Aaron and Rico clung to the High Road’s guard fence, nearly falling off. They climbed on the High Road, where vehicles were already zipping by at incredible speeds.
Ronald closed his eyes, murmuring to himself, “Aaron. Rico. No matter what you face, as long as you rely on each other, you will succeed. Farewell.”
Suddenly, armed soldiers burst into the room. Giving Ronald no chance to fight back, they ended his life swiftly
On the pavement, Aaron and Rico looked to the North. After walking for a few minutes, they stumbled upon a bus station. Seeing Rico's exhaustion, Aaron decided to sit down. "Let’s wait for a bus."
"Okay."
In no time, a blue double-decker bus arrived. As soon as the doors opened, they boarded.
"Hey! Do you have your cards?" the bus driver asked. Like many other guilds, public transport in the Amon guild needed a citizen special card.
“Uh… no, we don’t,” Aaron admitted, realizing his mistake. Waiting for the bus was pointless if they couldn’t even board. He was about to step off when someone nearby spoke up.
“Wait! Don’t you recognize these two? Look closer.”
The old bus driver squinted at them.
"Hmm… Oh! Y-you are…” She shrugged. “Fine, you can enter."
"Hey!" the other woman’s voice called from nearby. It was a bit rough but not impolite.
Aaron looked at her. "Thanks for helping us."
“You can call me Miss Han. Just a fellow citizen." The large elderly woman greeted them with a nod. Aaron and Rico noticed her goldish skin, marking her native origins. Before the other continents colonized the Western Continent, only natives with her complexion lived here.
"Hello. You can call me Miss Han. I'm just a fellow citizen." A large and fairly old woman greeted them. Aaron and Rico could tell that she had native origins. Before the other continents had colonized the Western Continent, only natives with her complexion lived here.
With her age, she had no doubt been through a lot. Two decades ago, the Amon Guild had been founded by Aaron and Rico’s parents after defeating the Topaz Guild in a war. People who had lived in the Topaz Guild’s regime had difficult lives.
“Come, sit with me. I’m curious - what are you two doing out here?” She lowered her voice. “Are you two… on the run?”
Aaron sighed as they sat beside her. “Jacob Raider is after us. He’s behind all the deaths that started yesterday.”
Yeah! We had to let our uncle die so we could escape!” Rico added.
"The Obscure guild to the south might be the real force behind this. The rulers there - the Cursed - have been trying to take over the continent for a century.”
Miss Han’s voice grew more serious. "And though it was said to have been wiped out after the Second War, there are rumours that the Dark Faction still exists. For all we know, they could be your real enemies.”
Aaron frowned. What she said about the Obscure guild seemed plausible. Jacob Raider might be allied with them. But the Dark Faction? It had collapsed at the end of the 21st century.
‘There’s no way it could’ve stayed hidden for over 100 years,’ he thought. ‘Rico and I have to leave for the Tremblay Guild and find Henri Tremblay. This place is way too corrupted!’
…
Rico opened his window, basking in the noon sunlight. He tried to find animal shapes in the clouds, but his mind was too distracted and a horse turned into a rifle.
“Huh? Is that a plane?” he suddenly asked, pointing out the window.
Miss Han froze. A cylindrical object was descending from the clouds. “That’s not a plane… Get down!”
-BOOM!
The High Road exploded ahead, leaving a massive crater. The flat surface tilted sideways, causing the bus to slide uncontrollably. The driver, unconscious, couldn’t hit the brakes.
“Close the windows!” Miss Han shouted, pulling their window shut. Other passengers followed her lead.
The bus plunged into the abyss, red lights flashing as the robotic voice echoed through the cabin, "Dear passengers, please evacuate the vehicle. The emergency doors in the back will open soon."
However, opening the doors was not in their favour. They had no parachutes!
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