[Attention all passengers, we are approaching Kreibon Train Station.]
[Estimated time of arrival is fifteen minutes.]
"Finally…"
After almost three hours of travel, I was at last about to arrive in Regulus City.
"Heh…"
My goal was clear: I wanted to become a heroine.
It was a common dream among kids around the world—even among fragile humans—though over time many end up abandoning it. Some do it out of fear of being hurt… or worse, dying. Others simply give up when they discover the exhausting training and harsh demands that await them.
That's why most who chase that dream are users of magical power, better known as the Sundrel, the most respected branch among superhumans—and the very branch I belong to.
I trained my whole life for this. Since I was little, I fed on the stories my parents—both retired mid-grade heroes—used to tell. I heard their adventures over and over: how they faced a many-headed dragon, how they fought alongside other heroes against a swarm of mutants during the reconstruction of Metroid City… or that one time they traveled to the Moon to defeat a zombie threat.
"Heh…"
With stories like those, who wouldn't dream of being a hero?
Beep.
The train stopped.
[We have arrived at Kreibon Station.]
"—!"
I jumped to my feet. For a moment, excitement made me forget my luggage; I had to go back for it before sprinting toward the door.
"Hey!"
The moment I set foot outside the car, the air changed.
The sound of hundreds of footsteps, murmurs, and overlapping announcements enveloped me completely. The station was gigantic—so much so it was hard to believe it was real. At a glance, I could count at least ten trains lined up on their respective tracks.
"Excuse me."
"Ah! Yes, sorry!"
The place was packed with people.
"Uh… where was I supposed to go?"
"Hey, girl."
Suddenly I heard someone call out.
"Huh? Me?"
I asked; the station was crowded, so it wouldn't be strange if they were talking to someone else.
"Yes… you, girl."
The one speaking to me was an elderly lady. She was quite short—or well, that's how she seemed. Maybe she was just very hunched over… or maybe it was her clothes. She wore an old coat that reached her knees; though it looked nice, it seemed to be made of some kind of purple wool.
Her voice sounded raspy, perhaps from age. She also had gray hair tied up in a bun behind her head. Another notable feature was her gaze; it made her look as if she were very angry.
But despite all that, I could only focus on one thing.
"'Girl'?"
She called me a girl… I'm sixteen. Do I really still look like a little kid?
I couldn't help getting annoyed by that.
"Girl… girl… girl."
Is it my clothes, or is it because I'm wearing pigtails? Do they make me look too childish?
"Hey… GIRL!"
"Ah… yes, what is it you want… ma'am?"
"..."
"Excuse me? Did you just call me 'ma'am'?"
"... You called me 'girl.'"
"You are a girl."
"And you're an old lady."
Damn it. You could cut the tension with a knife.
Why did something like this have to happen to me on my first day!?
Cough, cough.
I coughed a little; I was getting nervous.
"I… I'm sorry for what I said… ma'am."
"You little—!"
"Okay, okay! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
"Tsk."
Annoyed, the lady clicked her tongue while reining in the anger she had toward me.
"Whatever… I just wanted to give you this back, girl."
"Huh?"
The lady held out her hand to me. Between her fingers she was holding what looked like a card made of some kind of metal. On it were engravings that formed words and numbers. In one corner it had the image of a beautiful young woman with green hair tied in twin tails. Her flawless skin showed no trace of blemishes or wrinkles, and her yellow eyes were dazzling, like a pair of gold-cut gems.
Truly, that young woman was a real beauty.
"Heh…"
"... Hey, what's wrong with you? This is yours, right?"
"Ah! Yes! It's my… identification card."
"Then take it."
"Y-yeah, thanks…"
I took the card and got away from there as fast as I could. I didn't want any more trouble.
I moved through the massive station looking for the exit, but no matter how much I searched, I couldn't find it.
"Haaah… I just got off the train and I'm already lost…"
Damn it… how am I supposed to become a heroine like this?
SLAAAP!!!
Suddenly, in the distance, the sound of a strike thundered, echoing through the entire station.
For a brief moment there was silence, and then curious voices rose up.
"Did you hear that?"
"Where did it come from?"
"Was that a whip?"
Within seconds, the voices multiplied. Curiosity spread like fire, and the crowd began moving en masse toward the source of the sound. I was swept along with them until we all gathered in a circle.
"Whoa…"
"What happened here?"
"Yikes… that's a lot of blood."
I swallowed hard. In the center of the crowd lay a man—a human—sprawled on a dark pool spreading beneath him. He writhed in pain, though his screams were muffled by the mask covering his face.
