The Incident at Reilly

10 Mensis Augustus, Year 698

The annual Reilly Fair was being held in the eponymously-named town. Held at a rather large set of fairgrounds, the site was bustling with hundreds of people who were riding various steam-powered rides or eating food from various vendors. Among the throngs of people at the fair were Yuna, Werner, their parents, and their father’s brother’s family, the latter of whom lived near Reilly and had visited the Reilly Fair every year up to that point.

Yuna was rather bummed that Sarah was unable to come that day with her family since the Grisha family were busy. “I wish Sarah could come,” she said to her brother Werner as the two of them walked around the fair by themselves, having split off from their family to go ride a carousel together.

“Me too, Yuna,” he replied as they both got in line. “But I guess her big brother has a piano recital, so she’s gotta be there for that.”

“I know, but it still stinks,” she replied in a bit of a huff. “She was looking forward to it this whole year and then that recital happened.”

“Yeah, it sucks, I know. No use complaining about it now, though.”

Then, another girl got in line behind Yuna and Werner. This girl, who had a rather thick set of glasses, saw the line ahead of her and said to herself, “Oh no, I’ll never get on in time…”

“Huh?” Yuna then turned around and said to the girl, who was the same age as her, “Don’t worry. This line shouldn’t take that long. A lot of people can go on the carousel at once.”

“Really? How many?”

“Have you never been on a carousel before?”

“No,” the girl said as she shook her head. “This is my first time being at a fair at all, actually.”

Yuna was shocked. “Wait, really? This is your first time?! No way!”

“I’m from Chanan,” said the girl. “And the place I live in doesn’t really have fairs. There’s amusement parks, but they’re by the ocean side, and my family’s too busy to go there, so I just go to regular parks.”

“You’re from the city? Me and my brother are from just outside the city, actually. What’s your name?”

“Kana,” replied the girl, only giving Yuna her first name. “What’s your’s?”

“Yuna Miller,” she replied with a smile. “Kana sounds like a really pretty name, you know!”

Kana blushed, unable to formulate a response to Yuna’s compliment regarding her name. “I, uh… You… I…”

“Are you okay, Kana?”

“Oh, uh, yeah, I’m fine!” Kana was so startled after being snapped out of her trance that she dropped her glasses on the ground. “Oh no! My glasses!”

“Hang on,” Yuna replied as she bent down and grabbed them. “I got them, Kana. Here you go”

“Th- Thank you,” she replied as she took them back and picked them up just as the line moved forward. As the three of them marched forward, Werner was suddenly cut off when the attendant on the line stopped him. Kana bumped into Yuna in response, not knowing the line had stopped. “Ah!”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m sorry,” Kana apologized, deeply embarrassed. “Please forgive me, Yuna!”

“You’re fine,” she assured her. “It was an accident.”

The attendant, who was about twenty years old, told Werner, “Hey, sorry, man. Looks like you got unlucky and found yourself right behind the last person that could get on.”

“Eh, it’s whatever,” he replied. “I’m just going on so my little sister won’t be alone. Besides, being first on means we get the first pick of seats.”

The attendant chuckled. “You got a good point, kid.” He then started up the ride by pulling down on three levers to fire up the steam engine that propelled the carousel.

Yuna did not mind having to wait more, and passed the time by talking more with Kana. “So is your family here, too?”

“My daddy is here,” she replied. “But he’s away getting food. He told me to come back once I ride the carousel. What about you?”

“I’m here with my brother. My mommy and daddy are with my uncle, aunt, and cousins. They didn’t want to go on the carousel ride with us.”

“Awww.”

“It’s okay. My big brother Werner wanted to, so I’m happy.”

Kana then looked around and asked Yuna, “Did you go on any other rides?”

“We went on an Observation wheel earlier,” Yuna replied, using the more generic term ‘Observation wheel,’ which was the common term in the world of Rimnan Castle School, as opposed to the term ‘Ferris wheel.’ She pointed to the wheel and said, “We got to see all around the town from the very top of the wheel. It was so cool.”

“I don’t know if I could go on that. I’m pretty scared of heights, Yuna.”

“Don’t worry,” she assured her. “You’re locked in a small cabin with a door. It’s fine, Kana. You wouldn’t fall out at all. In fact, why don’t you come with me on it?”

“Really? But you already went on it, and my daddy wants me to meet back with him once I’m done on this…”

“Don’t worry,” Yuna replied. “I don’t mind going on it again. Besides, I could go meet your dad so we can ask him. Does that sound good?”

“Oh, uh…” Kana was unsure, given that her father, Johann Demas, was in fact planning something big to happen at the fair. “Well, actually, he did say that if I wanted to go on the Observation wheel too, I could. Why don’t we just go right there after the carousel then?”

