Two days later, I watched from one of the offices in L.G.D. HQ how Reunion entered the building and started destroying everything inside. At least that was what they saw, as in truth all of that was a realistic illusion; the whole original zone was hidden in a different dimension, and in its place a model created with magic. The room I was in was hidden from outsiders, allowing me to stay here in peace, ignoring the chaos outside while I talked on the radio.
-"How's the situation?"-Swire asked, her voice still worried despite my assurances.
-"Everything is good. Reunion took over the building, and they are in the process of turning it into ruins."
-"That doesn't sound like everything is good."-She commented with a sigh.-"Just make sure you are safe, don't be like that Puk Gaai Lung and get harmed due to pride."
-"Sure."-I smiled slightly, her kindness and care for me that existed just because, not due to status as Holy Son, was something I really felt from those not that close to me.-"You also should be careful and make sure not to be too harsh on Ch'en."
-"There is nothing too harsh for someone who abandoned their allies after already abandoning their job."-Swire didn't mince her words.-"Don't defend her, Eno. She needs to be put in her place."
-"You know that it wasn't fully her fault."
-"Heh, she always acts as if her principles are more important than orders, yet she follows them in such a situation. I'll make sure she is returned to you in a good state, but I'm not responsible for mental damage during transport. I'm out!"-She made a kissing sound at the end before muting her radio.
I just shook my head and looked at the Cellinia who was silently sitting next to me.
-"Another one?"-She commented instantly.
-"They are just having fun."
-"If you say so."-She shrugged, but I could see that she didn't believe it.-"Most of our jobs are done, Old Lin is on our side, Wei is moving as we want, only that dying tiger is the last person who can stop us."
-"What is his decision?"
-"He has two demands. First, we back his granddaughter in her actions against the family's dissent when she is appointed as the next head. Second, noble title in the new Victoria."
-"We didn't include him in those plans, right?"
-"We had not, but he saw through our plans after connecting some dots. He is aware of our support of Alexandrina and now what we have done for Talulah and Lungmen… He is a sharp businessman after all."
-"Indeed. We can promise him those things as long as Swire agrees to accept them. If she renounces their family and title, then that's it."
-"I'll pass it on."-She nodded.-"What's about the matters in Ursus?"
-"Almost done. When the Third Army makes its move, everything will move as we want it to."
-"And what about that rabbit?"
-"Don't worry, I have sent the strongest person we had at hand."
-"Who?"
-"Arcueid. She was getting bored, so I had her stretch her legs while helping Amiya."
-"Then there is indeed no worry, aside from whether she'll go overboard."
-"I warned her, if she makes a mess, I'll have her enter a blood-free diet."
-"Hope that's enough."
-"I'll be."
-"Right, I heard that that dragon girl was quite shaken after everything that happened. When she returns and sees you ensuring her actions had no serious repercussions, I bet she will fully fall for you."
-"Are you angry or jealous?"-I raised my eyebrow.
-"Both."-She smiled and leaned on my shoulder.-"I won't say anything, just don't forget me."
-"Never."
We fully utilized the hidden nature of the room, leaving it only a few hours later after I received a transmission from Swire.
-"We are almost back."-Swire's voice sounded from the radio thrown onto the floor.
I looked at the radio that was out of my reach, seriously calculating whether I should ignore it and continue resting with Cellinia, or untangle myself from her and pick up the radio. Cellinia also noticed my internal struggle, smiled mischievously, and burrowed under the covers.
In the end, I had the radio fly to me and responded to Swire while ignoring what was happening below.
-"How's the situation on your side?"
-"All good. We heard that Amiya was rescued by someone, so we rushed back. And on your side?"
-"No troubles. Reunion finished their destruction and are now laying some traps, waiting for our counterattack."
But as I was talking, some rustling or other sound must have registered as Swire asked.
-"Are you doing something? Are you safe to communicate?"
-"Yes. Don't worry about it."
-"Sure. That bastard Lung decided to save one of our informants before heading to you, taking Hoshiguma with her. I'll go to Wei to report everything."
-"I'll wait for them then."
-"And Eno, don't excuse that Bastard Lung. Let her stew in whatever she is feeling a little longer."
