Cain had been hoping to change public opinion. His plan was to find a way to get the truth out to the people while showing them that their goal was nothing but the safety and security of the people. With all the rumors that they had partially encouraged, he knew it would be hard. But now, it seemed impossible.
Sweat ran down the side of his temple, focusing his efforts on the spell he'd thrown up. He'd modified it, complicated it, and made it that much harder on himself to maintain. Not that it could have been helped. No less than a dozen pieces of the building hovered over parts of the crowd, each section more than able to crush a person. The only thing stopped them from doing so was the single spell he's rushed over to throw up.
"Get out of the way," Cain grunted, knowing that no one would be able to hear him over the panic. Thankfully, most people had the common sense to get away from slabs of concrete hovering over their heads. In seconds, the area was clear, and Cain was able to release the spell.
The slabs fells, prompting a few more cries of shock to ripple. Despite the chaos, Cain was able to quickly assess the situation.
At least seven people down, maybe more, the crowd is in a panic. I can hear other soldiers coming behind me, likely ready to assist. Gods, we need first responders here asap.
Had this been an attempted attack by the opposition? If so, what had been their goal causing an explosion that would harm citizens? Unless…
No, now was not the time for speculation. The most important thing was helping the victims. For a second he considered trying to take command and calm the crowd, help prevent escalation in all the chaos, but he didn't trust himself to be able to do that. Not when panic was abundant, and instincts would be followed over reason. He'd have to entrust that job to Kuresaki, Itsumi, or whoever decided to take charge that the people could trust.
Cain swept through the rubbles, heading straight for someone with their leg pinned under a rock. The man was understandably a wreck, blubbering out cries for help.
"I'm going to get you out," said Cain, kneeling beside the rock. It wasn't too heavy. With some magic, he was able to prop up the side of it, releasing the man's leg. The man immediately began scrambling to get out.
"Wait, you'll hurt yourself." Cain grabbed the man under his arms, helping drag him out. Soon he was completely free and placed to lay in the sand. "We'll have healers here soon. You're safe, just hang in there."
The man sobbed, staring at Cain with dazed eyes. He was probably in shock.
In his mind, Cain could hear Kyoko's voice telling him what to do. He'd taken many classes on emergency treatment to prepare him for the battlefield, but it was still her voice that broke through. She'd entranced him with her enthusiasm and compassion as she described different bone fractures, wrapping techniques and standard procedure for lacerated wounds. She probably had no idea how closely he'd listened to her occasional rants.
Her voice guided him as he assisted the man. Other soldiers had arrived at this point. He saw Murasame shouting for more physicians, while others hurried over with stretchers. The man with the crushed leg was taken away, and Cain was able to continue moving through the rubble, helping where he could.
A muffled sob made Cain pause. Noisy as it was, it took him a second to discover where it was coming from. It seemed to be originating from the house next to the destroyed one.
Cain shoved his way through the crooked door, searching for where the sound was coming from. The inside was a mess, furniture broken by the force of the blast and part of the left side of the building was completely gone. He trod carefully through the hazardous wreck, finding the source of the sounds in the third room he checked.
A young couple huddled together, the sounds of distress coming from the woman. In her arms, she cradled the broken form of a child, blood seeping from a head wound. Cain could just make out the small fluctuating gray energy of the child. They were alive, but they were running out of time if the fading was any indication
Cain knelt quickly, prompting both to look up in horror.
"Can you walk?" said Cain. "We need to get your child immediate aid."
The mother stared, not responding.
Cain placed a hand on her shoulder, gently shaking her. "Can you hear me?" he said, keeping his voice calm but firm.
His touch seemed to do it. She woke from her shock, nodding and attempting to stand. She wobbled, falling back int her husband as he caught her.
"I- I can't—" she sobbed. "His sister. She's…"
The husband looked toward a fallen part of the building. The smallest amount of blood was just visible under the rubble. Cain looked away, throat clogging when he noticed that his vision didn't spot any flickers of a soul.
