(Reverence 4, 59 / 1:12PM)

  Back to the present.

  (Doug) There’s more to the story after that, but it’s more or less a blueprint of the beginning of the skirmishes.

  The train moving at full speed, the train tracks lead the locomotive to the direction of the South. As the Dark Angels and three Pacithiests were all tied up together like dolls, they all looked at either the moving landscape or at the glaring shark-human.

  Benn’s cheekbones hardened while clenching all of his teeth together, as if he were trying to crush them into pieces of meat. Unable to, his breathing fastened, his nostrils opening up to let steaming air hiss out from his nose.

  (Doug) Sorry to say this to your friend shark-human, but your daddy ain’t exactly a saint is he?

  (Benn) Stop it…

  (Doug) Everyone knew what he did. He tried to lobby for change yet was a monstrous degenerate; vile.

  (Benn) stop…

  His vocals rung free like a motor, trembling and quivering his throat while his kneecaps bruise from just pushing pressure on his bones. His eyelids darkened, even the light from above wouldn’t shine onto them while having his waist cut deep to the bone.

  The rope continued to tighten him, the others also had the same predicament. Doug, who only smirked evermore at the sight of all of them trying to wiggle like worms, tilted his head up while pinning his eyes down.

  (Doug) And lord and behold that crime you committed during Lagefor many years back.

  Benn pushed both of his feet up from the ground.

  Already in a tackling run, he moved his right shoulder so that his shoulder blade would make contact with Doug’s chest. His white shirt was drenched in the soup air, his body odor continued to worsen the more the sun rained down on his moist skin.

  Until he ceased.

  In an instant, he collapsed down to the same position where he knelt, whilst having the rope sunk deep into his waist. Coughing out a gasp of saliva, it spat onto a man’s boots, his right cheek soaring from hitting the ground.

  (Doug) You’re angry at me for what you did?! No wonder most of your kind are at the bottom of society. Never taking any responsibility for your own actions.

  Standing in front of Doug, a man clad in all black stood like a wooden door. Keeping his hands in his pockets, he glared at the shark-human with cold eyes, causing Benn to clench his teeth despite being on the ground.

  Luke, the nearest one to Benn, only lowered his head so that his lips were near Benn’s right ear. The sun hailing down onto the back of his neck, Luke cleared his throat and pushed down his eyes.

  (Luke) I know you want to fight back so hard … but we’re not in a good position to try our luck…

  Benn ignored Luke’s statement, closing his eyes as the darkness that enveloped him loosened his shoulders and body. His breathing returned to normal, he shut his mouth so that his nostrils would push off the soup air situated in his lungs.

  Looking up at Kenichi and Doug, Luke slumped his shoulders down, followed by allowing his eyes to stare down on the floor. Doug walked to where Luke knelt, his hands being placed deep into his thin jacket’s pockets.

  (Doug) You’re his leader, right? Why would any sane person want to have the son of a child molester on his team?

  Luke bit his lower lip while using his upper lip to cover it.

  Instead of placing all of his body weight onto his knees, he used the bones of his shins to support his body. Feeling as if an icicle ran down his back, every hair and pore from his body goosed up to form a bump, as the two men from above glared at the light brown-haired man.

  Rolling his lower jaw, he kept his back hunched.

  (Luke) I don’t wanna believe that the apple never rots far from the tree … but child molestation is one of the worst crimes a person can do.

  Doug let out a scoff, both of his nostrils steaming out air from his moisturized throat. Pushing his right lip up, a hint of his yellowish-white teeth shone in front of Luke, who only gulped down loudly.

  Unable to scratch his cheek or rub the back of his head because of his wrists being held by the rope, Luke tried to push up a wry smile.

  (Doug) Then it’s clear as a common day that a person with morals wouldn’t associate with degenerates like him. Some people just don’t have the right to a normal life for being—

  (Luke) But from what I’ve seen, Benn is far from being a child molester.

