Chương 83: An Auspicious Sign

Evel swallowed hard. Julius was crushing his face.

"I–I– asked if you and Rick were okay…" Evel trailed off, but Julius's gaze only sharpened.

"I said that Rick was close to stopping Aphix."

"Then what, boy?" He urged, straining his already faltering voice.

"I told him Rick didn't tell me anything…"

"Did you mention anything about the houses you followed him to? In any form at all? Did you mention me, what I know, or anything else you know?" He shook Evel's head.

"Focus!"

"N-no." Julius' body deflated, and his grip loosened. Releasing a long breath of air, he closed his eyes. Evel waited nervously in front of his mentor, who'd started acting so weird. A second later, Julius opened his deep, green eyes, filled with the unshakable focus he'd put on before every show.

"Listen to me closely, boy. Go and tell as many folks as you can that Rick found something on Aphix. You mustn't mention anything else, no matter how much they ask. Everything you know, you simply overheard. Understand?"

"Wh-why?"

"Understand?" Julius's gaze intensified.

"O-okay."

"I'm… probably being paranoid, but don't waste any time. Go."

"B-but your body… it's…" Burn marks, ash, tattered clothes. It was difficult to find a single part of his body uninjured. It was a miracle he was somehow able to remain on his feet, let alone hold a conversation.

"Focus, Evel. I'll be fine. Someone is already getting me help."

"A-alright." Julius leaned to the side and collapsed hard onto the ground. He weakly rolled himself on his back and closed his eyes. Evel watched his mentor take slow, controlled breaths for a second before immediately taking off. A searing pain came from his left leg, and his lungs still struggled to breathe. He ignored it all. He didn't understand what Julius was talking about. He didn't understand why the circus had burned. He didn't understand what happened to Rick. He didn't understand anything at all.

But he believed in Julius. More than anything else in the world. For the next few hours, Evel remained focused and spent them on one singular goal: following his mentor's instructions on talking to as many people as he could. In the extreme mindset of remaining on the move despite the accumulating pain in his body, he never got a chance to think about anything else. It was for the better, anyway. This way, he was being helpful instead of holding everyone else back. When he blinked, the day had already passed.

The day after the fire, a large group of people congregated around a specific area near the circus to mourn the tragic loss of lives.

"We gather here today to honour the lives of nine individuals whose lives were taken far too prematurely by an unforeseen disaster. Rick, a founding member of The Yosten Phantasmagoria, is a great teacher to us all. Lyra, a talented acrobat who…" The words muffled in the background as Evel's vision concentrated on a fixed corner of the large casket that represented all those who had died. Rick was dead. Actually dead. And not just Rick. Lyra, Joanne, and Jacob — all people he knew well.

Then, there were those he'd only talked to in passing. All dead. He had been so busy yesterday with Julius's task that he never got a chance to really think about it. Then, when he got home, he immediately collapsed from exhaustion. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Even now, it didn't really feel real. He looked to his right, almost expecting Rick to be there to pat him on his back and tell him things would get better.

As soon as they got home, Rick would be in his office scribbling away on some form or preparing a lesson. Maybe even grading his homework, yelling at Julius for making a mistake, while praising Evel for trying his best despite having the same answers. That would never happen again. At his left, Julius stood with a sombre expression, his top hat to his chest, and his dull, hollow eyes watching the minister.

Evel felt a lump in his throat, breathing in the remaining sea-salt scented candles they'd procured from Rick's office.

"... A friend to us all." The minister finished his speech. A quiet applause followed.

"H-he…" Evel managed, his vision blurring.

"He died happy, right?" Julius turned away and took a deep breath. When he turned back, he had a warm smile above his charred jaw.

"I like to think he did."

"B-but he never got to go to the ocean."

"In—" Julius took a sharp breath.

"In his second life, maybe he'll be an otter, going to take a swim whenever he wants." Evel gazed out at the commune. Over 300 people had arrived. The circus was extremely popular, and each person who died was an important part of the community. Although direct family ties were almost non-existent for people of the circus, they'd all formed deep bonds over the years.

"Otters are pretty wrinkly too," Julius added.

