Chapter 3: Verilo (Part 2)

“Jack Cariatel! Would you please unhand my mother? I do believe that I am the one that the Vision sent you to find.”

Nic had heard everything. From the minute that Aria had run out to protect her parents, Nic had been watching and listening. He had been right behind her. Just barely too slow to catch her before she ran out.

If he had had a plan from the beginning, he would have revealed himself far sooner, but he had spent time creating one with someone else while Aria dealt with the Hunter, Jack. Of course, that led to him being too late. Nic hated himself for that.

He glanced at Aria, holding her mother to her chest. She glanced at him as well. He could see the pain and shock on her face at seeing him. He had left his second layer and bag outside of the town square, and black lines were clearly visible on his neck.

He could see the shock and fear on everyone else’s faces. Every person who lived in the Rad Town was standing on the edge of the Town Circle. Even those who should have never been brought to this area like Mr. and Mrs. Carnie. Nic could see Mrs. Carnie cowering in fear. Her body was hunched over her husband, protecting him with every part of her body, tail included. Mr. Carnie had survived so far. Nic knew that meant he would be able to survive a while longer.

Nic turned his attention back to the man of the hour; Jack. His mother had been tossed to the side and was now being consoled by his father. Jack was staring straight at him.

Nic continued to walk towards Jack, his hands shaking in his pockets. He kept an uneasy smile the entire time he walked. He only hoped that his voice wouldn’t betray his feelings.

“Gravely injuring someone in a jurisdiction you aren’t allowed in, I wonder how much trouble that would get you in.” Ordwell had told Nic about the Jurisdiction rule, and now Nic had to see how far he could take it. Would Jack take the bait? Or would Nic’s plans get ruined?

“Juris- What do you know about that? You're just a demonic little boy from an ass-backward Rad-Town. Now die for me!” And with that, the bait had been taken. The spear was hurled. Nic’s death was imminent.

At least it would have been. But a small green orb had appeared in midair and created a gust of wind strong enough to blow the spear away like a twig.

The Town Center grew quiet.

Everyone knew that the kid in front of them was a Verilo. And every single resident of S-012 knew that he had no magic, that he had been going around asking people to teach him just a few years prior.

“A… wind spirit…?” Even Jack was confused. He had never heard of a Verilo wielding any other magic than the ability to create Irradiation. And yet this kid in front of him had done just that.

“Thanks for that buddy.” Nic walked forward and put out a hand for the Wind Spirit to rest on. “Are the rest ready?” The wind spirit bobbed up and down, giving Nic his answer.

“Ready? What… What are you planning on doing to this poor Rad-Town?!” Jack screamed out his question hysterically. Nic could hear the movement of the residents. Jack was stirring them up, using them to hopefully stop Nic. Unbeknownst to Jack, he was already too late.

“Didn’t I already tell you that you are in an area where you don’t have jurisdiction? Why do you think that was revoked?”

“What?”

Nic held out his hand and nodded to the wind spirit. As he did, a gale of wind blew through the village. As it passed by residents, buildings, and domesticated creatures in the farms, it slowly grew darker and darker. It also began to move around the outer edge of S-012, growing more fierce with every moment that passed.

More and more green orbs began appearing in the wind. They guided it along the right path it had to take. They helped it collect the Irradiation from everything it touched.

To an outside observer, the dome of raging wind might have even looked like a fallen segment of the sky, with the green orbs acting as stars.

Jack seemed to realize the severity of what was happening. He chucked a large rock at Nic, hoping to stop him. But the rock was intercepted by a man who looked extremely similar to Nic. His father looked back and gave Nic a small smile.

“You did what I thought was impossible it seems. Now finish this the only way a Verilo should from now on.”

The man Nic had always heard the opposite from now pushed him forward. Something inside of him felt light because of this. He might finally be able to talk with his dad in the future. They could have an actual relationship as father and son.

At least, that would have been nice. But Nic’s plan didn’t allow for that. There was only one outcome to this plan.

Nic lifted the hand the wind spirit was on. He stared up at his hand. He thought about what he was doing. The girl behind him, who he had hurt badly this morning. All he had to do was apologize, and yet now he couldn’t even do that. His lengthy plan-making had led to her mother being injured in the way she had. Maybe Ordwell would be able to help Aria’s mother if he arrived in time.

But Nic wouldn’t be able to see it. Without the ability to purify the Irradiation, this was the best he could do.

“Let’s go, buddy…”

With a soft whisper, Nic started the final act of his plan. He thought he heard Aria call out for him, but he forced himself to ignore it. He didn’t want her to see his face right now.

The gale winds brought the Irradiation to the wind spirit in his hand. The darkness buffeted his body. Nic remembered how it felt when he absorbed Irradiation through his hands. He spread that feeling across his entire body. If he doesn’t absorb the Irradiation through every pore in his skin, it could leak out to the others again.

His body aches all over. His blood was molten lava and his lungs were full of fire. His muscles are heavier than iron.

How long has it been? He doesn’t know.

Has he absorbed all of the Irradiation? Irradiation? What was that? He doesn’t know.

Who is he? Who was he? What was he? He doesn’t know.

The world is black. A void. And he is a part of it.

There is a green light in the void.

He reaches for it. Coolness overcomes him.

The pain in his body subsides.

A name echoes through the darkness.

“Nic Verilo…”

“Aria… go to him…” Aria was torn. The black mass in front of her was the ravaging winds that had carried all of the Irradiation to Nic. The black mass denoted his fate. Nic would not survive absorbing all of that. Was she going to lose yet another person that mattered to her?

