Dijana returns to her hometown no more than a few hours after leaving for the presentation in the capital of Albam, Gulltrad. Everything went well and the trip was peaceful. On the way, she decides to apologize to Nayla for the silly arguments they had, after all, one shouldn't hold resentments for such trivial reasons.
What she didn't expect was to find her Meigdan completely destroyed.
What was once an immense and radiant city, is now before her reduced to ruins and smoke. Several tents with the banners of the Special Services Unit occupy the road, welcoming the crowd in pity. On the other side, bodies lined up, covered with black and white sheets, are organized by the members of her own headquarters.
Dijana's mind is filled with emptiness; her thoughts are like vapors, intangible, unbelieving. Everything she loves was there, in that city. Everything. Everything.
She walks up to an unknown Major, seeking information. However, before she can ask, she notices a pair of Parvus, her students, in tears. The girl repeatedly asks for forgiveness, inconsolable... Dijana bends down before them. Her expression is neutral. She asks: "Where's Nayla?". The Parvus freeze. They don't have the courage.
_ Good thing the ACU ended those Cyclops, right? _ A woman in the civil police uniform says _ But there were many casualties...
Dijana gets up. She identifies the teams that collect survivors and corpses, one by one, from the rubble. The girl holds her by the wrist; her lips tremble, but she can't convey the message given to her... Dijana lets go and walks slowly. She knows that the Ecclesia does everything following protocols, including how to organize bodies after major disasters... "White ones are civilians; black ones are from the Ecclesia", she thinks as soon as she arrives at the tetrical scene. She recognizes some of the locks of hair and the custom shoes of people she used to meet every single day.
A shiver.
This can't be real.
It isn't possible that so many of her colleagues were wiped out in such a short time.
She kneels in front of the bare-footed body, whose blanket is soaked in blood. She only knows one person who is silly enough to take off her boots during a fight, "To feel the ground better, right... Nayla?"... She starts to pull out the fabric, without breathing, but is interrupted by a warm touch.
Her feelings deceive her for an instant, but she soon recognizes the blond head followed by the red cape. Hugging her tightly, Amadeo says:
_ I'm so sorry, Dijana!! I'm so, so sorry!!!
He cries, cries, cries, as Dijana had never seen him cry before. She returns the hug, little by little, understanding the whole situation. Her tears fall.
Mute.
Imperceptible.
Meigdan's headquarters is dissolved. Its jurisdiction as a District is transferred to the nearby Units until the city is rebuilt. All survivors of the ACU are suspended indefinitely until they are reassigned to new headquarters and new functions. Those who have had greater losses are given a 6-month leave to live through their grief.
Dijana and her family, as well as so many other residents, were sent to neighboring cities as refugees. Ecclesia participates in all legal and bureaucratic procedures.
Amadeo locks himself in his hotel room to "work" on his mission reports. He himself knows that this is just an excuse to ignore the death of his best friend.
Johan is also in denial. He chooses to stay in Meigdan and help rebuild the city until further notice. His voice isn't heard for many days in a row.
Among the sobs that echo through the corridors of the small inn, Emília asks:
_ What do I do, dear...?
In one hand, she squeezes an envelope; with the other, she intertwines fingers with Deodoro. He shakes his head negatively. Both have teary eyes.
_ I do not know. _ He answers.
Deodoro looks for the best words and reformulates his phrases before saying them... but... he gives up. Just mumbles:
_ I'm worried. It seems that we are walking towards a hurricane... _ He sighs and strokes his grayish head _ To call everything that just happened a "coincidence" is an absurd.
_ Yes, I know... I know.
Emília again reads the contents of the letter she had just received: "Prima-Ordinis Major Paladin, Emília Ferner, you are summoned to sustain urgent reinforcements at the North Sea Border Unit at the special request of Prima-Ordinis Major Paragon, Yomi En. No excusive measures – including leaves, holidays and the like – are applicable. Date of presentation at the requesting Unit: 3 days after receipt of this letter". In the lower margin of the sheet, written with a special ink that only becomes visible to its real addressee, it reads:
"Bring Alscher and Ionani without anyone knowing ~ En "
_ I don't get it. _ Emília rubs her eyes _ Why now?! It is even written that a license doesn't save me from it...! I don't get it!!
_ Emília, maybe this is an opportunity. _ He strokes the woman's hair _ If the three of you stay here, you will get sick. I don't know what you should do, but... we do not have many options.
Deodoro then gets up, pulling a fabric amulet, omamori, from his pocket:
_ I'll head to Sarauniya. The library there has some information that I would like to see... I have suspicions, not very good, of what may have happened here. _ He doesn't smile.
When the searches end at that day, rescue workers leave the city's ruins to rest. Dijana sneaks in, with no clear objectives. She just wants to find something, a symbol, to take with her. Anything from her.
Walking carefully through the ruins of the fort, she enters in what is left of her old room. Virtually everything is destroyed. She sighs. "How silly I am", she thinks, approaching the craft table. The clay sculptures, the knitting dolls... There was nothing left. Dijana pulls out her sketchbook. It looks like a diary, recording what Nayla has experienced in the past few years; most are attacks descriptions, actually.
Melancholic, she turns the pages...
"Ah, yes, I remember when she drew this... About two years ago, more or less", she thinks, stroking the sheet where there is a portrait of Nayla with Amadeo and their huge smiles. The header reads: "Mission completed: I cheered up the sad boy!!!".
Dijana rips the page and keeps it in her pocket. She will deliver it to Amadeo in due time. For now, those smiles will be her strength.
---------
End of Arc 3
Part 1 – Ágora / / Part 2 – Pixies
# Leave your coments about the arc, expectations, critics and doubts #
Thank you for coming this far! We'll meet in Arc 4 . . . . .
---------
YOU ARE READING
Three Spheres
FantasyAmadeo is 20 years old young man, with a sword attached to his waist and an insatiable desire for freedom... The burden of his title, and the weight of his cape don't let him forget such destiny that he never chose. However, what he doesn't know is...
