanishing as people fell. Their souls are disappearing!
Nier ran to the square's center. Elir threw Berko's hand aside when he saw Nier dash off and followed, shouting, "Nier!" Berko snapped from his stupor and yelled, "Don't move on your own, you damned—!" He ran after them with Rin, looking around in panic.
Terror spread. Blood covered the stage, drowning out the bright red paint of Nieth's victims. "What's happening?" Rin whispered, trembling. Nier ran breathlessly to where the balloon seller had been. His feet froze as he spotted blood on the ground.
A woman clutched Nier's pant leg, half her head gone, one eye missing, the flesh exposed. Nier fell to his knees, gasping, trembling like never before. Her grip loosened and she collapsed. Her eyes stopped moving, throat going silent. Nier stared, eyes wide as if they might burst. A distant voice called him, drowned out by screams. He didn't hear Elir's voice until his shoulders shook.
"Nier! Nier! Get up!" Even if he heard him, the words made no sense. Elir lifted him, causing the woman's body to drop. Nier stared at Elir, uncomprehending. Where's the balloon seller? He scanned until he saw the seller crouched in terror.
He pushed Elir aside and sprinted to the trembling man, noticing his white aura. The seller sobbed, "I didn't do anything. Please, I didn't do it…"
Hiding his face, he wailed. Berko kicked Nier's back. "What are you doing to that man?" Elir grabbed Berko's leg and said in a trembling, dangerous voice, "You'll lose it next time." Berko gaped at Elir's fury—Would he really cut off my leg?!
Rin rushed over, pushing Elir away. "This isn't the time!" Elir glared at Berko, whose bright white aura glowed. He really could snuff out that color… if he ever hurt Nier again. But Nier said, "Elir… he's right. I was wrong—this man's soul is white."
Elir looked at Nier, who stared at the woman's body. She had clung to him, called him, and he couldn't save her. He still felt her weight. He still couldn't move. He struggled, looking at Elir. "It's my fault… it's my fault, Elir…"
Elir blinked, uncertain. What does he mean? Rin panicked, "What do we do…?"
Noel and Arlo arrived. Noel called, nearly in tears, "Rin…!" Rin choked back sobs, "Noel…" She asked, "What's happening?"
Rin said, "We have to find survivors and regroup!" Noel nodded and ran with Arlo among the wounded. "Arlo, look for any white auras!" Arlo scanned, "They're disappearing too fast…"
He spotted a faint white aura. Arlo and Noel hurried to a woman and child who looked peaceful, as if asleep under a red blanket. The woman's face bore terrified features and tears. Arlo leaned in, hearing her strained whispers, "Help… my son…"
Noel shouted, "Arlo!!" But he gently lifted the woman. He didn't want to disturb her child… Then he realized the red blanket was the child's blood. The boy's lungs had been blown open, so he lay silently. Noel's eyes widened as she finally absorbed the carnage around her. Corpses littered the square, dominating red. She sank to her knees, face pale, blocking out Arlo's frantic calls to help the mother.
Inini and Heemi ran over, Inini shouting, "Arlo!" He nodded at Noel, then gently addressed her, "Commander Noel, take this woman and call the first squad with ambulances." Noel's tears fell silently. She rose to carry the woman. Heemi said, "Noel, go bring help! I'll handle things here."
Arlo asked, "Commander Heemi… can I stay with you?" She nodded. "You two, come on." Arlo and Inini followed in silence, searching for survivors. Heemi narrowed her eyes, trying not to see the bodies. The academy taught them to guard their minds—Don't strike; the black souls strike. Don't touch corpses; black souls carry them. But no one ever said what to do when hundreds of corpses scattered the ground.
She saw a familiar face. "Sol!" He shouted back, "Heemi… are you okay? Have you seen the others? Are they all right?" She trembled. "I'm fine." He steadied her, "You can go—this is beyond our authority." She clutched her weapon. "We can't leave them!"
Seeta stood, gazing in horror at a corpse. It was the sixth person to die in front of her eyes, their aura fading before she could help. It's as if they waited for me, wanting someone by their side at the end.
Mika's shout broke her thoughts. "I found someone alive!" He turned to hand the injured man to Sabana, but her trembling legs nearly buckled. She stared at him, mortified that a commander would see her like this. Sabana said, forcing herself to focus, "Take the survivors, you and Imimka. Seeta and I will keep searching."
She glanced at Imimka… Did he always look so pale? No—he used to sit behind me in class. He never had those wounds. Sabana ran to him, screaming, "Imimka!! Imimka!!" Then she whirled to Seeta. "Seeta, his aura!"
Seeta said anxiously, "White—but fading!"
Mika put down the injured man, hurried to Imimka, and tried to block the holes in his body. "Damn it, it's leaking from the front and back!" The screams grew louder. Sabana stood, shouting, "Mika, get him to the ambulances! If he dies, I'll kill you myself!"
Mika hoisted Imimka over one shoulder and the other wounded man over the other, grumbling, "No need to tell me, woman." He ran.
Sabana turned to Seeta, who was visibly panicking. She gripped Seeta's shoulders firmly. "Focus! Find survivors!" Seeta nodded shakily. "Y-yes!"
By the newly set up rescue camp of the first squad, Ayk and Ino carried survivors. Ayk set one down, then froze—seeing Imimka's body among the injured. He's Mika's commander, right? Ayk muttered, "Is that… is that Mika's…?"
