Season 1 Episode 46: Smoke Clouds

Sakuto Naokata woke up early. He quietly got up and made breakfast for his sleeping wife and then got ready to leave. He slowly opened the door, and looked up to the sky. The previous day's rain clouds were nowhere to be seen, leaving behind bright blue skies.

"You're leaving?" a voice interrupted him from leaving, and with a gentle sigh, he turned around to see his wife standing behind him with a sleepy smile.

"The chief had planned a group expedition to the north of Kakunodate starting from today. I'm going to be late if I don't leave now," Sakuto said, as he walked towards his wife and gently caressed her face.

"I know you're doing your duty, my love. I'm just sad that I can't see you so often anymore," she replied, as she held his hand tightly.

"I'm sad I won't get to see you as well. But I feel like we're finally doing what we're meant to do in quite a while; to bring about justice. I feel like we're finally making some progress," Sakuto said while cupping his wife's face with his hands.

"You're making a lot of enemies by doing that. Just be careful, will you?" She kissed him with a smile on her face, and he walked back to the door.

"I will. I love you."

*********

"Get down!"

At nearly the same time the Minister's body exploded into pieces, the Second Elder yelled out and Claude rolled onto his side, reacting on instinct; all muscle memory and no forethought.

BOOM!

The explosion was immediate and catastrophic, tearing through the main hall, heaving up a chute of flames and a mountain of rubble and smoke began pouring out of the room, billowing in thick clouds down the hallway as the air grew thick.

It sounded like the end of the world, as miserable shrill cries tore through the hall that were showered in blood, littered with chunks of human flesh.

Claude rolled onto his back and then got to his feet with a grunt, looked up, on alert. From the left, Claude saw the Second Elder, staring at the carnage around him, followed a few seconds later by a "Claude, are you alright?"

Claude raised his hand in reply. "I'm fine, master."

Second Elder saw Claude waving his arm and nodded his head, then turned around, scanned the area and headed forward. The man hall had collapsed, with the fires and deep black smoke still raging.

Claude followed, and together they moved through the wreckage. Soon, they stumbled upon Gerald Bancroft, the headmaster of the Silver Moon Academy, who was sitting on the ground near a corner with his back resting against the wall.

Gerald, who saw the two men approaching him, gave a wobbly shake of his head and said. "I guess you weren't too close to the blast, huh?"

Second Elder knelt down and placed his hand on his shoulder, "Are you okay, Gerald?"

"Yep. The explosion caught me a bit off guard. But other than that, I'm fine," Gerald grunted and raised his hand forward, and the Second Elder pulled him up, helping him get on his feet. "What about the rest of your disciples?" Gerald asked after taking a glance at Claude.

"I still have to find Wilfred. He's the only one who stayed behind. The rest went out after the final fight to console Hugh who was feeling down after his loss," The Second Elder replied. "What about yours?"

"Dayton was the only one who remained in the main hall," Gerald said, his forehead balanced on his arm as he spoke. "I have to find him."

They moved down the hall, passing by people who lied on the floor, not moving, while others writhed in pain.

"Who do you think is responsible for this?" Gerald asked as he pressed his fingertips around his stomach and winced.

"Who else but the Revolutionaries? They are the only people insane enough to do such a thing," The Second Elder replied as he handed Gerald a bottle of healing potion. "There. I see them," The Second Elder pointed at the stairs and saw Dayton Palmer and Wilfred Beldon, lying on the floor, seemingly unconscious.

"Dayton," Gerald stepped towards Dayton while the Second Elder turned to his disciple, Wilfred. The Second Elder turned him around and patted his head and Wilfred was instantly awake. Dayton, who was drifting in and out of consciousness, took one look at Gerald and panicked.

"Dayton! It's me!" Without pause, Gerald reached forward, gripping the young man's hands tightly as he yelled out.

"H-Headmaster?" Dayton panted in confusion. "W-What happened?"

"Victor blew himself up," Gerald grabbed the healing potion from his pocket and handed it to Dayton, who tore open the bottle and gulped it down. "How?" asked Beldon, who had calmed down after the initial outburst.

"Probably using Domperixin," The Second Elder replied, as he helped to lift Beldon up and handed him the healing potion. "Or a drug similar to Domperixin. Domperixin is an extremely lethal substance that destroys the meridian by overamplifying the spiritual energy. It basically forces the user's body to expand the meridian until it pops."

"He wouldn't be able to sneak such a drug in so easily, right?" Claude asked Second Elder, who shook his head. "There's probably more than one person involved."

"Let's leave that discussion for later. For now, get moving." Gerald responded, and they turned around, walking back the way they came.

A couple of breaths later and they were out of the wreckage, and the royal guards who were positioned outside of the venue were seen rushing into the main hall. Meanwhile, everything else was gripped in chaos, with people screaming and dashing everywhere as the smoke from the explosion spread everywhere.

*********

Prince Bancroft rose and moved to the window, staring out past the courtyard at the Drukzar Terrains. He'd been in the country of Barugh for three days now. The combat units deployed by the First Consul was four days from their destination, having made the bulk of the travel under clear skies.

He turned at the sound of two men approaching, both in their mid-thirties.

"Your Majesty," the two men warmly greeted the Prince, speaking in a polite and respectful manner.

"What news do you bring?" The Prince asked.

One man lowered his head and spoke softly. "Prince, we have received news that Minister Frederick Hammer had been murdered!"

"Minister Frederick…." The Prince's face had a complicated expression, and a bitter smile had appeared on the corners of his mouth.

"Minister Frederick, may your soul rest in peace. Your sacrifice will not be in vain. I shall make sure of it.." The Prince muttered, with a voice that was filled with bitterness.