Hey guys...

We meet again. Sorry to keep you waiting, you know... school, and many others. But I'm so thankful you guys have been waiting patiently, I really appreciate it. Speaking of patience, I intend to continue my Vindicate, I know it's been a while since I didn't continue that story. Therefore, I beg you to be patient a little longer...

And now... happy reading, then.

Chapter 16 : Under the Moonlights

"They're all..." Jewel said, "Dead..." she stared intently at the pile of corpses. Instead of feeling scared and shocked, her eyes showed a feeling of sadness and concern.

Meanwhile, Blu... he just stared at the pile of these dead bodies in front of him without saying anything.

"What happened?" Jewel said again. Without thinking twice, she ventured herself walking among the dead bodies, approaching the iron wall, "Did they all... protect this wall?"

Blu walked over to her, "I think so..." said Blu, and immediately punched the iron wall to make a hole. Then he tore off the iron wall as easily as he tore a paper, and found a wide tunnel leads to the underground.

"A tunnel?!" Jewel exclaimed in surprise, looking down.

"Jewel..." Blu said, softly, "Are you alright?" he asked... his tone impressed worriedly at her.

Jewel turned to him, with a puzzled look on her face, she said, "Why did you ask?"

"I... I'm just worried..." Blu replied, "I mean, after all this... these dead bodies. This is the first time you've been in such a situation, haven't you?"

But Jewel just smiled, "Thanks for worrying about me, Blu. But this isn't the first time I've seen things like this. "

Blu just went silent...

"I've had something worse than this. Believe me, I'll be fine. " then she looked at the tunnel,"I think Martha is there, isn't she? Come on then... "

And she jumped down the tunnel to the underground, followed by Blu moments later, still looking worried. Moreover, Jewel's statement make him curious about her past. Although, they had been classmates since childhood, Blu still knew nothing of her past, except... her mother's death. However, he's holding back his curiosity... if he forced Jewel to remember her past, it might hurt her feelings by memories buried in time.

It didn't take long to reach the bottom of the tunnel. When they land safely on a white tile floor, they find themselves in a corridor with walls made of rocks, just like a cave wall. Perhaps it's connected with an underwater cave, considering this place is close to a sea.

"Who are you?" suddenly there was a voice... a frightened voice.

Blu and Jewel looked back and saw a little bird, younger than them. He holds a stick with his wings that look trembling. Blu and Jewel just put on a surprised and confused face.

"I asked who are you?" he shouted... still look trembling.

Suddenly an assault from a bunch of birds, children and teenagers... with ragged and tattered clothes. They ambushed Blu and Jewel.

"You must have killed them!" one of them shouted, coming forward, like their leader. He looks the oldest in that group, "I've never seen a blue bird before!"

They are all boys. Looks like they are what Rasam is talking about. Blu and Jewel never thought there were any survivors in this horrible place.

"Calm down..." Jewel finally began to speak, "We are not bad people."

"She's right..." Blu continued, "We've come to save our friend, Martha."

"Martha?" the leader replied. At first he was a bit hesitant with them, but when he saw their sincere eyes, he ordered the others to sheathed their weapons, "Looks like you are telling the truth."

Blu and Jewel nodded in unison...

"Very well... follow me." said the leader,"My name is Daws, by the way."

His name is Daws, a hawk-like bird, but a little shorter than Blu. With brown feathers, and white on his back, a blunt straight beak. However, he looks older than Blu and Jewel.

"I'm Blu..." Blu replied, "And she's Jewel."

"Nice to meet you..." Jewel greeted kindly.

"Tell me Daws, what just happened here?" Blu asked, looking at him with a curious face.

Daws seems hesitant to tell Blu and Jewel about 'that', but he realizes if they come from the surface, so there's nothing else to hide.

While walking down the glowing hallway, he explained, "Actually... this place used to be an orphanage to care for us who have no parents and no home. For us, this place is home... until Viilock showed his face. He along with his men, came in the middle of the night, ambushed, killed all the adults in this place... people who care for us, they all slaughtered right before our eyes, the only survivors are us... the orphans. We're used by that greedy bird, to build a weapon..."

"What kind of weapon?" Blu interrupted him.

Daws took a deep breath... with frightened, he replied, "Weapon of mass destruction..."

His words made them all speechless, as well as with Blu and Jewel, they were surprised.

"But the weapon requires an enormous energy, so it makes Viilock obsessed with looking for an energy called, Pieces of Teho." Daws continued, "Until tonight, he has been killed by Carl Marx, who is also obsessed with that ancient energy." he paused for a moment before continuing,"That's all we know. His surviving men fled to the bay, and we were forced to stay here with the purpose of protecting..."

