“The Bell’s going to crash down upon us. Your family. My family. We're set to burn," the blonde boy said, pacing around a tiny distance.

After school, Klev and Vora chatted in a classroom after the girls left for home. Vora owed Klev to tell him the truth of that night. Well, almost all of it. She kept the buried sorrow to herself so he didn’t worry. He wasn’t taking the whole killing of a Chime calmly.

"First, my mother, and now you. I understand not every Chime is the best, but they're divine beings of the Burning Bell. If your magic is capable of injuring Chimes—” Klev shut himself up, became coy, and rubbed a finger on a finished wood desktop.

“If you’re afraid of me, just say it. Don’t dance around like you do, scared to say the wrong thing.” Vora flipped a chair and placed it on a desk. She then moved the desk into the corner. She repeated this action along with Klev.

“I’m not afraid of you." Klev pointed to Vora's chest and explained, "I'm afraid of that thing inside you. You’re working to control it, bu-but what if the opposite happens? I think you should stop."

"You lack faith in me, Klev Bekkan," Vora huffed with her arms crossed. “And stop pointing at my bosom.” Klev quickly dropped his arm. Vora was nearly flat, but Klev wouldn’t call her out. “I'm not going to stop. And I don't regret killing that Chime. He was no better than a Soot."

Klev rubbed his elbow and turned his neck. "If that's what you want to do. I won't be a part of your self-destruction, though."

Vora's stomach sank. "I understand. I'll be well off on my own," she replied firmly.

After they finished cleaning and organizing, Klev grabbed his and Vora's mops and buckets and said, "I'll put these back." As he slid through the doorway, he said over his shoulder, "Goodbye, Vora.”

Once Klev was beyond distant, Vora cleaned the tears and snot she’d been concealing behind her hair off her face, sniffed, and told her reflection in the window to the setting sun, “You ruin me.”

***

The whole city rejoiced for the event created and mandated by the Maiden herself. No work, only play. The Chimes provided festive entertainment, and four Bearers traveled O'Landra, bringing along a piece of their homes: themed floats. Maiden Sympha deemed this parade the Funny Fun Fun Parade. She had dismal imagination, even after reading creative human stories for hundreds of years.

The three girls were on Main St. with thousands of others, watching floats pass by and toss candy carelessly. Darcie hopped around like a rabbit and cheered, Maive attempted to blend in with regular folk, and Vora shoveled food down her hole.

“You must be beyond hungry to eat so much." After Vora stopped to squint at Maive, she restated, "I-I just find it odd you're eating so much and sloppily. You tend to keep an image up."

“Maive, best to clamp up. Vora's sad eating," Darcie explained.

“E’m nut! Shet ep," Vora responded with a mouthful.

“I understand. I consume far too much tea when I’m grumpy.” Maive thinned her eyes in understanding.

“Here comes one of the Bearers. They’re right past the big sheep balloon." Darcie shoved candy into the pouch of her shirt.

When the float was across from the girls, Vora looked up at the stern Chime that stood atop a rumbling HC with tall wheels, flags, and medals. Bearer Gadreel, while high beyond the grieving teen, was a short Chime. He had sharp eyes, short black hair, and a large frown. He stood at ease in his gray military uniform.

A female Chime, also in a uniform, called out to Gadreel and pointed at her hand with a big grin. Gadreel reluctantly waved his hand and threw the fakest smile in existence.

A boy ran into the street to gather candy, and the float stopped to a halt. One of Gadreel's Kindlers approached the boy and created a luger of brass from light. He aimed it at the frightened boy, but his arm was severed before he squeezed the trigger, and Gadreel stood before him.

“We are in O’Landra, not our city,” he said cooly. Putting away his sword, he added, "It's not our place to punish, Kindler. Do not contradict the reason we are here, nor anger the Maiden."

"Yes, sir. Sorry, sir." The Chime tightened up and saluted.

“Same goes to any one of my Kindlers,” Gadreel announced. “Step out of line, and I’ll demote you at minimum. Clear?”

"Yes, sir!" replied all the Chimes.

Gadreel went from the street to back atop his float in the middle of a blink. “Bell bless you all.”

"Praise be the Bell!" The crowd erupted in cheers.

“Ain’t that somethin’? Vora, please. You’re filthier than me after wrestling pigs to the ground. Go an' clean yerself up. And cheer up while you're at it."

“Easy for you to say.”

“It is.” Darcie spun Vora around, shoved, and kicked her in the butt. "Git.” Once Vora left, Darcie commented, "Could you imagine getting that worked up over a boy." After seeing Maive smiling stupidly, Darcie said, "I forgot you wouldn't."