"I'll take him," said Cain, taking the child from the woman's weak arms. "We'll send someone in to help your daughter. Can you walk?"
With her husband's help, the woman was able to stand and follow Cain outside the building. He crossed into the sunlight, an injured child in his arms and a tragedy before him. He paused in the doorway, searching for the rescue team. More than one person stopped to gape at him where he stood.
"This way." He took the couple to the first responders, carefully handing over the child. "Go with them," he instructed the parents.
They listened, following their unconscious child as they were taken away on a stretcher. Looking around, he saw most of the injured people were already either being attended to or taken away. And people were still staring at him.
He checked himself, noting the faint stains of blood visible on his dark clothes. The child's blood.
Cain clenched his hands, feeling the press of his nails on his palms for a few seconds. He took a shaky breath, forcing himself to relax. Then he kept moving.
Itsumi was restless. She paced the room that had once been her father's study, biting her nails until they were nubs. Every ten minutes or so, someone would come in to give her a new report on the developing situation, serving to increase the speed of her steps.
Four dead, ten severely injured, over twenty others with mild injuries.
Fifteen men arrested; their leader surrendered.
Kyoko hadn't been attacked. This had been focused on the ceremony.
The people were confused and scared.
This was the exact opposite reaction they had wanted. The ceremony was supposed to establish a sense of normalcy. To lure the rebellion out of hiding without causing a scene. Well, that plan hadn't worked. No doubt the people saw this whole thing as a farce. What a way to start her reign.
What would father have done in this situation?
She rubbed her eyes, thinking of what he'd done in the past. No doubt he'd execute the people responsible, which they still weren't positive who that was. It couldn't be the rebels since their whole goal was to kill Cain and gain back control of the city. It made no sense to attack civilians. So, that wasn't really an option.
Maybe he would swear to the people to find the men responsible? Put on a grand show of anger and revenge. Now that, she could see him doing, but would that be the right response?
Someone knocked and entered, causing her to finally stop her pacing. This time it was her family friend, Councilor Okazaki. The man looked exhausted, and he limped slightly as he closed the door behind him.
"Any news?" said Itsumi.
"They managed to figure out who was responsible," said Okazaki. "The rebels had been using that location as a makeshift hideout, preparing there for the ceremony. One of their magical items malfunctioned and caused the explosion."
"So, it was an accident?" Itsumi squawked.
Okazaki nodded.
What awful luck. Of all the times for someone to goof, it just had to happen right after her ceremony.
"What are we going to do?" she said, unsure if she was looking for an answer or just speaking to herself. "We can't just ignore this. While we successfully stopped the revolt, people were still hurt and who knows what the general populate will think of all this. It was our team that arrived on the scene to help, yes?"
The man nodded. "I believe Cain himself was one of the first responders. That will say something about him, as long as that fact doesn't get skewed or warped."
"We could say that about most facts." They were at a point where they couldn't expect the people to listen blindly to their authority. Many of them might, sure, but begrudgingly. And a weak-willed people made for a weak-willed army. Which would make it that much harder to last those three days needed for the king and his army to catch up with the Accursed army.
"We have to change public opinion," said Itsumi. "Cain mentioned it this morning, but then we got distracted by the ceremony. But now the issue has been pushed forward thanks to this attack."
It was time to do something. To set the people straight. To have her voice heard by the people.
Now filled with purpose, Itsumi took to her father's desk—no, it's my desk now—pulled out a sheet of parchment and began writing.
Her first goal as the new Duchess of the Broken Hills would be to restore faith in the people. To present truth and her interpretation of things. Maybe it wouldn't be effective. Maybe her father would have come up with a better idea, but Itsumi was frustrated.
She ripped off the portion of the paper she'd written on, handing it to Okazaki.
