Story Reader / Floating Record / ER02 Cinder Burns / Story
...Haha, look who's back...
Coming back to the car, the boy can hear the rain drumming away hard and fast up on the roof.
With people's words cutting at his soul, into the crowd he drifts, exuding a gloomy air soaked with rainwater.
I don't understand why Rachel is putting him through all this. She could have just asked him to work in his mother's place to make up for whatever she's pocketed.
Why would Rachel do that after everything this kid's mother has done, though? I bet she's only helping him because she was friends with the kid's mom.
Just stay away from him if you want to stay sane. Kid is a lost cause now... and he's got his mom to thank for always leaving him at home alone. Just leave him to Rachel, I say.
The boy keeps his head down as he hurries through the crowd.
...
Right—it all happened on that fateful night.
Noan sees something shivering miserably in a corner on the lower level.
He looks about Noan's age—and he has old scars over both his legs and new wounds on his body. Curling into a ball with books in his arms, he seems like a candlelight on the verge of dying out.
The guards throwing kicks and punches at the young boy, however, don't seem to care one bit.
The scene is surrounded by people—people who can do no better to help than frown at what they're seeing. It won't be long before that he ends up fatally injured—or dead.
It's never smart to get tough with the guards.
Especially now—with all those who have made their way up to the upper level and joined the guards' ranks "through the back door" using Blessing Boxes. This disorder has brought about frustration and anger, paving the way for all the armed conflicts happening on a daily basis now.
The boy was about to ignore the scene and walk away when he sees those hands—shivering, and having grown pale from the cold.
Asslam is a frozen abyss, and we're all just dying fires trapped in it.
And there is nothing we can do here except getting killed slowly by the cold... But just how are these fires supposed to melt the ice in this frozen abyss when the cold kills us all? That's right. Death is our only way out.
...Mom.
ACA has always been a place where hierarchy and power speak louder than words. With the law no longer effective, people no longer have to worry about having to pay for violence and misdeeds.
One certainly wouldn't describe Julie as being just or gentle—yet few saw days like this coming when they rejoiced over her death.
The cold... is going to kill us all...
The boy stops in his tracks as he mumbles these words.
He knows exactly what's going to happen if he does what he's about to do next, but before he knows it, he's already walking back the way he's come with his weapon in hand.
...Stop! Stop now, I say!
Wow, what have we here? Whatchu gonna do about it, huh?
Don't you see he's handicapped?!
As if I care.
The guard shoots a dirty look at the crutch on the side.
You think this is how you get to talk to upper-level guards just because Rachel's got all you Cargo Crew's back, huh?
Making his identity known again, the guard runs his eye over the crowd. He doesn't seem ready to "punish" two kids at once with so many eyes on him.
Captain Rachel has nothing to do with this, and she isn't even here now.
And I suppose you know that means no one is going to come to your rescue, yeah?
The guard was about to grab him by the collar when the weapon in Noan's hand spits fires out of it—sending a bullet that hits the guard's protective mask, leaving a deep cut on it.
...Apologies. See, I'm not good with guns. I didn't really mean to hit you.
You ****ing little shit!
Want me to give it another go, huh?!
Noan shouts out in a suppressed voice.
That was me holding back just now, for your information.
But if you want to see how I roll when I don't hold back...
Are you out of your mind? You just friggin' fired at an upper-level guard!
The guard shouts his final warning at the kid—one who's looking disdainfully back at him.
So you find it "normal" to hurt a handicapped person—while I'm "out of my mind" trying to stop you from doing that? Well, screw that!
All his pent-up frustration turns into razor-sharp daggers with no physical shape that shoot straight into those arrogant eyes.
...So? Are you ready for more?
Noan knows full well that this isn't going to end well. Still, he's glad to have stood up.
****ing bastard!
The guard spits out these words as he lifts his weapon to slash down at this soul he can't care any less about.
Stop!
Someone stops the weapon in its tracks. Turning back, the guard sees a brawny Cargo Crew member—with a dozen or so people in tow.
Sticking your head into people's business again, huh? Haven't y'all seen all those that died these days?
C'mon, you don't wanna go around killing off all 'em little puppies. Gotta keep 'em little puppies alive so you get to eat 'em when they're big, no?
Ha, for a moment I thought you didn't know who rules this place!
What are you doing?
Easy, buddy. I know our situations aren't exactly identical, but you and I both work for the same "master", right?
And to our "master", the only difference between you and I is that they pay you a little more than they pay us—but to them, we're all replaceable. Now...
Shauna takes a step backward.
I see you're all alone now, but I saw you having a fight with some of your buddies back there in the other car. Did they just ditch you?
