Arc of the Souls Chapter 69: Arc 2, Chapter 46 - Asheera Eria

Read chapter 69 of Arc of the Souls by Noyr on NovelPedia.

= = = { 1 hour and 12 minutes before the assassination of Second-Leader Asheera Eria } There were at least a thousand people protesting on the path that connected the Eria Tower and the Tristate City Central Station. It has been going on for a few hours now. People were yelling erratically, with some Mobilizers trying to calm the crowd down but to no avail. The protests were motivated by the populace's dissatisfaction at the silence coming from the Great Kamisword about concerns of Dark Intrinium planning an invasion of Testharia real soon. Usually the Great Kamisword wouldn't be this silent. The King would never stay silent when the whole world was crying out for answers. For protection. For safety. But with all that has happened, with Kaioshun's attack and the attempt on Asheera's life, even he's having a hard time processing things. Even the Royal Family hasn't issued any official statements about the assassination attempt. Only the hospital staff and a few close confidants know about the full details. Altair stood upon the 128th floor balcony, looking across Tristate City. The lights of skyscrapers and businesses illuminated the night sky, shining blue, yellow and white across the landscape. But down below, the mood was different. Anger was boiling over, and riots were happening in multiple areas across the city. The sirens wailed in the distance, and the sounds of people chanting was echoing through the buildings. All Altair could do was sigh. He leaned onto the railing, rubbing his eyes. He was tired from working all night long. A small moment later, the glass pane door opened as someone entered the balcony. “This view continues leaving my mouth agape. A stunning view. One I shall never forget.” “I can see why, it's a beautiful scene.” Altair chuckled a bit before continuing. “What do you want to say? You aren't someone who'd approach for small-talk, specifically me.” Sachiel sat down, chuckling at that remark. “After all these years, you remain indifferent toward me. But I suppose this is natural.” His abyssal eyes, reflecting Tristate City's light looked at Altair. The two brothers stared at each other in silence for a second before Altair spoke up. “I have missed my brother, as weird as it may seem.” “It's not like I've been a moon away. I've been around.” Altair smiled a little, but it wasn't genuine. “You'd be asleep by now. What's keeping you up?” Sachiel looked down. “...My choices during my time as a Kamisword isn't of any benefit. I've undertaken a huge burden. I hoped to fix the chaos the madness of my Greatfather created, the incompetence of my father Wersar Eria that put our family in a crisis... and the tyranny of my uncle Fursan Eria's autocracy.” Sachiel clenched a fist. The wind whipped around him. “Yet here I am... I feel like I'm walking a line. A line so thin and delicate that one wrong step could send us tumbling into oblivion. The people are in a uproar over the destruction of Zephite City, but there is a greater evil awaiting us.” “Asheera thinks that you've given up on our people.” Altair rubbed his temples, a frown rewriting his face. He decided to test him. “...I can understand why.” Sachiel looked away from Altair. “I have not. I look for survivors on Dankasho everyday. I'm not neglecting them.” “You've made no new laws in months. No public addresses. The entire cabinet, the Central Health Ministry, everyone's being left in the dark. The city is rioting downstairs. If you've not given up, act like it. Show them you still stand as Great Kamisword.” “...” “You can't blame her, Sachiel. It's been a few years since you've done anything important for the nation beyond being just a figurehead. I can't help but notice that all of these issues begun once we relaxed our guard with those beyond our land.” “It is not the outsiders.” “I'm not saying it is... but I feel like you made an extreme lapse in your judgment.” Sachiel gritted his teeth, something that Altair didn't catch seeing it. “We all made laps