"Can you get someone to talk to these people, like, now?" she said. "Make sure they're someone we trust. I want a full detailed transcription brought back to me within the hour."
Okazaki took the paper, raising a brow. "This… I can do that. But it won't be easy, or pretty. We haven't given the situation enough time to calm down."
"Which is exactly why it needs to be now." She sat back down, writing furiously. "We need to tackle this while it's still fresh. Too much has happened, and we only have a short window of opportunity to form our counterattack."
Okazaki waved the paper at her "I'll also see if I can get Diana to help. We'll try and be back to you within two hours."
She was already writing again when he closed the door. This time, they would listen. This time no one would be able to drown her out. Because this time, it wasn't going to be just her own voice.
It took five hours to clear the scene. Five hours or lifting rubbles and digging people out of their homes. Cain's well-deserved break consisted of sitting with Kuresaki at the meal table, attempting both conversation and chewing at the same time. He wasn't doing great at either. He'd already had to remind himself four times that there was food in front of him and that he needed to eat.
The general wasn't doing much better. His plate might be empty, but Cain doubted the man could name a single piece of food that he'd consumed. Kuresaki's gaze had become permanently hard, a few pages of reports held in one hand.
This event had taken a toll on both of them. Death and injuries in battle were one thing. Accidents involving women and children were another entirely. The image of the unconscious child he'd carried in his arms had stapled itself to the inside of Cain's eyelids.
He'd visited the family of the injured boy he'd carried out of the building. Thinking back, he still wasn't sure if that had been a mistake. He'd arrived just in time to witness the parents break down over the news that their daughter had been crushed and that her son may not wake up. He'd stood in the entrance, frozen as he watched the heartbreaking intimate moment of familial grief. It had brought back too many memories. Too many emotions.
Then the couple had spotted him. He'd suddenly been terrified as a child, wishing he could magic the potential of pain away. It had taken every ounce of his sanity to stay there instead of turn and flee.
Whatever their response to his presence, he still didn't know what it was. He'd kept his head bent, dark bangs obscuring his vision as he'd muttered out: "I'm sorry."
Then he'd left.
None of this had exactly helped his anxiety. His dark magic hummed below the surface of his control, forcing him to split his attention to focus on controlling it. The last thing they needed was for Cain to lose control of his magic and cause another incident.
Cain managed to guide another forkful of food in his mouth, forcing himself to swallow.
"I'm not sure if their confession really helps us all that much," said Cain, continuing their conversation. "The people will think what they want."
"We really should have focused on the PR issue earlier," said Kuresaki. "I've never seen it get this out of hand this fast."
"Guess we should have figured an Accursed into the equation."
Kuresaki grimaced. "Yes. I guess we should have."
Well, what was done was done. They'd just have to keep going forward and hope for the best while expecting the worst. But if Cain was being honest with himself, he could use a break from tragedies.
He'd finally finished his plate when Itsumi, the newly appointed Duchess came striding in the room, full of purpose and energy. She slapped a small stack of papers in front of them, nostrils flaring.
"Well?" she said after a pause. "Aren't you going to look?"
"What is it we're looking at?" said Kuresaki.
"My solution to what just happened," she said with impatience. "To all the rumors and nonsense going around the city. It's time we dealt with the problem of incorrect information circulating around the citizens."
Now intrigued, Kuresaki picked up the first piece of paper, quickly scanning it. His brows furrowed further into his forehead, a sure sign of displeasure.
"Duchess, is this what I think it is?" he said.
She flinched at the question. "If it is, what of it?" she said with the air of someone attempting confidence.
Kuresaki tossed the paper back on the table. "While it's a good idea, I don't think it should be rushed. These sorts of official statements should be given both the time and attention needed to reduce the potential of backlash."
"I mean, we'll take a bit more time to make sure it's better organized."