With that, she ended the conversation. I looked at Cellinia, who finally ended having her fun and started to clean herself up. A few minutes later, she stood by the window and turned to me one more time.
-"I'll stop Wei and those Yanese censors from acting against our interests; you can just focus on the plan."
-"Thanks."
She nodded and jumped out, leaving without a trace.
I didn't stay still after that, but started to take action. Reunion was already getting comfortable around the HQ, so it was finally time to clear the trash. As I was alone, I summoned my Caliburn and started to wander the corridors, quickly dealing with any Reunion fighters, replacing them with illusions to not alarm anyone.
After dealing with most of the people in HQ, I expanded my scope to include the Paci Plaza, dealing with traps they had left here and there. But as I was dealing with everything slowly, I heard hurried steps echo in the corridor near me. I quickly looked there to see Ch'en and Hoshiguma running with a small group of L.G.D. Agents following.
-"Eno!"
-"Good to see you back."-I nodded at them.
-"You are truly something, Newbie. To survive here on your own."-Hoshiguma walked to my side, slightly out of breath due to continuously fighting off Reunion.
-"Let's talk after we recapture the HQ."-Ch'en didn't look at me, as if trying to avoid accidentally meeting my eyes.
-"Sure. I dealt with most of the patrols inside, leaving only those fanatics of whatever leader is waiting for you."
Ch'en nodded and started walking forward. I glanced at Hoshiguma, who just shook her head and whispered to me.
-"Let her be, she is still torn due to her decision to abandon Amiya and how she ignored your advice. Give her time, and if she doesn't, I'll get her drunk before delivering her to you."-She winked at me.
-"Just don't do anything illegal."-I told her.
I joined the group, acting as an Arts support and medic when needed. I was already rather popular in L.G.D., with the whole dating Ch'en and later being the Control for the slum operation, but after learning that I knew Healing Arts, I became their idol, almost like their three leaders.
Without many issues, we entered the HQ and took a route where the remaining enemies waited for us. It was better to deal with them now than let them hide after escaping later. Even while fighting all of them, we managed to arrive at the roof of the HQ in about an hour, and most of the team stayed on the floor behind to keep enemies from entering the roof, leaving Ch'en and me to meet the leader alone. And once again, the leader wasn't someone I've met before.
He was young, younger than Amiya, definitely not of an age to lead an armed rebellion. But his age was not what attracted my attention. It was his eyes. If I ever imagined what crazy eyes looked like, his looked exactly like that. When he looked at us, I couldn't see his eyes focus; they remained clouded while looking into the nothingness.
-"Good evening, Madam. And you, Sir."-He greeted us cheerfully.
-"Silence!"-Ch'en didn't share his joy.-"How dare you, Reunion, attack Lungmen?"
-"Madam, we are just doing what we can to save our brethren."
-"Lies. Your actions will only result in the deaths of countless people!"-Ch'en didn't buy his rhetoric.-"I suggest you surrender."
-"Sigh. Faust."-He called out.
Instantly, I felt a bolt flying at me, causing me to grab the sword by my waist and swing it at the projectile, deflecting it. Ch'en, noticing my movements, also started to watch out for snipers.
-"Impressive, Sir."
-"Thank you."-I thanked him, meeting politeness with politeness.-"But I suggest you focus on my partner."
-"Indeed. Madam, how does it feel to be targeted by the same person you arrested before?"
-"Heh, you believe he was rescued by your people? Naive."-Ch'en scoffed at him.-"Whatever, even with him there, my blade wo;; reach you faster than his bolts."
-"You are right, all my forces had been crushed, those who remained are too afraid to move, is that what you expect?"-He smiled, but his smile lost that politeness, becoming something crazy and unhinged.-"My Guards!"
We waited for anything to happen, but after more than half a minute of nothing, Ch'en just looked at him with a strange expression.
-"Are you bluffing?"-She asked.
-"He is not; he just miscalculated."-I looked at the white powder floating everywhere around.-"I believe this powder can affect the infected, or rather their bodies, but due to my preparations, there are no bodies left here."
-"That's…"-Ch'en's mouth twitched slightly; she was fighting a smile due to a bizarre coincidence.
-"You…"
-"I find it pitiful, with such Art, had you been genuinely trained and learned, you would be able to help infected much more than what Reunion is now doing."-I sighed at the wasted potential.
