Mina snored, leaving drool to drip off her chin. Resting her head against Harold's shoulder, she slept soundly, even while Ryan's volume was unbearable for Harold.
"Okay, so... who is your brother, Stephen Lyhorn? I don't understand why he's so special in your eyes. He doesn't sound like anyone special that I know of."
"He's the chief of the police force in Argon City! And he's much more special than an unknown person like you!" he stated in a conceited tone.
"I'm Harold Etton. Nice to meet you. There, now I AM known. Known by you".
"You can't just loophole out of my statement!"
Brushing him off, Harold sighed. "Listen, isn't your brother not doing a great job as a police chief, anyway? Over time, this city has gone to complete waste."
Awkwardly, Ryan scratches the back of his head. "Yeah... well." He jerked toward Harold. "I'm still determined to change him and fix this city's corruption! I've already been doing it in the shadows."
Harold raised an eyebrow, wondering what he meant by that. "What do you mean by in the shadows?"
Proudly, he answers Harold. "Heh, I'm secretly a vigilante!"
"What?"
"That's right, I'm a vigilante who has been fighting crime in the streets of Argon City!"
"You know that's illegal, right?!"
Ryan crossed his arms, not thinking much about it. "Err, yeah, but I'm slowly changing the streets of Argon City my way!"
Harold let out a sigh. He already knew firsthand how dangerous being a vigilante was. Not only are criminals your enemies, but so are the local police as well. Not to mention, you're by yourself in these dangerous streets; you'll have little to no backup if you are in a sticky situation.
That's why Harold had decided to tag along and see how he fares as a vigilante. "If you say that so confidently, then you might as well bring me along." Harold's request took Ryan aback. "What?! But it's dangerous work! I can't just let you barge in-"
"I'll tell the local police force of your activities." Harold replied in a stern tone.
Gasping, Ryan shuddered in fear. "Y-You can't just blackmail me-"
Harold felt as if his first approach was a failure, so he decided to try a different one. "Apologies for blackmailing you; I simply have the powerful urge to cleanse these streets of crime!" Harold exclaimed in a dramatic plea. "You must understand, I will do anything at all costs to help your cause, as I also feel the same way!" Immediately, Ryan began to tear up. His chivalrous spirit echoed in the chambers of his heart, and he could feel it resonating with Harold's words. Touched by this, he answered Harold with the same energy. "I'm sorry I misunderstood you... YOU'RE THE MOST NOBLE MAN I'VE EVER MET!" Ryan stood proudly in front of Harold with his arms crossed. Ryan then took out his handkerchief and used a pen to write an address and room number on it. "Here, take this and come to my apartment room at exactly 12:00 AM so I know it's you!"
Ryan handed it to him and scurried off. Turning his head back as he continued running, he shouted from a distance. "We mustn't skip class any longer! Good luck, Harold Etton!"
Harold remained motionless momentarily, careful not to disturb Mina's sleep. "Wow, she looks so cute when she sleeps." He says, lightly poking her cheek. As Mina drooled and snored all over him, he poked her cheek more, enjoying the noises that emerged from her mouth with every poke. Konge appeared on top of his shoulder, watching the scene. "Wow, kiddo. You sure seem to spoil her a lot, don't you think?"
"Spoil her? What do you mean?"
"You spoil her a ton! You basically treat her like a princess from the heavens. I'm not blind, you know."
Keeping no eye contact with Konge, he reluctantly denied the claims. "W-Well... I do go strict with her sometimes."
"Listen, if you want to win her heart, I can easily help you! I'm a dating expert, after all! I've helped all the previous Grand Radiance users get their mates. I can easily hit you up with her-" Harold chuckled, holding back most of it to not wake Mina. "No, that's not it, Konge. I'm not romantically interested in her; it's just..." His gaze turned sorrowful, as if he were reminiscing about old times. "She reminds me of someone that I deeply care about." With a somber tone he spoke in, Konge could only feel pity for him. "Kid, did she pass away?" he asked. Harold shook his head. "No, nothing of the sort. It's just... I said something really mean to her during our last encounter. And because of my harsh words, something horrible ended up happening to her, and it's all because I lost control of my emotions."
He planted his hand around Mina's head, gently petting her head, causing her to mumble happy gibberish. "That's why I can't make the same mistake again. I regret what I did a long time ago."
Konge fluttered onto Harold's hand, perching on one of his fingers. "You say you treat her like this because of your past, but I can tell that it's not only that." Aiming his feathers directly at his face, he says. "Don't lie to yourself now! I bet you've simply grown attached to her as well!" Harold grew a tiny blush before brushing Konge off. "Shut it, fat bird! This is why I plan on getting roasted pigeon with Mina later, just out of spite!" Both of them locked eyes, tensing up as if they were getting ready to pounce.
A gigantic explosion shattered the silence, making them both turn towards the sound. Mina awoke to the loud explosion that shook the area, jolting up in her seat. Coming from outside the academy, Harold saw smoke billowing beyond its walls. Jumping out of his seat, Harold looked at Konge. "Holy crap, we should check that out, Konge!" Konge fluttered his wings in the air, following suit next to Harold. "Yeah, I'm on it!" The two of them began gunning it while Mina frantically tailed behind. "Don't leave me out!" she squeals as she runs at full speed.
In relatively close proximity to the academy, the scene of destruction was clear to them. Just a few blocks down was the local church that was in a fury of flames. Harold put his hands on his head. "The church?! We were supposed to go there after classes today!"
