"Guaaah!" Kyle breathed in, shocked awake by the sudden end to the dream. A strange sensation lingered about his body, one that was akin to falling. In the instant he realised he was right, he hit the ground. A loud thud resounded in the dining room as Kyle's head hit the wooden floorboards with a weighty force and along with it the clatter of his knocked over chair. "Yeoooo!." He rolled on the floor letting out gibberish as he held his head in pain.
"What are you doing?" Maila stood above him as he slowly eased himself. She frowned at the sight of the fallen chair and empty cup on the table as well as the blanket now strewn on the floor, "You stayed here the entire night didn't you?"
Kyle finally stood as the pain ebbed away, "I didn't mean to. I just kind of fell asleep." He looked outside where the early morning light had barely began. His mind was still rattled by the final scene of the dream as the mass of fire and flame crushed against Estile. Everything about that dream was foreign to him and thinking back to the battlefield his stomach and head suddenly churned to nausea. In a rush he pushed past Maila to the bathroom and keeled over the toilet. What came out wasn't pretty, though it was nothing compared to the battlefield he saw in his mind. For someone who had never been in a fight before, witnessing the deaths of dozens upon dozens was too much. Estile was used to it but for Kyle, how could he not remember their dead lifeless bodies? The ones who screamed in pain and bled, all the while their emotionless enemies continued to hack at them.
"Kyle?" Maila came soon after him deeply concerned.
"I'm- I'm fine," he replied stiffly as the feeling passed.
"Maybe you should rest today. You might have a fever from sleeping outside."
"No I can't," he shook his head. For one he wasn't actually sick and the other, Lillia and Tai would hopefully return in the evening. He wanted to be there to make sure the Garden was ready to welcome them back. "I mean, I really am fine. It was just something in passing."
"If you say so, but if you want any medicine I do have some, not that the children ever get sick."
"Thank you," he straightened his body and wiped his mouth. The taste of bile still lingered on his tongue and he quickly went to wash it out. Maila let him pass as he returned to the dining room, her eyes however were locked on to him as if just waiting for him to collapse. "Um you really don't have to stare so much."
"Put yourself in my shoes. You'd be just as concerned," she looked at him wryly.
Kyle nodded after a pause, "I guess you're right but it's nothing wrong with me." Even if he wanted to explain, he wasn't sure where to start or if he could. Maila was the one who told him to keep quiet about his dreams after all.
Finally letting it go Maila and moved away, "I'll start on breakfast then. Come help when you're ready."
"Sure, I'll just wash up first." Still in the dining room he bent over to pick up the fallen chair and upon seeing the blanket he paused. When he had fallen asleep he didn't have one. Looking at it closer he realised it belonged to Mitsu. The girl must have woken up and seen him at the table. He smiled. They really were good kids.
Alone in the bathroom Kyle washed away the nights sweat and freshened himself. The dream this time had been the longest yet and not for good reasons. The constant battle continued to flash into his mind causing his body to unconsciously flinch. Although he had never seen the strange black armoured creatures before, the way they died reminded him of Jana's fight with the demon Primarch. The oozing dark substance seemed almost the same but having never actually been up close to a demon himself, he couldn't judge. What he knew however was that Estile was truly special. For someone who could look so gentle and calming, she had dominated the battlefield. A strange shudder flipped through his heart as he wondered if she had somehow survived. Unless he dreamed again, he might never know.
By the time Kyle made it back to the dining room Maila had almost finished preparing breakfast and it was his job to make sure the children all woke up. For most of them it wasn't a problem and many of them would already be awake. Then there were those like Himila who although were super active when they were awake needed an incentive to actually get up. The smell of breakfast usually did the job but just as Kyle was preparing to pull into his bag of tricks, the door to Himila's room opened.
"Good morning Mr Kyle!" she greeted him cheerily.
"You're already awake," he said surprised.
"Of course I am," she puffed her chest and hit it. "I can't laze and sleep all day. It's my job to set a good example for everyone else."
Although he felt she was forcing herself he smiled regardless and gently patted her head, "Good. Keep it up. Breakfast is almost ready."
"I'll be down in a minute." She pushed against his back, "You go first. I'll help get everyone else up."
"Um ah sure," unable to compete with her strength Kyle was forced down the stairs. He paused at the bottom and looked back up confused. It wasn't that Himila was a bad girl, in fact she could be incredibly caring in her own way, but he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong.
He entered the kitchen as some of children bounced past him and took their seats at the table.
Quietly he whispered to Maila, "Is Himila okay? She was already awake and strangely responsible."
