Shattered Hero
That evening, the city was in an uproar. Hundreds of citizens gathered in the square, shouting out their shared anxieties. A voice boomed from an old megaphone, shaking the heart of Nantigar through the amplifier.
Isaac heard the megaphone's echoes even from afar, mingled with the voices of many people, and felt a twinge of unease as he trimmed flowers alongside Kelun.
"Will it be okay...?" Kelun asked.
Isaac knew those words carried far too much weight—his father, the total war, beyond the barrier, the protests. As the adult who had somehow brought about this situation, he suddenly felt sorry toward Kelun, who was like a little brother to him.
"Remember what I said back then? No chaos lasts forever."
"Yeah, I guess..."
"Good things happened after that too, right? This is just another timing for a bit of turmoil."
"...Okay."
Kelun's response lacked strength, but it seemed to offer some comfort. Isaac, gazing at him with a gentle look, lifted his head at the sound of footsteps passing the shop.
A proxy in uniform and regular army soldiers came into view.
"Ah."
Isaac let out a short sigh without thinking. For a moment, he hoped it might be that confident girl called Bell, but the illusion shattered quickly.
Kelun looked up too, hearing Isaac's voice.
"It's not Bell sis..."
"Nope."
Isaac wore a deliberately disappointed expression as well. The stranger was a fairly mature-looking female proxy with golden hair swaying as she walked. Unlike Bell, her voluptuous figure exuded an aura that overwhelmed her surroundings.
She passed the shop front staring straight ahead, followed by a squad of regular army soldiers marching in perfect order.
And behind her—more precisely, floating in the air—was a semicircular device that looked made of steel, emanating a chill. Its surface was densely packed with shuriken-like blades at regular intervals, clanking like armor with every movement. It was as if an invisible suit of armor had been conjured to protect her.
A few hours after the proxy passed by, Isaac hurriedly greeted a middle-aged woman rushing into the shop. She ran the nearby eatery and was always kind, but her face was ashen.
"Isaac, where's your father?"
"He's probably at the management bureau over the wartime resource reorganization issue."
"Oh my god, Mr. Stefan's joined the protest too. What are we going to do? The military's on high alert right now. This feels bad, Isaac."
Isaac rushed to the trembling woman, who covered her face with her hands, and comforted her.
"What... what happened?"
"The total war failed, Isaac. What do we do? The people who went outside... they'll come back safe, right? Oh, Isaac."
Isaac bit his lip. Turning to Kelun, who was hearing all this, he said,
"Kelun, it'll be fine. It'll be okay. Could you pour a glass of water for her?"
Those words felt directed at himself as much as anyone.
Isaac handed the woman a bouquet of flowers and said,
"Hurry home. It'll be alright."
"Alright, Isaac. When your father gets back, make sure to tell him not to go picking fights like that ever again."
"Haha—got it."
As the woman left, Isaac immediately tapped the tablet on the table, activating it. A hologram window popped up, streaming breaking news.
Just as she had said, the total war had failed. They hadn't secured the code to control Aria.
Isaac mulled over the words. Why did "safe" sound so unsettling?
Inside the shop, he gazed out the window, then quietly took Kelun's hand, who sat beside him.
"Kelun, it's okay."
Isaac smiled softly at him, and only then did Kelun's lips twitch upward slightly as he nodded.
But at that moment—
Bang! Bang!!
Gunshots rang out from afar, carried on the wind. At first, he thought it was a mistake. But then came the second, the third. Clear gunfire followed.
Bang! Bang!
Isaac jumped up, gripped Kelun's hand tightly, and rushed out of the shop. He saw people pouring into the streets.
In the panicked crowd, Isaac grabbed a fleeing young man and shouted,
"Wh-what happened?!"
"It's the management bureau! Protesters clashed with the regular army. They actually opened fire!!"
Isaac gritted his teeth, fighting a wave of dizziness.
"Those bastards..."
"Isaac bro..."
Isaac couldn't bring himself to say "it'll be okay" to Kelun anymore. He whispered instead,
"...This has to be the provisional government's forces. If proxies were there, it never would've gone like this."
"What do we do now, bro?"
"Back to the shop first."
Kelun nodded, then glanced ahead absentmindedly—and froze.
Beyond the chaotic protesters fleeing toward them, countless shurikens soared through the air in pursuit. They cut across the sky without a waver, then rained down like arrows in an instant.
"Aaaagh!"
"Kyaaah!"
Thud, thud.
Instead of gunshots, people fell like autumn leaves beneath those bluish blades.
And from the mist of blood and the collapsing bodies emerged a woman in proxy uniform.
With a metallic clank, shurikens refilled the launcher behind her.
"Ah..."
Isaac went blank the moment he saw that terrifying launcher and uniform, as if struck on the back of the head. It wasn't fear or anger—just an inexpressible, complex shock.
His eyes reflexively turned toward the protesters in the distance, his jaw clenching at the thought of his father possibly being among them.
Fueled by rage, he whirled toward the proxy.
"Bro..!"
Then he saw Kelun trembling beside him, clutching his hand tightly, mumbling,
"...Why... a proxy..."
Isaac snapped to his senses at Kelun's quivering voice. If he charged out now, who would protect Kelun? What could he even do against a proxy?
Isaac squeezed his eyes shut then open. Protecting Kelun came first.
He gripped Kelun's hand and said,
"Kelun, let's run."