Cain leaned over the table to examine the papers. While it was difficult to read from his angle, he got the gist of it. Each piece of paper appeared to be a separate testimonial of the current situation from different citizens. One or two appears to be from soldiers, while another was from a nobleman. At the bottom, he spotted what he assumed was Itsumi's own words, her family's official seal standing out against the parchment.
"Some sort of official statement is a good idea," noted Cain. "My- uh, the king asked why we hadn't sent one out earlier."
"To which we determined that it would be counterproductive," said Kuresaki. "Especially when you consider that no one would take the words of an Accursed as nothing but propaganda, and also because you had essentially taken over the city. The politics of the situation were too tenuous to map out for the general populace without making the situation worse."
"But now the situation can be clear," said Itsumi hurriedly. "We've placed my father in jail for treason and insurrection. Another group attempted murder and accidentally killed innocent civilians. It shouldn't be too hard to convince them that we are the ones in the right."
Something about that didn't sit right with Cain. It took him a moment's pondering to find the pulse of the problem.
"Duchess Itsumi," he said slowly. "It sounds to me that you plan on placing most of the blame on your father. Do you want to use him – and those responsible for the accident today- as scapegoats?"
Embarrassment flashed in her eyes. "It's not—they're not scapegoats if it's the truth," she said. "I just feel like we can't leave the situation alone as it is. The people want answers, I'm sure. And if you look at what I wrote, I'm not trying to throw all the blame on my father. I'm sure he was trying to do what he felt was right, even if it wasn't. The same can be said for those who rebelled."
Her eyes dropped, fidgeting with the hem of her sash. She still hadn't changed out of her ceremonial outfit.
"They were just trying to protect their city but were led astray," she said. "I'm trying to make sure that doesn't happen again. If the people have all the correct information, then maybe we won't have another tragedy like we did today."
Cain hummed, tugging her words out from under the stack to examine it. "I wasn't trying to question your idea, just making sure you were aware of the potential consequences. A lot of people could end up blaming your father depending on how this is taken, and what you wrote. Or if they feel like you're taking advantage of the deaths today it could permanently color their opinion of you"
"I'm aware of that," said Itsumi.
"We were planning on following up with a statement anyway," said Kuresaki. "But it will be very different coming from you than from the military."
"I know," said Itsumi, with impatience. "Just—I'm frustrated, alright? And I want to do something about the situation. Isn't that what the Duke or Duchess should be doing? Leading and keeping people safe?"
She was right. Technically as the new Duchess, she was the one in charge. But ever since Cain had shown up the whole hierarchy of power had shifted, favoring him and those he deemed trustworthy. Kuresaki was much more involved than he likely had been in the past due to Cain's trust in him. But eventually, the city would go back to its previous state before Cain had barreled in and taken over. Maybe this would be a good way to start the transition back.
Besides, scanning the words she'd written, he couldn't say it was a bad piece. While it was obviously still raw and needed work, it was undeniably genuine. If there was one thing people responded to, it was that.
"You're right," said Cain, handing back the papers. "If you think this is the best course, then we will trust you." It would take that responsibility off Cain as well, which was a plus. Mosall was likely to trust her words more than his anyway.
"Really?" Itsumi's eyes lit up before she attempted to collect her obvious delight at his approval. "I mean, I'll make sure to give you the final copy to review before we send it out."
"See that you do," said Kuresaki. "and get help from PR as well. They'll be able to instruct you on the pitfalls to avoid when it comes to official statements like this."
Openly beaming, Itsumi gathered the up papers, offering a polite curtsey before dashing off. She was earnest, which was good. Also full of drive to lead. Given time and confidence, she would develop into a good leader.
Kuresaki leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes with a thumb and forefinger.
"Well, that's one mess we don't have to worry about," said Kuresaki. "We should probably push back the trial again."
"I agree," said Cain. "I'm thinking we just keep them in jail until after the battle. Otherwise, we risk missing information and condemning innocent men."