Maila blinked in wonder before letting out a melancholic smile, "She's getting herself ready."
"For what?"
"For bad news."
"Oh...," Kyle felt his chest grow heavier.
"Lillia was always pretty responsible but Jana went through the same phase. Himila is just a bit earlier than usual... though I ca-."
Kyle gripped her shoulder causing her to cut her words short. Maila waited expecting him to say something but the young man's gaze went past her and through the dining room to the window beyond. Hesitantly she followed his eyes and easily realised the reason for his anxious pull against her. Outside walking slowly towards the house was Bethial. Two steps behind was Valandus but other than the two they were alone.
"Look at me Kyle," she forcibly turned his face towards hers. "Keep calm and breath. Just because they're alone doesn't mean the worst."
"R-right," he nodded stiffly as she continued to hold him in place.
"Good. Now the two of us will greet them. No matter what they say, I need you to stay yourself. Can you do that?"
Again he nodded but even through that slow movement Maila could feel the rising beat in his body.
She let go and turned to the children who were waiting in the dining room. Several of them had caught on but held back their words, waiting patiently as they always did. "Okay everyone breakfast is ready. Come serve yourself when you want. Mr Kyle and I are going to have a talk now."
The children who hadn't noticed bobbed their heads happily and made their way into the kitchen where the morning's porridge waited. Kyle and Maila headed out to the reception at the same time. As they did so, Kyle caught Himila, Kara and Mitsu's gazes. The three looked at each other before nodding in understanding, taking it upon themselves to keep order in the room. Down the corridor and in the reception, Bethial didn't even have the chance to ring the bell before the two appeared. His expression was firm hiding his true feelings, however nothing could hide the paleness of his and Valandus' complexions.
"Good morning," he bowed his head.
"You're early," Maila stood as step ahead of Kyle as if trying to protect him from the words that were about to come.
"We are...," the man's eyes flicked down to Kyle and in that brief moment he saw the pain inside.
Kyle couldn't hold back any longer and stepped forward, "Where are they? Where are Lillia and Tai?" On reflex Maila's hand shot out and grabbed his, stopping him from going any further.
The Captain didn't flinch and in a tone filled with regret began, "Lillia was injured... she's in recovery. As for young Tai... he didn't make it."
"What?" Kyle's head tilted unable to comprehend the words as his mind did everything it could to reject them. "What do you mean he didn't make it!?"
"Special Officer Tai passed away on the field of battle," Bethial remained calm. Years of the same had enabled him to keep control even against the youth's pain.
"Passed away? He died?" A pressure began to build in his heart that he couldn't control. "B-but Tai wasn't the Hero. Weren't you meant to protect him? He-he wasn't meant to be in danger. I-I-." I should have talked to him more. I should have given him what he wished for. I should have been there. The thoughts piled up threatening to burst.
"It was our fault," the Captain admitted and grit his teeth. "We thought it was over and just when our guard was down a Primarch and several Type S demons appeared. Tai went to stop them reaching the town. He achieved his goal but there was a price to pay."
Maila frowned, "Another Primarch? But that's never happened. Not twice in a row."
"So we thought as well and now we have an injured Hero and another passed. I still have to notify the-."
"God damn it!" Kyle screamed and slammed his fist against the wall beside him. The board cracked and as his hand fell back to his side a stain of blood remained.
"Kyle!" Maila tugged against his other arm. "You knew this could happen. Control yourself." Her eyes gestured to the corridor they had come from where the children waited. His screams would be easily heard.
His teeth clenched against each other unable to apologise. He refused to. Instead he faced the Captain with fierce eyes, "Take me to Lillia."
Bethial's expression softened, "I can at least do that much. There is also someone else you should speak to."
"Maila I-."
"Go ahead," she let go of his arm. "It's alright I understand. I'm just... more used to it now."
The melancholic gaze, the slight defeat her posture showed, how it looked like a soft wind could cause her calm manner to fade away. Kyle understood now how much she hid away. The night when he arrived and the Captain had told her about Jana, just how many times before had she kept herself straight and went to care for the children as usual?
"Once you're back we'll lay down Tai's cross together," her hand gripped tight against her heart. "I'll talk to the children. Make sure Lillia is okay."
"I will...," he couldn't look her in the eye afraid that he would be unable to hold back the tears that already clouded his vision.
Valandus stepped forward, unable to look Maila in the eyes, "I failed you again...."
"Val," Maila reached for him but the man had already turned away.
"This way Kyle," he gestured for Kyle to follow. "She's not in great shape but she'll live."