Chapter 6 : The Bright Lights in the Sky (1/3)

Radiant Age, April 5, 1127

When I woke up, the day before felt like a dream, the memories were fleeting as I tried to recall everything that happened. My mind was in a bright haze like someone was flashing a light into my eyes. My playtime with Yuu Yuu made me feel like a kid again.

I clenched my pillows as the haziness faded, revealing a messy room. But that didn’t damper my spirits. I kicked my bedsheets, still thinking about when I grabbed her on the sides during tag. My feet rubbed against the sheets, and this ridiculous smile was on my face.

“What’s wrong with you, Feodora?”

I said aloud, still kicking my feet about. My stomach tensed up like someone wrapped a rope around it and began squeezing me. It was warm as I snickered, thinking about… my time with someone else being… enjoyable.

"What a day… "

I thought about it, how interesting of a day it was. I was fully rested and needed to get to Radiant City for sure. So, I cleaned up the mess I made, put everything away, and got my katana from the wall. The guilt finally began to rush through my body when I strapped it to my hip.

“Maxwell…”

My mentor, my father figure, warned me not to get involved with people in that way. It was a rule… a creed to live. Slowly, like a stream of water breaching into a cave, my mind started to flood with… scary thoughts.

Like what if Yuu Yuu saw me while I slept? Would she… someone so easily scared stay beside me as I screamed in the night? I knew that she wouldn’t, and bitterness assaulted my chest. Yesterday was fun, but it wasn’t what my mentor told me to do…

“I’ll do better next time, Maxwell…”

I said to nobody as I made my way to the Radiant City.

As I walked along the grassland towards the city, I reprimanded myself for easily breaking my creed. It felt as though Maxwell was over me, shaking his cold head in disappointment. He gave me the tools to live, and I needed to take them more seriously…

“Huh?!”

To my surprise, the ground shook like mad as the sky lit up. It was a pure bright white before the shockwave of an explosion caused me to lunge back. This didn’t just happen once. Two more came in rapid succession from within the Radiant City.

“What the hell was that?”

Black smoke rose from the city.

“Another bombing?!”

Confused and alarmed, I started jogging to the capital. When I reached the west gates, less than half of the number of knights stood to watch for beasts. The scene looked as though the knights were in disarray. 

“Hold it!”

A knight stopped me.

“Oh… wait, you’re that woman working with Jade Opal, right?”

“Eh… yeah.”

Coyly, I nodded.

“If you’re looking for her, Jade’s heading the investigation on the bombings that happened minutes ago. You can find her near the north of the gates.”

“Thank you…”

I rushed past the knights and ran into the city. 

“What the…?”

“Feodora!”

The pushy voice of the knight caught me. She ran at me and came to a stop at my feet.

“Change of plans. You’re not investigating the missing people case today. We have priority to look into these bombings now.”

Before I could open my mouth, she pushed a device into my hand. It was rectangular, and I instantly knew what it was.

“Is this a… phone?”

I asked, knowing the answer to my question.

"I'll need to contact you on the regular now. It already has my number on it. Now, your orders, look around the area and try to help survivors. We have this section covered. In the nearby lower quarters of the city, there are many more people trapped under rubble that will take time to get to. Would you please go aid the knights there instead?”

“The lower quarters?”

Jade pointed.

"The housing is tighter because it's more poverty-stricken. Because the houses and businesses were closer, the bombings had a greater impact, and more people were trapped."

“Oh… sure, I guess. Lower quarters, huh?”

At their order, I rushed over and down the steps. As I traveled in the direction they instructed, I began seeing a significant change in the streets. The sun didn't reach the pathway due to the tall buildings. As I made my way down to the city's south side, I entered a tunnel, and when I came out of the cave-like exit, I appeared in another portion of Radiant City. The streets were broken up, and dirty patches were all around. 

“Ohh! Feodora!”

To my surprise, a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed Vivian Heart caught me as she ran up to me. She hopped around me momentarily before coming to a stop and straightening her back.

“Are you here to help with the rescue too, Feodora?!”

She was dirty, likely from digging around and helping the people here. I nodded to her as I looked about.

“Yeah, Jade and the knights asked me to help. I heard more people were trapped down here.”

Roofs were caved in, and people lay on the side of walls as black smoke protruded to the sky. The ground was almost black. This had to be one of the blast zones or ground zero in this case.

“Hm?”

She looked at my back pocket, and her eyes lit up.

“Whaaa?! You got a phone without me?!”

I tapped my pocket as she reached out, trying to take it from me.

