(Discontinued) CORHEIM Year One Volume 1: The New Heart in Town

VOL.2: Chapter Devetnaest

Chapter 50———Aftermath of the Garden Incident (MOVE ON)
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The day after everything happened, news hit the N.U.S.N——The Rescue Garden Facility was attacked by the Shinra Army, and only a few injured persons were reported, but none of the students were hurt physically.
Yet, they were all traumatized by this incident.
Next week, everything in the states of N.U.S.N was given a public appearance by Pearline Bishop about everything and apologized for the thing.
Infusco and Vaniguzu were swiftly apprehended and placed into the custody of Schwarzwald, an extremely hush-hush maximum-guarded prison for villains.
The scandal proceeded to become more prevalent as Lino brushed it off in an indifferent tone. He stated, "We have no intentions of canceling the Skirmish Festivals. We have to move forward with our heads held up high to ensure that the Shinra Army. From what I heard from the Mayor and NATO that we will not declare war on the Shinra Army. She is only a toddler, and toddlers tend to crave attention. We will not give her our attention."
Those words left the world speechless at the N.U.S.N.
The next day of Akina Willoby slept terribly and couldn't wait for the day to be over when it was only 8:30 a.m. She turned in her bed while she kept on thinking about the whole incident. Chief Apex, or Enapay Walker, hasn't contacted her since the Incident and the Skirmish Festival was about to begin. She needed to confide in someone who isn't
Those teeth from Infusco still haunt her. They still do due to how eerie they were not supposed to be those types of colors, how she felt he was going to bite her head off.
She did not want to fear yet she was only eleven. She was still a child.
A week after everything has happened, the city known as Christine has been a ghost town: No one had uttered a noise. No criminal was stupid enough to do anything in Yorkney: This was a time to self-reflect on the future.
There was something that bugged Akina. She had a personal conflict, one that she looked like she suffered from. I'm supposed to be this ultra-strong person where I can leap high and be strong as an anime character? If I can do all these incredible things, then why do I still have fear in me? I wanna know...She rolled her eyes about her thoughts, she wished to have no fear. Ryoji...He's fearless without Iggy...It's everything about him! He's the ultimate Donut Steel character. Even being this Ultiman feels...Like it's missing something...Like...
Her thoughts ended when her adopted brother, Marcus Duncannon, darted to her room with his stuff on.
"Hey, Aki, We're going to Beri's in five minutes. Can you get ready?"
She was ready to get out of this bed and was already prepared to leave the house. Akina needed some answers to dull the fear; she needs some level of adventure. The first thing Akina took with her was her phone and a bag of healing ailments. Just in case she had another encounter like in the alley when Ryoji saved her. She didn't want that to happen to her.
The two siblings snuck around the window ever since August Duncannon, had become increasingly paranoid after the Garden and kept to his office. Not one sound was made that alerted him of his children sneaking around. They both sighed in relief and left with an Uber.

