Chapter 22

"She needs her arm looked at," Crow ordered, gently but firmly holding Melyssa's now slipping bandaged arm up. "Battlefield dressing without the battlefield equipment. Infection is a concern." He flashed her a slight smile. "And I'm sure Rean needs to be looked at too. He was hiding a slight cut on his side."

Rean scowled. "Shut up." It was a scratch, literally. He growled at Crow when he, the 'Ashen Chevalier', was immediately carted off. "And her, don't forget Melyssa."

"Mel!" Juna rushed over to her friend as soon as they were inside, tears streaming down her cheeks. She hugged Melyssa tightly and then pulled back when the woman hissed out, her eyes moving to her bloody arm. "Sorry!"

"It's okay, it's not as bad as it looks." Melyssa had to cover her arm with her hand since the wound had reopened.

"Instructor Rean, I'm so glad you made it here. I saw Ash, is he going to be all right?" Altina, with her robotic, angelic voice, was concerned for all of their class, as well as the others from Thors, already knowing some of them hadn't made it out alive.

"He'll be fine. Come on, we need to get bandaged up." Rean didn't want Melyssa to lose any more blood and they were each guided to their own rooms for medical attention.

Sure enough, fifteen staples later, the wound was closed and dressed, with a shot of antibiotics for added measure. It would scar and Melyssa didn't mind because it was a battle wound. Being in a military academy wasn't all wine and roses – there was war, death, fighting and she would probably receive plenty of scars in the years to come. Also, she had a cut on her cheek she didn't even realize, so they put a few stitches in that one too. Fortunately, it wasn't deep enough to scar unlike her arm.

Rean had had the same issue, some stitches and a shot of antibiotics for his 'scratch', which he hadn't even gotten in the explosion. He had gotten it diving for people in the lake afterward, pulling survivors to shore. He had been stupid and brushed against wreckage. After they were all tended to, they were taken to the cafeteria for food, drinks, and basically a debriefing. Rean took stock of the class, nodding before giving his attention back over to the speaker.

"So, it was Ouroboros."

"That hasn't necessarily been confirmed yet, but all evidence thus far points to them. Traces of the bomb have been found, not enough to give a proper lead, but based on what we know of them, this tech is right up their alley."

"My mother is looking into it right now and Sharon is investigating what's left of the bomb. They want to make sure it's not Reinford Factory related." Alisa informed everyone, her golden blonde hair pulled back on one side with a flower barrette and a look of pure concern on her beautiful face. "Granted, all of the Factories are under the Imperial Government's control, thanks to Prince Olivert."

"That's good, but…that also means someone could have sold the bomb on the black market again to Ouroboros." Not everyone in the Imperial Government was squeaky clean.

What about Jurai? That was where they were headed and, yet, nobody seemed concerned about it. Melyssa was a first-year, so she simply sat there, nibbling on her food and drink, and listened, sitting beside Juna with Altina on her other side. Ash was sedated currently since he was badly singed from the explosion and he had a bad concussion. They made sure to keep him awake long enough before putting him out to let his body rest and recover. Unfortunately, he would be left behind for the time being until they could find a way to get him back to Leeves for the duration of his recovery. He would be out of commission for a while.

"If this was Ouroboros, does Sharon have any leads on who it might be, Alisa?"

"No, but she's harbored a guess it's McBurn, the Almighty Conflagration."

"That is correct, my lady." Sharon entered the room, wearing her purple maid's uniform, and bowed to everyone. "And it wasn't a bomb like we thought. The wreckage shows no signs of bombs and…judging from the impact and how the train is scorched, I'm positive it was McBurn that did this. He used his magic, I could sense it while I was there."

"The fireballs…" Elliot groaned, putting his head in his hands. "So, there were no bombs at all?"

"No, Master Elliot."

