by Max Jager
He looked at her in complete horror as she slowly turned around to face him, revealing that Red's lightning attack had singed most of her shirt, and had given her horrible third degree burns all over her upper body.
His heart skipped a beat when he fully realized that she had protected him from Red's attack by stepping in front of him and allowing it to strike her with all its fury.
Ruby grunted as blood dripped from her mouth, and panted weakly as she looked at her son with eyes slowly losing their life.
"Don't be…afraid…" she said softly, "…You're… You're safe now…Bandit…"
Bandit gasped when the reality of the situation completely sank into his mind, and he looked at her with complete shock.
"Wha…?" he began, "Wha…? When did… I thought you… Wha…?"
Unable to find his voice, tears filled his eyes as he looked at Ruby with such incredulous sadness.
"Why…?" he asked weakly, "…Why…did you do that…? Why…would you do that…?"
"…You… You are…my…son…Bandit…" she responded as she trembled, "…It's…a mother's…job…to protect her…son…"
Tears filled her eyes as memories of her time with her son flooded her mind one by one.
She remembered when they first met, and when she learned that he liked to cook just like her.
"I want to be the greatest chef in the world!"
She remembered the first meal they ever cooked together…
She remembered all the bruises she treated…
"You'll feel better soon, Bandit. I promise."
She remembered all the birthdays…
"Happy birthday, Bandit!"
…all the hugs, all the heartfelt conversations, all the meals they shared…
"You're the best cook in the world, Ruby!"
…all the smiles she received from him…
"Smile, Ruby!"
…all the moments she laughed when he rejected women who liked him…
"Why do girls act so weird, Ruby?"
…and last but not least, she remembered how he had gone on a hellish, three year mission with a group of mercenaries, just so he could make enough money for her to renovate her diner.
"Just remember something, Ruby: I'm never going to leave you again, okay? I will always be here for you. Always."
Ruby coughed up blood as she fell to her knees, and her son bitterly gritted his teeth as she spoke.
"Car… Growing up…you were such a brat, sometimes…"
Bandit looked at her in surprise, and he balled up his fists when she smiled at him.
"…Don't…!" he exclaimed emotionally, "…Don't speak, Ruby…! Save your strength…! We need to get you to…a hospital…!"
He tried his hardest to gather the strength to get up, but for all his strength, he could not move no matter how hard he tried. For all of his power and determination, there was nothing he could do in this most horrible of moments.
Nothing.
He grunted angrily as he closed his eyes.
"You…don't even…have…powers!" he exclaimed, choked up, "I don't…understand…! You knew you wouldn't…survive…so why…? Why would you…go so far…for me…this…stupid brat…you adopted when he was fifteen…?"
Tears ran down Ruby's face as she responded.
"Simple…" she began as her body fell forward, "It's… It's because… It doesn't matter…if I have powers…and it doesn't matter…how…stupid…you ever acted… One thing…will never change…"
Bandit's eyes widened in fear as he watched her fall before him.
"…I…will always…love you…son…"
"Ruby!" he yelled as her head landed two inches in front of his own.
He watched in unimaginable agony as more of her blood pooled around her body, and tears streamed down his face as gritted his teeth in horror.
"Ruby!" he screamed in terror, "…You… You can't die…! You have so much to live for! No! Ruby!"
He was about to have a complete mental breakdown, when he saw Ruby slowly lift her head.
"Ru…by…" he said in astonishment as she looked right into his eyes.
"You…" she began, "…You…worked so hard…to give me…all that money…you received from your…mission…so I could…work on my…diner… You put your life…on the line…and for who…? Me… I don't deserve…a son…like you…but…"
Bandit gasped as he watched Ruby's head slowly fall to the ground as she spoke her last words.
"…thank you…son… Thank you…for…"
"…loving me…"
Her head softly hit the ground, and Bandit looked at her with incomparable shock as he watched her last breath flow out of her mouth.
Having recovered somewhat from using the last of his power, Red grunted as he slowly stood up. He took notice of Bandit's immobilized state, and looked at him with surprise and slight sadness as he watched his brother's heartbroken face.
Car…
Bandit trembled as he looked at his foster mother's lifeless body.
"Ruby…?"
He trembled even more when she did not respond to him.
"Ruby…?" he repeated.
Unfortunately, nothing about her response changed in any way, shape, or form.
He grunted as he looked at the blood that surrounded her body.
