"'It?'" Agawa asked.
"The trigger," I replied. "The event where all weapons capable of a mass loss of life disappeared. Nukes, bioweapons, chemical weapons, everything…it all vanished into thin air. With the fail-safes gone, there was nothing left to hold us back. Nothing left to protect us from ourselves."
Considering it myself, it was like a horribly dark joke. To think the only thing that prevented all-out war between us wasn't kindness or benevolence; instead, it was the threat of mutual destruction.
As it turned out, the armorers and weaponsmiths of war were the ones keeping the peace all along, and therein lies the joke…the cruel paradox of a species gone mad with power.
"I remember that day," she said, shifting her gaze downward, "my parents panicked and frantically bought months' worth of supplies. My father even obtained a license for gun ownership… He hated guns."
It wasn't surprising to hear how her folks reacted. Given how she was, I imagined they were quick thinkers too. "It sounds like your parents were intelligent people."
"I'm sorry," she apologized profusely, "please continue."
"Don't worry about it," I said to ease her worry. "Now, where was I…."
Sifting through my mind and replaying the event chain, we'd arrived at the night the chandeliers reminded me of; the night of my graduation.
"I stayed out late with some friends to celebrate our graduation. A few of them decided to say farewell to the place that nurtured their youth by trespassing on it if you can believe that."
She giggled charmingly before falling back into a sweet smile.
"And so," I continued, "we entered the school grounds, wandering for hours. There were some goofy stunts pulled, but none of that is important. We ended up on the roof at our night's end. We wanted to memorialize the night like fools."
I paused and took a deep breath.
What came next was a sight I'd never forget. The strobing lights, the blotched night sky, the deafening vibrations. It was then I realized the daily peace we so enjoyed was built upon the backs of a million sacrifices.
"It was dark," I proceeded, "so we heard them before we saw them. When we turned our heads, our eyes were met by a thousand stars, only they were flying away at whirlwind speeds."
"They weren't stars at all… It was the result of numerous signal lights. Lights that belonged to hundreds of military transport helicopters, all of which were in the process of shipping bodies to a conflict on foreign lands."
Remembering my past, I felt a distinct, growing regret gnawing at my eyes, threatening to overwhelm them with fluids. I took another breath to hold it back.
"The sight stirred feelings in me. Caught between waves of fear, awe, despair, hope, and patriotism, I decided then and there that I'd enlist in the military. I'd use my ideals to change the battlefield and save lives."
Reciprocating my story, the melody of the music shifted. Rather than an uplifting and inspirational rhythm of cheer, it became restrained and forlorn.
I forced a smile. "But that was just a dream…. The first thing I learned after boot camp was that for every person you save in war, you took the lives of several more. I learned that you just can't be a hero in war; it's not possible."
Amid my story's ending, Agawa became energized and jerked me from my thoughts back to reality. "That's not true!" She shouted, attracting the attention of other partygoers.
I didn't tell her that story to draw attention, so I tried easing her down from her frustration. "Agawa please don't ye-"
Her time of listening to me was over, though. "Look, you're a soldier. It's your job to fight. I won't pretend to know the hardship you've gone through, but saying you haven't saved anyone is stupid!"
She forced our dance to a stop with a new determination fueling her. "It's like you said, because of people like you, people like me can enjoy the peace back home. You fight so we don't have to; that's the textbook definition of a hero!"
I had never met anyone like this girl before. Though I only knew her for a day, she had already surpassed many others.
She was loudly outspoken and quick to wit when defending her opinions. The way her personality was, she managed to push boundaries and respect them too. She was speedy to insult and even faster to console.
Like the Sun, her rays of warmth evaporated the negative emotions festering inside me. "Maybe you're right," I said, relaxing my body, "maybe I have done some good…."
Looking at each other, we exchanged what would be the most heartfelt expressions of relief and joy that I'd ever experienced.
Neither of us spoke after that. Instead, we resolved to enjoy the music and each other's silent companionship.
Almost as if it were queued to our silence, the ballroom's lights began to dim, and the musical melodies faded with Weiser appearing onstage. "Greetings, my dear heroes! Have you enjoyed yourselves thus far?!"
His question was met with a symphony of applause and cheering.
"That pleases me more than anything! I'm delighted that you all enjoyed the festivities thus far! Now, dear heroes," he smirked, "shall we move on to the next event?"
Among the crowd were various murmurs of uncertainty. However, only my countrymen were distressed by the announcement. In fact, it wasn't confusion taking hold of the nobles within the ballroom. No…those were expressions born of trembling excitement.
"Excuse me, old man," Tachibana approached Weiser, "you didn't mention anything other than dinner and a dance. There's more?"
Weiser smiled. "Indeed, there is. You see, the final curtain call for tonight's festivities has yet to be concluded. That said…shall we end it now?"
The way he said those final words, my insides squirmed with angst. It was faint, but I could sense malicious undertones lurking within his courteousness.
I tried to warn my countrymen, or at least Agawa, but it was too late. Before I could utter a syllable, Weiser snapped his fingers.
One by one, my countrymen fell limp and crashed to the ballroom floor.
