An explosion can be heard in the distance.

Tomoe, with the family of three, are walking down a street, taking cover in each place that is possible. The last hour or so, they have been hearing steps and voices around them, and the spur of flames being tamed into burning houses and bodies. Enemy soldiers are in the area, and they seem to be a large group, although somehow Tomoe and the family managed to avoid them without even encountering them in some form. Even so, looking up Tomoe can see multiple light balls floating around high in the sky, those like she saw two days before while fighting against a fire tamer for the first time. She didn’t even need to think what to do with those, as she focuses to keep the group to the shadows and cover that they can find in the street.

If they take the drop on us, we may as well be dead.

The sound of another explosion in the distance startles her, turning to watch side to side to see if the enemy soldiers found them.

Nothing.

Sighing in relief, Tomoe gives a signal with her hand, and the family comes out behind the body of a horse, to her position, behind doors that were clearly taken apart with fire taming, seeing the burnt marks on them, and now lay on the street.

Putting a hand to her nose, Tomoe plans her next move. Time is running out, they can’t afford to keep taking the long route.

“Barras” says Tomoe, as she turns to see the man to the face “time is running out. If we don’t move now, we may be left out of the citadel, here with the Cinders, Polsen, and the invading army.”

“For how tempting that company sounds like, I would love to be between my people more” says Barras.

“Don’t know how you can joke while we are in this situation Barras” whispers the woman, clearly bruised and trembling “I only hope that the styx eats them all. Bastards.”

“Mom?” the kid looks at her mom, worry clearly marking his face. She hugs her son between her arms.

“Jolyne…” Barras starts saying, but cuts himself, instead putting a hand to her shoulder, and the other caressing her face. He then says “Tomoe, what do you have in mind?”

“Yes” replies Tomoe “I think we should risk it, and go through the red district, that is just at the other side of that wall” she says, pointing towards the water wall that is by the end of the street.

“Will that route get us faster to the bay plaza?”

“It will. The red district goes all the way to the lower plains.”

Caressing the head of his son, Barras answers “I’ll trust your judgment then.”

“Yes. I don’t know if there are soldiers in that district though, it would be my guess that there aren’t, but just in case, follow my lead.”

“Will do.”

As the group closes on the water wall, sounds can be heard from the other side of the street. While the family crosses across the wall, Tomoe enters the firing range of one of the light balls, to which she manages to deflect the attack with her aura, but some fire tamers catch sight of this and soon enough of Tomoe, running up the street, launching soon after an attack. Plunging into the wall, the attack arrives late, as Tomoe crosses to the other side.

Finding themselves at the beginning of the red district, just like in other places, bodies of Aquamarines can be seen everywhere.

Guess they did come here too.

Giving the family a signal, she starts walking in the lead, while Barras, his wife and their son followed.

Thoughts start racing Tomoe’s mind, as the smell of blood, rot and dirt reaches her nose. The red district, the district of pleasure in this city, she had had to come here some times in the patrolling of the area, doing her job as a Beheader. She could see in those times, many Aquamarines, mostly men, but also some women, coming in and out of the district, in and out of the establishments. A place for gentlemen, for ladies, for all kinds of fetishes too, and those that Tomoe couldn’t even imagine, at least according to what someone said to her when she asked a woman leaving this area during a night that she had to take care of this area. That night she learned that she didn’t know enough about people and her loved city.

Even with the dubious nature of the red district, one thing was certain: once the night struck, it was like a completely different world. People used their Auras and spices to create the most strange kinds of spectacles. Men and women being well dressed. And even the courtesans that waited outside of some establishments, that she knew very well because more than once they grabbed to her arms, even them smelled really well. Perfumes that she didn’t expect, from sweet smells to salty ones, if she didn’t have snapped out of it before long she would have known the ins and outs of their… dedication, and would have experienced it a bit too vividly.

