Shattering Humanity-Chapter 458: The Purpose Of Fireflies

"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

"You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.

Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.’ - Matthew 5:11-16

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[10 Months Before Leviathan’s Invasion]

{Massachusetts, Vinland}

One hour before their arrest, Jesse James, Pontius, and Vegetius are walking the backstreets in the middle of the night.

Crickets echo over the sweet summer air after a day of rain.

Pontius: "It’s so beautiful out today, Ms. James."

He blushes but the darkness hides his expression away from his life changing mentor.

Pontius: "I was kinda afraid we weren’t going to be able to go out for my daily physical therapy."

In regular fashion, the future Sheriff of a post apocalyptic sanctuary lights up a cuban cigar and underneath the stars, she puffs it while walking in between her two close followers.

The pink haired, sad pink eyed woman looks down at the ground while the trio traverse the dark streets without any lights to illuminate their presences except the lit end of her cigar.

Jesse James: "You’ve been working hard.

I’m surprised you wouldn’t want to take a day off."

Pontius: "No way!"

He smiles down at his moving feet. Appreciative of his renewed ability almost every human takes for granted.

Pontius: "I have years of stored energy I’ve wanted to use, but couldn’t.

So I’ll be studying and phyisically taking care of myself to become stronger until all that energy burns out, haha."

On the other side of Jesse James, Vegetius smiles through his facemask at his colleague as he walks stride for stride.

A firefly illuminates its back end as it zips by from left to right across the youngest’s half covered face.

To the group’s left are homes with the lights off, and on their right is a wide open marsh field. Unlike the community of humans asleep on the left side of the street, the community of fireflies on the right side flicker across the uncut wheat and the tall grass on land too soft for housing.

Stopping herself to admire the countless twinkling insects, the smoking 2nd Generation admires the view. Her two followers also stop and look out to the same area in confusion.

Pontius: "Do you see something?"

After taking a moment to exhale smoke, the wanted woman tries to enlightened her youthful students.

Jesse James: "Do either of you know the purpose of fireflies?"

Instantly even more confused, both Pontius and Vegetius look at one another, then back at their leader. The two aspiring young men shake their heads at the ambiguous question.

Pontius: "Don’t they eat parasite larvae to save crops?"

Softly chuckling at the innocent and exact answer, Jesse James ashes her cigar as she returns it to her tooth grip.

Jesse James: "As always, you’re adorably too literal, Pontius."

Her response makes the face of her admirer glow red in embarrassment.

A few straggling lightning bugs buzz their way to the philosophically wise woman, and she horizontally holds up her pointer finger.

Amazingly, as if on command, two individual little bugs land on the black nail painted finger, and rest there while she speaks.

Jesse James: "When you look out across this field at night, and you see all these fireflies glowing individually, what does is remind you of?"

Both Pontius and Vegetius look at the sight once more. It only takes a few moments before both figure it out at the same time.

Vegetius(thinking): *Stars!*

Pontius: "The stars?"

The glow-worms fly up and away together. The woman with a face of depression watches them disappear into the night sky.

Jesse James: "When humans look up at the sky and the stars, we tend to think of Heaven.

The purpose of these ’bugs’ is to tell us humans, what we believe to be Heaven, can become possible down here too.

The night is when the world changers are the most in their own head, and unable to sleep due to their craft."

While she speaks, unknown to the group, in the middle of the field, airheaded Phæstis is laying on her back.

As a firefly lands on her nose and lights up, making the now known imaginary friend giggle.

Jesse James: "If you showed someone 1,000 years ago, 500 years ago, or even 100 years ago, the progression of medicine or common quality of life advancements of today, like air conditioning, those individuals would believe you were talking about Heaven."

Her spiritual words render the young men speechless as she turns around and continues to preach her opinion on the vagueness of the world with the gorgeous backdrop of the glowing field behind her.

Jesse James: "So let’s achieve the next step towards Heaven together, you guys."

{Current Day}

The unconscious friend to both Jesse James and Vegetius is dreaming of his memories with his leader.

However, the kidnapped PoW is snoring, floating, arched backwards, inside of a similar crystal ball to the one Princess Kawaii is being kept in, but this particular opac orb is green like his own human eye color.

The broken helmet still on, so only the captured soldier’s closed right eye is visible, but from the opening are the loyal military pilot’s sleeping murmurs.

Pontius: "Big Sis..."

The crystal imprisonment happens to be in the Money Tree patterned cloak of MaMmon DæMon.

The magical twin’s bouncing crossed leg, uncharacteristically impatient, while she sits along one wall of chairs, in the surprise located waiting room with a separate group since last seen.

