Ch. 8: A Lonely, Wavering Voice (MOON)
We had been informed of the emergency around the Ark Plant construction site.
Then we went there in a hurry, and what we saw was…
Foia: "No…there’s no way…right? The facility was this damaged…"
Foia’s legs gave out and fell to his knees in front of the burned down storage area.
Foia…
Unable to find the right words, I gently placed my hand on his back.
Foia: "…OO."
The workers rushed passed Foia, who was numb with shock.
Worker 1: "Move! Move! There are still some unaccounted for!"
Worker 2: "We can’t find the young guy from our team! Has anyone seen him!?"
Worker 3: "And are those guys from the opposing faction still around…"
Foia stood up, looking to the people whose voices were raised in shouts.
Foia: "…this is no time to be sitting around. First, check if anyone was injured…!"
Straightening his back, Foia raised his voice and began to take control of the area.
Yet while he gave out instructions, his fist was clenched in frustration…
…
……
After a little while…
Foia: "…so, no one was killed, and there are no major injuries?"
Worker: "Yes sir. But the people that did this…. Seems some had gathered behind the building for some kind of sit-in protest."
Foia: "Were any of them injured?"
Worker: "You’re actually worried about those people!?"
Foia: "No matter who they are, they’re people under my family. Now go check on them!"
Worker: "Y-yes!"
The workers raced off to the back of the site.
After confirming that no one else had died, the leader of the attack was caught by the castle soldiers.
…
……
Having reached a tentative conclusion, our shoulders slumped and we stopped walking.
Foia: "It’s a small miracle…no one was hurt."
OO: "Yeah. But…"
Foia: "…"
Pale, Foia looked out to the area were plumes of smoke still billowed.
It had been so lively only yesterday, and now a bleak mood hung in the air.
Even though Foia and everyone else had been working so hard to finish it…
Foia: "…guess I’ll have to start again from scratch…"
His voice was small as he spoke, and his words seemed to echo the loneliness of the burned remains of the facility.