Seraphim is a Bystander

Day 2 of the School Trip: Scars of the Dragon Calamity

 
Rocking gently on the bus to our next destination—a site featuring exhibits on the Dragon Calamity—our conversation naturally gravitated toward Lord Tsuchimikado.
“I’d only ever seen the Divine Representative mentioned on the news, but he really felt like a living ‘saint,’ huh?”

“Yeah… it’s hard to explain, but he had this mysterious aura about him.”
“Still, it’s kind of surprising someone like that just walks around in the city like anyone else.”
“Totally. When we saw him at that souvenir shop yesterday, he just seemed like a kind old man.”

Since Rei and I had already met him the day before, we got excited reminiscing and started sharing the story with our classmates. The bus ride flew by. Before long, the teacher sitting at the front stood up and raised her voice.
“Everyone, we’re almost at the exhibit! I’ll go over the explanation one more time!”
She began reviewing what we had already been told before the trip. Considering how giddy everyone had become after the encounter with Lord Tsuchimikado, this was likely her way of getting us to settle down.

She explained that the place we were headed preserved records of a past disaster—the Dragon Calamity. Some of the victims’ families still mourn deeply, so we were expected to behave respectfully.
“Don’t just view this as a piece of history—keep in mind that something like this could happen again. Approach it with that mindset.”
Her words struck a chord with me. I had once attended the Dragon Calamity memorial service as a security escort, so I understood. While the ceremony honored victims of a past tragedy, everyone who had lived through it seemed more concerned about the next one.

“Alright, we’re here! Time to get off the bus!”
Her reminder seemed to sink in. Everyone grew quiet and somber as we disembarked.
The building's exterior struck me. It looked quite similar to the Divine History Museum and the Dragon Calamity Memorial Hall we had visited before. Maybe they were built around the same time, or perhaps intentionally designed under the same concept.

“Alright, let’s head inside.”
We were allowed to move around the exhibit with a certain level of freedom, though we stayed generally grouped.
Inside, there were dioramas recreating the scenes of the disaster and artifacts that looked far more weathered than the forty years that had passed since the calamity.

“Hey, Aoi. The Dragon Calamity happened around forty years ago, right?”
“That’s right.”
“But some of this stuff looks way older than that.”
“These are real items from that time. The signs explain it too—one of the dragons born from natural phenomena had power over decay. My grandfather said it could manipulate time itself. That dragon made the destruction far worse.”

“Man… how did people back then even fight something like that?”
“They say they fought from a distance, staying outside the decay zone. But even then, their attacks were weakened by the dragon’s power. It wasn’t easy.”
“No offense, but… I’m kinda glad we weren’t born in that era.”

“I get it, but… there’s no guarantee it won’t happen again, you know?”
“...Yeah.”
As we walked past images of destruction and traces of tragedy, a heavy silence settled over everyone. The exhibit followed a set path, and eventually, we came upon a room with a posted warning.

A sign at the door read:
“This room contains real footage from the time of the Dragon Calamity. The content may be disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised.”
By this point, no one was taking that warning lightly.

“I think I’m going to watch it. What about you guys?”
“I’ll watch it too.”
“Me too.”
“I’m in.”
Ken, Runa-chan, and Saotome all responded firmly, with serious expressions. They were clearly prepared for what they might see.

“...I think I’ll pass.”
“Same here…”
Rei and Tsubaki-san declined. They had already looked pale from the earlier exhibits. I’d expected this from Rei, but seeing the usually cheerful Tsubaki so shaken was unexpected.
“Alright, see you later.”

We parted quietly. After seeing them off, the rest of us entered the video exhibit room. Instead of a shared screen, the footage was individually streamed via nanomachines once we sat down.
Inside, other students were already seated, staring into the air with intense focus. We followed suit.
As soon as I sat, a warning appeared on the display again, noting that the footage would last about ten minutes. Then, the screen faded to black, and the video began.

“……”
The footage showed battles between dragons and what appeared to be pseudo-creatures under their control. Buildings collapsed in the background as stark subtitles described the events. One clip even showed a structure we had visited the day before, now enclosed within a massive barrier, offering a glimpse into how the gods had defended Kyoto.
The images were harrowing, but the video concluded by showing how divine intervention and coordinated efforts eventually brought the calamity to an end.

Then, one final message appeared against a black screen:
“Do not treat this disaster as a thing of the past.
The cause of the Dragon Calamity remains unknown.
Please understand—it may happen again.”
The video ended.

It was only ten minutes, but it felt much longer. None of us spoke. After exchanging glances to confirm we were all done, we left the room in silence.
Even after leaving, we continued our tour quietly, taking in the rest of the exhibits with heavy hearts.