“Eh, no… Jade gave this to me….”

Vivian puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms.

“That’s super mean, Feodora! I was going to pick you out the coolest because you are the coolest!”

Aggravated, the white bunny kicked a pebble.

“Arrrgg… well, I can’t worry about that right now. We need to save these people! I need help over here, Feodora; come with me.”

She pulled me along and made our way to a pile of broken-down houses. Knights were removing people from within as others were spraying water at the fires that were still roaring.

“When the explosion happened, a few places built on bad foundations caved in, Feodora. Knights are having trouble getting that low in the ground, and people are stuck down there.”

I nodded.

“I did it before. I can shadow walk down there and see if I can pull some people back to the surface.”

“Ohhh! That’s super smart!”

The bunny jumped.

“I should think about ways to use my holy spectrum right now too. C'mon, a superhero wouldn't falter! Think, think!"

I tapped her on the head.

“Don’t think too hard about it, Vivian. Ah…”

I looked at the wounded who the knights were taking out. 

"How versed in the water spectrum are you, Vivian?"

I asked, causing the white bunny to hop up in excitement.

"I can treat wounds if that's what you want, Feodora!"

She exploded with vigor, already ready to spring into action.

“How about you use water spectrum and treat their wounds for now, Vivian?”

I suggested.

“Yes! Will do, Feodora!”

Instantly, Vivian jumped around like a rabbit with too much energy. She raced over and did just as I instructed.

“Now then…”

I walked over to the dark spot of a fallen building. I calmed my mind and closed my eyes...

I looked about the dark spots to see a good place to shadow walk to. The shadows were tight, but I could see four or more people stuck under the dirt. There was a space underneath, just enough to fit me in, so I appeared inside.

"Oh? Who's there?"

A weak masculine voice asked as I touched their shoulder.

“Don’t worry. I’ll get you all out of here one at a time.”

I did just that. I brought each of them to the surface one at a time. 

“Thank you, ma’am, thank you.”

Gratefully, she sobbed as she raced over and held their loved ones.

“What a mess.”

When I turned around, the psycho named Eve walked into the scene. She held her head and crushed a pot under her feet as she made her way to me.

“Any ideas on who did this, Eve?”

I questioned, earning a shrug from her.

“No idea… I’m on medical duty, Jade told me. I guess I’m just as lost as you are, Feodora.”

"Eve, Feodora..."

From the east of us, Jade appeared as she stepped in front of me. Alongside her was the human version of Mellissa with her hands behind her back… and… Yuu Yuu.

“I’ll go help the people to the east, Jade.”

Eve raced away to help more people.

“Anyway… Feodora, you already know Mellissa. I want to introduce you to someone else…”

“I know her, Jade. Her name is Yuu Yuu.”

I answered for her. The knight raised her head in surprise.

“Hm, you two are already acquaintances? I didn’t expect that from a hermit.”

“Eh… I’m not a hermit.”

The thought of Yuu Yuu and I playing tag came back to mind. My stomach felt as if hot coals were placed in it. I… had fun, despite how guilty I still feel about it.

“Well, that’s going to make things easier for me. Yuuna is a contractor from the Light Camp, just like Vivian Heart. She will be providing aid to the people here.”

I remembered she mentioned something like this during our hang-out yesterday. Gently, Yuu Yuu nodded, confirming Jade’s words. The knight continued.

“Long story short, she’s a doctor, and Mellissa is too. I want you to take them around the bombing scene so they can treat people with severe wounds.”

Jade looked about the area. Her fearsome glare amplified as she saw the people strung about, injured from the chaos.

“I would do it myself, but I must prepare to protect the upcoming address. The Ruler of the Radiant Kingdom is about to make a statement regarding these recent events.”

“Ruler?”

I asked. The human clapped, causing Yuu Yuu to shriek back away from her.

“Yes, the Ruler of the Radiant Kingdom, Marx. He’s about to address the people and Jade needs to be there for his protection!”

Yuu Yuu nodded slightly and turned to the side. She seemed too shy to say anything, but occasionally, she would glance at me and smile. It was… nothing short of adorable. I… kind of wanted to pat her on the head… but I had to concentrate.

“So, Marx is the Ruler of the Radiant Kingdom?”

I asked, trying to get my facts right. Mellissa put her hands behind her back and nodded with vigor.

“That’s correct, Feodora. If you’d like to know more, I'll tell you about Marx. He is a wonderful Ruler.”

Yuu Yuu pushed hot air from her mouth. Jade put her hand on her hip and shrugged her slim shoulders.

