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The East Balam branch of the Rose School lived through a day they would never forget for the rest of their lives.
Since, for ninety-nine percent of its members, their lives ended that very night, "never forget for the rest of their lives" was entirely accurate.
When the sun rose ahead of time and glorious light of purification crashed down on the city center, the more optimistic higher-ups of the Rose School who had not been purified into ashes by that first wave of light were still speculating in alarm and uncertainty whether an angel of the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun had launched a surprise attack, and who had leaked His Highness Suah's whereabouts. But after that instant of daylight, the night that surged in dispelled their guesses.
"Motherfucker!"
An Indulgence Faction demigod was purified in despair, leaving only his final words, "We're under attack!!" echoing through the night sky.
This unremarkable little city in East Balam seemed to become the center of the world all at once. Day broke, the wind rose, and night fell again. An unnatural high tide came in during the dead of night, and within mere minutes, the water submerged the Indulgence Faction's private port. Vast quantities of seawater rushed straight into the city.
With one strike, the Eternal Blazing Sun erased the entire little city. The surrounding hills, forests, houses, and buildings were all scoured into bare ground. Not even bones remained of the people; everything was purified until not a trace was left.
Only a few buildings near Suah remained, and not everyone inside them had died.
Then the sunlight slowly receded, and night once again spread across the sky. The stars twinkled, and everything that had just happened seemed like an illusion.
After the Sun returned to the Astral