  Doug took out both of his hands from his pockets, letting them hang motionless to his sides while furrowing his brow.

  The rest of everyone perked their ears up to Luke’s saying, with even Benn moving his head up so that his head’s weight bruised the bottom of his chin. With everyone having their eyes on him, Luke fiddled with his fingers the most he could do with a rope chaining his waist and arms.

  Remembering all those years of training, there wasn’t a single instance of Loraine being touched or harmed by Benn at all. There were many cases in which Benn would overall try to avoid Loraine at all costs, and even when Benn had no choice but to interact with Loraine…

  Luke remembered a time after The Array when Benn confronted a crying Loraine after the death of Ryan, a kid who was a year older than Luke at the time.

  Being the only one to look through the slightly opened door, Luke widened his eyes at the display of affection that Benn had for her. Despite her discrimination for beast-humans being the partial cause of Ryan’s death, Benn still rubbed her back even when she cried up to the heavens.

  (Loraine in Luke’s thoughts) I wish … I wish I was never born…

  Ceasing his memory, Luke tilted his head up to the glaring Doug, ignoring the cold eyes of Kenichi who couldn’t shiver his spine.

  (Luke) Even if his father did molest a little girl, I’m not going to pass my hate onto Benn. If Benn thinks that his father was innocent, I won’t try to change it, but the rest of everyone doesn’t know if he did that or not, cause we weren’t there.

  Benn tilted his body up to push himself off of the ground while having his shins burdened under his burly weight. His face mixed with emotions, ranging from frustration to sadness to even to his nonchalant manner, his eyes remained darkened under the sun’s rays.

  Doug soon began to clench both of his hands tightly, his fingers digging into his palms the more Luke talked while staring into his eyes.

  (Luke) I won’t hate Benn for being the son of a child molester, cause in the end people—

  Doug drove his right fist into Luke’s stomach.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  The air that regulated and circulated throughout his body soon gasped out of his mouth, saliva and drool splattered all over Doug’s turquoise-colored boots. Even though Luke’s body was skinny, Doug’s fist wasn’t strong enough for him to falter, as he kept his head off the ground.

  His back was hunched, and a monotone of coughs grazed the ends of his throat while squeezing his eyes out from the pain. Feeling like he might throw up whatever breakfast he ate in the abandoned beer factory, sweat began formulating all over his skin.

  (Doug) You degenerate of a man. Waste of space.

  Doug noticed a pair of eyes that deathly glared at him to his right. Seeing a…

  Blonde-haired woman with blue eyes.

  He furrowed his brow at the unusual sight of her burning his body into her irises, a far cry from her usual demeanor. Putting his left hand inside of his pocket, his frown dug down to his jaw.

  (Doug) Didn’t think you’re the type to get defensive over this fool.

  (Hope) Leave him alone.

  (Doug) Did you and that tanned beauty switch personalities? From the way you’re built, you can’t save anyone.

  Doug walked toward the anger-filled Hope, whose eyes began to strain red as she continued to look at the chubby man with a fowl frown. Casting his shadow over her, she maintained her angered look, her lips quivering under the pressure of both his and Kenichi’s eyes that analyzed her.

  Luna, who balled herself up from Kenichi, avoided the conflict as the ginger-haired man was right next to her; another female who was a far cry from her personality. Despite hearing Luke grovel in pain, she clenched her hands, yet her eyes widened.

  (Doug) Your knight in shining armor is on the verge of groveling on the ground from just one punch. Think you can take a punch from me?

  Two men jumped up from the ground.

  One of the men was a ginger-haired elf with pointed ears, his face burdened in a crimson red along with his eyes. Both of his hands cracking whatever jostled bone or knuckle, he still had them tied by the rope.

  The other man was none other than Luke, who slowly stood up with his left foot twitching erratically. Feeling like he wanted to throw up, his face grew pale, but the crevices of his eyes slanted toward the top of his nose.

  (Luke) Don’t you dare … hurt her …

  (Doug) Or what? You know you can’t do anything.