It's only with all the eyes upon him now that the guard finally realizes that he's all alone.
An "upper-level guard" is capable of putting rebels through excruciating suffering—yet it's only something that can happen when he can make it out of this place in one piece.
Given the way things look now, however, it's likely that that's never going to happen.
It's exactly as what Shauna has said—the only thing that matters to their "master" is whether they can carry out their tasks. The souls lost, the lives sacrificed, and all the futures nipped in the bud mean absolutely nothing to them.
Their "master" might punish these people for what happened today in whichever way they find most pleasing—yet the guard himself is the one that's going to take the sizzling heat that's about to come his way in the next few moments.
...
Ganging up on me, huh?
Do y'all know who this kid's dad is? He was part of the Ashlars.
...
The guard looks on with a smirk.
That's right. His dad was going to be a guard like me, but he decided to stay here so he could do more "business".
Caught my drift yet? This kid is a double-crosser and y'all are trying to help him!
Gee. See, that didn't cross our mind at all. Apologies, sir. We'll throw this kid off the train right away.
Right, you'd better.
The guard leaves as he curses.
Niino walks up to the boy when the guard is gone...
And slaps him in the face.
Are you out of your mind?! Didn't you see how everyone was trying to keep a distance from the scene? Are you trying to drag us all down or what?!
These guards are friggin' mad these days. You've seen what happened when people stood in their way, right? They only killed one person so far this month, but you and that kid behind you would have been dead if we'd shown up one second too late!
I've seen what happened... which is exactly why I wanted to put an end to it.
So what if you can bring this one guy to his knees? Think you can knock down all those guys that are gonna come after you?
Julie and Rachel didn't raise you for you to die like this!
C'mon, Niino. We all know you were about to jump right in if Noan hadn't done it before you.
Tsk, shush.
There is nothing embarrassing about it, though. See, I'm pretty fed up myself, but they always make sure to make you suffer if you try to get in their way. This isn't cool at all.
Kid, you're lucky you didn't get your butt kicked this time. Think you're gonna get this lucky again?!
That's right. Keep that in mind! Because you can go from hero to zero in one fell swoop!
See how scared he is, Noan? He might not seem like it, but he just doesn't want anything bad to happen to you, kid.
...Sorry, Niino.
For God's sake, I told you to keep it zipped, Shauna! And you should be addressing me as "Sir" or "Captain", kid!
With a frown, Niino walks off.
But that was a true eye-opener just now, kid. I didn't believe it when Rachel told us you took on those guards up there when you were nine.
She pats the boy on the shoulder and laughs.
I see you're finding it a bit difficult to keep yourself in check without Mommy around, huh?
...I...
Don't sweat it, though. Worst that's gonna happen to you is getting a piece of mind from Rachel when she's back, and I'm sure you're ready for that.
...
And just ignore Niino. Dude is just a little shy, haha. Anyhow, I gotta go now.
When the crowd has dispersed, Noan sees a trembling elder lady walking out of a dark corner—and it's none other than Hill.
Noan, that was crazy... Are you okay, though?
She puts her hands adoringly around Noan's face and checks it over and over.
I'm fine, Hill.
I'm sorry, my children. Your Aunt Hill was too scared to do anything back there.
She lowers down to help the handicapped boy stand up.
Boy, just look at what they did to his shoulders...
I'm fine... It doesn't hurt.
He turns around and puts on a pained smile at Noan.
Thank you so much.
Don't mention it. I'm Noan. What's your name?
...It's Field. Again, thank you so much, Noan.
No worries. So... can you still walk?
I can, just not too well. I got cut by a gardener robot a while ago.
The doctor stitched it up for me, but I still ended up with my leg like this because this is the best they could do.
Sigh...
Hill shivers listening to Field's story.
Where are your parents?
My dad is out with the Cargo Crew, and my mom... She got killed by the gardener robot that hurt me.
...
Don't worry, though. My dad will take care of everything when he's back.
Are you new here?
Yes.
Then just listen to me and don't ever mess with those people again. They screwed us all over, and we're all fed up with them.
They know you're connected to the people that just helped you, but you never know when they'll try to get back at you...
Right... Thank you.
...
Where's your spot? Let me take you there.
...Sorry, but my dad hasn't found us a bed yet, and I usually just sit right here.
My, I would have asked you to come over if I had any extra space. We can share a stool together, though, if you don't mind.
It's fine, Hill. I'll show him around.
Alright. Come back to me if you don't find a suitable spot, though.
She nods and goes back to her little corner.
...So, where are we going?
A secret base.
Secret base?
Yes. Shall we?
Noan holds his hand out to Field.
