Chapter 431: The Morning After The Calamity

For the first time since arriving in Nexus, Kai could see the morning sky without an ancient tower trying to destroy something beneath it.

Sunlight passed between the damaged buildings, illuminating streets covered in broken glass, scattered stone, and abandoned vehicles. Several roads remained closed, and emergency workers were still moving supplies between temporary shelters.

Nexus had survived, but it had a great deal of recovering to do.

Kai walked away from the central structure with Sera beside him, expecting another emergency meeting. Gabriel had already sent several reports, and Mira’s rescue teams were still searching buildings that had become inaccessible during the calamity.

Instead, he heard applause.

Kai turned toward the sound and saw a crowd gathered outside an underground transit station.

A group of exhausted Hunters was emerging from the entrance, accompanied by several civilians wrapped in emergency blankets. Two workers carried a stretcher between them, while another Hunter supported an elderly man who could barely walk.

The people waiting outside began cheering.

One woman pushed past the safety barrier before an emergency worker could stop her.

"Dad!" she cried, rushing toward the elderly man.

The man looked up, and his exhausted expression changed immediately. "Elena? You’re all right?"

She threw her arms around him, nearly knocking him off balance. The Hunter supporting him quickly steadied them both.

"I thought you were dead," Elena said, crying against his shoulder. "Nobody could contact the station. They kept telling us to wait."

Her father held her with trembling arms. "I was worried about you too. I kept thinking about whether you’d gotten home."

Kai watched them for a moment before turning toward the station entrance.

"Looks like they found another group," he said.

Sera smiled as the woman helped her father toward the medical tents. "And judging by those faces, I’d say they found exactly the people everyone was hoping for."

A young boy ran toward another rescued passenger, who dropped to one knee and caught him in a tight embrace. Nearby, a transit worker sat on the pavement and began laughing when his colleagues handed him a bottle of water.

For several minutes, nobody seemed particularly interested in the damaged buildings surrounding them.

Kai found himself smiling.

He had spent so much time looking at the destruction that he had almost forgotten what saving the city was supposed to look like.

...

A familiar voice interrupted him.

"Kai, there you are."

Mira approached with a communicator in one hand and a thick register tucked beneath her arm. Her hair was slightly disheveled, and she looked as though she had been awake for considerably longer than anyone should have been.

Kai raised an eyebrow. "Have you slept?"

Mira gave him an unimpressed look. "That’s a strange question coming from someone who spent yesterday fighting an ancient monster inside a collapsing structure."

"That’s different. I had excellent company."

Sera folded her arms. "You also had someone repeatedly telling you not to do anything stupid."

"And I listened to most of those instructions," Kai replied.

"Most?" Sera repeated, looking amused.

Mira shook her head. "I’m glad you two have recovered enough to argue. Unfortunately, I still have work for both of you."

She opened the register and showed them several pages covered in names, locations, and handwritten corrections.

"We’ve confirmed more survivors overnight," Mira explained. "The people from that station were trapped behind a collapsed maintenance corridor. The rescue team reached them through a service entrance after the remaining spatial disturbances settled."

Kai looked toward the newly rescued passengers. "How many are still missing?"

"Too many," Mira answered. "Some are probably sheltering somewhere without communications. Others may be trapped in damaged buildings. We’re checking every report before marking anyone as unaccounted for."

Her expression softened as she glanced toward the reunited families.

"But we are finding people. That’s what matters right now."

A volunteer hurried over and handed Mira another sheet.

"Coordinator, the southern shelter has confirmed six more residents from the eastern district," the woman reported. "They’re asking whether we can update the family notices."

Mira examined the names and immediately passed the sheet back. "Add them to the confirmed-safe register and notify the district teams. Make sure the families receive the information before the next public announcement."

The volunteer nodded and hurried away.

Kai watched her leave. "You’ve got quite an operation running."

Mira looked at him. "I’d better. You helped save the city, and I don’t intend to waste that opportunity by letting people disappear in the aftermath."

Before Kai could answer, another call came through her communicator.

Mira listened, frowned, and began walking. "The western shelter needs another medical transport. I’ll speak to you later. And Kai, try not to discover anything dangerous before lunch."

Kai smiled. "No promises."