“Anyway, keep up the efforts to help these people out. After Marx has finished his speech, I’ll call you, Feodora, about what we’ll do next.”

“Wait, before you go, Jade…”

I stopped her and pointed at the innocent human, Mellissa.

“Oh, Countess Mellissa? Hm… if she does come out while you’re working with Mellissa, that might be bad… wouldn’t it, Feodora?”

“Eh… yeah, that might be a little bad, Jade.”

The knight dug in her pockets and brought out a rosary. It was bright white and about the size of my palm.

“What is this?”

I asked as she set it in my hand.

“This is a warding device I created. If the demon side of Mellissa comes out, you can command her with this on you.”

“Command… like a dog?”

The image of Countess Mellissa with a leash on came to mind. It… was a little unsettling. Jade nodded sharply.

“Just like a dog. However, if she swipes it from you… she’ll be uncontrollable. So, make sure she never gets it from you, Feodora.”

Jade sighed harshly.

“I don’t have time to go over all the tricks you can do with this rosary, but… all you need to know is to… command her not to attack you, and if she gets too aggressive, snap your fingers and tell her to leave. That will bring back the human side of her.”

The person in question started clapping her hands in excitement. She skipped around us suddenly.

“Oh, what interesting commands, Jade. I wonder how the other me reacts to them. I never met her, Feodora! I’ve always wanted to, you know?”

Mellissa has never met her other side before. I had so many questions, but I saved them as I thought about Jade's directions.

“Command her not to attack me… if she gets out of control, snap my fingers and tell her to leave.”

With this knowledge in my head, I took the rosary out of Jade’s hand. The feeling of it was striking. It was like holding an electrified object. 

“Now Feodora, I trust you with Mellissa. And as for Yuu Yuu… I don’t know her too well but make sure she works hard. As a member of the Light Camp, she needs to earn her pay.”

Jade glared at the pink bunny before pushing hot air from her lips.

“Good luck, you three.”

Jade concluded before rushing off. With the two doctors beside me, I spoke up.

“So… I guess we’ll look around for more survivors, Mellissa, Yuu Yuu.”

I stated. Yuu Yuu rushed over to me, pushed her shoulder against mine, and put her head down like a sad little puppy. Meekly, she turned back to Mellissa and lowered her gaze.

“Oh, are you afraid of me?”

The human smiled brightly at the bunny. When she approached, Mellissa towered over her, only adding to the coy girl's fears.

“There’s nothing to fear! I’m here to help; let’s be friends… Ah, Yuu Yuu was it?”

“… Yuuna. You can call me… Yuuna.”

The pink bunny hid behind me.

“But don’t you like being called Yuu Yuu, though?”

I asked. Yuu Yuu’s face turned bright red as she punched my back lightly. I could hear her whimper as she did this.

“I-I-I…. Ah… F-Feodora…”

With a sigh, Mellissa beamed brightly.

“Ah… I see. Yuu Yuu is a nickname that you want Feodora to use, right? How cute.”

Taking the hint, I suppose, Mellissa put her hand behind her back.

“Feodora is stunning, isn’t she, Yuuna? You both seem so close.”

With a tilt of her head, the beautiful human smiled brightly.

“I hope one day we can be as close too, Yunna!”

My heart nearly leaped out of my chest, and I think the same happened for Yuu Yuu as she looked a tad defeated. Instead of saying a word, she stayed behind me like I was a wall. As cute as she was, we had a job to do.

"Let's get to work and help the people out before Jade gets upset, you two."

Mellissa hopped cutely and took the lead. She skipped toward the destruction with a bag of medical supplies in hand.

“M-Mellissa… likes you a lot, doesn’t she, Feodora?”

Her tender voice came from behind. I turned around and found the puffed-up face of Yuu Yuu. Could it be that… Yuu Yuu was a tad insecure around Mellissa Ann Cafree?

“Well… I think it’s a bit more complicated than that. Ah… I’ll explain how we met later, alright?”

Yuu Yuu didn’t say a word as we followed the bouncing woman. She was delighted, despite the grim situation. The pink bunny was holding onto my jacket as we walked as if she didn’t want to get lost, and I was her only guide through this tragedy. We were like conjoined twins as we made our way to the people in need of aid.

“These bombs… were much larger than last time.”

I said, looking around the ruined lower quarters.

“Yeah… it wasn’t nearly as bad before.”

This was a good time to ask. So, I looked over my shoulder, back at the bunny still clutching my jacket.