"They're not innocent if they killed men of this country," grumbled Kuresaki. Both he and Cain had very different views on the matter. While Cain sympathized with those that were likely led astray, Kuresaki saw all men who willingly attacked their own comrades as deserving of death.
"It looks like we won't have the final say in that regard," said Cain. "Not if Itsumi plans to take control as she did with this situation."
Kuresaki let out a snort. "Yeah, that's a fair point. It will be nice to have a duchess helping us rather than trying to trip us up at every corner."
Cain agreed. He just hoped this report didn't make the situation worse.
-Sozen infiltrated our ranks, posing as a savior to our situation. But we were wrong. Every piece of evidence unearthed since his death has pointed to him delaying our research, skewing results and causing overall confusion. Our research is now weeks behind where it should have been due to this. We would have continued to flounder in ignorance had Cain not showed up and taken him out.
But because of his display, Cain was revealed as an Accursed. We took him and bound him and separated him from his wife. He never fought us. Not once while he was imprisoned did he seek to escape. He was compliant through the whole thing. Even after his allies rescued him, rather than flee the city, he came back to help us. To assist us as we recovered from the rot.
We are still finding men who sympathize with Sozen and actively work to delay our progress in finding a solution. And maybe that's where we've all gone wrong. Where I've gone wrong. I've assumed that anyone that opposes Cain does so because they see an Accursed. Because they don't see that he's defected to our side and provided us with enormous amounts of information on the enemy.
No. Those that oppose Cain aren't doing so to help Ashuron. They do so to spread more chaos. They want to incite panic and discontent against the leadership. They want to weaken us so that the monsters might easily slaughter us.
They are not on our side.
In all honesty, this revelation makes me livid. They have deliberately sought to sow contention among us and because of this, people have died. Children have died. Soldiers on the same side have killed one another. My own father has been imprisoned for betraying his country.
It is difficult for me to write this. Much of what has happened rests too close to my heart. I have witnessed most of these events myself. In the future, I will have to stand before my own father and help decide his fate. I have lost many loved one to this hate, and I'm sure I'll lose more.
But I have also gained new allies. They are the ones that give me strength. They are the ones fighting for the same things. They are the ones that push forward despite the hate directed against them, working to keep everyone safe.
I do not know what the outcome of all this will be, but I assure you that I will fight for Mosall to the very end. I just hope that you will recognize this and chose to fight beside us, rather than against.
Kyoko set down the paper, looking up to meet the waiting eyes of Itsumi. She'd perched herself at the edge of her chair as Kyoko read through the whole pamphlet.
"You sent this out this morning?" said Kyoko.
Itsumi nodded. "I wanted to respond as quickly as possible to what had happened. We don't have a lot of time to change public opinion and this seemed like a good way to start."
That it was. Other than Itsumi's words, it had included a few testimonials from other nobles and soldiers who had worked directly with Cain or who had witnessed different events. And while it skimmed over some issues— such as how Cain had taken over in the first place or details of their defenses – it did include some key things that should mollify the city. Such as the date the champions would show up to help, or that on that same day the inhibitor was due to be finished.
Overall, it painted them as reasonable, logical thinking leaders who took advantage of the information and power given to them by an Accursed. It matched up with the dialog they'd presented during the trial that Cain had defected to their side. And while it obviously left some questions unanswered, it gave the general populace something to work with.
Most of these details should have been known to the people already. They weren't exactly hiding the fact that the king was on his way or what day the monsters would arrive. But this would help fill the gaps in people's information, painting an accurate picture without hearsay corrupting the information as it spread.
Itsumi looked like she hadn't slept much. While she'd taken the time to bathe and wear a clean outfit, the dark bags under her eyes weren't from the rot. Her toes tapped impatiently against her sandals.
"Well?" said Itsumi. "What do you think?"
Kyoko looked back at the paper, frowning. "I mean, it's very professional, except that part at the end where you obviously got emotional. But I think people will appreciate it. If there is one thing that people react to, it's sincerity. And it's obvious that you are sincere in your desire to help and be a good duchess."