Another Bearer's float came at a sluggish pace. It was bright with pure crystals and pearl decorations. A fountain was in the center, spraying glittering water skyward. Sitting at the pinnacle of the geyser was Zaqiel. She was posing as if she were on any regular seat.

Zaqiel was pretty, with a pronounced nose and chest. She wore a two-piece bikini, exposing most of her ivory flesh. Her Kindlers shared her theme by wearing splashy swimwear.

Flushed with embarrassment, Darcie commented, “Weren't expecting this.” She grabbed a nearby child and covered his eyes. “Yer far too young fer this.”

"I wanna see the lady," the boy complained.

Maive's head was also a raspberry but for a more impure reason.

***

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Vora looked into the river that barged through the city, then dunked her head. She wrung her follicles out, lifted her lip, and picked a chunk of meat from her canine by using the water as a mirror.

Darcie is stupid, but she’s right. Why should I be sulking around? That pickle-faced, wimpy boy can't tell me how to control my magic. I know what I'm doing. He should be grateful to even be near me. I’m Vora Snihde!

Vora's bitter reflections only riled her further. She shoved her head back into the river and graced the riverbed with numbed screams. She drew her head back out to spy a fast-breathing toad.

"Everything is dreadful," Vora told the toad. “You remind me of Puggly. Ah! Don’t jump on me. Keep your warts to yourself.”

Vora's Eoa kicked in, and she felt random aches and pains from those at the parade. One man punched another in the stomach, and Vora nearly vomited. A woman had bumped her head on a wooden plank. A man, not too far from Vora, feet were sore. She looked in the direction of said man to see him walking the shadows with a gray mask. It had a flower design carved onto the front.

“Is that… is that a Dowser?” she asked needlessly. When the man disappeared in the back alleys, Vora's legs followed. What could he be doing here with four Bearers out in the open?

She followed distantly and silently. The purple-haired teen trained to suppress her clumsiness. It had worked, for the most part. After winding between brick walls, garbage cans, and two outdoor cats, the Dowser returned to the river and slipped underneath a bridge. Vora hid behind a pillar and observed.

Three people were wearing carved gray masks bowing before a man with a blank one. Only four Dowsers were present, but Vora had an inkling there were more around the parade.

“Don’t bow, please. It contradicts what we fight against-and it's rather embarrassing," said the blank man, waving his gloved hands.

“We’re just so honored to see you, sir. Mr. Sir Sir," a woman said chipperly. She had a heart design on her gray mask. "In the flesh, it's amazing. It's like meeting a celebrity."

“Amazing? That's a nice thought. Wish I could hear that more from my daughter. When she was young, she used to.... anyways. I came here in person to say that plans have changed. You will attack at the end of the parade at the city square."

“Not during?” asked a short man with long black hair behind his mask. His mask design was a wolf. "Looking at all the points and angles, it would be advantageous to attack during the parade focusing one at a time."

"It would make it hard for innocents to escape the scene. There are far more than I was informed. There will be plenty of room for people to run at the end of the parade at the city square. The Bearers will be in one place, but I know it would make a greater point. Also, Maiden Sympha will be absent for the remainder of the parade.”

The one with the plain mask and the one with the flower mask had incredibly familiar voices to Vora. She focused, seeing if Eoa could give her informative pain.

“If the dinguses can adjust their positions properly, I think we’ll be fine. Some of them are going to whine,” the flower mask added.

“You’re so mean," the heart woman said. "Try being friendlier and happ

ier. People will like you better."

"I want Ten to lead this operation. I trust him over you two."

Ten?! As in the Drowned Ten? I didn't believe they were lively real.

“Sure, sure. I need to make some calls during the middle of this, though. About to finalize a huge deal—”

“Priorities, Ten. Focus on this. The world is going to be very different after you pull this off. We all have our reasons for being here," the blank man added.

The blank one has back pain. Back pain that I've been sharing for seven years when Father got injured!

“I’m off. You won’t be able to contact me for a while. I want to see a huge leap forward on the MP tonight." Blank man

“Welp. You heard him. But first, what are we going to do about the dimwitted eavesdropper behind the pillar?”

Vora goggled and immediately sprinted away.

“She didn’t even wait a second," the impressed woman said.

The flower man pulled out a revolver, aimed at the distant girl, made a pew sound with his mouth, then withdrew his gun with the barrel to the sky. "Let her spread the news. I doubt anyone will believe her, but it'll put the idea into the back of their minds. Nosey Vora,” he mumbled.