That fancy place, with the fancy Aquamarines and their sweet, salty perfumes, now laid in ruins and flames before her: The image of the bodies on the floor, some buildings burning still, with most of them being made of wood taken from the Stardust forest. Not a soul could be heard as they crossed the streets.

Getting to a corner, a large tall building catches everyone’s eyes: “The mistresses love.”

They never tried to hide the purpose eh?.

“Uh? Mom?” says the boy, as he tugs her mother dress, pointing towards the mistresses love. Turning to her son, Jolyne asks “What is it Reyson?” wear showing in her eyes.

“That story you told me about mom, didn’t happen here?”

“What are you talking about dear?” says Jolyne, crouching beside him, a smile coming off her face.

Now that’s a mother for you.

Tomoe’s heart constraints a little bit, and the image of Lady Aquamarine appears in her mind.

“You know, that one, uhmm…” says the kid, putting a finger to his lips.

“The White Miracle of the Red District?” says Barras, coming closer to his son too.

Another person crosses Tomoe’s mind, a chill running down her spine, while she keeps on the lookout, watching by the end of the next street the wooden tire of a cart burning out. At this moment, the ominous clouds over the city start a downpour, extinguishing the flames.

I’m… I’m so sorry…

Barras comes towards Tomoe, his son on his arms “Sorry for that, the White Miracle is one of his favorite stories. If he wasn’t this tired, he would probably run inside the building trying to see the spot were the White Aura awoke between us.”

A wry smile appears on Tomoe’s face, and she nods back to Barras.

At this very moment, an explosion can be heard from the direction they came from. Turning to see what is happening, they see the water wall going down, behind the houses that cover now the entrance to the Red District. Sounds can be heard coming from that direction, a lot of of people, running. The sound of splashes also can be heard from the direction directly at the other side, multiple splashes. The sounds of metal armor accompany. Being trapped in the middle, Tomoe takes Barras and points towards The mistresses love. Barras nods takes Jolyne and their son by the hand, one hand each, and they enter.

Now in the lounge, they cross it towards one of the many corridors the building has. Crossing it, they end in a room with stairs going up to the second floor. Once they are there, they can hear voices, many of them.

“We saw her. She should be around here, search of her!”

“What are we going to do Barras?” wonders Jolyne, as she starts to tremble again.

“Any ideas Beheader?”

“Actually” Tomoe replies, as she puts a hand to her chin “I do have an idea. This building takes almost the entire street, up to an intersection. Let's move within the building for now.”

“Well, it is better than going back to face the bastards, that’s for sure” says Barras.

“Will that work?” Jolyne asks.

“As long as we move now, fast and silent- it will work.”

“Let's go Jolyne. I’ll hold Reyson close to me” says Barras, as he takes Jolyne’s hand.

“Good. Let's go, oh, and stay the furthest away you can from the windows.”

“Will do” Barras says.

With this, Tomoe and the family start crossing the long corridors of the mistresses love. Being in preparations to open when the night came, the mistresses love is half-lit, only to reveal the red carpets that appear to continue forever, and the continuous scarlet doors that they pass again and again. Bright crimson seems to be the key color of the place, now been added to with the blood and bodies of the dead Aquamarines present.

Opening the next door, Tomoe sees something unexpected: Between the Aquamarines, there is a body of a soldier of the enemy army. Blood covers her.

Even so, we all still bleed red it seems… Why would you do this?.

Keeping the momentum going, Tomoe enters to the back of the mistresses love, that part that holds all the rooms and bathrooms, the place were the sluts that worked there lived.

Looking at the windows, the downpour continues, now stronger than before, and that gray seems to seep into the mistresses love too, as there too can be seen bodies, this time most women.

There’s no time, not even for a single prayer…

Even with the strong opinion Tomoe hold against these types of women, in this very moment her heart sank with the thought that there wouldn’t no one for them, that could direct a prayer to Lord Hazuki on their behalf.

She was a bit surprised by this, didn’t thought there could be sympathy for them in her heart, but maybe that is the effect of adversity and death, turning brothers and sisters with those that before we would even hate.