“Help…”

A meek voice caught our attention. Mellissa was already there, aiding the victims she found. It was a couple around my age. Mellissa bent down and started aiding them. I wondered if she would kiss their wounds but oddly… she didn’t.

“Are you going to help too, Yuu Yuu?”

I asked. She reluctantly let go and ran over to a little girl crying on the side of them.

“D-Don’t worry…”

Yuu Yuu consoled her. The bunny put her hands out, and like a miracle, the little girl’s cuts and bruises began to disappear before my eyes. I was mystified at how she did this. As I observed her closer, she wasn’t using a water spell, but she was using a spectrum that I couldn’t understand…

“Thank you.”

The little girl sobbed as she put her arms around Yuu Yuu. The bunny’s eyes darkened for a moment, but after a bit of hesitation, she took the child in her arms and squeezed her back.

“…It’s okay. Yuu Yuu… is being nice today.”

Tenderly, she nuzzled her nose on the child’s shoulder. It was a sweet moment I could only associate with the ever-sweet Yuu Yuu.

“Everyone, the Ruler of the Radiant Kingdom is about to address the city.”

One of the knights nearby announced. He pulled out his phone, prompting other civilians to do the same.

“Ehhhh!”

I screamed as my pocket began to rumble. Everyone turned to me as I pulled out my… phone. Everything about these… phones was scary to me.

“That was so embarrassing.”

I complained, and Mellissa began laughing at me with her cute chuckle. Something told me that… she'd been watching me for a while, which only added to my insecurity.

When I brought my new phone up, I saw an image of a man with a short white beard and a bandage over his eyes. He looked old as if he's been through a war. Indeed, a veteran of life. I looked around, and the rest of the people were doing the same as me, watching their… phones.

Yuu Yuu brought out her phone and stared intently at the man on the screen. Around him were Radiants who were in black suits comparable to the ones Atom was wearing. There was a completely different feel if I compared them to the knights. These must have been the higher politicians that live within the Radiant Kingdom.

“Citizens of Radiant City…”

The Ruler addressed. His voice was amplified around the city as if it was coming from the Kingdom itself. It was strong like a lion and sharp like a blade, and it made me fall to attention. It was strange… this entire event was strange. People were crying both mournful tears… and joyful ones.

“Thank goodness…”

Victims wept. It would seem that Marx was well-loved as smiles came on everyone's faces.

"We saw the terrors unleashed on our people and heard your pleas. The Radiants are going into action at this very moment. Our forces have been on these attacks for the last few days. We are putting the Radiant Order on this case."

“They’re bringing in the Radiant Order?”

A woman questioned in excitement. People clapped gladly as the lower quarters erupted in praise.

“Radiant Order?”

I questioned, turning to Mellissa.

“There’s a hierarchy of soldiers in this kingdom. We have the Knight Order that patrols the streets and gates alike. The ones in the white and blue uniforms.”

The human set her phone to the side and held her hands together as if praying to a higher power.

“Then there is the Radiant Order. They are made up of highly skilled Radiants and are significantly stronger in comparison. They deal with high-profile cases with an iron fist. They have never failed to solve a case."

Mellissa tilted her head, endearingly.

“So, if they are bringing in the Radiant Order, things are serious, and they will find out who did this, Feodora.”

I nodded as I turned back to my phone.

“Fear not, we won’t let these terrorists take over the land we love-“

Suddenly, the connection broke, and a signal lost message was left on the screen. It was abrupt and felt unnatural. I could only imagine that the speech was over.  Everyone around me still cheered. Their love for the Ruler was showing in their morale.

“I always feel motivated when I hear from Marx.”

Mellissa giggled as she tended to the wounds of the people around her. She stood up with a little girl she was helping moments ago.

“Are you happy Marx is going to protect us, child?”

“The Radiants won’t let these terrorists get away with this!”

People chanted. Yuu Yuu rushed over to me and pulled on my jacket like before.

“What’s up, Yuu Yuu?”

Timidly, she smiled.

“They’re going to catch… the person who did this, r-right?”

I was unsure, but seeing her timid demeanor made me want to agree with her.

“It looks like the Radiants won’t let them get away with this...”

My phone began to vibrate again, causing me to jump. Mellissa giggled as she watched me flip about. It took me a bit to find out how to answer it as I fumbled around.

“Oh, hello?”

“Feodora, this is Jade. I need you to come to the knight’s station, where you were arrested a few days ago. Bring Mellissa Ann Cafree and Yuuna along too.”

“Hm? Ah… sure, but can I ask why, Jade?”

The knight groaned before she continued.

“We discovered five more potential bomb threats scheduled for today.”