***

The float of the fat, loud Bearer, Sachiel, was dazzling and expensive. He sat on a luxurious red and cotton throne surrounded by gold, not brass, but gold statues of himself. He was spheres of a Chime wearing an oversized coat whose surface area was more pockets than not. His male Kindlers were decked out with jewelry, and we're at the level of Honeydew in looks. His female ones were wrapped like ninjas and had sheathed blades. Shadowy, intimidating Chimes, opposite of their Bearer.

Vora slid from around the alleyway and shouted, “The Dowsers are going to attack. The Dowsers are going to attack,” every which way. Her voice wasn’t enough to pierce the noise of the parade. She grabbed hold of her friends and told them, “The Dowsers are coming to attack at the end of the parade.”

Maive and Darcie exchanged glances, then Maive asked, “Are you certain about this? How do you know?”

"I was… doing something at the river, and I ended up following a masked man. They called each other numbers than names. While flawlessly hidden, I heard one of them was number Ten. As in the Ten Drowned, those direly wanted Dowser." I also believe one was my father, but best not to say.

"If you're right, then this is awful. One of the Drowned Ten being here would anger the clergy." Maive chewed her nails and gripped her side.

"We best spread out and tell folk," Darcie suggested.

"Naturally," Vora agreed.

The trio of girls tried to inform the public of an impending attack, but people of all types dismissed the idea. It would be idiotic for a Dowser to show up to an O'Landra with four Bearers and their Kindlers.

"None of them are going to listen," Darcie said, panting and irritated. "We did what we could, but it's time fer us to leave. I'm going back to my family. Good thing they camped at the start."

As Darcie shoved through the human field like they were bowling pins, Maive and Vora broke from the

crown entirely.

"Let's return to Albeit.

We'll explain what is happening and leave," Maive said while taking off her sunhat that Vora picked out to appear commoner.

"Naturally."

After the girls left, the fourth and final Bearer came through, bringing up the rear of the parade. Bearer Phanuel

Bearer Phanuel had thick glasses and Auburn hair with long curls in a ponytail housed by a pillbox hat. Around her shoulders was an open black cloak with oversized sleeves; beneath, she wore a top revealing a midriff.

Her float was a large, parted book where she sat on a chair reading a stretched list that thickly curled at both ends. She couldn't be less interested in the parade, but at least her Kindlers were into it. They didn't have any particular theme or aesthetic.

It wasn't long until all the Chimes reached the end and joined the others in the city square.

***

Every news station in O’Landra was set up in the town square. The Floats were abandoned a distance away, and three Bearers were on the platform in front of the mayor’s house. The group included Sachiel, Gadreel, Zaqiel, the mayor, and Gretgle. Everyone’s Kindlers were on either side of the stage. The massive crowd of excited and devout people parted themselves for Bearer Phanuel. She embraced procrastination as she kept stopping to write some notes. Gadreel appeared more irritated than anyone.

“You’re thought to be a patient Chime,” Sachiel chuckled. “Can’t wait, hmm? Relax. I've no hurry for this meeting. We should splurge around O'Landra, instead. Now, there's an idea.”

“A Chime spending human money is moronic," Gadreel replied, not bothering to stare daggers at the chubby Bearer.

“Enough money will get you anything when you're under my clergy. Exchanging monetary goods is fun.” Sachiel smiled and wiped drool.

“You lack discipline….”

While the two argued, Zaqiel looked between them, trying to raise a word, but was conversationally shot down.

"Phanuel!" Gretgle screamed through his few teeth. “Get up here already. I don’t have all day.” Phanuel put away her work and quickly took her spot. “About time. People of O’Landra, these four important children of the Burning Bell have graced you all with their presence. They have come to make Ruth even greater than it is now, and to allow you all to be closer to heaven. I, Maiden Sympha…” Gretgle read silently through the scroll he held, then tossed it aside. “Old speech, ignore that. I am here to represent Maiden Sympha today as she's tending to the Burning Bell itself."

"Praise be the Bell," the crowd yelled in various locations.

A dull bang was heard in the distance, and Gretgle became quiet. A Kindler offside the stage screamed as a hole was punched into his chest, and his brass blood rusted. More bangs a long way off, and more Chimes fell.

Gadreel snatched an object that was bolting toward him out of the sky. He examined the Fallite bullet burning his hand. “Riflemen. A foolish attack, as this can't hurt us." Gadreel then goggled and listened. "Ambush."

Eruptions burst from in front of the stage, and a wall of thick smoke separated the Chimes from the crowd. The humans in the city square tore away as more explosions went off.