The sound of the horse hooves pounding on the pavement and the rapid rumble of the wheels fades as the carriage skids to a halt, and Raia and Sunshine dismount from the horse-drawn vehicle. They push their way through the throngs of people and amble along the city's roadside stalls.
Sunshine's head turns side to side as she searches for potatoes with Raia in tow.
Their duty as Aragons does not include shopping, but when they ran out of potatoes, Sunshine insisted on going shopping and dragged Raia along with her. She thought it was the perfect opportunity to get closer to her, thus the two of them ended themselves in this crowded and noisy place.
Since they're not on duty as Aragons, they dress simply in order to blend in with the crowd.
Sunshine squeals with delight, and Raia assumes she's already found what she's looking for. She sighs as they come to a halt in front of a potato stall, where a tall man in a loose, long-sleeved tunic stands in front.
"Hello, beautiful ladies," the stall owner greets with exaggerated enthusiasm, and Raia lets Sunshine handle the shopping.
Raia examines their surroundings, her gaze roving for any sign of malicious presence. Not being on duty doesn't mean they can lower their guard. They are, after all, in a place swarming with people of various facades. One of them may not even be human in the first place.
She inadvertently places her hand in her chest, trying to detect any unusual sensations within her, but all she feels is hollowness. She can't get her mind off the incident in the hospital, where she felt a sense of warning against an unseen enemy. That is a useful skill, to be sure, but it was a terrible experience. A lost spirit's despair is nothing more than a nightmare. That was the first time Raia felt such strong emotion, to the point where she would rather heal someone and endure temporary pain than something that lasted a long time.
"Raia!" Sunshine's high-pitched voice interrupts Raia's thoughts. "I bought potatoes. Do you want to buy something? Would you like to go for a walk before we return to the headquarters?"
Raia looks at the bag of potatoes Sunshine is carrying. She opens her mouth to speak, but a scream cuts her off, and then a woman jumps off the roof of a small building nearby. Her skirt flutters around her as she lands on the ground, and she sprints to a full run.
"H-hey, that's –" Sunshine starts, wrapping her hand around her right wrist.
The woman spins and raises a palm, but Raia already summoned her Blessing. The crowd screams as Raia's flaming longsword leaps to life and slashes the sphere light.
She frowns. The woman is without a doubt a possessed Outcast. She must purify her before any of these people become her victims. But just as she's about to leap, a boy pounces on her, and she winces as her back slams into the hard ground.
"Get off me!" Raia snarls and sits up, but the boy clings to her, his arms wrapped securely around her, refusing to let her go.
"N-no! You're going to hurt mama!" the boy says, his eyes welling up with tears as he looks at her. He's short and has unruly caramel hair. He's dressed in a beige loose shirt with brown suspenders and corduroy pants.
Raia grits her teeth, unwilling to argue with a naive child. She looks up at Sunshine.
"I've got this, Raia," Sunshine says with her back to Raia. She's wielding a longbow that is made of light. As she draws the string, a gleaming arrow appears, which she directs at the fleeing demon.
Raia redirects her icy stare to the boy. "We're not going to hurt your mother, we're just gonna . . . " Her voice trails off as she finds a reasonable explanation for a kid. ". . . exorcise the evil spirit that dwells within her."
The boy's pupils dilate. "Spirit? Is my mother possessed?"
"Yes," Raia hisses, trying to keep her patience at bay. "So, if you keep clinging to me, we could be too late to save your –"
"Raia!" Sunshine warns and fires the gleaming arrow.
The Outcast unleashes a ball of light at the same time the arrow passes through her body as if she didn't exist, then collapses unconscious to the ground. Before Raia can even move her sword, the light slams into her, knocking her back to the ground.
She stifles her scream as a surge of pain shoots up her face like fire. When she sits up, her eyes widen — the boy is unconscious on top of her. A tremor of dread runs through her.
No.
The boy is tainted.
She has failed.
Raia has failed one innocent human.
"Dammit!" she hisses. She holds her flaming longsword in front of her face, trying to keep her hands from trembling. "Raphael, pour thyself with Absideon and destroy the darkness thy blade touches. Purify the tainted soul and deliver it to Elysium!"
The orange flame surrounding her sword turns purple, and she points the tip of the blade over the boy's back. She closes her eyes.
"May the Light be –"
"Don't!" A shrill feminine voice cuts Raia off. She opens her eyes to see a young girl with rounded eyes standing before her in a wrinkled dress. Her caramel hair is pulled up into a messy ponytail.
Raia presses her lips to a thin line, her brows pulling together. She must be familiar with the boy. Another hindrance.
"W-what are you going to do with that s-sword?" The girl's voice is trembling as if she's about to cry. "Are you trying to kill my brother?"
Raia's frown deepens. "Brother?" A family?
"Answer me!"
Raia clenches her jaw, her glacial gaze fixated on the girl. "This is no longer your brother. It will be a demon any second."
The girl's eyes widen with terror. "D-demon? What are you talking about?"