At the other end of the same wall, Peyton and Jay sit with an empty chair between them.

The academy friend of Katsu and Shelly, shifts his jaw in discomfort.

Jay: "God, it’s been two hours now and I can still feel the spots in my gums where he picked at.

This dentist shit blows."

Peyton: "Hah!

Have you never been to the orthodontist before?"

Jay shrugs and opens up to his new roommate.

Jay: "Couldn’t tell ya.

I’ve forgotten everything that was my life before this apocalypse started.

I only remember everything after I woke up in the hospital, within the Sister Mountains."

Peyton: "But your ability..."

Jay: "Yea, ironic... isn’t it?"

Peyton silently tries to piece something in his head while they casually watch what is on the large TV in the room.

Only a few feet from the giant screen, Jamie, Pauline, and Timothea are "watching" an action anime.

The chubbiest of the group isn’t paying attention to the cartoon, but instead enjoying lemon flavored shaved ice.

As in comparison with their usual conflicting selves, Pauline is deeply invested in the animated fight scene, while Jamie rolls her eyes at the immaturity.

Jamie: "Is this stupid kid stuff almost over?

I wanna watch my romantic show."

Pauline doesn’t look away from the screen but still fires back insults at her unenthusiastic sister.

Pauline: "Everything you want to watch is boring and lame and nobody shouts unless it’s because they’re crying!"

Jamie: "It’s a lot more entertaining and emotional than a bunch of weirdos screaming and throwing flashing lights at each other!

Why does it have to be so loud anyway!"

Pauline: "Cause you don’t get it."

Jamie: "Yea, cuz I’m probably not dumb enough."

Tristan: "Get along you two!"

With the quadruplets having finished their own dentist appointments, Petra is sitting next to Tristan and Stephanie, along the other wall’s row of cushioned seats.

The most responsible of the quadruplets is quietly reading her wizard book, dangling feet swinging. While her older sister/head woman of the family, is the only one in the room with a cheek full of gauze and a bag of ice over it in pain.

Being the most chivalrous towards his fiancee, Tristan raises his hand up to the frozen pack, putting it over Stephanie’s.

Tristan: "I’ll hold this up for you, Steph."

Only able to smile with the non-swollen side, the appreciative bride-to-be slightly nods.

Stephanie: " Thanksh, Jritty.

ah..."

She winces a bit from the jaw movement and her future husband holds the ice firmly in place for her.

Tristan: "I mean, it only seems fair.

It’s partially my fault that you’re the only who needed an emergency tooth removal.

You’ve been so busy taking care of the girls, there have been countless nights when you passed out, exhausted, and had forgotten to brush your teeth. Just for them to wake you up and keep you occupied long enough to forget again.

I should’ve told you something, but I didn’t want to embarrass you, or make you feel insecure."

Embarrassed Stephanie blushes, and phyisically unable to refute her love’s willingness to accept blame.

Interrupting the one of many beautiful moments between the two lovebirds, the oak wood door separating the clean office and a dusty apartment basement, swings open.

The suddenness scares Stephanie, which in turn, sends a shock of pain to her mouth.

In steps the high energy and free spirited, Bethany.

With a more revealing outfit than usual, the most promiscuous of Erinyes enters with a bright smile.

Bethany: "We’re baaaack!

Oh, and don’t worry, Tritty, none of us girls kissed each other while looking at our newly cleaned teeth.

So you boys didn’t miss anything!"

In awkward silence, the only response in return is a shush from Pauline.

Squeezing their way back into the orthodontist office, from behind the vocally unfiltered woman is the phyisically fit Ichythis and a blushing, eye patched Isfet.

The two ex-Roronora citizens take the closest seats along the same row as Tristan and Stephanie.

Ichythis takes out a small cardboard box from her pocket and checks her stock of cigs.

With only two fags left, the new Erinyes member looks across the room at her leader.

Ichythis: "Hey, Queen, I’m running low."

Without any verbal answer, from the inside of her cloak, MaMmon no look throws over four individual packs of cigarettes across the room, over the floor sitting girls. Ichythis and a surprised Isfet catch two each.

Impressed but also concerned, Tristan caringly interjects.

Tristan: "You went to smoke cigarettes immediately after a dentist visit?"

Pocketing the smokes, the woman with a blood stained, orange floral bandana tied around her right bicep, shrugs.

Ichythis: "I didn’t ask for dental work, and I don’t really care what that guy said about smoking."

The flirtatious Bethany makes her way over and sits on the subtly bashful Isfet’s lap.

She leans back to whisper in the Middle Eastern woman’s ear.

Bethany(whispers): "Even though I’m jealous of you two, I’ll keep that cute moment a secret, until you’re both ready."