Archangels of War

It took no longer than three seconds to completely deal with the terrorists. As soon as the barrier was taken down, and Mana was restored to our bodies, we made quick work of the men. By the time the flashing lights from the destruction of the barrier had ceased, we were already done. We gathered them in the center of the shop, tying them together with rope that we found in the back of the shop. Ren had already called up the authorities. He would have called the IMRF (Immediate Magic Response Force) however, there was no telling how the situation would go if the police and IMRF interacted. After we had successfully captured and detained the men, we gather in the center of the shop, waiting for the authorities to arrive so we could give our statements. Ren and Homura had rushed over to check on the wounded, include the elderly women who had been shot. I turn to approach the little girl, who was still crying on the floor. As I approached, she didn't even look up. 

I stood in front of her for a few seconds, thinking of what I should say. What can I even say. She's so young and was forced to be a center piece in something so horrific. Will any of my words even have an effect? Would they even matter? What consolation would they serve to someone who was forced through something so terrible, at such a young age? However, for the second time today the words of Raiden rung clear throughout my mind. I steeled my nerves, preparing myself internally. No matter what, keep your head calm. 

I walked over until I was standing directly in front of her. As my shadow blocked out the light from outside, she looked up at me, and I got a better look at her face, strained with tears. I kept a smile on my face, trying to show that things were all right. I reached my hand out to her, making sure that I didn't invade her personal space. She shrunk back in a bit of fear. "It's okay, things have been resolved. Your safe, your saved." I spoke in a soft and low tone, making sure to keep my words short and resolute, despite my soft tone of voice. 

Her eyes remained glazed in fear, and she didn't seem ready to accept my words. How could she? After what she had just been through, she had every right to be scared. Her thoughts were probably a jumbled mess inside her head, and it was my job to help her sort through them. I continued to speak, not retracting my hand, or letting the smile slip off of my face. 

"Im not going to tell you not to cry, please, cry. You deserve to. Despite everything that happened up there, you were strong, and you remained strong. I'm sure your parents are proud of you. I'm sure everyone's proud of you. I'm proud of you. You are strong." 

She shook her head, seemingly unable to accept my words of praise. "hnng! b- I-, ..." She tried to formulate words, but a new round of sobs racked her body. She was unable to accept my words. The fact that she was sitting her crying should be proof enough that she wasn't nearly as I was saying she was. 

However, I shook my own head. "Do you really think that because you're crying right now, it takes away from how strong of a person you are?" I paused for a few seconds. "No, it's the fact that you are able to cry right now, to express the emotions that other would see as weak, that makes you so strong." I slowly reached my hand out further. "You are as strong as anybody I know. Magician or not." I tilted my head to the side, continuing to smile. 

Her expression seemed to brighten considerable. Tears still in her eyes, and sobs still racking her body, she reached out her small hand for mine. Just as they meet- 

"Stopp! Get away from my daughter!" A voice screeched from across the coffee shop. The girl froze, and I faltered for a second, not expecting such as outburst. When I turned, I notice a woman and her husband rushing in our direction. The women had been the one to scream, and the man was trying to get her to calm down. She dashed in front of her daughter, wrapping her in a tight hug, in an attempt to shield her from me. 

"Baby, I'm so happy. So happy that you're okay." She also crying. The husband joined in on the hug. The scene should have been heartwarming, a family reunited after a tragedy almost ripped them apart. However there was something wrong. There was a spot of black on this perfect picture. The women turned her eyes to me, that spot of black. Her gaze was hateful. 

"You! What were you trying to do to her! Were you trying to infect her with the same disease that's taken hold off you?" I flinched at the hate in her gaze and the venom in her words. She was talking to me like I had been the one to hold her daughter at gun point. I took a step back. 

The husband intervened, trying to get his wife to calm down. "Mira! Stop! It's over. It's over okay! She's saved. This girl saved her." However, his attempts were in vain. 

"NO! It was because of her that our little girl was even in danger in the first place!" She reiterated the words of the man who had held her daughter at gunpoint. She said them like they were the ultimate truth. I took another step back, unable to believe what I was hearing. My heart pounded so loud I thought it was going to pop like a balloon. From behind me, I could her a few other people shouting in agreement. I looked around the coffee shop in a bit of horror. Are they, serious? 

The women continued to throw insults and curses. "Because of this devil, this infected devil, I almost lost my little girl. I watched someone get shot! If they were never her, this would have never happened! They only solved a problem that they all created!" I took a step back, still unable to comprehend where this was going. All around me, I could hear the voices of other people joining in with her. Throwing insults. Curses. It felt even more constricting than the mana sealing dome that had surrounded the place. 

It was even worse. 

"And you had the audacity to try and reach out for the person you endangered! To try and indoctrinate the young girl's mind!" By this point, I couldn't take the insults anymore. Was she right? I turned around, beginning to walk away. My mind was spinning. "How much of a monster are you!" 

I'm sure tears were spilling down my eyes at this point. How hypocritical. I was just preaching to this young girl about how being able to cry makes you strong, and yet here I was crying, thinking I was even weaker than ever. I walked faster. I could hear Ren and Homura over the crowd, but I ignored them, continuing to walk. Just as I reached the door, I could hear a fragile voice shouting out at me. And I knew exactly who it belonged to. She was still crying, but her voice felt stronger than mine ever could. 

"Ms. Ms. Thank you! Thank you so much!" I didn't hear anything else after that, because the sirens were too deafening.