Itsumi's shoulders relaxed, scooting back from the edge of her seat. "Oh. Good. I was a little worried about that. I wasn't sure if it was too immature and I should leave that whole part out. But I was so frustrated when no one would listen. I just wanted to be heard."
"Are you kidding me? I can't believe they were so rude during your ceremony. I swear, if I'd been there, I would have had lost it." Kyoko knew plenty of amplification spells that would have worked on her voice, as well as illusion magic. She'd love to see how the city would have reacted to an illusion of a phoenix bearing down on them telling them to shut up. Or fireworks. Or a fireball.
Not that it would have helped. They'd probably have blamed Kyoko's magic for the destruction of the building.
I wish I'd have been there. Maybe I could have helped more people if I'd been strong enough.
But she wasn't. She'd stayed safe in her room while people had died.
Hopefully Hiroaki will find something. He'd left early that morning with Murasame and a few other guards to delve deeper into the caves. He hoped to find the heart of the tree, or at least the source of it's magic. His theory was that if he could analyze the tree's defenses against the rot, then maybe they could find a way to help Kyoko's essence fight off the curse on her shoulders.
The marks were still spreading. It was getting hard to sleep through the night, even without Rosa's nightmares keeping her up.
"I just hope it helps," said Itsumi. "I passed it through several people before sending it out, and I could tell that they had more to say but held back. Ugh. I hate feeling so uncertain about what I'm doing."
"Now that, I can sympathize with." Kyoko folded the paper, placing it on her nightstand. "You said there was something you wanted to discuss?"
"Oh, yes."
Itsumi bounced back up in her chair, hands folded carefully across her lap. "You see, there was one person that I really wanted to talk to since they had an impact on public opinion during the trial. Plus, they appear to know you and Cain personally. Because of his position, I figure getting his opinion and convicting him to help us would assist us tremendously."
Kyoko tilted her head. "Okay, but have you talked to Kanae about this? They're only letting certain people in my room."
"Yes, and she's, uh, agreed, but only because she seems to think you won't say yes. And we'll have to go to him. He's agreed to come to the city hall but not to my study."
Who exactly was she talking about? If they were present during her and Cain's "trial" then it had to be either Kuresaki, or her dad or Hiroaki… had there been someone else—
That's when she remembered. An event so unpleasant that she'd blocked the encounter from her mind. Her nose scrunched as if she'd stepped in a large pile of dung.
"Please don't tell me you're talking about who I think you're talking about."
Thanks for reading!
Guys, that first scene made me sad to write. Especially since I'm expecting my first, I just wanted to hug that poor mother. I made me so sad. :'(
Many of you might have noticed that this chapter was very very late. To be honest, I could write a long note on life and all the craziness that prevented me from writing anything for two weeks. But overall, what's likely to continue to slow me down is my back. It's become a daily battle making sure I don't hurt or strain it. (I feel like a proper mangaka!). Don't worry, I am doing everything I need to do to stay healthy (Chiropractor, vitamins, exercise, etc) but mostly, I'm just trying to take it easy because stress is no good for the baby. (BABY!). Keyword is try.
The point is, this new life is my top priority. And my back. And sleep when my back lets me. But I will not abandon this story! No matter what. Also, as a heads up, I'm due mid-December so updates will probably stop for a while at that point. And Okay, I think I hit all the things I wanted to.
TLDR: Baby is coming! Things may be delayed in the future as pregnancy back pain is evil!
Find me on Twitter and Insta. I'll try to keep y'all updated if anything happens that causes delays again.
-Blushweaver
Blushweaver, you do realize that you are the reason that family is bereft of their daughter right? You have brought this family into existence and murdered their child/children. Any-who, on the cheerful and uplifting note, I hope you are all well and happy and loved.
-Im0ut0