“Sounds good to me.” Yuna then asked Werner, “Hey, Werner, can me and this girl go on the Observation wheel again when we’re done with this?”

“As long as you come back to me,” he replied. “I’ll be waiting right out front near the exit for the wheel.” Then, the carousel stopped, and as the passengers got off and filed out through the exit, the attendant opened the gate to let new riders on. Werner handed him two tickets, one for him and one for Yuna. “Let’s head on in, Yuna.”

“Alright! This is gonna be so much fun!”

Kana then meekly handed her ticket to the attendant, stammering out, “He- He- Here you go…”

“Thank you very much, young lady,” the attendant replied with a smile as he took her ticket.

While Yuna and Werner sat on a bench, Kana got up and sat on a horse next to them. She asked Yuna, “You’re not going on a horse?”

“I wanted to sit with my brother,” she replied. “Maybe if I ride it again, I’ll go on a horse.”

…

After the ride was done, Yuna and Kana lined up together for the Observation wheel while Werner held back to watch over them. Kana was a bit nervous, but Yuna was trying her best to comfort her. “Are you shaking, Kana?”

“Yeah,” she replied. “Uh… Well… I’ve never been on an Observation wheel before, Yuna…”

“It’s fine,” Yuna assured her. “The view is awesome up there, Kana. Trust me.”

“Okay, I hope so…” Kana then looked behind her into the crowd, watching the people passing by the Observation wheel. It was as she focused on a family passing by that she also noticed two hooded men among the crowd, both watching the line and thus watching her. She sighed, feeling uncomfortable as she felt their gaze turning to her. Turning back around, she said to herself, “It’s going to happen…”

Yuna, hearing Kana talk to herself, asked her, “What’s that?”

“Oh, uh, it’s nothing, Yuna… It’s nothing. I’m just nervous, that’s all.”

Then, the attendant for the Observation wheel announced to the line, “Three cars are open! I need three groups!”

Yuna and Kana, being third in line, would be able to get on now. “Let’s go, Kana,” Yuna said to her as the two of them walked up to the attendant and gave him each a ticket. Then, they both sat in their gondola before the attendant shut the door, locking them inside. Putting on lap belts as they sat across from each other, Yuna asked her, “Do you need help?”

“No,” Kana shook her head as she clipped her lap belt in. “I’m fine, Yuna.” She then took a deep breath before the wheel began to move, startling her. “Ah!”

“You’re fine, Kana,” Yuna assured her as the gondola began to climb up into the sky. When it came to a stop to let the people on the next three gondolas off, she asked her, “Was it really that bad?”

“Oh, uh… Not really?”

“See? You’re fine. They have to load the gondolas first, and then they’ll send us around a few times.” Once the next three gondolas were loaded, the wheel began to turn once more. “That should be the last of the gondolas they have to load. Once they’re done, we’ll spin around a few times.”

With the loading of the last of the gondolas, Kana and Yuna’s gondola slowly began to turn. When they reached the top, Yuna pointed to the town below and said, “Take a look, Kana.”

Kana looked out towards the horizon and was blown away. She could see almost the entire town from the top of the Observation wheel, and the view was amazing. “Woah. I can see everything from up here!”

“I know. It’s cool, right?”

“Yeah…” Kana then closed her eyes and put her hands together for several seconds, remaining silent the whole time.

When she opened her eyes, a confused Yuna asked her, “What’s wrong? Did you just pray?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Kana replied. “Just a short prayer.”

…

Elsewhere, Johann was meeting with three other members of the Order of the Shining Light in the woods near the fairgrounds. “Soon, my daughter should be sending me a signal to begin our plan.”

“I’ve been looking forward to this day for a long time, Johann,” replied Matthew Playan, an assistant to Johann. “Our Grand Master will be pleased with our work.”

“Some of our Order may die, but they all know it’s for the greater good of Timnak.” Johann then looked to the direction of the fairgrounds, feeling an invisible presence getting his attention. “My daughter has given the signal. It’s time.”

“How do you know?”

“She’s on the Observation wheel finally,” he sighed. “I told her she needed to get over her fear of heights and get on, but I guess she was still reluctant. We’re about an hour late, but better late than never, I guess.”

“She’s still not over that fear? After all this time?”

“I‘ve tried drumming it out of her for the last four years, and nothing I did worked. I don’t know how she suddenly got over it now, but whatever works for me.” He then put his hands together and said to the other two cult members with her, “Alright, drag out the sacrifice and let’s get this shit over with.”

The other two men with Johann and Matthew then walked to a spot nearby and proceeded to drag out a bound man who was rather groggy. It was clear that he had been drugged prior to being brought to the forest. The man said to himself as he weakly tried to resist, “Come on… Come on… Don’t… Don’t do this…”

They then dropped the man in the middle of the four of them. “There you go, Master Demas.”