"Protecting, you say? For them... we are nothing more than a rusty shield. They are monsters, and naturally the monster must be killed. But unfortunately, they are coward monsters..." A small bird next to Daws interrupted him.

"You should not have said that." Daws replied to the little bird, "No matter how evil they are, we must honor those who have died... isn't that our tradition here?"

"But not with these monsters!" The little bird replied curtly, with a face full of anger, he walked past him.

"Forgive what he said just now," said Daws to Blu and Jewel.

"No need to apologize," Jewel replied, "I really understand how he feels."

"So you already know what happened above?" asked Blu.

"Yes..." Daws replied, "Because I thought you came from above, surely you saw many dead bodies. I have no idea how Carl Marx could kill almost all of Viilock's men, but he does not seem to be after us."

"Blu! Jewel!" there was a familiar voice in Blu and Jewel's ears. They saw a yellow bird running through the crowd... running toward them.

He gathered together with other female birds. It seems that these hostages are deliberately left behind by Viilock's men as their shield, but because of friendship, they decide themselves if the males volunteer themselves as shields, while the females were waiting in a room.

"I believe you will come..." she said with a sense of relief, and grateful, approached them, and gave a short hug.

"Looks like you're okay..." Jewel said, "Thank goodness."

"Next time, you need a friend when going out at night..." Blu grinned.

Martha replied with a grin as well, "Alright, alright..."

"You guys seem to know each other," said Daws, interrupt that brief reunion.

"Well actually, they are..." Martha answered but she was interrupted by Jewel who was holding her shoulders.

As a result, Martha paused, then continued, "They are... they are transfer students. We... just met in the morning at school" she said haltingly, and then chuckled.

"Transfer students, eh?" Daws said with a curious tone.

"Ehrm... anyway, thank you Daws for looking after her." said Blu, trying to change the subject, "We need to get going now. Her parents must be worried about her."

"Right..." Jewel continued, "Speaking of worry... Rasam also worries about you... you all."

"Rasam?" Daws answered, in a shocked voice, as did the others.

"Yes... he's waiting for you at Agharti City, in Giujolk more precisely." continued Blu.

"I see..." Daws muttered to himself with a smile, "Then..." he said, "We'll call the police and get out of here..."

"No... you will call the police after you leave. That means we will get out of this horrible place... together. " said Blu, with a confident smile.

Jewel's POV

Together... we all walked along an underground passage leading to a bay. The gulf was pitch black and large, there's no one, except us. There's no sound but our breath... our frozen breath, and a breath of their freedom, who are constantly crying... under the moonlights. There was no sign of Viilock's men, as if they had vanished in the bay. Maybe we're lucky enough...

Slowly but surely... Blu, Martha and I decided to leave them without saying goodbye. We disappeared in the darkness that enveloped on their backs... birds with bad conditions, and tattered clothes, but now they are free, and safe.

Without saying thank you, and saying good-bye, it was very damning to our hearts, but we didn't want to deal with the policemen in a place that was unfamiliar to Blu and me... after all, three of us were illegal immigrants from the other country, and that would be very inconvenient. Well... we have no other choice.

As we jumped and floated under the moonlights, we heard the sound of sirens slowly disappearing behind us. A massive raid on an old building. For years, crimes under the guise of an orphanage have been uncovered.

The truth has come to light...

Martha who was on my back just stared away at the siren that shone on that hill. I have no idea what she's thinking, but from her gaze... I can understand her concern. She said nothing, neither did I, and also Blu... we all fell silent in the cold air that pierced our feathers.

Although Blu and I have managed to save Martha, we are still worried, indecisive. It seems like something will happen, sometime in the future... we feel if this horrors... is not over yet.

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Okay guys... thank you for taking the time to read this simple story. I hope you like it...

See you later guys!

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3rd person POV

Night's getting late... cool air over a big city...

The moonlights mingled with the noise of the desolate vehicle. This sunny night, a boy sitting swinging on the edge of a wide-open window, letting the cold air into the room... the room of a patient in the hospital. The comfortable room with the walls and floors luminous dimly lit that warmed the room, with a large glass tube containing a liquid connected to the ceiling with a hose beside a hospital cot.

A boy with a bandage wrapped around his head, staring deep into the darkness of the horizon. With blank stares, loose clothing that wrapped around his body, resisting the cold air...

"Blu and Jewel..." he said, looking up at the sky, "So they made it, eh? They managed to tear it down. No... but he did it." he took a deep breath,"The thing I'm afraid of is really going to happen... the initial step for the council... "

The first Arc, "A New World"

The End...