Raia ignores her and repositions her weapon. She cannot allow herself to fail again. But before she can thrust the sword into the body on top of her, the girl snatches her wrist and pushes her to the ground, holding her brother in her tiny, frail arms.
"Who are you?" the girl shouts, tears streaming down her face. "Why are you killing my brother, you murderer! What did he ever do to you? You're even going so far as to say he's a demon? Don't you think you're the demon here?"
Raia grinds her teeth. The people around them are frozen in place, staring at them with wide eyes. She clenches her fists, anger and frustration welling up within her as she stares at the little girl. If she won't do something quick, the boy will awaken. If she won't do something, she will fail once again.
No. Raia mustn't fail. She is an Aragon, a destroyer, and must act as such. When life and innocence are at risk, there is no room for failure. Furthermore, her goal is to illuminate demons, and what's in front of her is about to be one.
She gets to her feet and points her flaming longsword at the girl, staring at her with cold eyes. "Give it to me or I'll be forced to kill him in front of you."
The girl shivers under her daunting gaze, but she refuses to give in. She tightly wraps her arms around her unconscious brother. "N-no. My brother . . . is the only one left. My papa is gone, and my mama rarely comes home, so my brother is the only one who is always there for me. My brother . . . we need each other."
Raia lowers her head as a shadow darkens her features. "I'm doing it for him and you. You will regret if he awakens." She clutches her sword, attempting to ignore the strange prickling pain in her heart.
Why am I feeling this way? Am I . . . sympathizing with this person?
She then recalls Raiden's words on the spur of the moment.
"We're supposed to be saviors."
Raia looks at the girl, then the boy. No, I cannot let myself be distracted. Besides, I'm no hero nor a savior, I'm a destroyer.
The girl stares at her for a few moments, as if considering what Raia said, then shakes her head. "You don't get it. Don't you have a family? You must understand how I'm feeling right now. You must understand the fear of losing a family!"
Raia stiffens, and the hand holding the sword trembles. She can feel her stomach twisting and her chest squeezing. Her gaze wanders over the girl and the boy, observing how the girl clutches her brother as if she is clinging to life.
"Don't you have a family?"
Those words reverberate in her ears, piercing her frozen heart.
Family? What is a family?
Master. Kara. Miss Sonnet.
How can I know if they're my family? I can't understand! Just what exactly is a family?
"How frustrating," Raia whispers in. "I may never understand what a family is, but . . ." She raises her head and looks the girl in the eyes. "I know what it's like to be a weapon, which is why I'll free your brother from the dreadful fate that awaits him." She re-grips her sword's hilt and charges forward, a blank expression on her face masking the chaos inside her mind and heart.
"May the Light be with you."
***
Sunshine yawns as she covers her mouth. She sits with her legs crossed and her chin propped up with her hand. The bag of potatoes is next to her. Her companion has been deafeningly quiet since they left the shopping district. And, while she is aware of Raia's usual quiet and solemn demeanor, something is different about her today, and she suspects it has something to do with the Outcasts they encountered not long ago.
Sunshine returned after dealing with the possessed Outcast and saw a little girl kneeling before Raia and hitting her with her small fists while crying. But Raia just stood there like a statue with a facial expression she couldn't quite comprehend. However, Sunshine was already aware of what had occurred without having to ask. The boy Raia purified was the girl's family.
How tragic, but I hope that things will get better for them soon. Please, Azarios, comfort their souls, Sunshine prays inwardly, her heart aching for them.
She casts a glance at Raia, but the grim-faced girl is still staring out the window. Her grayish eyes have that distant look, her thoughts elsewhere, focused on something far away.
What is she thinking? Sunshine wonders, watching her. But as much as she wants to ask her, she doesn't dare to speak. Sunshine may have the appearance of a young girl, but she is not stupid or naive. She lets Raia be and leans back in the carriage seat. Listening to the horse hooves, she closes her eyes.
"Sunshine." Raia has spoken in hushed tones, but her voice is so loud and sharp to Sunshine's ears that she almost jumps to her seat.
"Y-yes?" Sunshine stumbles over her words as she jerks her head up and looks at Raia, becoming fidgety all of a sudden.
Raia gives her a once-over before returning her gaze to the window beside her. "How does it feel to grow up with family?"
Sunshine flinches at her unexpected question, which triggers a certain memory and emotion within her. She fidgets with her skirt and averts her eyes.
"Um . . . I . . ." Her voice falters, and she clears her throat to gather herself. She flashes Raia a weak smile as she ignores the burning ache in her chest. "Well, it's . . . "
Raia looks away from her, as if sensing her discomfort, and fixes her eyes to the window. "You don't have to answer it." Then, softly, and so quietly that Sunshine barely hears it, Raia says, "I'm sorry."
Sunshine looks at Raia for a few seconds, stunned, blinking. She looks out the window with a gentle smile on her lips. The sun begins to set below the horizon, and the eerie atmosphere fades.
"Thank you for understanding," Sunshine says, gratitude flowing through her. She has only recently met Raia and thus knows very little about her. She isn't yet at ease telling her about her life. Maybe not today, but she knows she will soon because she already has the impression that Raia is someone she can trust.