  Kenichi, Betty, Vivy, and Rimy all had their eyes focused on Luke, trailing up and down his body for any sudden movements. Noticing their stares, Luke breathed in and out heavily, as the soup air strengthened his moistened windpipe.

  Both of his temples began to trail out beads of sweat, as well as the others who watched Luke with largened eyes. As for Sean, he stared at a random metal crate that had no one taking cover…

  (Luke) I know my limits, and I know that I’m not strong enough to defend or stand up for myself. But…

  Glancing at the metal crate that Sean was staring at, he tried to ignore the silhouette that Sean conjured up while keeping his eyes pinned on both Doug and Kenichi. Because everyone had their eyes on him, it was the perfect opportunity for Sean to commence his support blessing.

  Continuing to have his head down, his eyes trailed down to the metallic floor of the Zirardge train. The sun finally displayed his somewhat darkened eyes, it sparkled under the gleaming sunlight that lit a dying star.

  (Luke) I do know how to somewhat plan.

  A silhouette similar to the ginger-haired elf appeared in the back of Doug.

  The four enemies turned their eyes on the clone that Sean summoned, Kenichi was the first one to pull out his right sword. Instantly revving the blade in the snap of a finger, he sliced the imaginary air, despite full well knowing that it was a clone all along.

  While Sean’s clone began trolling them, Luke took two steps forward, doing it rapidly so that Rimy noticed the display of Luke’s movement. Moving the barrel to Luke, she pulled the trigger of her Springfield rifle, cleaving the air like a butcher knife.

  But just as planned, Luke bent down with the help of his blessing, his body arched in a 90-degree angle. The small reverb bell giving him service, the piercing bullet that traversed through the air…

  Precisely cut off the rope that bound Luke.

  Sprinting toward the nearest person next to him, Chris turned his back to Luke, as Luke rapidly pulled out a simple pocket knife from his pocket. Flicking it, the rope that bound Chris soon came off, leading them to cut off both Christian and Pacifica’s ropes as well.

  (Rimy) Boss!

  Turning his head around, Luke’s entire body was drenched in a black shadow. Seeing Kenichi’s chainsaw blade just about to cut his body in half…

  He stopped.

  Turning his head around, Kenichi’s eyes widened at two to three men tackling Doug without the use of their hands. Sean, Miles, and Benn slammed their bodies repeatedly onto the chubby man, they all looked like fish out of the water, hitting Doug with just their shoulders.

  All four of them were standing on the edge of the train, their feet glued onto the floor as they saw the remaining bound comrades on the train. Clutching his fist, Chris was the only one who waved to those around him.

  (Chris) We got to help them!

  (Luke) O-Ok! But we have to be careful!

  (Christian) Wait, you guys! This is a gamble even we wouldn’t be able to—

  Silence fell.

  The world blanketing a hideous white, not a faint of a footstep broke the realm of the silenced dimension.

  Their eyes widened in a state of pure shock, and all of them turned their attention to the pale-faced Chris. Blood streaming out from both corners of his lips, he slowly trailed his hands and fingers onto his stomach, feeling a red liquid that spurred out from—

  A javelin spear stabbed through his stomach.

  His lips quivering, his throat convulsing, then came the cough of blood that began to gag the insides of his throat. The javelin spear still stuck to his stomach like glue, blood trailing down to the floor to form a small puddle.

  Clashing his knees straight onto the floor, all three of them held onto him with pale faces.

  Pacifica, the only one who looked from afar, saw a heavy-breathing woman the same age as her. Like the snap of a stick, Pacifica only just stared at the woman, her anger unreadable as if she didn’t know what to express.

  But a hand pulled her body towards them.

  Without saying a word, all four of them fell off of the moving train, slamming their shoulders onto the mud below. Rolling in the wet dirt, the mud-soaked every ounce of their clothing. Ignoring the throbbing bruises laced on their shoulders or heads, the three of them stood up, as both Christian and Pacifica huddled near the bleeding Chris.