“Thank you,” Johann nodded before he pulled out a knife. “Now, let’s take care of business.”

“Please,” said the drugged man. “No more… Don’t…”

“Shhhh,” Johan said as he bent down and put the knife to his neck. “Just let it happen. You are about to become part of something far greater than you. Your soul will be important to us. You may rest in peace.” With one quick motion, he slit the man’s throat, and as his blood poured onto the ground, the other three men put their hands together in prayer. “Let the prayer begin. The Empire will soon know of the true power of Timnak.”

…

Back at the Observation wheel, Kana and Yuna had completed their second cycle around when they both heard a loud explosion in the distance. Kana turned to the sound and saw a plume of smoke, realizing in her head what had happened. Yuna meanwhile saw the same plume and asked Kana, “Wait, what happened?! What the heck is that?!”

Right as they began their third cycle, a giant monster emerged from the smoke. The monster, who looked like a giant Minotaur and was about two stories tall, roared into the sky as flames shot out of its mouth. Screams from the crowds of people below filled the air as the monster began to walk towards the fairgrounds. Kana turned to Yuna and told her, “We have to go! Yuna, we’re in danger!”

“But we’re still in the third cycle,” Yuna replied, looking down at the ground as people fled, including the attendant of the Observation wheel. “And there goes the operator of the ride!”

“What?! No! Noooo! We’re trapped! We’re going to die!”

“Calm down, Kana,” Yuna yelled at her. “We are not going to die!” As their gondola began to go down, she looked at the ground and said to Kana, “We’re gonna jump when we get low enough!”

“Jump?! But-!”

“JUST DO IT!”

Right as Yuna was about to get up, she fell backwards when the ground below vibrated as the monster smashed through the gates of the fairgrounds. The monster then kicked several people trying to flee past it, killing them instantly with the force of the impact, before it picked up two people with its right hand and threw them at a building, also instantly killing them. Kana was unable to look, frightened by what her father had wrought upon the Reilly Fair. “I can’t look!”

Yuna then got back up and prepared to jump, grabbing onto Kana and telling him, “You’re coming with me, like it or not!” She then jumped, dragging Kana with her before they both fell to the ground. Filled with adrenaline, they both got up before Yuna grabbed Kana’s right hand and told her, “Come with me! We need to get out of here!”

“But your parents! Your brother!”

“I know my brother will be okay,” she assured her as they ran through the fleeing crowd. “Right now, I want to make sure you’re alright, Kana!”

As they ran past throngs of panicking people, Kana turned around and saw the monster getting closer, demolishing the carousel they had ridden earlier. “Yuna, hurry! It’s getting closer!”

Then, they both spotted her brother Werner among the crowd. He shouted for them, “Yuna! Yuna! Where the Hell are you?!”

“Here,” shouted Yuna in return. “Werner, I’m right here!”

“Oh, thank God!” Werner then hugged Yuna tightly before taking both her and Kana away from the fairgrounds. “Let’s get out of here!”

“Agreed!”

As they fled through the crowd, Kana could already see several people within it start to pull out weapons or staffs to fight the monster, correctly guessing in her head that they were monster hunters. Then, a whole crowd of people next to them were suddenly incinerated by the monster, who breathed fire on them. All three of them felt the intense heat of the blaze as the people caught in the fire screamed in pain. One rather unlucky woman and her young child ran around, both of them glowing a bright red and orange from the flames that engulfed them, before several people in the crowd grabbed towels and water buckets and used them on them in an attempt to put out the flames.

Yuna also saw the burning woman and child and screamed in panic, “They’re on fire! The monster set them on fire! We need to go!”

“Look away,” Werner shouted to both of them as they ran through a back gate of the fairgrounds. “You two shouldn’t see that!”

The two girls closed their eyes as they ran onto the main road, still trying to get away from the monster. Then, a man bumped into the three of them, causing Yuna to separate from Kana and lose her in the crowd. “Kana! Kana!”

“Come on,” Werner said as she grabbed onto Yuna to stop her from going after Kana. “We have to go! Mom and Dad are still missing, and so are Uncle Joe and our cousins!”

“But-“

“We can’t focus on her! We need to find our family first, Yuna!”

“But Kana-“

“COME ON!”

To her relief, Kana had managed to fight her way through the crowd and reunite with Yuna. “Yuna! Yuna! I’m here!”

“Kana!” She then grabbed a hold of her, the three of them forming a chain as they ran together.

Werner, seeing that Kana had rejoined them, asked her, “Hey, are you alright?! Then, a large horse-drawn wagon that had been thrown by the monster came hurtling towards them. Werner shouted, “HANG ON!” Yuna quickly shielded Kana, the two of them closing their eyes right before the wagon hit the crowd.