...They've already filled me in on the details.
Rachel is back from her mission with a frown on her face.
Let me guess. You aren't going to apologize, are you?
...No. I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, Captain, for everything I've done.
But I'm only apologizing because of you, and it's got nothing to do with that guard.
Hearing Noan's words, Rachel lets out a long sigh.
Boy, you seriously remind me of Julie.
My Mom...?
Would she do the same?
Oh, she would, son, she would—and this only accounts for 20%.
Rachel nods her head.
I mean things like this only account for 20% of why she always rubbed people the wrong way.
But she always said...
Let me guess. It's either, "You just need to compromise," or, "You need to know how powerless you are," yeah?
Exactly.
She's right.
And I want you to promise me right now that you're never getting yourself into petty trouble like this ever again.
...But it was no petty trouble. Field was in no condition to get beaten up like that, and he really could have died if I hadn't butted in.
Did you even think about the consequences? Do you really think those guards are just going to swallow that? No, they aren't. They are just going to make sure everyone suffers.
...I'm sorry.
I'm not going to punish you or hold you responsible this time, though, because the guy is a fake.
...The guy is a what?
The train is a big, messy pot with all the people we have onboard, and people just don't have the time to get to know one another. This holds true for the guards, too, and it isn't the first time they find a fake among themselves.
You can't really see their faces once they have that protective suit on—which is why some wannabes try to get their hands on the suit. They just want the perks that come with it.
...That's unheard of.
Don't worry. I will bring this to the aristocrats' attention and ask them to look into it.
Are you connected... to the aristocrats?
Like it or not, the Cargo Crew has to keep them updated on our missions. It's nothing you need to worry about, though.
But get this... this will not happen again.
You'll be as good as dead if you play with fire again and run into a real guard next time.
Well...
The fake that tried to give me a hard time wouldn't have picked on me if he were a real guard, though.
Are you trying to say that you weren't just playing with fire and that what you did was a calculated move?
That's exactly what I'm saying, Captain. I wasn't playing with fire, and I'm not the same hot-tempered kid that I was before.
Wait, what? So you're saying that you've thought it all through and that you're gonna butt in again if you come across scenes like that?
Rachel lets out another sigh.
Noan, let's just get real. Know who you are and learn to compromise—it's all meant to keep yourself safe, as Julie said.
...
But people are just going to die like my mom if I compromise, no? Even if she really did a lot of terrible things, they should have punished her with the "law" that the royal guards talk about.
But no, they just poisoned and killed her, and we don't even know who did that.
Who are we to say they'll spare us when they can get away with killing people and hurting people like Field?
...
Rachel looks up to study Noan's still somewhat immature face.
And that's when it hits her—that what he did was not a temper-driven move, and that he knew exactly what he was doing, as he said.
I'm sorry, but I guess I should have made myself more clear. I do want you to compromise, but I never asked you to give up altogether.
We're no heroes, which is why we need to find a smarter way to cope with these things.
I know you're angry, son, but we need to wait for that right moment to strike.
...Okay.
Just give it some more time, Noan.
I can assure you that I don't hate those bastards any less than you do.
...
Hey, how did it go?
...
Is she still going to punish you?
No. The guard was a fake.
A what...?
Field looks at Noan in disbelief.
Doesn't that happen in the world out there, too?
Well... this never happened in the reservation area I was at, at least.
I heard they only take in qualified skilled workers, and the screening is super hard, too.
...Yes, those are true. I mean, because the reservation area only has so much space.
Field looks up at the dim light up above with those green eyes of his.
...Three years ago, someone hurt his fellow applicants because he wanted to pass the screening very badly.
When some of the Constructs guarding our reservation area caught him, he had sores all over his body from Punishing... and it was so bad that he probably wouldn't last longer than a few days.
Except none of us wanted to take him in because of what he'd done. One of the Constructs gave him a serum because he couldn't stand seeing him on the verge of dying.
But then... he gave the serum back to us the day after and died.
Why, though?
Because a single serum wouldn't change his fate... or so my dad said.
...Is that what the world out there is like?
Yes. The screening is challenging enough that it helps uphold the order within the walls—but it's also the very thing that makes it impossible for us to save those in need.
Which... is why I had my hopes up before I got here. My dad told me that ACA's screening isn't as difficult, which makes it a moving utopia that's immune to the Punishing Virus and brings supplies and smiles to people in need all over the world.
Did you just say your dad called this place a "utopia"?
Yes, but little did he know, eh...?
What happened to this place, though? Or has it always been like this?
...Well...
This place is no different from the world out there. People just want to live—and they do it at the cost of hurting others sometimes.