He gritted his teeth as more of his tears streamed down his face, and became incomprehensibly morose as the fact that the woman he had come to think of as his mother lied dead before him slowly began to sink in.
He was trying so hard not to cry; in fact, he closed his mouth to prevent any and all cries from escaping his lips.
But it was too much for him. His mind had already begun to crack, and after thirty seconds of holding it all in, he finally found himself unable to keep his feelings of sadness, sorrow, and heartbreak at bay, and began to weep in incredibly unsettling agony.
He now seemed to be truly inconsolable.
His cry was so powerful, so forceful, that it could be heard throughout the entire area.
Unfortunately, there was no one around to be there for him during such a truly distressful time…except…
…Red…but Red was most certainly not going to console his brother. Yes, he was saddened by what he had done to his brother, and had even taken a few steps forward, for he almost instinctively wanted to console his little brother, just as he had when they were kids.
Bandit…I…
But then he realized that it had been his fault his brother was so mentally broken. He had been the one to make his brother hurt so incomprehensibly, and though he had wanted to hurt his brother in the past, he had grown out of that mentality, and had wanted nothing to do with him…until Bandit began fighting with him…
So, out of guilt and shame, he stopped himself from walking to his little brother, slowly turned around, and began to walk in the opposite direction while he shed a single tear.
He had won their battle…but he was not the least bit happy about it.
August 15, 1854…
The Ice Lands…
Lax…
…On this day…Red Blood became the leader of the Ice Lands.
…On this day…Ruby Lane sacrificed herself for the sake of her son.
…And on this day…
…Bandit Lane…
…suffered total and absolute defeat.
Left Behind
September 12, 1854
On this darkest and rainiest of days, Bandit Lane, dressed in a black suit and tie, sat solemnly and silently in front of what used to be the diner known as Lane's. His chest and stomach were covered in bandages, as was nearly half of his face.
But it did not matter.
Not in the slightest.
He looked at his destroyed home gravely as he thought about the woman he had grown to love just as strongly as he had loved Desire Blood, the woman who had given birth to him.
"Welcome to your new home, Bandit!"
"Hey, Bandit! What do you want to eat for lunch today?"
"You'll feel better soon, Bandit. I promise."
"Happy birthday, Bandit! I made you the best birthday cake ever!"
"Simple… It's… It's because… It doesn't matter…if I have powers…and it doesn't matter…how…stupid…you ever acted… One thing…will never change…"
"…I…will always…love you…son…"
Heartbroken, Bandit buried his face in his hands as he gritted his teeth in sorrow.
Meanwhile, Mary, clad in black, walked into the city of Ekusa. As she walked, she noticed that the light in the area gradually grew dimmer, and she looked up to see thunderclouds slowly blocking out the sun's light, leaving the city of Ekusa with nothing but darkness.
I wasn't… she thought bitterly as she gritted her teeth and closed her eyes, I… I…wasn't…
I wasn't able to help in any way…
Hundreds of Icelanders gathered in the city of Ekusa for the funeral that was being held for all the people who had died during the invasion of Lax. There were far too many attendees to fit into any one building, so the funeral was held at the Ekusa cemetery, which, after having gained the tombstones of five hundred and thirty people, was now the largest and most expansive cemetery in the entire Ice Lands. In fact, people were lined up in rows of fifteen so that most of them could fit inside the cemetery and hear the words of the pastor as he spoke.
"We gather here today in remembrance of all those innocent people who passed away in the horrible attack on Lax."
Many people, including Mary, lowered their heads in sadness as he spoke.
Why…? she thought as her eyes slowly filled with tears, Why…? Why did so many good people…have to die…?
Concurrently, Abe War, dressed in a black suit and tie, sat silently and solemnly on the roof of the headquarters he and his mercenaries operated from. He had been sitting there quiet and alone for the past five hours, and his disposition had not changed in the slightest the entire time, when he heard someone open the roof access door behind him.
As the attendees of the funeral began to, one by one, place flowers in front of the tombstones of their loved ones, Mary looked to her right to see a little girl quietly weeping. Unbeknownst to her, the little girl had lost her parents in the invasion, but her unawareness did not stop her from slowly picking the girl up, and holding her in her arms. The girl continued to weep, despite Mary's compassion, but she did feel slightly comforted, knowing that there was someone in the world who still cared for her.
"Rachel…" said Abe solemnly as Rachel, clad in black, silently walked towards him.
His eyes widened in surprise when he realized part of the reason she was silent, and he gritted his teeth in bitterness as he closed his eyes.