Magic did this? Magic killed countless people and was capable of this type of destruction? Melyssa felt sick to her stomach and pushed her food away, unable to keep quiet any longer. "Is he linked to what's happening in Jurai right now?" All eyes turned to her and she squared her shoulders. "There's a reason the train was attacked heading straight for Jurai. Instructor Rean told me something happened with the politics in the city and that's why they were sending us there to investigate. Jurai is a Special Economic Zone, strictly run by the Imperial Government, so there shouldn't be anything going on with the politics there. McBurn and Ouroboros did this to stop us from doing our field study and investigating and I think we'll find our answer if we continue onto Jurai."

Everyone who didn't know the newcomer looked at her curiously before glancing at Rean. Rean shifted in his seat, clearing his throat. "We've known for a while that Ouroboros has been back at it, trying to destabilize the peace while it is still new, still fragile. Tension is still there between the classes, the people, and all it takes is one incident to set everything off again."

"And Jurai?"

"Jurai is small and out of the way, but it's rife with tensions right now. Also, it's an important center of trade and exports, Jurai is the perfect place to launch this destabilization attack."

"And if they knew Class VII was coming…" Crow groaned, letting his head drop.

It all made sense as Machias stared at Rean's student with interest. "Crow said something that I cannot get out of my mind." Now all eyes were on Machias. "The Ashen and Azure Chevalier on the same train headed for Jurai SEZ…it would make sense why the train was attacked." Crow was right on the money as far as someone important being on board the train. It was the two heroes of Erebonia, though Rean was more acknowledged than the former leader of the Imperial Liberation Front. "Excuse me, miss, but what is your name again?"

"Melyssa Brackett, Mr. Regnitz."

"Oh please, call me Machias. There's no need for formality." Machias waved her off dismissively. "I agree with what you said. The only way to determine what exactly is transpiring in Jurai is to investigate it ourselves."

Melyssa shared a look with Crow, who managed to lift his head up long enough to acknowledge her before dropping it again. She knew what his issue was now and Rean was doing the same thing, both men looking distraught. It was because of them the train had been attacked due to what they'd done for the empire in the past. They would no doubt blame themselves for all the death and injuries that happened as well.

Exactly, Melyssa was right on the money, Rean's guts were churning at the thought of all that death and destruction being caused by him and Crow. If they had known, they could have… avoided it, gone a different way, with fewer civilians present. All those casualties because of magic so powerful everyone's immediate thought was a massive bomb of some sort.

"For now, I'll have you all escorted to your rooms so you can rest. The trip to Jurai will have to continue tomorrow."

Rean was already foreseeing them being there longer than the initial two days. Nodding, he slowly pushed himself up, looking around at his students and friends. "Everyone up."

The place had a lot of rooms, so they each received their own. Juna and Kurt asked to bunk together because she couldn't take her eyes off him. He had gotten injured as well, but it was nothing compared to Ash and Melyssa. Just a cut over his right eye and she wanted to keep an eye on him. She invited Altina to join since the room had multiple beds in it. Each room did, but people had the option to share or not. Everyone had a change of clothes waiting for them, though they were underclothes for the Imperial uniforms the soldiers wore. Better than nothing. Melyssa walked into one of the rooms and sat down on the bed, not surprised when Crow didn't join her. He probably needed to be alone or he was staying with Rean. Not wanting to be alone right now, Melyssa changed into fresh clothes and went to go check on Ash.

Sedated or not.

Crow was already there, busy with a marker and writing on Ash's palm. He cracked a grin when he spotted her coming in, his red eyes twinkling with mirth for the first time in hours. "Just giving him a note to let him know… how much he failed." He joked, knowing if the positions were reversed, Ash would have done the same to him except it would probably have been scrawled all over his face. After hearing his friend was going to be 'fine' after some rest, he had felt relieved and then annoyed. Ash was a jerk, making him worry so damn much. "Can't sleep?" He asked quietly when she sat opposite of him on the other side of Ash. "It's lucky you found him you know, he could have died from the concussion."

"He must've been on his way here and passed out. He doesn't remember and I really didn't have a chance to ask him much."

Melyssa didn't know what would have happened if Ash died from this and she didn't want to. Whether she liked it or not, he was a big part of her life and her new best friend. They could sit and talk in the hall at 4 AM about everything, including her lack of intimacy. Taking his other hand, Melyssa merely held onto it and looked up into his sleeping face, tears stinging her eyes.

