Chapter 9: Grief II

"Any survivors?" the man asked, looking around at the destruction all around him.

The burning scent was still in the air. It was obvious that the fire that caused everything couldn't have been from a normal accident. It was the work of a mage.

"Only one," he pointed to Jordan. "He's just a kid."

The man in the black suit fixed his eyes on Jordan who was still on the ground, rocking his body. There wasn't an ounce of pity in his eyes, but rather agitation. Jordan was now a problem he didn't know how to solve.

"Do you know his age?"

"No, sir."

"Then you're completely useless to me," the man left the firefighter and walked up to Jordan.

He reduced himself to Jordan's level and gave a sigh. Since he started working for the military, sights like this have been common for him. Unfortunately. he wasn't so good at handling them.

"How old are you kid?" he asked, placing a hand on Jordan's shoulder. Jordan kept repeating the words in his head. "You won't answer me? Get the fuck up! Crying isn't going to change shit. They're gone, they're gone. You have to forget about them and move on. That pain you feel, I advise you to use it to do something better other than tear yourself apart."

"James,"

The man turned to the lady who had called his name. She had long purple hair that fell down her back with a few braided strands. She was average in height and had a slender physique.

"What?" His tone was strict and angered.

"I've seen his file. He was chosen to be a part of the Muggle Training Program. I think it's best we let him heal. Your words aren't helping him do that," the lady said calmly. She knew James was only making Jordan feel worse than he already did.

"Fine, Slyvie. Since you know better, why don't you be in charge of his affairs?" he got up, his eyes on his jeep. "The program starts in two days, but out of pity for the poor bastard, I'm going to extend it a bit. Get him ready. The academy needs soldiers, not weaklings."

Sylvie didn't pay James' words much attention. Her eyes were on Jordan. She walked up to him and helped him up. She knew all about the situation and couldn't imagine how Jordan felt having lost everyone he loved so brutally.

"I'm sorry for their deaths, Jordan, but you have to be strong. Everything will be fine, okay?"

For some reason, her smooth, caring voice pulled Jordan out of his mind. Something about her reminded him of Rachael. He nodded to her words.

"I'll take care of you in the meantime. Is that alright with you?" she asked, holding Jordan's left hand.

He nodded again.

"Good." With a smile, she brought out a hanky from her bag and wiped the tears off Jordan's face.

She cupped her hands around Jordan's face tenderly.

"Oh, for fuck's sake! I don't have time for this." James brought out a tranq gun from his back pocket and shot at Jordan.

A dart flew out of it, piercing Jordan by the neck. The sedative quickly flowed into Jordan and he went unconscious. Sylvie caught him in her arms.

"Get him out of here, before anyone bloody sees. He's government property now." James ordered, putting the gun back in his pocket. He fixed his two hands in his front pockets. "You two, clean this mess up. This wasn't an attack or anything of the sort. I don't want dangerous rumors moving around. The explosion was caused by a gas leak," he added, pointing to his two subordinates.

James turned back in the direction of the car and got in. Sylvie sat at the front passenger seat, while Jordan was left at the back. In no time, the vehicle sped out of the premises.

Little did Jordan know that his entire life was about to change and that he had seen his home for the last time.

Jordan woke up a few hours later. He found himself in a room he didn't recognize. It was well decorated, giving the impression that it belonged to someone rich. He wasn't used to seeing a chandelier shining above his bed.

It didn't take long before his memories aligned and he realized how he got here. From what he pulled together, he should be in the house of the lady who comforted him at what used to be his home.

The memories of seeing the corpses of all the members of his family flashed through his head, but instead of breaking out into tears, he just sat there on the bed. His hands were balled into fists and his eyes red with pain.

"After everything I went through just so I could keep them safe, this is how fate repays me?" he thought to himself. He couldn't help but feel very annoyed. His family were good people. They didn't deserve to die, not like that.

The room's door made a creaking sound as it was opened. Sylvie slowly walked in.

"How are you doing?" she asked, warmly. She had a tray of food with her.

"Don't come any closer. Where am I?" Jordan shot on high alert. A past horror had taught him not to trust people so easily.

"You're in my home. I thought you might be hungry."

"Just go."

Without saying anything else, Sylvie dropped the tray on a nearby stool and walked out. She believed Jordan still needed time to process everything.

Two days passed by quickly. Jordan kept to himself, unwilling to open up. Ever since the day Sylvie brought him in, she had never seen Jordan smile. His face never showed any emotion. She cared enough to feel Jordan had been changed by the tragedy, not that she knew him before the attack, but she couldn't do anything about it seeing as Jordan wouldn't even let her come close to him. He always seemed to be lost in thought.

Today was the funeral of all those who had died in the explosion. Jordan's family was to be incarcerated but Sylvie thought that he would be more comfortable with them being buried instead. At least, then Jordan could visit them in the cemetery.

Jordan was wearing an all-black suit. For the first time in his life, he didn't look like a poor orphan. He watched as the coffins were lowered and the tears he had held ever since the day of their deaths started to flow out. He was broken all over again.

The sky was grey as it rained heavily, but Jordan stayed till the end. A few people came by to offer their condolences, but he knew they didn't care about him or his family. When it was just him and Sylvie, he left her to speak with his family one last time.

"I swear on my life, I am going to find who was responsible for your deaths and make him regret the day he was born. He will beg me, but I won't listen. This pain I feel, I will give it to him in a millionfold," Jordan sobbed as he looked at Xavier's headstone.

"No matter the cost, I will become the strongest mage this world has ever seen and put an end to this goddamn war." He swallowed deeply, clenching the umbrella in his hand with a firm grip. "Your deaths won't be in vain!"