Sera watched Mira disappear into the crowd. "She might actually be the busiest person in Nexus."

"Probably," Kai admitted. "And I suspect she’d complain if anyone tried to replace her."

...

As they approached the medical tents, a middle-aged man wearing a damaged transit uniform stepped into their path.

"Excuse me," he said, studying Kai’s face. "You’re Kai Rosefield, aren’t you?"

Kai nodded. "That’s right. Are you one of the workers from the station?"

The man straightened despite the bandage around his forehead.

"My name’s Daniel. I was helping evacuate passengers when the barriers activated. We heard about what happened at the central structure after the rescue team reached us."

He hesitated before extending his hand.

"I wanted to thank you. If those towers had kept operating, I don’t think any of us would’ve gotten out."

Kai shook his hand. "I’m glad you’re safe, but you should thank the people who stayed with those passengers. I heard the transit workers kept everyone together even after the station lost power."

Daniel looked surprised. "We did what we could. There were children down there, and a few people were injured. We couldn’t exactly leave them."

"That’s precisely why you deserve some credit," Kai replied.

Daniel glanced toward his colleagues, who were helping distribute blankets.

For a moment, he seemed uncertain what to say.

Then he smiled. "I’ll tell them you said that. They’ll probably accuse me of making it up."

Sera laughed. "Tell them Rank One himself confirmed it. That should settle the argument."

Daniel’s eyes widened slightly. "You really are Rank One?"

Kai looked at Sera. "You could have let me remain an ordinary helpful stranger."

"Where’s the fun in that?" Sera asked.

Unfortunately, Daniel had already turned toward the other transit workers.

"Hey! You won’t believe who just thanked us!"

Kai closed his eyes briefly.

Sera patted his shoulder. "Congratulations. You’ve survived an ancient calamity and lost to a man with a very loud voice."

Within moments, several workers had gathered around them.

One wanted to shake Kai’s hand. Another asked whether the stories about the ancient entity were true. A third simply thanked him before returning to help his injured colleagues.

Kai answered what he could without discussing the unresolved mysteries of the network.

By the time the crowd began thinning, Sera was thoroughly enjoying herself.

"You’re becoming quite popular," she observed.

Kai gave her a sideways look. "You seem unusually pleased about that."

"Of course. Someone needs to make sure all this fame doesn’t go to your head."

...

They found Raze near a temporary supply station, inspecting the damaged shoulder of his armor.

The cracks from the fighting beneath the western tower were still visible, and one of the plates had been secured with a temporary fastening.

A young Nexus Hunter stood before him, looking nervous.

Kai recognized the Hunter from the training exercises before the calamity.

"Sir, I wanted to report something," the young man said.

Raze looked up. "Then report it."

The Hunter straightened. "My squad held the eastern intersection throughout the evacuation. We followed the fallback signals, protected the medical transports, and didn’t break formation when the towers started firing."

Raze studied him for several seconds.

"And your casualties?"

"Two injured, sir. Both were evacuated safely. Everyone else returned."

Raze’s expression changed.

"Good work," he said.

The Hunter blinked. "Sir?"

"I said you did good work. You held your position, protected the people behind you, and brought your team home. That’s what I wanted to see during those drills."

The young Hunter’s face brightened.

"Thank you, sir. We remembered what you said about not chasing enemies outside our assigned area."

Raze gave a satisfied nod. "Then perhaps I wasn’t wasting my time teaching you."

Kai approached with a smile. "Careful, Raze. You’re starting to sound like a respectable instructor."

Raze turned toward him. "I am a respectable instructor."

Sera glanced at his damaged armor. "You also appear to be an instructor who needs a new shoulder plate."

"This armor survived an ancient monster," Raze replied proudly.

Kai examined the cracked section. "Barely."

"Surviving is the important part."

The young Hunter laughed before quickly trying to hide it.

Raze noticed but merely shook his head. "Go get something to eat. You’ve earned it."

The Hunter saluted and hurried away.

Kai watched him leave. "You made his morning."

Raze looked toward the street where the rescue teams were working. "He earned it. During the first drill, those Hunters scattered the moment something attacked their flank. Yesterday, they stayed where they were needed."

He sounded genuinely pleased.

