From Will’s apartment to Johann’s bakery, about a kilometer and a half would be covered. And as Will was accustomed to walking a significant distance every day to his work, it is not difficult to walk such a long mileage, even with a person on his back.

“We have been walking for an hour now. And to think you carried me all the way from Johann’s bakery… say, what do you do as your profession, Will?”, said San, quite tired from all the walking. “Quite a tiring journey, isn’t it? But even though we took a detour to get your stuff, it still is only a couple of kilometers. I walk this distance almost every day so I do not know if it is a burden for you. I work at the west mines, mate. Ironic, isn’t it? Since most of the work is done with the use of CE18 behemoths, I have the job of checking if the sediment can support the machines or not. But it means I have leisure to do stuff that is usually not meant for a geologist. I heard Johann and Li are experimenting with the battery I made, at the bakery… Oh! When we arrive there, I would like to show you something. I think it is with Yuki. So, please, hurry”, says Will, pretty excited to show San the work he did.

At the bakery, the situation has finally calmed down a bit. With Alrick still dangling in the store front, Yuki watches him with Johann, sitting beside a table. Li is busy hoarding mana in the backroom and some pie is baking in the oven… “If you value your life, do not do such a thing”, says Yuki as Alrick silently tries to cut the string. Smirking a little, “Even if you had not noticed, it would be a long time before I break this string. What is up with it anyway?”, says Alrick. “Did you know that the world we live in is made up of tiny little particles? It is a common knowledge among those who have advanced conversion rates but I presume you are aware of such info. But, do you know why those particles do not just float away from each other and rather stick and make something that is rigid? It is a kind of invisible bond which holds those small physical particles together. The common term for them is CE80, or electron bonds. The strongest of which, holding together diamonds and graphite, is the Carbon bond. That string you are dangling from is made with those bonds, of pure carbon, and something called Kevlar”, sips from a cobbler, “Commercially, they are very expensive, at least those of my level of purity. But, as I do not use organic polymer to make them, it is not very difficult for me to make a ton”, picks up a pistol from the table, “If that answers your question, let me ask you something: How are you related to the head Carnation family in Moscow?”, says Yuki, inspecting the gun which was used to shoot Johann.

“The Carnation family has a hierarchy which is akin to a royal family. The highest power is the head of the family, which will be a member who is under 60 and has at least 3 grandchildren. The family head will be determined by the branches’ manufacturing capabilities and children’s shown potential. While the head is usually a symbolic leader, the previous one, Brother Tolia, was more than a head – he was a distortion. Since a long time ago, the Carnation family had been split into 3 main houses: Alpha, Beta and Delta. I am the 7th linage from the Alpha branch, the first child of David Alfons Carnation. Brother Tolia was from the Beta branch, 6th linage. Even though we were from the same higher heritage, most of the members, divided between the three houses, did not like each other in the slightest. The vendetta between the houses were almost as prevalent as the vendetta against the Johannes family, which was also related to us on an even higher heritage. Until, Brother Tolia was selected as the Head of Family. He unified the manufacturing facilities of all three branches, unionizing the tracked, wheeled and artillery vehicles’ production. With his strategic genius and the newly created mechanized brigade, he decimated the Johannes family, first in 1855, wiping out the Mono and Di branches and lastly in 1872, killing the Trie, Kolm and Penta branches and burning their hometown of Lahti, finishing hundreds of years of resentment. Aside from his tactical brilliance, he contributed to the Chistyy Nol’, developing more than a dozen healing techniques and improved the relation between the organizations. Yet, despite the significance of his, he died and I, as well as many others, seek to avenge and continue his legacy. The new head of the Carnation family, Elizabeth Beta Carnation, inherited the seat and continued to organize the family. His last order was to finish what he started and as such, the branches took on his legacy. Alpha branch, based in Minsk, took to end his last crusade, Beta branch, based in Moscow, took on the role of a mediator, Delta branch, based in St. Petersburg, took on the economical endeavors and the newly formed Zeta branch, based in Novgorod, took on the Chistyy Nol’s operation”, says Alrick.

