Aftermath

A loud ring assaulted my ears as flames danced over what was left of the train. Smoke pounced on us like a predator, carrying along with it a wafting scent of charred flesh. I thought this distance was safe, but the enormous chunk of metal lodged in the wall behind me proved that wrong.

Melting steel and flesh covered whatever the smoke spared, while hell unfolded right in front of me. I barely saw Nea. Confusion and fear replaced her usual mischievousness before she started retching. I grabbed her waist and placed her on my shoulder, before walking towards the exit of the station. "Not here," I think I said. But couldn't even hear my own thoughts, let alone my voice.

I walked low, with Nea slung over my shoulders. Treading through the rubble and the occasional body parts. Right at the explosion, Nea covered both of us in a Grade-4 Barrier spell. With this, I now knew I could trust her.

A crowd had already formed outside the station as they at the harrowing sight in front of them. Few nursed the injured people who escaped the station. Someone held up their leaking guts while someone else had missing limbs. A child held up a bloodied head with an ice plain face.

I felt a tap on my back and let Nea down. She grasped the hem of my shirt and kept her head low. Maybe she said something, but I couldn't hear her over the ringing in my ear. We walked away from the crowd when a familiar face closed up.

Her usual smile was replaced by a grim frown. But it was surely the attendant lady from the train. The day I switched wine glasses with Artelick, the words 'sent here to protect you' were scratched on what was originally his glass. Something I didn't let him see.

The lady tried to say something, so I pointed at my ear and waved my hand. She nodded and tried to help Nea, who just tightened the grip on my clothes and smacked her hand away. The lady led us to a house a small distance away. Inside the place were Jane and Artelick, distraught. Artelick shot up and rushed towards us.

"Oh, m—BE—E—EEP—ius?" He said something, but I ignored him and led Nea to a couch. She sat down. I was about to move, but she didn't leave her grip.

Today, I ascertained a partner in Nea. I was ready to indulge in all of her selfishness. I sat next to her.

**

"I have already telegraphed the Capital... A carriage will be here to pick us up tomorrow," said Orina.

"Hm," Jane replied.

It was evening before everyone calmed down enough to have a conversation. We sat around a table in the small room owned by the ruling party.

Jane and Artelick snuggled together on the floor while I sat across from them. Nea wrapped herself in a blanket on the couch next to me, her face buried in her knees. Orina sat on the other end and handed out some food she had arranged in the town. She occasionally glanced at Nea, but didn't look like she had anything to say.

I had to feed Nea the still shaken up.

"Haha... Those bastards ended up saving our lives..." Artelick spoke up after a long period of silence.

"The place we thought was the safest became the biggest threat..." Jane added in. At her words, Orina heaved a sigh. "The train wasn't too safe either... almost all the executives and even the leader of the new party in Scalmourne were on the train... Their history isn't... wasn't clean enough to have you two meet them..." she said.

"What new party?" I asked. The executives and the leader of a new party must be the guys the father was planning to kill. VIPs leave after the general occupants of the train. That must be when the train would have blown up, had it not been for me.

"The Zakall resurgence, they called themselves... formed right after Scalmourne's mayor died... Some Adrion guy used to lead them like slaves… "

What?! It was Adrion? More good news keeps coming out of this incident.

"How could something like this happen..." Jane mumbled. Artelick patted her head to comfort her.

"Too many people died. The temple will not let this pass..." said Orina.

This was the final topping of the incident. No one escapes the temple after taking away the freedom of so many people. The Medax inquisitors will investigate every corner they could and will figure out who conducted the bombing. They will take the culprit down at all costs. They will find the 'father' who caused this explosion.

I looked to my side to see that Nea had fallen asleep. Still curled up, she didn't let go of my clothes. "It's still evening but let's rest for today..." I said.

We split up. There were two bedrooms here. The Illychs went into one and Orina asked me to take the other one.

I declined her offer and stayed on the floor next to Nea.