The beat of repeated thuds echoed throughout the hall, replacing the once-welcoming classical melody that preceded it.
What the hell did he do? Agawa, are you okay?!" I frantically checked her condition.
But she wasn't okay. None of us were.
All across the ballroom, my countrymen began dropping like flies. Sadly, Agawa hadn't been spared. Like the rest of them, the vibrant and sunny girl with whom I shared a dance now lay deathly still in my arms.
I prepared myself for the worst and brought two fingers to her neck. Opposite what I expected, I felt the rhythmic thumping of a steady heartbeat, though faint.
'Just unconscious...' I felt relieved, but the fact didn't change the dire situation.
Still confused, I sought out the nobles for help but seeing them only added to the despair.
Their once joyful and welcoming expressions contorted, becoming maniacal and bloodthirsty. What reflected from their eyes wasn't compassion or worry; it was a craving for murder.
I gently laid Agawa's body to the floor, drew the knife I'd stashed, and apologized to her. A massive pit formed in my stomach. A pit of profound hate and regret.
pαпdα Йᴏνê|,сòМ It was my fault this happened. I should've known a normal life wasn't one I could have, even if only for a moment. Even more so, there were so many signs.
'Why didn't I run as that woman told me to? Why didn't I tell my countrymen to run?' Once again, my thoughtlessness was going to lead many of my countrymen to an early death.
I hadn't a clue why I was allowed to remain conscious, maybe it was a punishment for failing my duty, but I wasn't about to waste the opportunity.
If I was to die, it'd be fighting to the absolute end.
"C'mon, you fuckers!" I shouted at the top of my lungs while preparing my blade.
Many of the nobles changed their crazed glares into that of genuine surprise upon seeing me.
"Why is that one still awake?" One said haughtily while pointing at me. Rather than fear, it was like they were addressing a minor inconvenience.
"Stop!.. Talking!" I demanded with a hateful glare.
Responding to my challenge, Weiser approached slowly. "Master Hero," he gave a sinister smile with outstretched arms, "isn't it customary to eat the food your gracious host gives you in your country?"
"...food," I mumbled, feeling the onset of an epiphany.
The food that I stopped myself from eating. The food that my countrymen consumed with jovial smiles on their faces.
'The food…'
"you drugged it?"
"Correct!" Weiser arrogantly exclaimed. "I had you pegged for a smart one, Master Hero!" He accompanied his false praise with a series of steady and mocking claps.
"Why?" I asked. Though I tried sounding collected and calm, my words trembled with fury.
A fury that wasn't directed at Weiser but at myself for letting this happen. 'Why? Why did I have to let my guard down?' My mind filled with deep despair.
But that despair was interrupted by Weiser's response to my question. Rather than a verbal retort, he answered with a smirk and the raising of his hand.
He chuckled in a belittling tone, and our duel to the death was underway.
I had seen that motion before. It preceded the moment he cast 'magic.' Another tidbit of information I knew from our time in the tower; it took a few valuable seconds to prepare.
I retrieved my knife and propelled forward at full tilt. I had no luxury for fancy tricks, so I tackled the challenge head-on.
He smiled at my approach. "That's the spirit, "he taunted.
As the sky-blue orbs of energy gathered, millions of small ice fragments condensed in the air around Weiser.
Though the room was dark, the space around him shimmered with reflective luminance.
In seconds, I was already nearly upon him, ready to plunge my knife into his throat.
In response, like his previous trick, he waved his hand in my direction. With his gesture, every shard merged into a large volley to pummel me with.
Once fully formed, the ice shards zipped through the air until they collided with me, fracturing into hundreds of pieces against my body.
Luckily, I was wearing my vest. It dulled the impact from each fragment to being near negligible. It felt like a group of kids peppered me with a barrage of pebbles.
His icy assault only slowed my momentum.
Eventually, I smashed through his frozen wall of frost with brute force. Sadly, the reckless push forward wasn't without consequence.
My body ran wholly sapped of heat, nearly leaving me frostbitten.
That was the least of my worries, though. I expected death, so my sole focus was killing the cocky old man in front of me.
Once he was within slashing range, I lunged toward him and wound up my arm for a swift thrust. A thrust aimed straight for the Adam's apple of his throat.
I smirked, thinking I'd take the bastard with me upon my tale's end, but those hopes died when I realized he was smiling back.
'His left hand…where is it?' I averted my eyes downward.
Spiraling around his missing hand in a miniature quasar was an inconspicuous stream of purple-hued power. When I noticed the fractal branches of luminosity, it was too late to retreat.
My blade was millimeters from piercing his throat's flesh. That opportunity ended when a flash of light converted my body into an electrical conductor.
Twitching skin, spasming muscles, and a sharp throb in my heart. That's how it felt for your flesh to short-circuit.
I couldn't control my legs, so he casually stepped aside, allowing my force to carry me into the floor. Once I crashed, my mind started slipping away from reality.
In my last moments of consciousness, she would be the last one I saw.
Upon the stage, standing amongst the thin border of flame, she was there. Her crimson-red eyes pierced through the darkness as they bored their way into my soul.
"K-Kiri…na…V-Vlad."
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