  (Christian) Hey, hey, hey.

  The javelin spear disintegrated into normal bleach, rather than exploding, as it soaked deep into the areas where Chris bled. As Christian held Chris's hand, Pacifica held onto Chris’s other one, while Luke widened his eyes and took a step back.

  His breathing heavy, Luke swayed his head right to left, his eyes on the verge of brimming tears as the train continued to plow through the tracks. While the train continued to flee, Chris’s hands held onto each sibling's hand tightly, his lungs and heart thumping out of his chest like he was running a marathon.

  (Chris) I’m going to die… I’m going to die…

  (Christian) Stay with me. You’re not going to die.

  (Chris) I don’t want to die…

  Uncontrolled tears silently rolled down both of Christian’s eyes, whilst continuing to hold Chris’s hand tightly.

  Unable to live with the reality in front of him, Christian repeatedly swayed his head right and left as more tears escaped from his eyelids. Continuing, continuing, repeating, repeating; he tried to tell him, or himself that…

  Chris’s breathing began to slow, as well as his heart.

  (Chris) I … I haven’t explored this world yet…

  Bringing his cold hand to his chest, Christian’s entire body became numb to the trembling fingers of his younger brother. Seeing his mouth drooling blood, his chest pouring more blood like a hose, and his eyes soon fading its brown color…

  His denial soon faded.

  Pacifica froze, her face scrunching up as rivers of tears continued to storm out of her reddened eyes. Her mouth wide enough to gasp out breathless air, and all of her tears trickled onto the already cold face of the dying teen boy.

  While Luke plopped both of his knees to the mud.

  (Luke’s thoughts) I couldn’t save him …

  Luke turned his head to the runaway train heading South.

  (Luke’s thoughts) I couldn’t save any of them…

  A final whistle blew, scorching the air down to Luke’s boots, his heart throbbed as he continued to look at all his friends riding toward the Nabu desert. While Christian and Pacifica ignored the train whistle, both whistled their tears onto their cold brother, whose eyes only stared into the blue sky above.

  Metal clashing with the tracks beginning to fade, their sobs only loudening the more tears they shed.

  The humid wind blowing onto their faces, mosquitoes and cicadas buzzed softly in the midday sun. Insects swarming them, some of them started to circle around the dying Chris, whose breath already and heart already softened to a tipping point.

  Finally, Christian stood up.

  (Christian) It’s time to go…

  Having his right arm underneath his knees, and his left arm wrapping around his back, Christian looked North to the miniscule brown dot that seemed miles away from where he was. Despite the humidity only soaking their shirts and jackets, Christian’s eyes darkened without a speck of anger nor sadness.

  And especially happiness.

  Not wanting to turn his head toward the gawking Luke, Christian straightened his back while continuing to stare North of the abyss. Turning his head to Christian, Luke had his head down, his palms muddied with wet soil that soften his skin.

  (Christian) It was my fault. I’ll be the one everyone points fingers too.

  Christian began his muddied walk forward.

  Swiping away a large load of boogers and tears from her nostrils and eyes, Pacifica slowly stood up without looking at Luke. Joining along with her older brother, it left Luke to ball up his hands, clutching a chunk of mud that meddled in his fingernails.

  (Pacifica) Me … me too … me too …

  Luke bit his lower lip, his upper teeth strong enough for them to leak blood. Letting it trail down to his jaw, both of his elbows wobbled tremendously while the tips of his toes ceased blood.

  Finally putting one knee on the muddied ground, he pushed himself off of so both his numbed held his body straight. His hands motionless to his thighs, his eyes darkened the same as Christian, and his resolve brittled in shatters, he followed Christian to the trail he walked.

  All three of them silent, their boots soaked with the mud that they marched on, their eyes deadpanned to one location that Christian hoped to see.

  While Luke took one last look back at the train that was long gone.

  A train that took all his friends in the snap of a finger.

  (Luke’s thoughts) Why couldn’t they blame me…?