Is that why they treat us the way they do?
...Yes.
People start keeping a distance from Field and treat him differently when they sense his connection to the aristocrats up there.
He isn't the healthiest of people—and aside from being handicapped, he comes down with low fevers on a regular basis. To keep Field safe, Noan asks him to stay in the book storage as much as possible.
They don't sit well with people, and they were meant to help each other survive at their secret spot—where the rest of the train wouldn't see them. People, however, begin to have a different take on Noan as a person after his conflict with the guard.
It was a day just like any other...
A certain woman gallops up toward the boy sitting in his usual dark corner.
Hey, whatchu up to, champ? Care to join us over there for some goodies?
...Huh?
Without giving him a chance to respond either way, she drags the boy straight into the dining space in the Commoner Carriage.
Wow, and here we were just guessing if the kid would turn you down!
He got dragged here—by yours truly, of course!
...What can I do for y'all?
You're part of the Cargo Crew, Noan, and our next delivery mission is coming up soon. Makes no sense for you to hang out in that corner on your own.
...But I don't...
But you don't what? Oh, I see. You don't dislike hanging out with us, right? Does what happened with your mom still bother you so much that you'd rather hang out with 'em geezers than with us?
No, it doesn't—but I'm sure it still bothers all of you.
For God's sake, son, we ain't stones. People might not have been happy with what Julie had done, but, you see, people can change... especially after seeing how you stood up for that boy and how Rachel stands with you.
But none of you guys ever helped us except for Rachel...
See, I told you this kid is as dense as a brick.
How do you know we never helped, though? You've only been living for so long, and if we forget about Julie's space and your "neighborhood" for a second, you practically know nothing about this world.
Julie was the one that never let him out. She thought the world out here is much too dangerous and might kill him.
Too late now. He can go back there all he wants, but that won't stop them from coming after him.
You're the only one that gets to decide what you want to do, son.
That sounds like a piece of advice you need yourself.
Shush!
...
Niino is right, though. Before his mother died, Noan barely knew anything about this world.
He was so deeply in love with books and busy pursuing his hobbies that, while he did pick up on people's attitudes toward them every now and then, he never really understood why they treated them the way they did.
Now, with the sale of Blessing Boxes getting progressively worse, Noan knows that he can't solve anything if he keeps shunning people—besides, he never liked to be left alone at home anyways.
He's still trying to get used to these people's kindness, but he sees no reason to turn them away.
Hesitating for a few moments, Noan nods his head lightly.
...Alright, got it. Thanks... I'll try to roll with y'all...
'Tis the first step the lone wolf takes toward the pack.
Oh wow, that was definitely much easier than I thought! Crazy how we spent so much time trying to figure you out!
What do you mean?
Haha, we talk about you every now and then when we eat.
Who's "we"?
There is Niino, Weyland... Well, pretty much all the big names from the Cargo Crew.
Why would you want to talk about me, though?
See, you joined us before you even turned 13, and you always hang out with Rachel—and if you add in what happened to Julie, it's only normal that people talk about you, right?
...
Hey, c'mon, they didn't bad-mouth you or anything. It's just that we really can use a few more hands these days, and we didn't think it's right for us to keep seeing you in such a negative light when Capt never goes awry with the people she picks.
We thought Capt's only keeping you around because she was good friends with Julie... but what happened the other day was proof enough that you're clearly different from your mother, and we just thought it's high time that we got over it.
Proof enough, huh...
This guy just wouldn't stop talking about Julie, so we decided to ask Shauna to drag you out of your little corner to join us.
Hey, you talked about her a whole lot, too.
All I was saying was that he'd find it difficult to hang out with people because he was kept locked up at home for so long!
There ain't no kids that love being on their own. If you come across one that seems like it, it's only because they have to put up with the status quo.
Wow, we have ourselves a child expert here!
They all burst out laughing at Shauna's remark—except for Noan, who seems lost and doesn't know how to react.
Hey, what's up? You alright?
No, I just... don't really know what I need to do.
Not much, really. You just need to help when people ask you to, and let us know when you need help yourself. Ain't nothing to be embarrassed about, because helping each other out is how people gradually become friends.
Oh, that's easy.
Of course, there is more to that than meets the eye, though! See, there are all these unsaid rules that you need to play by, and they can really drive you nuts!
Ugh...
But before you get there, just be who you are when you hang out with us.
Shauna gently pets Noan's head.
I know this ain't your forte, but rest assured that I'll be there when you need help.
We need to stick together the same way we did when you helped Field out—because together we're strong.
Right.
Nodding his head as he gets ushered, the boy sits down in an awkwardly formal pose.
...Thank you all.
