Harold was pushing a wheelchair in which Jackal sat, while Wendy and Gabriel walked casually towards the house. Hansel and Maverick Dale, the two brothers were also walking with them, casually chatting amongst themselves.
They, too, had been drafted during the war, though predictably, they were not sent to the ruins. Instead, they were sent to an incredibly secure facility where they spent all day and night manufacturing their aether cards.
The two brothers had passive aether absorption, one passively absorbing from the air while the other passively absorbing from objects. The utility of their innate abilities practically made them national treasures, though Nero knew that they wanted something else. They wanted to see combat, and fight on the front lines with honour.
Unfortunately for them, their destiny was such that the military would never allow that.
The production of their innate cards could contribute more to the army than any difference their individual combat skills could make.
Notably, Silas and Vanessa were missing from the group.
"I can't believe they just let him go," Maverick said, still wearing a somewhat troubled expression as he recalled the events of the last few days. "When he was accused of fratricide, word reached us on base. Everyone was really pissed. They painted Nero in really negative light, making him look like a traitor. If I hadn't known Nero personally, I would have believed it too."
"For a few days, everyone hated him, and then when the news of the corrupt judge framing him came out, Nero was made out to be a hero. You can't trust these newspapers. They flip the story whichever way they're told to."
Everyone chatted amongst themselves, but Gabriel said nothing, remaining silent and leading the way. When they reached, he stepped forward and knocked on the door. The yelling from inside the house suddenly stopped, and a few moments later Edward opened the door.
"Ah look at that. We have war heroes gracing us today. Come in, I'll make more breakfast," he said, looking at the kids.
"Thanks, Mr. Ed," said Wendy. "By the way, my dad told me to let you know that he's got his hands on a special hunting permit if you want to join."
"I don't think I'll be able to join this time, but do send my regards."
Of everyone, even more than Gabriel, Wendy was familiar with Nero's home and his family. Not only had they been class fellows for many years, making it so both the kids had attended each other's birthdays countless times, they also lived in the same neighbourhood, making it so that their families knew each other well.
The rest entered one by one, each greeting Edward as they did. Nero, who had informed Gabriel of his return and was expecting a visit, was extremely grateful for the interruption, but his grinning expression froze when he laid eyes on Jackal.
He hesitated, then went into Patricks room and wore his suit instead. Everyone had an identical black suit. Of course they did. That's what they all wore to funerals, and growing up, they had gone to a lot of funerals, even though most people were cremated, not buried.
Patricks suit, which had once been too loose on him, now fit perfectly, as if it was made to order. While putting it on, Nero discovered in the coat's inner pocket a small chit of paper. When he opened it, he saw a picture of a teddy bear blowing a flying kiss. It was... it was no doubt something Irene had probably given Patrick once.
He put the chit back in his pocket, and accompanied his friends as they walked to the nearby bus station to get picked up for school.
His parents only telling him that they'd pick him up in the afternoon.
Nero finally understood why, even though they were on such a tight time limit, Edward had taken out a day for him to head back to school.
Despite the fact that they were about to go pay respects to the fallen in their school, none of them seemed sombre. That was not because they felt no dark emotions, but because everyone was all too used to death growing up in this world.
"I didn't go through the whole list," Nero said as they waited for a bus. "Anyone from our class? Someone we know?"
"Malissa," said Hansel, his voice normal, and devoid of any strong emotion. It was as if he was not telling Nero that his girlfriend had died. But considering his usual jovial and energetic self, the lack of emotion in his voice was abnormal enough.
"She wasn't in the draft, but with the war going on, security in the city was at an all time low. Some insect corpses got cursed and, well, you can guess from there."
"Also Shelby," said Maverick. "No idea what happened to her. No one knows. Her name is just on the list of the dead. No one has heard from her family either."
The others took a few more names, evoking memories of kids Nero had grown up with. Most of them were actually quite close to Nero. Now, he would never see them again.
"What about Silas and Vanessa? I don't see them around."
"I heard Silas moved cities, but I don't know the details. His family is gone, so obviously he had to go with them. Vanessa was a foreign exchange student, so she probably went back. At least I haven't heard about her dying, so that's probably a good thing."
"I hope it is," Nero muttered as he spotted the bus coming from a distance. His eyes couldn't help but wander to all the shadows around him.