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

Either he felt that Yuki and Johann would forgive and let go of him after giving them info or he just thought it was good to have a conversation, he did not lie on any of his statements. Expecting he would lie in at least one of his sentences, Yuki held a sharp mesh encircling his heart. Yet, Yuki did not sense any fraudulence; his heart was beating quickly but not as fast as him being scared, his body temperature was high but not too the degree of sweat breaking out and his voice swayed a little but his tone never broke from pride. “Either you are crazy or you are really proud of a war criminal. Why did you tell your enemies the truth? Who even are you? Why do you work for someone who did not affiliate with you all that much? Albeit, he was your boss, why do you do what he said a long time ago? I do not know how you live”, says Yuki as Will knocks the door to the bakery.

Entering, “Oh! I did not think he would still be dangling in the store front. Is this the best you could do, Yuki? At least staple him to a wall or something, not make a bloody piñata of him. So, how is he? How he been hanging~”, says Will before bursting into laughter. “Is this the one I have been hearing about?”, asks San as she recognizes Alrick’s face. Also recognizing San as the girl who followed Anatoly, “Oh, why are you here, miss? Aren’t you supposed to be back in Moscow with Liz and Cecile? Has your mana reserve been replenished already? I heard the Nol’ worked tirelessly to achieve such feat again, after the first attempt of theirs raised you from dead”, says Alrick, quite casually. With eyes as hollow as a man’s desperate plead, “Did you kill my family, Alrick?”, says San, walking towards the dangling Carnation. Will finally stops laughing. “So, you are Cassandra Trie Johannes, huh? What an ironic fate, Anna, to have your foster kill your born family. I guess that is that. I do not think you would forgive me and those guys would not let me leave here alive… Let me ask you one last question: Do you remember Hella – your little sister Hella Trie Johannes? She was twelve when I last saw her; when I shot her in front of this establishment. And, if my memory serves me right, you should have met her before, albeit, when she was just born. Do you remember her, Anastasia Elizabeta Carnation?”, says Alrick as San lashes at him. Quietly sneaking to Yuki, “Take care of the body as quickly as possible. I will try to subside San when things hit the fan”, says Will.

While people need to think and imagine in order to create, some subconscious thoughts also influence the will of creation. With rage engulfing her heart, San spots one specific artifact. Moving to the table where Johann sat, San gets hold of the pistol which was used to shoot Johann. “Such familiar feeling, this is interesting; very interesting indeed. Say, where did you find this, Alrick?”, says San, pointing the gun at Alrick. Evidently in destress, “What? Are you going to shoot me with that? On a whim of that being from your deceased lineage? That might be from a contracted manufacturer or… or even a stolen schematic that was seized in one of the raids. Well, the fact is… I do not know”, says Alrick, trying to talk down San from escalating. “I have not seen this firearm before but I could tell it is flawed. If I were to shoot you with this, it would be a disgrace to the Johannes family”, putting the gun down, “Hilbei-min Setbachi dol-Tali ta-Lin diti-Mar sout. tot-Setbachi Tou muyn-Betja du Lei-no moumuyn-Sasu muyn-Sohrsjan du Bihur Chacha-min myun-Hilbei muyn-Hotrut sohr-Setmartire jeiha-Hito”, chants San as intricate parts made of mana assemble into a similar firearm and drops to the table.

As she had no reason to rush, San makes the magazine parts one by one, spring after the case, assembles them in front of Alrick without breaking eye contact, and makes the bullets fit to the follower and capacity. Grabbing the gun off the table, she inserts the magazine, racks the slide and ejects one cartridge as a means of slide-checking the firearm. Taking the magazine out, clearing the chamber and reloading the ejected rounds, “This is what the gun should be like. Specifically designed to have a low bore axis and an ergonomic grip, it should be light and comfortable. Use plastics as needed and you will have a surprisingly robust and reliable gun that is quite manageable, even for a child” smiles disturbingly, “Now, I will shoot you”, she says, inserting the magazine into the mag-well and racking the slide once again.

Evidently shook with a hysteric smile on his face, “If you kill me, that is fine. But someday, someone will continue where I left off. Brother Tolia said that in his last moments to Demitria, your sister. And I will say the same: If you want to kill me, go ahead. But, even if I die, I will have my r-”, says Alrick before being abruptly shot by San in the head. The room falls silent for a moment. With blood as crimson as the flower of one Silene chalcedonica dripping on the worn wooden floorboard resonating through the room, “You were going to diminish the words of a virtue; please, die quietly and repent”, says San with a never-been-heard tone.