Chapter 424: News Spreads
Soon, the woman’s strength gave out completely. Her legs buckled, and she collapsed, her body shaking with sobs that tore from somewhere too deep for words. Her son’s small body slipped from her arms as people nearby rushed forward to catch them both.
They supported her weight, their hands gentle as they eased her down to the wet pavement. Someone wrapped a blanket around her shoulders. Another person carefully took her son.
Damian’s hands stayed at his sides, then he turned and walked away.
"He should have saved everyone."
"He saved who he could! He’s just a kid himself!"
"The Mafia transformed this city! Don’t be so ungrateful now!"
"They brought death to this city!"
"Not his fault."
"Then whose?"
Their voices faded behind him as he walked through more streets, past more destruction, past more bodies and more crying.
Eventually, he came across a pond.
****
The first SFD vehicles arrived a few minutes after communications were restored.
They already knew what they’d find because the moment the blackout ended, messages had flooded out from Tranquil City, desperate calls and emergency broadcasts that painted the picture before anyone official arrived.
An attack on the Mafia, S rank combat signatures across multiple districts, thousands dead or wounded.
Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh
Academy professors materialized in bursts of speed that left afterimages, their Auras flaring as they swept through the destruction. Medical teams deployed across the hardest-hit areas, their equipment humming to life as they set up triage stations on whatever flat ground they could find.
An SFD officer stood at the edge of the crater where the orphanage had been, his face pale under the emergency lights.
"They really tried to wipe them out completely."
His partner just nodded because there wasn’t anything else to say.
The devastation made the intent clear without needing explanation, showing exactly how far the attackers had been willing to go.
****
[Federation Forums]
The posts started appearing within minutes of communications being restored, flooding the forums faster than moderators could keep up.
@CitizenReporter: "TRANQUIL CITY UNDER ATTACK! Massive explosions across multiple districts! Communications were down for over an hour! What the hell is happening?!"
@NewsHound47: "I’m seeing footage from emergency responders. The damage is catastrophic and it looks like a war zone. Buildings completely destroyed, casualties in the thousands potentially."
@TruthSeeker99: "This wasn’t Monsters breaking through a portal and this was coordinated. Multiple simultaneous strikes across the city, communications jammed. This was PLANNED."
@AcademyWatch: "Stormhold Academy professors are on scene. I’m hearing reports of S rank combat signatures detected across the entire city. Who the fuck has multiple S ranks to throw at a Federation city?!"
@MafiaWatcher: "Mafia headquarters was one of the primary targets. Damian Valcor’s organization got hit hard and I’m seeing reports of massive casualties among their members."
@LocalResident: "Wait, Damian Valcor was THERE? He’s been missing for weeks! Nobody’s seen him since he disappeared from the Academy. How did he show up right when the attack happened?"
@SkepticalCitizen: "Anyone else find it convenient that every major incident lately seems to center around that kid? Norrington, the portal incidents, now this? At what point do we start asking if HE’S the problem?"
@DefenderOfJustice: "Or maybe he came back BECAUSE of the attack? Stop trying to make the victims look guilty!"
@EyewitnessAccount: "I WAS THERE. I saw Damian Valcor running through the streets with thousands of protective bubbles floating above him. He was carrying the orphanage children to safety while bleeding from his eyes and nose. Whatever happened, he tried to save people."
@CommonerVoice: "The timing is suspicious, I’ll give you that. But attacking someone for showing up to defend his people? That’s exactly the kind of logic Nobles use to justify anything."
@ModeratorOfficial: "[Thread locked pending investigation. Speculation about ongoing security incidents is prohibited under Emergency Protocol Seven.]"
The forum went silent, but the questions lingered and spread through private messages and encrypted channels, through whispered conversations in shelters and desperate calls between family members trying to confirm who was still alive.
****
[Mafia Family District]
The armored vehicles rolled to a stop and students poured out in their academy uniforms, scanning the crowd with relief instead of fear.
They’d already gotten word through restored communications that everyone was safe, that James Kael had killed the attackers before they could touch anyone, but seeing it was different from knowing it.
Edrin’s eyes found his father and the tension bled from his shoulders.
Lysa ran to her parents, and Elaine pulled her into a tight embrace.
"Thank god you’re both safe."
Zavier appeared beside them, his hands in his pockets.
"I’m glad you’re all okay."
His voice came out quiet but steady.
Ronan and his parents collided with their usual loudness, Gerard’s shout cutting across the entire district while Mira swatted his head through her tears.
Ariana walked into her parents’ arms, her usual composure cracking just enough to show relief.
Luna stepped down last in her academy uniform, her heart hammering against her ribs.
Thump thump thump thump
The emotions hit her like a physical wave, amplified a hundred times through her Empath skill.
Grief from the entire city, joy from the reunions around her, terror from those still searching and the overwhelming presence of death soaking into everything.
Thump thump thump thump
She forced her breathing to stay controlled, her face remaining calm despite the storm raging inside her chest.
Her silver eyes swept the crowd and stopped on Yara’s unconscious form being carried, her hair completely white now.
"What happened to her?"
Her voice came out steadier than she felt.
Castor’s weathered face turned toward her from where he sat nearby, his own hair matching Yara’s.
"Don’t worry about that right now."
Gregor stood beside him, blood covering his clothes, and his eyes tracked Luna’s gaze as it kept moving and searching.
"Damian went towards the park district."
His voice carried understanding.
Luna’s eyes found Alessio standing apart from the reunions, his young face showing carefully controlled blankness as he scanned the crowd.
"Uncle Mike is resting at the headquarters after getting healed. You should go visit him."
Alessio’s posture straightened, but his eyes showed concern that went beyond just Mike.
"What about Master?"
"I’ll go look for him."
Her voice left no room for argument.
Alessio hesitated, then nodded and disappeared into the crowd.
Movement caught her attention and she turned to see Adrian running toward where Elizabeth sat against a wall.
Adrian dropped to his knees in front of his sister and Elizabeth’s bitter smile cut deeper than tears would have.
"Vermont is gone as well."
The words came out soft and broken.
Adrian pulled her into his arms without speaking, his own face pressing against her hair as her body shook.
Thump thump thump thump
Luna’s heart kept hammering as the emotions crashed over her in waves, but she turned away from the reunions.
Her uniform swirled as she moved, rain soaking through the fabric, walking away from the warmth and the relief.
Walking toward wherever Damian might be.
Comments