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When we arrived, we saw that most of the city was either missing or destroyed. The part gone had only a dark abyss miles wide left in its place. We all were speechless as we floated in the air.
"Well, let's get started," Za'Fia broke the silence as she descended.
We spent hours searching for survivors, moving debris, and steering those we could find toward a designated safe area a distance away from the giant hole in the ground.
We chose to dump the extra rumble into a pile we'd destroy later to clear out the city as much as possible.
As I scanned the area for more people who may have been stuck, Damien used his Ferritic Pull to raise buildings and poles off the grounds. We both turned our heads as we saw Arne and Za'Fia fly by, working together to carry a large portion of a destroyed seven-story building.
The building wobbled as they dipped a little lower.
"Are you even trying?" Arne grunted.
"I am!" Za'Fia snapped, "I'm still trying to get used to only having one arm."
"Oh? You seem to be struggling, Za'Fia. Would you like me to come help?" Damien said antagonistically, his eyes closed with a goading smile.
Za'Fia gritted her teeth.
"Always a pain in the ass..." she muttered as she closed her eyes. To her right manifested a concentrated arm of fire that flared before dimming to a level where it no longer gave off heat. Za'Fia grinned with satisfaction as she opened and closed the hand, then touched the building on her back.
To our surprise, the hand didn't melt the metal surface. Za'Fia was able to use it in place of her missing arm as she supported the building.
"Much better," she said aloud before looking at Damien. "As you can see, I'm fine now."
Damien smiled endearingly as he raised a finger and shot lightning that destroyed some small debris that fell from the building.
Later, after moving as much debris to the side as possible and having recovered plenty of energy, Arne filled the city-sized hole in the ground. As they did that, I used Construct to recreate the underground powerlines and sewage system as best I could after cramming as much info as I could about them into my head.
At some point, the Church of Light had arrived to help by setting up a refuge area within the safety zone. I'm guessing that's why they weren't at Michael's manor anymore. They must've heard of the disaster and went to help. I guess they weren't so bad once they got past their self-destructive tendencies for Michael.
Back in the refuge area, food and medical aid were dispensed to the victims by the church. It was all thanks to financial contributions from Michael, Za'Fia, and Damien. Of course, with each victim saved, the church spread its mantra, 'May His light reach you' to the citizens and handed each of them a copy of the Holy Bible.
Despite learning the Primordials' true origins, the church understood he wasn't an angel but still believed Michael was sent by God as an extension of His power—that someone with the instinct to protect and preserve life and the ability to heal all illnesses could only be a sign from God. Their faith was so strong it made me wonder if perhaps a higher power was truly involved.
Maybe I'll ask Tymon about it later, I thought. I looked around to see if I could spot him. He'd chosen to work alone since it was quicker for him that way. Whatever he was doing, he did manage to locate and transport the most survivors.
Unable to sense him nearby, I enhanced my vision in the direction I sensed him in and saw him talking to a guy standing on the edge of a tall building.
"Hm?" I uttered as I flew over to see what was up.
As I approached them quietly, Tymon stood next to the average-height, middle-aged guy who was looking down at the ground far below while he looked out at the distant horizon. I couldn't hear everything that was said when I got near them, but I heard Tymon casually saying, "...then jump."
The guy's head snapped in disbelief toward Tymon.
"What...? I will, you know? I've lost everything! What else is there to live for?"
"Then jump," Tymon repeated nonchalantly. "If you survive, it's a sign you should move on."
"And if I die...?"
"Then you won't feel any more grief."
The guy looked at Tymon, stupefied, before saying, "Oh, I see. You plan to catch me to ensure I survive."
Tymon turned his head to look down at the man.
"No, I don't," he said, looking him dead in the eye.
Judging from the guy's expression, he still doubted Tymon's words. Squinting skeptically, he turned with his back facing forward and fell backward. As he fell, his face quickly twisted in horror as he watched Tymon not budge. The man began to scream for help as his eyes widened.
I used my powers to slow his descent so he'd land safely on the ground. When he stood, Tymon and I were standing before him.
The man looked at Tymon with a mixture of fear and rage.
"You're a psychopath! You were going to let me die!"
Tymon silently reached into his cloak, pulled out an old purple hair clip with blood stains on it, and then handed it to the man.
The man took the small object from Tymon's hands.
"This is..." he said as tears welled in his eyes.
"Your daughter asked me to search for you," Tymon mentioned. "Told me you spent a lot of time in this area."
The man's body jerked with new hope.
"She's alive?! But I just knew she'd....What about—"
Tymon shook his head.
"It's just her. The blood on the clip is probably—"
"Yeah, I get it..." the man said, shaking his head, not wanting to hear the rest. He thumbed the ring around his fourth finger. "Thanks for taking the time to help out my little girl..." He looked up at the building he'd just jumped from and gave a small laugh. "I wish you would've told me sooner."
"Then you wouldn't have jumped," Tymon retorted. "You consciously gambled with your life when you chose to. Had you lost that wager—had she not been here to save you," he gestured to me, "your daughter would be an orphan. You see that now. Maybe next time you feel you've hit bottom, you'll consider how what you think you know might not be reality."
The guy looked down sheepishly and rubbed his head.
"You're right. I survived. I guess my fate's to move on. I won't forget either of your help," he said before turning to walk away. "Don't worry, I know my way back."
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