Then his usual grin returned.

"Besides, if they keep improving, I’ll finally have more interesting opponents to train against."

Sera sighed. "There he is."

...

A short distance away, two groups of Hunters sat around a makeshift breakfast table.

One group wore Mythal insignia, while the other belonged to Nexus.

Despite their different uniforms, they were sharing bread, hot soup, and whatever else the volunteers had managed to prepare.

A Nexus Hunter pointed at the bandage around his friend’s arm.

"Your people were supposed to cover the western entrance," he complained.

A Mythal Hunter raised his spoon. "We did cover it. You were the ones who took the wrong staircase."

"Because your directions were terrible."

"Because you don’t know your left from your right."

The argument continued until a volunteer placed another pot of soup on the table.

Both Hunters immediately stopped talking.

Kai laughed. "That might be the most effective peace negotiation I’ve ever witnessed."

Sera smiled. "Food has always been more persuasive than speeches."

Before they could leave, a little girl approached them carrying a folded piece of paper.

She looked up at Kai uncertainly.

"Are you the Hunter who stopped the scary thing?"

Kai crouched to her height. "I helped stop it. Why?"

The girl held out the paper.

"My brother said you saved everyone. I made this for you."

Kai unfolded it carefully.

It was a drawing of a smiling figure holding a sword beneath a bright yellow sun. Several smaller figures stood beside him, while a large dark shape lay defeated on the ground.

Across the top, written in uneven letters, were the words:

THANK YOU FOR SAVING OUR CITY.

Kai stared at the drawing for a moment.

Sera leaned closer and smiled warmly. "That’s a very good picture."

The girl looked pleased. "I made the sun extra big because Mommy said the sky was normal again."

Kai folded the drawing carefully and slipped it into a safe pocket.

"Thank you," he said. "I’ll keep it."

The girl beamed before running back toward her mother.

Sera watched her go, then looked at Kai.

"Well, that’s settled. You’re definitely keeping that."

Kai smiled. "I wasn’t planning to throw it away."

"Good. Because I think it might be the most valuable reward you’ve received from this entire adventure."

Kai glanced toward the drawing in his pocket.

For once, he didn’t have a clever reply.

...

By late morning, more rescue teams were returning with survivors, and volunteers had begun distributing food throughout the nearby streets.

The city remained damaged, and the missing-person notices still covered several public boards.

But people were moving again.

Families were finding one another. Hunters who had barely spoken before the calamity were sharing breakfast. Emergency workers were organizing the next search without waiting for someone powerful to tell them what to do.

Kai stood beside Sera, watching the activity.

"We’ve still got a long way to go," he said.

Sera nodded. "We do. But look at them. Yesterday, everyone was trying to survive. Today, they’re helping each other recover."

Kai smiled. "That’s a much better sight."

His communicator sounded.

Gabriel’s familiar voice came through.

"Kai, I hope I’m not interrupting anything important."

"Nothing that can’t wait," Kai replied. "What do you need?"

Gabriel sounded unusually pleased.

"We’re arranging a public gathering to recognize the people who defended Nexus. The Church, the Hunter Association, the city authorities, and representatives from Mythal have all been invited."

Kai glanced at Sera, who immediately looked interested.

Gabriel continued, "After everything that happened, I think the people deserve an opportunity to see the individuals who helped them survive. I’d like you and your companions to attend."

Kai considered the families, volunteers, and exhausted Hunters around him.

"All right," he said. "But make sure the rescue workers are included. They’re the ones still doing the difficult part."

Gabriel chuckled. "I was hoping you’d say that. In fact, several of them have already been nominated for recognition."

Sera leaned toward the communicator. "And Archbishop, please make sure there’s food. Kai has been accepting thanks from people all morning without eating anything."

Gabriel laughed. "I’ll see what I can arrange."

When the call ended, Kai looked at her.

"You know, I could have answered that myself."

Sera slipped her arm through his. "I know. But someone has to look after the famous Rank One Hunter."

Kai shook his head, smiling as they headed toward the supply station.

Behind them, another group of survivors emerged from the underground station, and the waiting crowd began applauding once more.

For the first time in days, the sound filling the streets of Nexus wasn’t an alarm.

It was people welcoming one another home.