Still, with carrying with this frustration in her heart, she couldn’t stop.

Between the sluts, there were also some men too, and strange enough, more enemy soldiers thrown into the mix. The back of the mistresses love was also as crimson as the front is, but with more toned-down colors thrown in this extravagant bizarre combination.

They get to the hidden garden that is only available for the sluts and all the people that worked there. The Garden is open to the sky, so the downpour strikes them cleanly. Even so, they keep going, but not without Tomoe noticing the smoke that comes from one of the trees: A cherry tree, in bloom, missed more than half of its flowers.

Such a shame.

As they exit the hidden garden, Tomoe gives a signal to the family to stop. She comes near a window, crouching, and peeks outside. The intersection is near, but another thing catches her attention, something that stiffens her entire body: Enemy soldiers, standing outside, waiting around the area, under the merciless downpour. Looking at the other side, she can see the lights of the soldiers that are walking in the direction they came from, as well some lights in the buildings around the streets.

“You been doing well, Jolyne, Reyson. Let's keep going just like that” Barras says.

“Yes” says Jolyne, trying to keep her balance.

Clearly, she is tired.

Reyson just nods.

Getting far away from the window, she signals the family to keep following her.

She finds another stair and goes down back to the first level of the building. While they are crossing another corridor, they enter into another room, only for Tomoe to stop suddenly, cold sweat coming off her forehead: A body laid in the floor. A man, this old man…

Tomoe punches her legs, slaps her own face. Soon she stops though, crossing her fingers together and cover her mouth with them. The rain suddenly becomes more audible to her, the steps the soldiers are taking just outside under the rain clearly audible to her, now taking various steps, now stopping completely.

Can’t stay like this!

As Barras puts a hand to her shoulder, he says “Everything ok?”.

“Yes… no, no… I just- I just… knew him. Didn’t expected to find him here” Tomoe answers, while putting a hand to her mouth and pointing towards the body of the old man.

“I’m sorry for your loss, but we can’t stand here, we need to keep moving” Barras says while telling Jolyne with his hand that he will hand Tomoe.

“I’m-I’m sorry, it is true. Let's continue.”

“Good. Any idea on how we will cross the intersection?”

“You… you there” A voice reaches from behind, almost as whispers.

Tomoe turns to her left, only to see that one of the bodies that were on the floor, a really young woman, actually turned out that she was alive. She is looking at Tomoe, right at her eyes, as she tries to incorporate in her naked body, bruised, bloody, trembling, tears coming out of her eyes. A mark between her breasts shines, showing that she, like many women here in the red district, is also a slut. This mark will always shine when approached by people and will only go away once the woman met her death.

“You’re…”

“Excuse me?” says Tomoe, as she comes closer to the slut that is still alive.

“You’re… You’re… a Beheader” whispers the slut, now sitting on the floor. Her right arm clearly broken beyond repair, her legs twisted, with her feet pointing towards unnatural directions. Even when she was like this, she started to laugh.

“Wa-wai-wait!, don-” starts Tomoe, before being interrupted by the biggest scare she will be put in yet in her life.

The slut suddenly becomes silent. Stabbing her sight on Tomoe’s eyes, a burst of despair pours out.

“Saveme!” the sluts screams her lungs out “Saveme!” she screams, as she tugs Tomoe, grabbing her by her clothes “Saveme! Saveme! Saveme! Saveme! Saveme! Saveme! Saveme! Saveme! Saveme! Saveme! Saveme! Saveme! Saveme! Saveme! Saveme! Saveme! Saveme! Saveme! Saveme! Saveme! Saveme! Saveme! Saveme! Saveme! Saveme! Saveme! Saveme! Saveme! Saveme! Saveme!-”.

Tomoe is frozen but unable to hear what the slut is saying. What has anchoring her is that very face bloodied face, of unnatural shapes and unnatural mouth positions. In her eyes she can see that night once more, the rain stabbing her skin and those eyes that have never ever left her ever since.