—Plum Creek—
Leaves fell upon Akina and Marcus as they walked into one of the entrances of the Plum Creek community, one of the safest neighborhoods in Yorkney, without the trouble it gets from scumbags.
The two walked casually to Beri's home without having a sense of danger. When they would drive
Beri's home was bigger than it seem on the inside since of the optical illusion it brought. The door was wide open.
Books were disheveled and papers were around in his room, along with a Nintendo Wii still operating and kicking as he had a game set with Meta Knight in Super Smash Bros Brawl. He had the Nintendo Switch in his room as well but he loved the feeling of nostalgia. He also loved how Meta Knight was powerful in that game. I miss it when he could just glide to that Zelda stage. Good times...
"You guys are already here?!" Beri beamed as he hugged both Akina and Marcus, he was happy to see them.
Rather, happy for them to be alive and well.
And Cecilia appeared behind Marcus with a soft "Boo", rattling him as he jumped into his sister's arms. It reminded Cecilia of Scooby-Doo, the old Finnish version of it.
How...adorable. She lit out a small grin, thinking how adorable Akina looked while she held her brother in her arms. Her wings ruffled up in a...emotion she'd never thought she could feel. An emotion that is associated with positivity...I shouldn't think like that...
Cecilia returned to her more dour self as she saw that her classmates were looking at her.
"She seems a bit more-e cheery."
Beri agreed with her as he paused his game, and whispered in her ear. "I think it's because of you. I asked her to be on our team."
Later in the dining area of the Sosa family, talking about the Skirmish Plan commenced with Beri being the leader of this team. Akina was not so confident to lead, Marcus was too immature, and Cecilia...Had an acquired taste.
"Akina will get Gold, Cecilia gets silver and Marcus'll get bronze."
"What about you though?"
Beri hesitated a bit before giving out his answer. "I'm focused on getting you three to the top 3. That's all."
"Every year is different. We all know that."
He pointed out the obvious in this section. "Every three years, the first course of the Skirmish is the Great Tree Run, where everyone has to run to the top of the Great Tree and the first 80 have to make it through to make it to the second round. Then it's some beefed-up version of Laser Tag with actual plasma guns and actual targets on our backs." Cecilia gasped at his planning in amazement. "Beri. You are a genius." She wanted to be a bit nicer to everyone today was the anniversary of a person she once respected greatly, whose life was ended at the hands of her mother.
She decided to be a little bit nice today with her peers, even Marcus—A boy who hated her guts. "This year will be the Great Tree Run and laser tag. How did you figure it out so quickly?"
Beri was not in the mood for Cecilia's sarcasm attack and her twisted stabs at his stature. Except, this time around, She was genuine towards him.
"I can handle laser guns. Can you, bird?" Beri barked back at Cecilia, he was having a rough day ever since the accident. His mom and grandpa were scared that Beri almost had a brush with death from that Shinra since he was grounded for a month now. He could still play his games but only forty minutes or else.
He sighed deeply and apologized to Cecilia. "Sorry about that. Being grounded is a bitch and I acted recklessly with that one guy." Beri couldn't look at her in the eye since he looked at his plans...
"Bro...." Marcus muttered under his breath in disbelief. He was starting to sweat from all the tension between these two.
What is going on, today? Akina wondered as she saw how the two were acting. CeeCee's acting sweet and Beri's not acting all sweet. Is today Opposite Day? Her fingertips were jolting in fear, she just didn't want some war between the two. Maybe she wanted to play it safe.
She still had her remaining strength to help her should the two fight right here in his home. Akina was ready, even though Marcus could see a sort of light-emitting away from her body.
Of course, he jumped back from fright, but not from his sister. Marcus was never afraid of his adopted sister.
But an apex predator in the middle of the room could do the trick.
"Oh shit!! A jaguar?!" Marcus yelled, even getting Cecilia very startled and getting close to Akina  suddenly and Akina did the same.
Only Beri was happy to see a jaguar in his room.
"Tezca. What are you doing up?" Beri asked his pet jaguar nonchalantly.
If a person has had a pet Jaguar for as long as they can remember, they would lose some of that fear that is associated with big cats.
Tezca was much older than the average Panthera Onca, having more white fur on his paws and face and his eyes were weary, and had one blind eye. He looked like the average Jaguar, however; He had a rose gold canine implant since he was once foolish. Tezca was too cocky for his good before his tooth was smashed to pieces by prey.
"I came to tell you that your mom and grandpa are coming home soon, Beri. In about twenty minutes or so." Tezca gave them the heads-up before clarifying what he meant. "Since the incident, Beri isn't allowed to have any guests due to your little stunt rescuing Cecilia Harmaajärvi, who stands right in this very room."
"What should I do?" Understanding how Tezca was helping, Beri always asked for his pet's sage advice. Beri had high respect for him, for his wisdom was relevant to the current situation they were in.
"Simple. Make them leave. Same with the Duncannons. The two are close together but no Harmaajärvi around except the small one. All alone herself. No family." Those two words set a fire in Cecilia's eyes, a quiet flame, that would go to become an inferno in the future if left unchecked.
The jaguar then looked at the other two, he was suspicious of them since they seemed to make Beri even more fearless.
Even the pink one is making me hungry for a steak...They should leave before I lose control... Tezca thought while warning them. "I prefer if my owner won't be harmed next time, you three," Tezca growled at them before jumping on the couch and resting his head. "Is that all swell with you?"
Akina and Marcus agreed immediately, Akina didn't know if the jaguar was going to eat them and spit them out.
"I didn't actually-" Marcus tried to bring up the fact that he was not a part of the group, let alone that he was still scared by this jaguar. In fear, he became quiet and never spoke again.
Cecilia looked downwards to her pocket and reached for her pocket and her thick eyebrows widen in amazement. Or at least something that resembled the emotion commonly associated with amazement, Finnish girls were still weird to Marcus: He couldn't figure them out. He knew he was eye candy and the class seemed to stare at him at times. Bro...I wonder what goes on in her head at times. Maybe she's like...Screw love and shit...
Maybe he finally knew he was once eye candy before Ryoji took over as his successor.
Cecilia announced to Akina and the rest of her classmates that were there. "I have somewhere to be."
"Course you do." Tezca rudely bellowed at the white-haired girl with large wings.
"And thanks for saving me, Willoby. And thanks to you too, Beri. Goodbye." Cecilia said her goodbyes before flapping away to parts unknown.
What's up with that Jaguar anyway? Akina thought as she was the last one to leave the Alliyma Sosa house.
There was no noise now.
As soon as his friends left, Beri turned toward his pet, who left to go to his bed. "Whatever you're scheming, I want no part of it in this household. So why don't you pull more of your shenanigans after school?" The voice of Tezca echoed the hallways like a Disney villain.
You son of a bitch...You just gave me an idea and I thought of it as scolding at first...
"Luckily, I'm a natural genius..." Beri arrogantly boasted before getting hit in the head by his own doing. Karma has a way with people.