Local students piled up alongside Harold and Mina, witnessing the destruction of the local church. Others who watched from out of the classroom windows pointed at the sight in distress. A burly man in a tank top and ruffled pants rushed to the gates, yelling at the students. "All of you, get back in and shelter yourselves! It's not safe!" Harold could hear one student sigh in disappointment at the presence of this man. "Dang, it's Mr. Freg! Couldn't he do anything better in his life than be a miserable hall monitor?!"
Soon, everyone walked back into the academy in unison, some still trying to linger and watch the chaos. Harold sighed, seeing how his job was going to be much more tedious. "Alrighty, I'll have to do this then." Amidst the crowd, Harold shuffled in his uniform to pull out a white mask. Putting the mask over his face, he then takes out a cloth with an inscription on it. As he waved it over his body, the inscription activated, causing the cloth to expand and settle like a cloak. Yanking Mina against his body, he put his cloak over her. "I'm going to pick you up real quick for this, okay?" Mina nodded as she willfully accepted his grasp. Dashing out of the crowd, he went beyond the academy's gates. Mr. Freg can be heard yelling something, but Harold didn't pay it too much mind as he scurried into the streets.
In the Argon City police station, movements went with haste as the church exploded.
"The church exploded!" one officer yelled.
"Is it a terrorist attack?!" another asked in a panic.
A police captain entered the frame. He wore an eyepatch over his left eye and walked with a cane. His golden badge bore the name Jonathan. "Evacuate citizens from that area immediately!" he ordered to everyone, saying the same words into their radio. Grumbling as he surveyed the station, Jonathan then raised his voice once more. "Where the hell is Stephen at?!" Jonathan awaited an answer but only came up with fruitless results. One of the assistants tells him, "Stephen went out ages ago! We don't know of his whereabouts!" Jonathan walked toward the glass window, continuing to grumble. "That damn idiot! Going off without telling anyone again!" He watched the clouds forming into a grey mass over the city and saw small drops of rain touch the floor. "A storm is coming."
In a far alley, Stephen stepped through the chilly winds in the narrow space. He readjusted his coat and slicked back his hair with a sigh. Seeing the flames of the church intensify, he watched in silence. Rain began to pour hard, and thunder began to strike, yet the flames only grew with more rage. Stephen turned in the narrow alley, already expecting a presence to be there. "Wow, isn't this impressive!" Stepping over a pile of police corpses was a man who wore a ragged black coat and trousers. Over his youthful face was a scarf that covered his mouth. Yet, even when it does, his words come out freely.
"Nox Vulisphere." Stephen says, giving Nox a watchful eye. "Yeah, what's up? You not satisfied after doing this to your buddies? Even after they helped you detonate all those bombs in the church?" Nox asks, kicking a police corpse's head, making their helmet fly off their head. Nox stepped close to Stephen, giving a sly whistle. "Sheesh, not even a single drop of blood on you! A handsome guy like you sure knows how to keep himself perfect."
"I could sense the doubt within the officers. They needed to be disposed of."
Nox bumps his elbow against Stephen. "Geez, that's why you can't get a girlfriend already! You're so lame!" Stephen gave a menacing glare to him, as if he was telling him to hurry up.
"Yeah, yeah. First of all, tell me you've gotten the girl by now." Nox questioned.
"Not yet."
"Damn it! Do you want the Stone of Eternity or not? Get that girl to me with some police bullshittery and you're done!"
"Be patient. There're unexpected variables that are getting in my way."
"Like what? I'll go deal with it right now!"
Stephen walked over to the pile of corpses, gazing down at them. "She's being surveyed. Both by the templars and by Harlibue Kingston. Merely snatching her would be the end for the both of us."
"Ah, so that's why you got rid of that stinkin' old church! Good on your part!"
"Now that the connections to templars have been severed, I can proceed with the plan."
Nox tilted his head in curiosity. "What plan?"
"The way we'll be able to deal with Harlibue Kingston."
Nox leaned in and nudged his elbow against Stephen. "Come on, pal! We've known each other for quite a while! Tell me the plan! I'm curious!"
"If you knew, you'd ruin it. Just wait for now."
Nox cackled at him, letting loose a raspy voice. "Eh, you do you, police boy!" He then glanced over at a pile of trash in the alleyway. "Oh, and what will we do about this witness?"
Stephen's eyes loomed over the trash pile, giving an eerie stare. "I was going to dispose of her before you came along, moron."
Underneath the trash was a nun, clasping her mouth shut. The tears in her eyes welled up as their stares pierced through her. Bursting through the pile, she lifted her arms in the air. "God, give me the strength to get through this!" A bright white orb bloomed above her hands, growing brighter with each passing second. "Asar!" she yelled, before chains of white light emerged from the orb and hurled itself at Stephen and Nox.
Calling forth his Artifact, a black and red scythe formed in the palms of Nox's hand. Its design was raw and gritty, much like Nox. Aiming his hand at the chains, he releases a shockwave of pulsating energy at the chains, colored in black and red swirls. Making contact with the chains, they fizzle out in an instant, leaving the nun to freeze in shock. "H-How did you do that...?"
Nox scratched his head. "Do what?"
"I cast a divine spell, made by Holy Rysen, something that was graced by God!" Her finger trembled, aimed at Nox. "So how did you easily stop it?!"
"Ah, a divine spell. Something you church freaks always use. A thing that uses Holy Rysen or whatever you call it? Ain't Holy Rysen simply Rysen that was manifested by holy energy, right?"
"H-Huh? Where are you getting at with this?"
"I'm trying to ask you, what's the most unfortunate thing to happen to that Holy Rysen?"
She gulped, not wanting to answer his question.
Nox, underneath his scarf, let out a devious grin. "It loses its grace."