Chapter 31: Isn't This What You Humans Chose?
Morning.
The wind that swept over the wreckage of the Bell Tree Express carried not the scent of fresh grass, but the thick, cloying smell of iron and ash. The remains of the train lay on the tracks like a dismembered steel beast. The survivors stood amidst the devastation, hollowed out, their souls seemingly ripped from their bodies. The scene was beyond their worst nightmares of disaster.
Twisted, blackened metal skeletons were all that remained of the luxurious cars, their fragments mixed with a dark, viscous liquid on the cratered ground. No one spoke. Their throats felt as if they were being squeezed by an invisible hand, each breath a searing pain.
Sonoko, her face pale, could no longer bear it. She stumbled away from the group and doubled over, dry-heaving, tears blurring her vision. Dr. Agasa tried to comfort the children, but his own voice was trembling too much to form words. His brilliant mind, usually buzzing with inventions and ideas, was now a blank slate of pure, primal fear.
Kogoro Mouri stood frozen, his fists clenched so tightly his nails dug into his palms. The usual lazy, carefree detective was gone, replaced by a man shrouded in a dark cloud of rage and profound helplessness. He stared at his own trembling hands. His reputation, his new magical powers... in the face of such absolute, senseless destruction, it was all so pathetic, so laughable. What is this power even for?
Ran had collapsed to the ground, gasping for air, her body shaking with the aftershock of the battle. If they hadn't held on, if that shield had broken a second earlier... She didn't dare complete the thought.
Conan's face was ashen. He was forcing himself to stay calm, but his mind felt like a frozen gear, grinding and struggling to turn. This wasn't a case. This wasn't a movie. This was a cold, brutal, blood-soaked reality, and his vaunted intellect had been utterly useless. This enemy wasn't a twisted monster born of despair. They were human. They had a plan. They had used this incredible magical power for pure, unadulterated slaughter. The knowledge was more chilling than any Witch.
In the shadows, Shuichi Akai, still disguised as Subaru Okiya, surveyed the scene, his calm facade belying the fury and grim determination in his eyes. This was no longer just organized crime. This was supernatural terrorism, a new threat that could destabilize the entire world order. Is the Organization declaring war on the world?
Kaito Kid stood at the edge of the group, his usual confident smirk completely gone. He had seen his share of danger, but never anything like this—a wholesale massacre where human lives were treated as nothing. The games he played with detectives seemed like childish antics in comparison. He looked at Conan, at Ran and her father, and for the first time, he felt a deep, chilling fear of this "magic."
The other children had completely shut down, their minds overwhelmed. Ayumi was the first to break. She saw a severed, burnt arm lying in the wreckage, and the sight shattered her composure. She began to wail, a raw, heartbroken sound. Genta was shaking so violently he couldn't stand, and Mitsuhiko was sobbing, a despair deeper than mere fear in his cries. He clutched his chest, where his blue Soul Gem, now more than half-filled with a dark, murky corruption, pulsed weakly. Can this power really bring hope? Or does it just drag everyone who touches it into hell?
Haibara was also pale and trembling, but she was silent, her eyes filled with a bottomless, ancient fear. It happened again, she thought. I brought disaster to the people I care about.
Then, Conan's eyes narrowed. He spotted it. Perched on a piece of twisted metal, a small, white creature with long ears and red eyes.
Kyubey. It was watching the carnage with a placid, detached curiosity, like a scientist observing a chaotic experiment.
"KYUBEY!" Conan roared, his voice raw with grief and fury. "This is all your fault! You gave them this power! You caused all of this!"
Kyubey's telepathic voice was calm, almost confused. "My 'fault'? Your logic seems to be flawed, Shinichi Kudo." It leaped gracefully to a higher piece of wreckage. "I merely engaged in an equivalent exchange with individuals who held a powerful wish. I offered the possibility of its fulfillment. How the contractor chooses to use that power... to protect or to destroy, to bring hope or to create despair..."
Its words pierced the stunned silence, reaching into each of their minds.
"Are these not, in the end, the choices that you humans make of your own free will? Vodka chose to use his power for slaughter. Vermouth chose to use hers to protect those she cares for. Ran Mouri chose to use hers to defend everyone in a moment of crisis. I have never interfered with a contractor's will. To blame me, who merely provided the tool, for the results of their actions... is that not somewhat unfair?"
Kyubey tilted its head, a cute, innocent gesture that was utterly obscene in the midst of the surrounding horror.
"When you trace it back to its source, isn't this tragedy simply the result of your own choices?"
[Non-Human Beings Chat Group]
SpongeBob SquarePants: sob... Kyubey, you cold, oval-faced... meanie! Even if... even if what you're saying is kind of... maybe... a little bit true... don't you feel anything seeing everyone so sad?! QAQ
Kyubey: @SpongeBob SquarePants, "Feelings" are an inefficient expression of energy.
Tom Cat: [Tom_Shaking_Head_and_Shrugging_Hopelessly.jpeg]
Kyubey's words were a bucket of ice water, extinguishing the flames of their rage and leaving behind a deeper, more profound chill. It had only offered a choice. It was a mirror, reflecting the deepest desires of the wisher's heart and granting the power to achieve them.
The ones who had pulled the trigger... were human.
The wind blew again, carrying the ashes of the dead. The blood was starting to dry, but the heavy, cold despair was settling deep into the souls of the survivors. The bloodstained Bell Tree Express was an omen, a warning.
A new era, where the old rules were shattered by supernatural power, had arrived.