HIROGERU (Season 2)

Episode 21 - Empty City

There had been light spirit energy fragments surrounding the city of Dyne as the group entered it. The city had been different from how they saw it on the outside. On the inside, the city had looked lifeless.

"I guess they don't call this the Urban Junkyard for nothing." Fran said as she looked around.

The inhabitants, a majority of them, had tattered clothes and they were scraping for whatever material they could find. They would grab the scrapmetal and trade it in for some food in the market. The children didn't care whether they lived and endured the life that they had for they still played together.

"This place...hits a little too close to home..." Seiryu said as he let down his hood. He looked around and a slightly sad emotion on his face was seen. The Rogue had been reminded that he was in a similar situation before. He and his brother Hegel, before they could even live in that orphanage, were like these children.

Lei noticed the look on Seiryu's face as she saw Yue put a hand on his shoulder. The gunslinger had a sad look on her face as well. It would seem that she knew the pain that he was feeling.

"These kids are orphaned." She said to them. "While Herac is prospering through the contributions of the State, places like Dyne and the like are suffering the effects of the past intercontinental wars." She added.

"The wars." Melfice said.

"They said that after that conflict, everything would change." Zaix said as he recalled the lessons he had in HISTOWA when he was still a cadet.

"None of it mattered." Lucian said to them. "There were many reforms initiated by the State, but in the end none of it mattered. There were still people suffering from the aftermath of the war." He added.

"Poverty is still an issue. Usually the only way these kids make it out of such places is by studying in an academy such as ours. They are subjected to become assets of the state to help themselves up." Yue said to them.

"Or they can turn to piracy and crime." Draven said to them as he smoked. He walked ahead of the group and this caused them to glare at him, but he didn't care. "I've died twice and lived in the past eras in the process. I saw the world back at the final stages of the Intercontinental Wars. Nothing had changed." He said to them.

They were surprised at what he said. The group did not expect Draven to be outspoken with concerns to his past.

"The problem with State Mercenary Organizations and their lapdogs is that they just see the upper spectrum." Draven said to them. "They tend to forget that the children are the future." He said to them. "When I started to live as Vrede, I saw the waning of the long Intercontinental Wars and still when it had ended, such places still existed." He continued to explain to them. "And Soldiers such as yourselves are reduced to mere State assets. It's one of the reasons why Verrath hated mankind. I remember him telling me that humans put themselves in such a standard that they begin to exclude their own." He continued.

"Never knew Verrath can make valid points." Julia said in response.

"A new threat always rises." Seiryu thought to himself as he heard Verrath's voice in his head.

"He could be right..." the long haired Rogue continued to think as he looked at his left hand.

"Don't let him get to you." Lucian said to Seiryu and all of the others looked at the two of them. The calm soldier naturally read the Rogue's mind and saw doubts beginning to creep in.

"Him?" Fran asked.

"Verrath." Seiryu said to them. "He..." he tried to say to them.

"He what?" Melfice asked him.