The Banquet

As the night continued, the sudden news of the banquet circulated around the ship. Warden Yulia Orks arranged a celebratory banquet which was postponed for Fein's health conditions. The date was fixed for the next night.

It was a festival for the few members of DOR boarding the ship. A triumphant celebration, who doesn't want that. A mood of festivity prevailed among the members, their hearts filled with joy and positivity. They were offered privileges specialized by DOR. Likewise Fein was provided with a white shirt (a small embroidery of DOR at one corner of it's collar), formal pants, black tie, suit and black half fingered hand gloves.

He was given a golden chain, which he had seen Yulia wearing on the side buttons of her tangzhuang uniform on her left chest side. He fiddled with it for a while not knowing where to tie it. He left it hanging on the collars of his black coat. Each end holding the collars of the left and right side like a brooch. He tugged his handgloves while looking at himself in the mirror. His front bangs had grown. He sleek back his hair but they didn't remain put, reappearing again on top of his scarlet eyes.

To him it was fine anyway as long as he could see.

Soon after stepping out of his room, he stumbled upon Kuina, coming out from the door opposite to his. He glanced at her attire which included her formal baggy pants, suspenders stretched out from the hips of her pants over to her shoulder. The embroidery on her white shirt suggested that she was provided such clothes by the officials as well. However she didn't wear the chain that was given to Fein.

He figured that the chain must've symbolized something.

"Fein!" Kuina raised her glances. "How has your health examinations been?"

"Good."

"I'm glad."

Their conversation was cut short as neither of them talked on their way to the banquet hall.

Within the two days Fein had woken up he recognized the fact that he wasn't in von2402. It was a sub ship discharged by the marine vessel.

I couldn't find Rene.

Negative emotions altogether accumulated inside him. Upon entering the banquet hall both of them found the warden making her heart quaking motivating speech in the middle of the gathering. They were slightly late to the cheer nonetheless they joined in it, picking up a glass from the tray and holding it up in the air.

"This is… for all of our comrades.. who laid down their lives.. for the people. May. They. Be granted heaven."

With that the people sparsed out with their glass of wine. A tall glass tower stood up and high underneath the silver spotlight. It contained the names of all those that died in the dockyard.

Ran Halveri was one among them, Fein noticed.

A wrong move and Fein would have his name engraved there.

"What does it make you feel like?"

Behind him, a raspy voice of a man hit inside his eardrums. It was Ludic Boseman.

Fein glanced at him. Ludic wore a fancy suit similar to his, though he wore a cream white shawl around his neck. "I'm still not sure which answer of mine will satisfy you."

"I'm seeking your honest reply." Ludic glanced down at his glass of wine. It was still untouched meaning that Fein didn't steal a sip of it.

"Honestly, huh." Fein walked away from the tower and put his glass on the table. "I feel nothing. I don't understand why people grieve their death when they finally escaped from this damn world. It must be peaceful on the other side."

"Then.. why do you desperately cling to life?" Ludic scoffed as if ridiculing him. "It was your best chance to die there, no?"

Fein lowered his glances, not wanting to meet his eyes. "There are still things left undone in this world for me."

"Do you not think that they might have them too?"

Fein realized he was being pressed, a desperate attempt by Ludic in winning their argument. He gave up, not wanting to prolong their conversation. "You must be right. They might have them too."

Acting the mature one, Ludic raised his glass to the golden light, glittering the rising bubbles of the beverage inside.

"Grievance isn't essentially meant for death. It can also mean the sentiments behind the works left undone."

"So… are you mourning, Mr Ludic?"

"Of course i am. I'm sure my comrades had families they wanted to reunite with. Things that they wished to do once everything ended."

Recollecting his memories of Donna, Fein felt a heaviness in his heart. He knew he didn't care about most people's death but it left him in confusion, whether not feeling sad over anyone's death was right or wrong.

Am i just hopelessly apathetic?

"You'll learn, kid." Said the man as he walked away. "You'll learn. When it'll get too late."

Fein was left baffled in perplexity. He did not realize that he might've been the one devoid of emotions.

Is it required? What am i supposed to do with it? Does it have to do anything for me to survive in this world?

"No." Fein mumbled.

I'm surely not apathetic. If i was I wouldn't have cared about Rene at all, neither put my life in the line to rescue them. I'm perfectly normal.

"Excuse me, Mr Rasmond. Ma'am Orks summons you."

Said a member sent by Yulia.

"Yea..sure."

Amidst the small crowd of people, Fein could see a woman, radiating her overwhelming aura. She wore a scarlet red shirt, a black tie, and a black striped waistcoat on top. Over her attire she wore a black blazer, (she didn't wear the sleeves of the blazer and left it hanging on her shoulders). The golden chains and medals attached to the blazer glistened on her chest. A sleek short ponytail tied on her crown, two thick strands of hair near the both ends of her eyebrows, her front bangs tucked behind her ears. Her black handgloves adorned with jewels and rings. Lips coloured maroon red highlighting her ultimate elegance and beauty. She was truly a sight to behold.

"Ms Orks." Called Fein.

"It isn't gentlemanly to keep such a beautiful lady as me waiting."

Fein chuckled. "To beg for your forgiveness, what must i do, my lady?"

"Haha. The head of the Doomsday Order demanded to meet you."

"The Head?"

Yulia walked out of the crowd and sought for a place to talk with Fein privately. They arrived at the deck, out in the open wind. Their coats and blazers danced gently with the breeze.

"As unusual as it sounds, I'm pretty surprised as well. Our head isn't someone who easily takes interest in people.'

"Then why must he meet me?"

"That is a mystery to me as well."

"Is it because I'm a new member of the Beast Slayers and want to officialize my ID?"

"You do not need to go through such special procedures to officialize you. Because the ceremony that we are holding now is in a way to officially recognize you as a Slayer. Since it is difficult to travel all the way to the Blessed City each time, the responsibility was given to the wardens."

"Blessed City?"

It was the first time Fein heard the name of the city. Yulia looked equally surprised discovering that Fein hadn't been told about it before. She sighed and began to explain.

"Yes. It is a place where the undeads, dragons nor beasts can enter." Yulia's eyes started to look distant. "It is a protected plate created only two months after the disaster."

"Created? Not existed?"

"Yes. It was created. However its mechanism is unknown. There was this riot within the DOR. And then suddenly it came into existence."

"A riot?"

"Only the head department knows what exactly happened in the riot. Us branch department only knows something occurred."

"Ultimately.. i need to visit the chief, yes."

"It is your choice. I wish to not interfere."

Fein glanced at the wavy imprint of the moon on the ocean water. "I suppose the marine vessels are headed to the Blessed City."

"It is supposed to. Before it'll have to pass through the Watchers island. Once inspections are completed it'll be allowed to enter the city."

Fein sighed. A load of information was flooding in his head which he did not want for once. He reckoned for some rest from the enormous processing of information. Thus he refrained from asking further questions already, taking it easy, one at a time.

"Its fine as long as the Watchers island is safe." He mumbled. If his sister was in one of the vessels, he could rest assured that she'd be taken to safe places from here on.

Yulia, hearing his soft mumble, glanced at him. She gently smiled knowing his reason for worry.

Such things did not occur within her family. All that she had faced since childhood was challenge and competition. Witnessing such a soft side of humanity could only amuse Yulia.

She raised her head gazing at the yellowish moon showering moonlights at them while Fein gazed down at the wavy, dancing and fleeting image of the moon.