He looked around but only saw Noel sitting alone. He asked again, "Is this Mika's commander? Where's Mika?" Noel didn't respond. Ayk, desperate, grabbed her shoulder. "Where is Mika?!"
Noel panicked at Ayk's scattered eyes and shoved him, shouting, "Stay away!" Commander Ino kicked Ayk down. "Never lay a hand on a commander!"
Ayk's eyes darted everywhere. "Mika!! Mika!!" Ino stepped back, trembling, "What are you…?"
Mika emerged from behind a cart, drenched in blood. "Ayk, what's wrong?" But Ayk had already run to him, hugging him tightly. Mika's shock faded as he hugged his brother back, smiling. "Don't worry, bro. You know a few bombs won't get me." Ayk squeezed him, calming his own breathing.
Mika said to Ino, "Commander Ino, can I join you?" Ino said briefly, "Yes… we're still searching for survivors."
Birko questioned the trembling man, "Where did you get those birds?"
The man, devastated, replied, "I bought them from some guy in Bial… they were cheaper… I didn't know… I swear!"
Birko said angrily, "Bial!!" He knew it—those Light scum. He reached out to the sobbing man. "Don't worry, sir, but please come to our headquarters and give us all the information you have. We'll find who's responsible."
No matter how much Nier searched, he found no survivors among the bird explosions. There were no screams left, and every white aura he saw was fading into nothing. Why did I join the army if I can't save a single soul?
The massacre's noise finally died, replaced by Rin's retching. The stench of fire, flesh, and blood weighed on him like a thick fog. They didn't teach how to breathe during a massacre at the academy. Elir stared at Rin and asked, "What's wrong, Commander? Does the smell of meat and blood bother you?"
Rin said, annoyed, "Doesn't it bother you?"
Elir shook his head coldly. "No." He glanced at Nier. "This isn't the first time."
Rin stared in horror. Not the first time? How many times has he seen hundreds of corpses? What are you, Elir…?
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
The entire Second Squad gathered before Commander Arni later that day. Outside, the town was silent, mourning the massacre. That same silence weighed on the room until Arni broke it:
Arni said, "First… I wanted to inform everyone that one of our soldiers… Emika…" He hesitated before continuing reluctantly. "…was martyred in the festival massacre. We couldn't save him."
Noel broke down crying. Sabana tried to stifle her sobs. Sol punched the wall, yelling, "Damn it!" Although some had only recently met at the academy, most of them had spent three years together—eating, sleeping, and studying.
Silence fell once more until Commander Arni spoke calmly, "Mika, you will be reassigned under another leader."
Mika muttered, "God, I didn't even memorize the man's face, and now he's…"
Noel screamed angrily, "Don't you dare speak of him with that cursed mouth of yours!"
Sabana intervened. "Noel!"
Noel snapped hysterically, "What?! I'm saying what we're all thinking. How can we stand beside them, fight shoulder to shoulder, knowing people like them caused this thing?!"
She turned to the Black Wings and shouted in a broken, frightening voice, "You monsters!"
Sabana countered, "But we don't know yet if they're responsible."
Berko interjected angrily, "But we do know! The man said he bought the explosive birds from someone in Bial—a white soul who knew nothing."
Mika retorted furiously, "What? Just because his soul was white, he's innocent?!"
Berko shouted, "How dare you! A human couldn't commit these crimes! That's what your kind does! That's what you always do!"
Commander Arni cut in firmly, "Silence!"
Everyone fell quiet, and Arni continued, "I know it's not easy to witness something like this…" He sighed. "…especially on your first mission. But this massacre… the souls of everyone involved won't rest until we find the perpetrator. So focus, all of you!" He raised his voice. "And do your job!"
The Black Wings stood with bowed heads. This was the shame that had followed them—the humans' hatred and anger. This was how it had been for three hundred years. Still, they said nothing as Arni went on:
"Based on the witness's testimony, the explosive birds were purchased from Bial, and no black souls were at the crime scene. We don't know how these birds were fed explosives, nor do we know what else they might have planned. Therefore, the Second Squad's next mission is to investigate this bird seller and its source! Dismissed!"
The squad saluted and began leaving his office. Outside, Commander Berko grabbed Nier's shoulder. Nier stopped; so did Elir. Tension thickened the air. Berko tightened his grip on Nier.
Elir watched Berko's hand as though daring him: Do something.
Rin looked on, drained and unable to intervene.
Finally, Berko said, "What you did back then…" His eyes widened with a terrifying look. "Don't act without my orders again, you filthy-blooded scum!"
Elir tried to move, but Nier held his arm, stopping him. Nier didn't turn around. In an eerily calm voice, he said, "I'm sorry, Commander Berko. It won't happen again. It was my first mission. I'll await your orders next time."
Berko glared with contempt before walking away. Rin followed, leaving Nier and Elir alone a moment. Then Nier started walking, Elir trailing him.
Nier muttered to himself, "You won't get away with this… human or Light… you won't get away with this."
A few steps ahead, Arlo walked with his head lowered behind Noel, who sobbed uncontrollably, supported by Hemi and Sol.
Arlo said weakly, "Commander Noel…" She stopped without looking, so he continued eagerly, "I promise I'll find who did this and make them pay for—"
Noel whirled around in anger. "Don't speak to me unless I ask you a question or give you an order, do you hear me?! Don't forget your place!" She turned, screaming, "Why don't you all just kill yourselves already?!"
Arlo looked stunned. Why… what did I do? Does this shame follow me no matter what I try? Why does she look at me like that? Why me?
Arlo murmured, "I'm sorry…"