Without looking back, Isaac dashed into an alley toward the shop. As they moved away from the city center, the screams faded, but he spotted helicopters flying over the barrier.
They must be the forces returning from outside. A faint hope they might mediate the situation shattered instantly.
Tat-tat-tat-bang!!
Even where the helicopters landed, intermittent gunfire began echoing.
"Bro... hic.."
Kelun, who had seemed so mature, was now trembling, shoulders shaking. Tears welled in his eyes, ready to spill down his cheeks.
With a heart-wrenching ache, Isaac scooped Kelun up into his arms and patted his back as he ran.
The words "it'll be okay" would never leave his lips again.
Back at the shop, Isaac frantically gathered supplies. He didn't know where to flee inside the barrier, but they might need to hide.
"Kelun, just wait a bit. I'll get ready quick."
Keys in hand, he cautiously opened the shop door to fetch his father's car outside.
And there she was.
The proxy. Just a few steps away, the blonde woman in proxy uniform stood before the shop. Her golden eyes sparkled through a smiling gaze.
The semicircular launcher still hovered silently in the air, stained with fresh red.
"Hello?"
Isaac felt chills at her elegant gesture, bending one knee like nobility.
His father's face flashed in his mind, surging emotion, but instinct overtook him. His knees shook. Pathetic as he felt, he clenched his teeth.
Swallowing hard before the proxy who had just killed people.
"...Why? Why attack people?"
He barely spat it out. She replied in a coquettish voice.
"Hmm~ Because tidying up was needed. Clean up the ones who won't listen."
"...Do you even realize what you're saying? Are you insane?"
"Haha, what do you know!"
She giggled mockingly. Isaac grew a little angry at the sight. At her shattering everyone's hopes—Kelun's, his own.
"Proxies aren't supposed to do that."
"I figured you'd be naive~ In a world that's basically ended~ Aren't you too optimistic? Did you think proxies were saints or something~?"
Isaac clamped his mouth shut. She smirked amusedly, pressing a finger to her red lips as she murmured,
"Anyway, it had to be done."
Isaac felt suffocated. Could that little girl really do something like this too? His illusions about proxies were shattering.
"...Why come to me?"
The female proxy twisted her lips upward.
"Got quite the ego. You think I came for you?"
She toyed with her lips again.
"Maybe I did. If I slap on a surface reason... Ah, your father started all this mess, right? Then the son should share the punishment."
In that moment, Isaac knew words wouldn't reach her. He could tell it was an excuse conjured on the spot.
He backed slowly toward the shop. For Kelun's sake... at least Kelun had to be safe.
"Got it. I'll cooperate."
Quietly, he fumbled behind him and dropped the shutter.
Rattle...
He glanced toward the back door. If Kelun escaped through there...
But a cold reply came from the proxy.
"No need to cooperate. You're to be spared. For Bell's sake."
Her voice sounded faintly wistful. As Isaac turned at the cryptic words,
Shurikens gleamed, deploying in the air.
Like rain from the sky, countless blades plummeted toward him.
Thud-thud-thud!
Isaac collapsed without even a scream.
Just hoping Kelun was safe.
And in his fading ears, the last sound was the fierce whistle of wind.
Crack!
The woman staggered. Her semicircular weapon shattered.
—Bang!
A massive gunshot tore the air belatedly.
The female proxy twisted away reflexively. The bullet grazed her shoulder, embedding in her weapon behind instead.
Sparks flew from the launcher at the impact. She staggered, face briefly stunned.
Then she looked at the figure in her sight.
Silver hair. A massive sniper rifle on a shocked face.
Eligos Caliela's expression shifted from surprise to visible delight.
"Oh, Tiny~ You're back? This place sucks. Lumen Guard's way better~"
"...What have you done, Eligos sis...?"
Her voice was low and trembling. Unlike her usual confident tone, it rang with confusion and shock.
Eligos smirked faintly.
"Got orders~ Civil war broke out, so suppress it, they said."
"Civil war...?"
Bell moved slowly forward, voice nearly breaking into sobs. Her gun stayed trained on Eligos.
"Tiny~ Calm down. You saw it when you got off the helicopter, right~? Those bald provisional government old guys who were already here~ They were getting turned into beehives, weren't they?"
Bell was almost whimpering now.
"Why... why did this happen? Why were regular soldiers fighting each other? Sis, what the hell did you do? Why Mr. Stefan..."
Eligos's version of events twisted slyly, but Bell, lost in lament, had no room to notice.
Eligos approached with a complex look—pity on one side, unbearable cuteness on the other.
"By the way, do you know how dangerous it is to point a gun at me? A proxy aiming at another proxy... that's borderline rebellion. Wanna lose your rank?"
But Bell didn't reply.
She slowly looked at Isaac on the ground.
"Ugh..."
Bell whimpered like a sick puppy.
Shattered flower vases, bloodstained floor, the youth lying motionless.
Bell lowered her gun hand slowly. Sorrow overtook anger.
Kelun watched the scene from inside the building.
In his eyes, Bell was no longer a hero. Just a ordinary human.
She trembled in agony.
Isaac bro...
Kelun muffled his sobs with his arm.
For him too, the ideal of a hero... had shattered.
His lost anger and resentment arrowed toward Eligos.
Tears streaming, Kelun glared at her, thinking,
That woman... I'll never forgive her.
His pure admiration had vanished completely.