GATE: Journey in the New World Vol I

Arc 2: Noble City XII: Aftermath II

Disclaimer: I don't own Gate or Nihon-koku Shoukan, as they belong to their rightful owners.

Arc 2: A City, A Diplomacy, A Dragon

Noble City XII: Aftermath II

At first, it was all the loud explosions that she could hear.

Then the continuous earthquakes that rattle her world.

Indeed she felt the intensity even if she was inside the chapel.

Her eyes could only catch a glimpse of the flames that passed by the skies.

The subsequent crashes of that gigantic ball of flaming debris near the vicinity of the chapel were indeed nerve-wracking.

But to all of that, the refugees residing within the chapel stayed despite the many attempts to convince them that the place was already at risk of getting crushed by the giant flames from above.

Mari, of all the people she had met, these were tougher by the mind and the calmest that she had seen.

Even the little girl herself was showing no signs of fear.

As they continued their prayers amid her recon team members warning them to get out of the place, she heard the inhuman roars of the so-called beast.

And then right after that was silence.

"In the name of the Sun God, Let your Emissaries reign destruction upon evil!"

The last prayer coincided with the event and before she knew it, a burst of powerful shockwave had reached the chapel itself.

The last thing that Mari recalled was that she tried to cover the girl from the shattered pieces of glass that fell from the windows and then there was black.

It felt like an eternity of darkness but when she opened her eyes, she was still here.

"Do you copy! Are you two alright in there?"

She heard the walkie-talkie coming to life, the worried voice of the sergeant contacting them.

She slowly opened her eyes and saw a different environment and scenario compared to before.

Her vision was still blurry but she felt being carried off towards a specific area.

"Outside now!" She heard a voice again and this time it belonged to Wataru.

Along the way, her mind began to work and brought her to the last memory she remembered.

"The little girl!?" She yelled out inside her mind.

Where was she?

She remembered covering her from the falling shattered glass and then...nothing but darkness all of a sudden.

Then she heard the door open and the old wooden smell of the chapel was gone and replaced by the scent of grass and semi-fresh air.

"I hope you are alright." Then she heard another voice, this time she recognized it.

Her senses came back all at once.

Her vision became clear and not long after she found herself being greeted by the concerned face of the little girl.

Mari's eyes widened in surprise.

"What happened?" Is that all she could think of right now?

She then looked around and saw her surroundings.