She heard her mother tell her to go. But how could she? It was impossible for her to choose. Her mother, or the man her heart belonged to. She couldn’t choose.

Past Nic, his father was fighting, buying time for a lost son. His body was peppered with holes, blood seeping out of each one. And yet he kept throwing his fists toward the hunter in front of him. Her own father supported him, angry about his own wife. But it was all futile.

“So this was his choice of plan.” A voice that echoed in her memories spoke out. His voice was just as gentle as she remembered. Aria looked up at the man standing in front of her, tears streaming down her face. He wore the same well kept clothes he always did. His hair was more gray than black now. Yet, his dark skin seemed even younger than the last time she had seen him.

“Mr. Chapman…” The man looked down at Aria and gave her a pained smile.

“It’s a shame we couldn’t meet again under better circumstances,” He knelt down and turned to look at her mother. He reached into one of his sleeves and produced a fiery red feather from within it. He held it in front of her mother’s eyes. “Wendy… Wendy… This feather can help reduce pain. It can give you a chance to make it to doctors in Sanum. Do you want it?”

Both Aria and Mr. Chapman stayed silent as they watched Wendy slowly turn her head. The instant that Mr. Chapman entered her line of sight, a smile formed at her lips.

“Ordwell… is that… you? I… Remember how we… used to say that… Yuuki matched Sarman? Well… Aria found the… one that matches her… the best… Please… guide them… and watch…” In the middle of her sentence, her voice finally faded and her body went limp in Aria’s arms.

“Mama! Mama! No no no no no. Please don’t go. Please.” Aria began shouting at the body in her arms. She just wanted her mother to wake back up. The tears in her eyes wouldn’t stop anymore.

Ordwell Chapman clenched his fist around the feather in his hand. For the first time in Aria’s life, his face was no longer calm as anger contorted his features almost beyond recognition.

“Aria.”

“Huh?” The tears in Aria’s eyes stopped from the force of Chapman’s voice alone.

“At this rate, Nic Verilo is going to die as well. You have to save him.”

“What are you talking about? I can’t… I can’t save him since I’m the one who stopped him from being able to purify the Irradiation he absorbs.” Aria hung her head. She couldn’t save the man her heart belonged to. She couldn’t save her own mother from dying. There was nothing she could do. Aria was powerless.

“That’s not true. You are the only one who can do it. Because you are the only one who can spark his emotions enough.” Aria picked her head back up as he talked. Partially because of what he said, but mostly because of the force he said it with.

“Emotions?”

“Yes, Emotions. He has to awaken his ability to purify Irradiation, just like how any other person awakens their magic.”

What he said made sense if the idea of it being still in his body held true. Aria was unsure if she believed that.

“Aria, listen to me,” Chapman put his hand on her shoulder. “I believe in you and in him. Don’t make us lose a third person today.”

“Third? What about the second?”

“I will tell you after you save that boy.” Chapman reached his other hand under the body of Aria’s mother and lifted her out of Aria’s grip. He gently laid her down on the ground, closing her eyes in the process. “Aria, go. I have some things I need to get off my chest to Jack.”

And with that, Chapman simply stood up and began walking towards the fight happening past Nic. Aria wiped the remaining tears out of her eyes. She would come back for her mother, but Chapman was right. She didn’t want to lose both of them.

Aria found herself in front of the maelstrom of Irradiation surrounding Nic. Stepping into the maelstrom would certainly lead to her death normally. But she had an idea. Grabbing hold of the wind around her, she condensed it all a few cer away from her skin, creating a shield from the Irradiation, hopefully.

She took a deep breath and stepped into the maelstrom. It was dark, pitch black and she was unable to see past the wind barrier she had made. But she knew if she walked into the middle, Nic would be there. So she took another step forward.

She reached her hand out and brushed against someone. She had found him. She took another step.

His eyes were closed, black veins covered his body. The Wind Spirit that had been with him rested on his head. Its color was faded, washed away by the intense amount of Irradiation that had been shot through it.

“Nic…” Her voice was soft, quiet enough that she could barely hear herself. And yet she heard a small sigh in response. Had he heard her? Or was it simply him breathing out harder than normal. She reached out and wrapped her arms around him.

His body crumpled under the extra weight. Aria fell with him to the ground and found herself once again in the position she had been holding her mother in. But this time, the person she was holding was Nic. And no matter what, she wouldn’t let him die.

“I’m sorry… So sorry… for ruining what you had been doing in that basement,” A few tears began to form in Aria’s eyes as she gently brushed Nic’s hair to the side. She leaned down and found her lips connecting with his forehead.

“I just wanted what was best for you. I thought I knew what that was. But I didn’t. And I messed up because of that.” She continued talking. She didn’t know if he heard her. But she wanted to say it all. And if it turns out he didn’t hear her, she would tell him all this again once he woke up.

“That’s why I want you to come back to me. So that I can make up for the mistakes I made. Because…” Aria’s lips connected with Nic’s. Her heart had made up its mind. There was no one else whom she felt this way for. “Because I love you.”

Unbeknownst to Aria, the minute that their lips had met, the black veins on Nic’s body began to fade. And with their fading, the maelstrom of wind surrounding the two grew smaller and smaller and Nic unconsciously absorbed and purified the rest of the Irradiation in the area.

The entire Town Center saw the Irradiation disappear, leaving in its place a crying Aria with a sleeping Nic in her arm