"I told you before."
I turned my head.
A girl was standing in front of him. She looked my age… maybe a little older.
"Stop following me."
Her voice was firm, relentless.
As I watched her, I couldn't take my eyes off her. Her presence was overwhelming; her beauty, almost unreal. She looked like a model… or rather, a goddess.
Tap, tap.
She walked toward the crowd with such elegance that the noise around her seemed to fade away. Her long blonde hair flowed behind her like a veil.
"I apologize for the commotion."
Her tone was gentle yet commanding. Just those words were enough for the throng to part without resistance.
"Excuse me."
Every step she took exuded a strange blend of grace and power.
I could only stare, unable to look away.
Tap, tap.
"Hey… do you think she's…?"
"A noble? I think so."
"What would a noble be doing in a station like this? And without an escort."
"So what do we do?"
"What do you mean 'what do we do'? Just… keep walking and don't bother her."
The presence of a noble always meant the same thing: absolute obedience and respect.
Any offense… could be paid for with your life.
Gulp.
I swallowed as that dazzling girl walked away. I was so nervous and scared I fell to my knees.
Many people were the same as me—just as frightened. Others simply kept walking as if nothing had happened. But overall, everyone here ignored the human who, right in front of us all, was dying in agony.
No one went to help him; they couldn't even look at him directly. That man was treated like a plague, and the reason for that lack of empathy toward him was…
"He deserves it…"
If a young noble took even a few seconds of her time to hurt a mere human with such cruelty… then there had to be a reason. A superhuman of that status wouldn't find pleasure in something so insignificant. She wouldn't do it without cause. If things turned out this way, it could only mean one thing… that guy must have been truly despicable.
And knowing that, no one was going to offer him any help."Heh, alright, alright… I should get going…"
I gathered my things and tried to stand, but my legs wouldn't stop shaking, making it hard to get back up.
"Heh… it's fine… it's fine… it's fine…"
Is it just me or… is it really cold here? I seriously don't get it. Why can't I stop trembling?
"Uh…"
It was only for a moment. I saw him… He was just a boy, maybe twenty or so. He had a large wound in his chest, from which blood wouldn't stop pouring.
"…"
He wasn't moving anymore. He… was dead.
"—bbmmggg!"
I felt nauseous; I was about to throw up.
I covered my mouth with both hands, trying to hold back everything churning inside me, until finally I managed to keep it down.
"Haaah…"
"... Hey, girl."
"?!"
I knew that voice.
"It's… you."
I lifted my gaze and there she was: the lady with the wool coat.
She held out her hand to me.
"Come on, get up."
I took her hand and stood.
"Ugh…"
I was still shaking; I couldn't help it, and I wasn't even sure why.
"Easy, girl. Just breathe."
Even so, the lady didn't let go of my hand. She treated me kindly as she guided me to a spot away from all the noise.
"There we are…"
"The exit. Let's get some air."
With those words, we made our way toward the doors that would lead us outside, to Regulus City.
***
—Incredible.
That was my first thought upon seeing the grandeur of the great city. The buildings were towering; each and every one of them had to be at least a hundred meters tall.
"Wow…"
We were now in a beautiful park on the east side of the city, in a place called the superhuman sector. Supposedly, here in Regulus City, superhumans and ordinary humans live in separate zones to avoid conflicts and accidents between the two races.
For that same reason, the buildings' structures are different: here they're said to be extremely resistant—tough enough to withstand a blow from a trained superhuman.
Though it's impossible to test it: damaging public structures would mean a hefty fine from the state… or worse, prison.
"Mmm…"
As I drifted through my thoughts about things I'd learned of Regulus City during the train ride, the lady watched me with a complicated expression.
Why is she looking at me like that? Do I look weird?
"Is this your first time in Regulus… am I wrong?"
"Ah… y-yeah… heh… I… I come from a small town… in… in Val—"
"Hey, hey, calm down, girl. Breathe."
Am I shaking? Why, why, why…?
That was when the lady began to gently rub my back.
"…sniff… sniff."
I buried my face against my knees as I hugged my legs.
"...…"
"So what brings you to Regulus, country girl?"
"…I came to enroll at the academy."
"The academy, huh… Which one?"
"Aetherion."
"Ahhh, Aetherion!"
The lady reacted with surprise to my answer; she looked happy and excited.
"Heh, so the little country girl comes to the big city to become a heroine."
"Ha… yeah."