"He'll even get to keep his old nickname." Evel laughed. Then he kept laughing. Even as the tears poured down his face, and between sobs, he laughed. Julius wrapped his arm around him, gently rubbing his back. Evel wanted to be strong. He wasn't the only one hurting, and his crying was just making it harder for everybody else. But no matter what he did, the stupid tears didn't stop flowing. Even now, he was just a burden who couldn't pay back all the help they'd given him over the years.

He didn't know how long he was crying into Julius's shirt, but eventually he heard his mentor's soft muttering.

"To the very core…" Evel let go of Julius's shirt and followed his gaze down to his hands, where he was tightly gripping a damp newspaper with a deep frown. A MASSIVE BLOW TO EXTORTION: YOSTEN BUSINESSES SAFER Aphix Gang Expertly Dismantled After Targeted Attack on The Yosten Phantasmagoria 21/05/155 Just yesterday, a roaring fire took hold of Yosten Phantasmagoria's headquarters, threatening the lives of dozens of individuals. The Mayor, at a nearby restaurant, rushed in to prevent any further damage.

Only nine workers died, and the majority were rushed out to safety and hospitalization. Due to the highly contentious circumstances, the case was immediately handed to Redigo. Their tireless investigation revealed that a local extortion gang, Aphix, was the prime suspect. The breakthrough came after tireless investigative work, where Redigo determined that Aphix had been under private investigation by former circus announcer Rick Aegean and burned down the building out of fear of discovery.

Overnight, Redigo executed a rapid, efficient operation, seizing full control of all Aphix hideouts and securing their internal network intelligence. Ultimately, the extortionists chose to take their own lives rather than face capture.

"The brave actions of individuals such as Mr. Aegean allow us to quickly gather relevant information and tackle these opportunistic fiends. However, I believe he made a grave mistake by failing to inform Redigo in time. With our protection and expertise, we would have achieved far cleaner results, and could have avoided this tragedy altogether." – CITY HEAD OF REDIGO, OWEN. Despite the tragedy, the streets of Yosten are undoubtedly safer than ever before.

Yosten has always been a major hub for private businesses, and moving forward, it remains the ideal spot for any aspiring business owners. Once again, Yosten has made great strides in improving the lives of its citizens. Evel wiped off his tears with a sniff. Rick may have died, but at least Redigo and the Mayor avenged him. At least… At least all his hard work wasn't for nothing. Rick was a great man, and at least when he died, he did so on his own terms, making the city a far safer place!

"Rick did it." He whispered, his lips quivering.

"He caught the bad guys."

"... to make the other party think they're playing a different game than they really are," Julius muttered, fixated on the paper in front of him.

"What?" Julius didn't reply. He was fully enraptured by the newspaper in front of him. His hollow eyes were now filled with a shining brilliance.

"The fire… Redigo… days after he told…" He continued muttering. His grip on the newspaper tightened until the corners crumpled from all the pressure. The glint in his eye shone even brighter. No, it wasn't a glint. His eyes were actually… shining. His entire face? Evel leaned back. Julius's entire body? Suddenly, a flash of brilliance exploded outward, instantly blinding Evel. With it came a violent pulse of aura launching back.

A sharp vertical pain stung on his cheek, followed immediately by a dull pain on his back from crashing into the ground. Evel's hand instinctively went to his cheek, where a steady stream of blood continued to pour out. Despite the fact that it would undoubtedly leave a permanent mark, he felt no pain in the moment. Instead, his focus was on Julius, who still held each half of the ripped paper in his hand. But his mentor's gaze wasn't on the paper anymore; instead, it was higher.

Higher than Rick's grave, higher than the minister's podium—off into the distant horizon. A steady stream of tears flowed down his mutilated and charred face. Hushed whispers travelled along the crowd as they all turned to face the man who stood gazing into the distance in solitude. They were reacting strangely, and he managed to overhear some of their quiet whispers.

"It really is true…"

"... Grief… Catalyst."

"... An auspicious sign!"

"I've never…."

"... his Core!" Julius took a deep breath, finally letting go of the scrumpled papers in his hands. He leaned down, picked up his top hat, and placed it on his head. He turned to Evel and smiled widely, his cheeks wrinkling as the stream of tears continued to flow down his face.

"He did." His smile widened even further. Wider than he had ever smiled before.

"Rick really did catch the bad guys."