Seraphic Wings

76. Emotions by the Sea

The rest of that night was strange. Nocte had appeared on the roof of where they were after a short while, he then congratulated Lucette, and smiled at Eros. However, since Eros was now semi aware of certain things, he didn't really bat an eyelid when Nocte appeared. For a while, he had a feeling that something was amiss, but he surprisingly took everything in his stride anyway. Nocte took them back to the hotel and used the excuse that Eros was resting in his room the entire day, and apparently everyone took that, including Mai. According to Nocte, he made everyone sleep and protected the hotel when all the things were going on, and the whole dragon issue apparently didn't exist in anyone's mind. The Cathedral itself and the surrounding area were perfectly fine, and Nocte said he wiped the memory of everyone in the city who caught sight of that dragon. Lucette didn't question how he managed that, although Ichthys commented that it was a normal thing to do if something of that nature happens. However, the amusement park was another matter.

It was classed as a freak accident that the big wheel had come down. Nocte announced that it was impossible to remove the traces of what happened there, since when mortals die, you shouldn't intervene. That is the jist of what he was on about which, in a way, made sense but, to Lucette, it felt kind of upsetting that something supernatural affected so many lives. But the fault was in the person who actually brought that stone dragon to life. However, no matter who she asked, she couldn't get an answer from anyone.

The following morning, it was all over the newspapers, radio and news. It was logged that ten people lost their lives, and many more were injured. Due to that incident, Mrs Everest had insisted that everyone had to return earlier than expected. So, naturally, everyone had to pack that morning to leave. Mai kept sighing, saying that she didn't want to go back. She also mentioned that she preferred it here, because she didn't have to put up with her overbearing dad.

As everyone piled outside, she caught sight of both Eros and Ichthys, who were standing away from everyone. Eros looked much better than he did yesterday, but the memory of what she witnessed was still there. In one way, she wanted to forget about it but, for some other unknown reason, she wanted to remember it. She wanted to remember everything. But she was way too close to losing him forever.

When the coach finally arrived, everyone got on. Nocte went back into teacher mode and, for some reason, he was sporting a pair of glasses, for whatever reason, and was doing a headcount. As soon as he knew everyone was here, he alerted the driver, and sat back in the front seat. Everyone was more or less quiet. It was either the shock of what happened, or them being sad to leave. It might even have been a mixture of both. Even Ichthys was quiet, as he just sat next to Eros, and watched him as he read a magazine that he apparently somehow acquired. Although there was something a little off with him but, considering what he went through, it made sense. Mai, who was sitting next to her, was also quiet, and was reading the newspaper. As Lucette caught a glimpse of the paper, she saw that it was just talking about what happened at the amusement park. Turning to look out the window, she couldn't help wondering about the whole Lilith thing. So, that part of her was the whole cause of the weird stuff she can do? Somehow, it made sense but, when she asked anyone about where it came from, she didn't get an answer. Perhaps they didn't know, and this was something she had to discover on her own. But Lilith was sentient, to some degree, and she wanted to get to know her. It was just another side of her that was foreign.

As she watched the city fly by, she didn't realise that the coach stopped near the gates, at a red light. She then noticed a man in a red suit, smiling at her and giving her a small wave. As the coach started moving again, she wondered if she actually saw that, or if it was a figment of her imagination. However, it did look similar to the same red suit she had seen previously. No one around her actually noticed the man that was staring at her at the red light either. So, sighing, she leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. It was going to be a long journey home.