-"You… Who are you!?"-He looked at me with genuine fear.
-"What's that matter?"
-"Impossible… You can't be like that man?!"-He shook his head, taking a few steps back.
-"Who are you referring to?"-Ch'en also looked at his reaction with surprise.
-"The cause of my suffering!"-He glared at me, his eyes finally focused and filled with hatred.-"Enoch! The Holy Son!"
-"What connection do you have with Enoch?"-Ch'en asked, looking at me with interest.
-"Connection? Ahaha, I don't deserve to have any connection with such a figure, but he still caused my suffering! That place, my home, they celebrated the Holy Son's birth by having me live in his glory. Everything I did wrong… They said I wasn't worth my name. Even my singing… It disgraced the holy name I carried."-He clutched his head, as if remembering those things caused him physical pain.
-"Why?"
-"Because…"-He looked at Ch'en with tear-filled eyes full of hatred.-"My name is Eno."
This made me understand what was going on. Among many faithful Liberi, the name Eno erupted in popularity after my birth, as it was derived from Enoch; in their eyes, it meant that those children would follow in my light. But that hope hides a darker side underneath.
If said children underperformed or misbehaved, they would be met with severe punishments, not rarely past what the discipline was, becoming pure abuse. It got so bad that I had Old Man forbid using any derivative of my name in the whole Laterano, but isolated Ursus' Liberi communities didn't have to follow Lateran rules.
In the past, I might have felt bad for him, suffering due to my existence, but now, after getting a better understanding of the world, I know that my name didn't cause this; it was just an excuse to abuse others. And while he might have been a victim at one point, now he firmly stands on the side of the abusers, using the same reasoning to harm others.
In the end, I just shook my head; it wasn't my place to lecture or moralize. I just looked at Ch'en, wanting to see what she would do. And she didn't disappoint.
-"Pure hypocrisy. Are you about 14 or 15? When you were born, Holy Son would be what? 5? 6? Are you implying that a 6-year-old is personally responsible for what happened deep in Ursus' tundra?"-Ch'en looked at him as if he were an idiot.
-"Wha..?"
-"What? Expected me to sympathies with you, treat you as some tragic hero? Look around, how many people you displaced also suffered in their lives? How many people you killed also had reasons to fight?"-Ch'en started to approach him, her hand on her sword.-"My opinion might not matter to you, but I believe that Holy Son represents a chance to change these lands into something better. I don't care if he is god or mortal, as long as his light is aligned with my justice, I will swing my sword for him."
I wasn't expecting her to think so of me, but I decided against commenting as the red creeping on her ears signaled that those words weren't easy to say. Luckily, there was no time to focus on the awkwardness as the boy in front of us moved. He lunged at Ch'en, and she drew Chi Xiao, but then an accident occurred.
The slash that should have flown at the boy in front flew at me instead. As I wasn't fully on guard, I couldn't fully respond to the attack, only partially blocking it, causing me to suffer a somewhat serious wound. The explosion that happened due to my attempt to block the strike, not only pushed the boy off the roof, his situation unknown, but also caused Ch'en to face a backlash, but I quickly stepped in front of her, blocking it.
This alarmed Hoshiguma and L.G.D. Agents, who rushed onto the roof to see a chaotic scene. Ch'en was sitting on the ground, Chi Xiao lying some distance from her, but her eyes looked at me with shock and disbelief, her head shaking in denial. I had my back to her, kneeling in slowly gathering poodle of blood, trying to cover my crystal bones from being seen by others.
Normally, such a wound wouldn't be an issue for me, but I quickly found out that it didn't want to heal. I quickly identified the cause: Chi Xiao. As a sword that existed to hunt Feranmuts, it had to overcome its immortality to hurt them, so leaving unhealing wounds wasn't strange. Confirming that healing this wouldn't be so easy, I was about to stand up when the sounds of rotor blades appeared nearby.
I looked at the source of the sound, finding the R.I. transport ship flying toward us. They landed near us, and instantly, Amiya and two medics rushed to my side. Under the Little Rabbit's insistence, I was taken to the R.I. facility for treatment. She also wanted to take Ch'en to check her state, but she just shook her head, staying behind while looking at the sword lying on the ground.