"You better not die on me, Carbide. You hear me? You still owe me that one on one spar." Her watery eyes moved to Crow, her heart doing a funny leap in her chest when those red eyes locked with hers. "I didn't want to be alone, so I figured I'd come in here and keep him company for a while." Despite all she'd been through that day, Melyssa was restless.

If she hadn't stumbled over Ash, he could have wandered and passed out from his concussion. He could have tripped and broken his neck. He could have done a million different things, so the Goddess had meant for Crow and Melyssa to part ways. Crow firmly believed that, that he had been meant to send her towards the 4th, regardless if she had made it or not.

"He won't die, they said he'll be fine and they're monitoring him." Because one wasn't, technically, supposed to sleep with a concussion. "His head is harder than both of ours combined."

"Can't argue that." Melyssa cracked the barest hint of a smile, briefly, before it disappeared. She wasn't sure if she should say something to Crow regarding the discussion from earlier. Maybe it would help, then again, maybe it wouldn't. "You and Rean are not to blame for what happened, Crow. You may have been the targets, but we don't know that for certain yet." Not until they made it to Jurai and started the investigation or McBurn told them himself. "For all we know, Thors, in general, could have been McBurn's target, not just you and Rean. Just because you're the Ashen and Azure Chevaliers doesn't mean you were the only ones targeted. I don't think anyone blames either of you for what happened, only the one who actually blew up the train." Melyssa kept her voice low and quiet, not wanting to disturb Ash, even though a foghorn blown in his ear couldn't wake him up right now. "I just…thought you should know that."

"You know, I hear you and I know you're probably right…but it still feels almost personal." Crow said quietly, knowing if he was feeling this way then Rean was feeling a thousand times worse because Rean was one body away from being female. "But you do make a great point, the entirety of Class VII was on the train and most of us were involved in the wars to one degree or another, and we've all served our roles for the greater good…" Combined, Class VII was a formidable force.

It was personal, there was no way to deny it, but Melyssa didn't want Crow and Rean to blame themselves for something that was out of their control. She decided a change of subject, somewhat, was in order. "I want to thank you for what you did for me, Crow." Now he was confused, raising one silver brow at her. "You saved my life. I wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for you and your quick thinking and reflexes." More than likely, she would've gone down with the rest of the wreckage. "And I know you saved me back when we were kids from that fish barrel too. I don't know how you managed to pry it open, but…I know that girl in your dream and the flashback memory I had was me. You've saved my life twice and…I don't know how to begin repaying you. I mean it."

"That's what friends do, Melyssa," Crow got up and walked around to crouch beside her, gently placing his hands on her knees when she turned in her chair so her body was facing him. "I know you would have done the same for me, for anyone really," Because Melyssa was that kind of person, tough as nails and a good heart to match it. Staring at her intently, he also realized she had the brains to go with the toughness that was tempered by her kindness, and… he was really looking at her now, taking in her teal eyes, she also had the beauty. "I'm just glad you went when I asked you too, who knows if Ash would have been found if not by you."

"Crow…" He was giving her way too much credit for finding Ash when he wasn't far behind with Rean. They would have found him if she hadn't; Melyssa had no doubt about that. "I didn't want to leave you," She paused briefly, placing her hands on top of his on her knees, her eyes lowering almost in shame at the confession. "But I also knew how important it was to get help as quickly as possible. We didn't know at the time if Rean or the others were alive and I knew you couldn't turn your back on those who needed help." She looked back up at him, fresh tears brimming her eyes. "I just found you again after all this time and I nearly lost you again with that attack…"

"Yeah, I know." He smiled slightly, hoping it conveyed that he understood. "One of the things about being in Class VII is learning that sometimes, we have to put others before ourselves. And tonight, it paid off, with you finding Ash the way you did." Reaching up, Crow brushed the tears off her cheeks with his thumbs, moving so his head rested against hers. "You're not going to lose me again, Melyssa, I promise you that."