"And why?"
"Huh?"
"Why do you want to be a heroine?"
She asked me that, and it caught me off guard, though the answer was pretty simple, right?
"Because it's awesome."
"…"
The lady fell silent while I kept talking.
"I've been blessed with a full and healthy magic core, and I was raised on stories of incredible feats and battles. That's why I want to be a heroine."
"I see…"
She listened carefully to every word, and when I finally finished, she simply nodded.
"Girl… you're still shaking."
"I know."
"And how do you feel now?"
"B… bad… I… I feel awful."
It took effort, but when I answered, all the feelings I'd been bottling up burst out in the form of tears.
Hic… I didn't do anything… hic… he was dying and I… I just left.
It hurt. I knew I couldn't have changed that human's fate, but even so, it hurt to think about what I didn't do.
"B-but… he insulted a noble, so he deserved it… right?"
I asked the lady, but for a short while she said nothing.
"Do you want to know what I think?"
I nodded, and when I did, she lifted her eyes to the sky.
"What you're feeling is called empathy. It's the capacity to understand and share another person's feelings and thoughts, putting yourself in their place to grasp their perspective and emotional state."
"Understand their feelings…?"
"Yes. In the past… a long time ago, it was common among people. Everyone knew it existed and almost everyone practiced it. That was before the war… over time people forgot, as the world went increasingly mad."
"…"
"Girl, what's your name?"
"Ah… my name… my name is Bethany."
"Pretty name…"
"Now listen to me, Bethany…"
"Feeling empathy is a gift far greater than any magic. It's what first allowed us to build our society, and also…"
"The greatest heroes in history were those who gave their lives for others."
"…"
"And as for the human… if he truly insulted a noble, then yes, he deserved punishment. These are the laws that let us live in peace in this country. However…"
"There is nothing wrong with you, Bethany. You are very special, and that's why I believe you'll become a great heroine."
She finished with a big smile.
"Hic… huh…"
I couldn't hold it in any longer… and before I knew it, I was bawling like a baby.
"Huwaaah!"
"Eh!? Hey! What's with you now, girl!?"
"Huwaaaah! Ma'am… you… you're so wise!"
"Girl…"
"And now?… Do you feel better?"
"Yeah…"
Time passed. I cried for almost forty minutes, and the lady ended up buying me a juice to help me calm down.
"Honestly… you really are just a child…"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Stop calling me 'ma'am,' I'm not that old. Just call me Miss Martha."
"Yes, Miss Martha."
"Heh."
"...Thank you… for everything."
I wiped my tears. Truly, from the bottom of my heart, I was very grateful for what the lady had done for me. And all she did was… talk to me.
She calmed me.
She comforted me.
That was empathy.
"…"
If that's what it is, then I think it's something very beautiful.
"You don't have to thank me, Beth. Just do me a favor."
She set her hand on my shoulder and said with a smile:
"Become an awesome heroine."
"…Hahaha… I'll do i—!"
BEEEEEP.
Out of nowhere, an alarm blared.
"W-What's that!?"
It wasn't just in this park; the sound was so loud it must have been heard blocks away.
"Again!?"
"Those danger sensors are so over the top."
"Damn bastards…!"
"Let's go teach those invaders a lesson!"
Lots of people started shouting; others complained, but no one showed signs of fear at
the alarm, as if it were something routine.
"M-Miss Martha… what's happening?"
"...Huh… well, maybe it's nothing serious."
She tried to reassure me, but her expression held a mix of fear and curiosity.
FIIIIUUUUUUUUUU.
Amid the alarm and the shouting, I picked out something else—a whistling sound.
"Look, everyone! There it comes!"
Someone shouted and pointed toward the sky. There was some kind of sphere falling toward the city.
"I've had it with these bastards!"
"Let's get them!"
The crowd around us bolted, yelling in the direction where they thought that peculiar sphere would land.
"Bethy…"
The lady called to me.
"Maybe nothing serious will happen today, but just in case… don't you dare leave my side. No matter what."
What did Miss Martha mean by that?
I wondered, but I didn't have time to ask, because a thunderous crash cut us off.
BOOOOM!!!
It was followed by an earthquake that shook the entire area. The buildings around us barely withstood it without suffering serious damage.
At that moment, like so many others, I didn't understand the danger looming over all of us. That day would be remembered as a catastrophe that could have been avoided—if arrogance hadn't consumed the hearts of the superhumans.
The day the sky sent punishment upon Regulus… one with the shape of a gigantic serpent.