Chapter 105: The Boise Incident
The expressions of the three young women transformed in a fraction of a microsecond from audacity to intense panic and absolute horror, while Cain’s hands rose instinctively upward as he bellowed in a thunderous voice: "Nooooo!"
BOOOOM!
Lucy hurled the giant semi-truck she held with a single hand directly above their heads with the entirety of her fury!
The legs of the three girls collapsed beneath their bodies entirely, passing out from the sheer weight of terror, while that colossal iron mass plunged straight toward Cain. At the final microsecond, Cain was forced to expose his magic, invoking a razor-sharp [Air Pressure Spell] to divert the trajectory of the truck hurtling toward them... The solid side of the truck buckled and crumpled under the brunt of the violent atmospheric pressure, while passersby on the sidewalk froze and vehicles on the street ground to an abrupt halt, observing this surreal spectacle with eyes wide in utter disbelief!
The truck failed to stop entirely owing to the brute force of the throw Lucy unleashed, which transmuted its chassis into a mass of twisted metal; Cain could do nothing beyond altering its vector, deflecting it sideways toward a roadside lake extending alongside the thoroughfare.
The truck slammed onto the dry land adjacent to the water first, dragging behind it approximately two tons of soil and gravel with its concave frame, which had become akin to a giant soup ladle scooping earth toward the marsh... The truck floated mysteriously above the surface of the water for two seconds... whereupon it descended and submerged into the depths of the lake before the eyes of everyone!
Cain clutched his head in panic... Neither the word "fuck" nor "curse" proved sufficient by any standard to describe the magnitude of this catastrophe! No word within the human lexicon sufficed; they were unquestionably plunged into a position where envy was out of the question!
None of those present comprehended what transpired at first blush, yet they required no time to believe... for everything had already been recorded! And one of the greatest flaws and dilemmas of modern cellular devices—especially those equipped with lavish cameras and the "bitten apple" logo—was that their lenses shield no criminals nor conceal miracles!
When Lucy noted the magnitude of the catastrophe and predicament she had induced... no emergency option lay before her following her eyes filling with Cain’s shocked expressions, which betrayed the gravity of her action.
[Reality Freeze]!
In the twinkling of an eye, time frozen surrounding them entirely; a purple magical field erupted from her physique, expanding at insane speed to encompass the street, the vehicles, the lake, and every passerby in less than a heartbeat!.. expanding further until it encompassed the entirety of Planet Earth.
Cain’s shocked expressions altered not in the slightest as he beheld the world transformed into a static oil painting, pursing his lips in a dry tone and stating: "Is this magical field swifter, or the speed of video uploading and circulating across the internet?!"
Cain could do nothing beyond uttering those words as his gaze roved across the individuals and passersby whose bodies and expressions stood frozen surrounding him... He truly knew not what they were to execute now amid this absurdity!
Lucy stated with evident panic attempting to cover her error: "We can... we can fix everything! Perhaps... perhaps we purchase a new truck for them... wipe the memories of these humans... and attempt to erase the digital evidence and exit from here smoothly..."
At that moment, Cain’s eye caught a strange object that had spilled from the truck’s ruptured cargo box during its momentum and deterioration... Cain took rapid strides, descending toward the shore of the lake to inspect that fallen object.
It was a large stony object... a piece of pure black granite!
Cain leaned down, elevating it with both hands with scrutiny, beginning to wipe the dust and soil from its surface to observe the carvings and symbols etched with precision... Pharaonic carvings... granite... These were historical artifacts!
Cain turned toward Lucy with a grim gaze: "Lucy... I reckon you did not merely destroy a commercial cargo truck... but rather destroyed something we can by no means fix or compensate with cash!"
Cain moved with superhuman speed toward the frozen waters of the lake, elevating with both hands the truck, which was in a pitiable state, from the bed, placing it gently onto the dry land, and rending its torn chassis to inspect the interior of the cargo box.
The matter was precisely as he anticipated... an exclusive shipment of historical artifacts and genuine antiques! This was no simple error; quite simply, they had committed no minor act, but rather a grand crime that lands its perpetrator straight in prison!
They would prove incapable of repairing these fractured artifacts via simple human methods, and it was evident that they must depart immediately from this world and return to their own, regardless of what transpired!
Cain stated, gazing at her with tranquil surrender: "Lucy... I reckon that owing to this deed, we must cancel this whim, depart from Planet Earth immediately, and return to our world."
Lucy knew not how to navigate; she placed her hands simply atop her head, attempting to digest and calculate the magnitude of the catastrophe she had induced unintentionally (or nearly so).
She whispered with hesitation: "What... what regarding wiping the memories of all these humans entirely?"
Cain gazed at her with total helplessness, shaking his head: "It is impossible for you to erase the memories of such a colossal number of individuals without leaving a permanent trace or damage! Memories are an indelible component of the human soul... Were we to attempt tampering with and modifying the memories of all these people and err or warp someone’s mind, we would become worse than genuine criminals! Furthermore... human minds may forget, yet machines, cameras, and servers forget not with such simplicity!"
Lucy placed her hands atop her head once more in pain, a sudden headache assaulting her from the sheer volume of contemplating these strict human complexities... Had she not in this manner plunged Cain into a genuine crisis and disappointed his expectations?
Cain exhaled a sigh of relief, approaching her with measured strides until he ascended to the road once more after pushing the truck back into the lake, standing directly before her.
Cain stated with gentle firmness: "I reckon I possess a middle-ground resolution for this dilemma... I shall not ruin your enjoyment and your desire to obtain an official marriage certificate from this world, yet... you cannot act with recklessness or follow your whims as you wish from now onward! You must strictly adhere to what I state."
Lucy fell entirely silent, nodding her head with uncharacteristic compliance as she watched Cain take the steering wheel in this difficult situation.
Cain appended, analyzing the situation with his accustomed precision: "We cannot literally wipe the memories of all these people, yet we can erase and alter the appearance of our faces and features solely from the memories of everyone who beheld us tonight... This matter in itself is perilous and its outcome by no means guaranteed, for the cameras of the previous jewelry shop captured our faces, and I know not how many vehicular dashcams recorded our appearances in this street... And even if we attempt to destroy the maximum number of phones prior to departing, we cannot guarantee the consequences... Therefore, you must with absolute honesty and complete commitment listen to every word I utter, step by step!"