This day… he thought as she sat down next to him, It's... It's the same day…her parents died…seven years ago… What were the odds…?
"You didn't go to the funeral either, I see…" she said as she looked at him from the corner of her eye.
When she did, she saw that he was looking at the back of his right hand, which had the name Simon tattooed on it. She furrowed her eyebrows as she continued to look at it.
Abe… I…
"…How long…have you been up here?" she asked, unsure of what else to say.
Abe sighed and closed his eyes before he responded.
"It has been about five hours," he said bluntly.
Rachel gasped slightly as she looked at him in surprise.
"It's nothing to worry about," he continued, "This…isn't the first time this has happened… When things like this happen…I…tend to become…reflective… I… I…"
Unable to verbally express his feelings, his voice trailed off, and he and Rachel sat in silence as he finished his sentence in his mind.
…can't help but think about…all the things I've lost…all the people I've lost…and…I… I've…lost…so many…
Simon…
Meanwhile, Brayne sat in a bar, smoking and solemnly staring at his glass of Ice ale. He was the only patron in the bar, but engaging in conversation mattered not to him. The death of his friend's mother had caused him to remember the death of his own mother, and whenever he remembered her death, he always became hopelessly morose, and did not know what else to do to cope with his feelings of loss besides drink and smoke, for that was exactly how his now deceased father had dealt with his mother's death.
Tears filled his eyes as he remembered his mother's bright and smiling face, and he sighed and took a sip of his drink in a futile attempt to drink away his pain.
When it was Mary's turn to place flowers in front of the tombstone of her lost loved ones, she held five flowers, one for her and each of her friends, in her right hand, while she continued to carry the little girl in her left arm.
She was sad that the rest of her friends were not present, but she also understood why they were absent, and all too well. They all had suffered great tragedy in their lives, and she knew that none of them knew how to deal with loss.
When she came to Ruby's tombstone, she took a deep breath as she looked at the smiling redhead in the picture lying before it, and slowly knelt down to place her flowers down beside it. She sniffled as she continued to look at the picture, and sighed as she thought of Ruby's redheaded son.
I'm…so sorry…Bandit… she thought as tears filled her eyes.
I am…so sorry…!
There truly was not a dry eye, happy smile, or jovial being in the entirety of the Ice Lands, and unfortunately, it looked like that would not change for a long time to come.
Who is Bandit Lane?
Soon after the funeral, people everywhere attended post-funeral receptions hosted in the homes of those whose loved ones had been victims of the tragic genocide.
In the city of Ekusa, the mercenaries held a reception in their headquarters for their lost loved ones, for though they were not positioned in Lax, several of them had been in Lax on the day of the attack, eating, drinking, and being merry.
Everyone was dressed in black, and was split into groups of five or more, as they drank, told their favorite stories about their fallen friends, and consoled one another.
Mary had just finished speaking in a particular group, when she saw Rachel walk over to her.
"Rachel…" she said as she walked towards her, "Hey…"
"Hey…" greeted Rachel as she put her hand on Mary's shoulder, "I'm…sorry I didn't attend the funeral…"
Rachel gave Mary a hug as she continued to speak.
"How… How was it…?"
Mary sniffled before she responded.
"It was nice… They had an…array of flowers for…people to place on the tombstones of their…lost loved ones… I even met this…little girl… Both of her parents…were mercenaries…and they died in the attack…so…for now, I'm…watching over her…"
She continued to speak as she looked around the room.
"She's…around her somewhere…"
As the two looked at each other solemnly, they saw Abe walk over to them from the corner of their eyes.
"Hey…" he greeted them with a low tone of voice, "How are you two doing?"
Mary shrugged as she responded.
"We're…okay… At least, we're as okay as we can be…"
He placed his hands in his pockets as he asked the question that was on all of their minds.
"…Where's Bandit…?"
The two did not say anything in response, but he got his answer when they silently lowered their heads.
I see… he thought sadly as he took a deep breath and sighed, …They don't know where he is either…
"I don't think anyone's seen or heard from him…since he was released from the hospital…" said Rachel as she looked up at Abe.
"That…really worries me…" said Mary as she sniffled, "…He was released from the hospital…three weeks ago… Where could he be…?"
Not to mention, thought Abe, he had been catatonic for a week after the attack… He shouldn't be alone…not after…
&nb
sp; He cleared his throat and quickly shook his head in order to keep himself from becoming emotional, while Rachel spoke.