The Warmth of the Hearth
Too Little, Too Late

Luke lifts up a small pile of hay found at the side of an old barn house, located near the ruins of his old home. He sees no one, proceeding to sneak through the darkness. “Noah gave the signal.” A feminine voice speaks, unfamiliar to Luke. He drops behind one of the old wagons, using the darkness to mask his presence.

“What do we do about the hostage?” A man answers, much closer to where Luke was.

The woman opens the barn door aggressively, now proceeding to exit the room. “Leave her, she’s bound to die anyways.” The two figures exit the room, leaving behind the small, battered figure of Claire, lying still on the ground.

“Claire!” Luke exclaims as he reached the tied up Blaise, her long white hair now cut short as bruises remain evident on her face. He watches as Claire faintly stirs, turning over to face him. “I’m here.” Luke takes her into his arms, supporting her head with one. He runs a hand over her cheek, now glowing faintly with a gentle flame. Color returns to her pale skin, as she sits up with a jolt.

“Luke!” She exclaims as her eyes run over her entire body, the wounds no longer visible. Claire staggers as she pushes herself up, unnerved by the sudden absence of pain. “We have to get to get to Carson! They never had any plans of letting me go from the start!”

Xylia stops both of them before proceeding. “Hold on, I would like for somebody to explain to me what in the name of Agni is going on!” Her eyes meet Claire’s as she asks, sternness flooding her voice. “Well?”

“They’re using Carson to start another war, this one now involving the entirety of Ezicion, not just the Capital.” Claire swiftly puts on her boots when Luke steps in front of her.

“They’re at the Academy.” Luke speaks, one hand outstretched to a crouched Claire. “We ha---”

A loud explosion is heard in the distance, sending tremors towards their location. The ground shakes as more explosions follow, some nearer than the others. Cracks spread throughout the ancient woodwork of the barn, now threatening to cave in on them.

“Let’s go!” Luke drags Claire by the hand as they sprint across the room, the ground shaking violently below them. The roof behind them falls as a bright blue light illuminates the entire area. Luke is lifted off the ground, a tail of beautiful blue flames now burning behind them, giving them speed. The scaffolding of the entrance barely holds in time for Xylia to grab on to Luke.

They all fumble into the ground, breaths heaving from the adrenaline of the recent event. “Holy shit.” Claire whispers. “That was too close for comfort.” Her eyes spot the tall structure of the Academy’s main hall, now burning behind the crumbling walls of the school. Smoke rises everywhere from the city, the screams of hundreds of people carried by the wind. “We need to go.”

The central street was in shambles; the buildings that outlined the marketplace were no longer there, leaving only rubble and debris. Masked men run across the city, slaughtering men, women, and children alike. No mercy for the weak. The voice of Noah rings in Claire’s head, the vivid memory of overhearing her captor’s conversations.

She is snapped out of her trail of thought when she sees a young woman screaming for help, now being chased down. Her pursuer grabs hold of her, his arms grappling around her tight. Claire extends an already flaming hand, preparing to shoot a bolt when Luke fires one enormous fireball straight to the man’s face. It bursts upon impact, now spreading all over the squealing man while ignoring the woman.

“Go, leave everything here to me.” Claire speaks, acknowledging Luke and Xylia.

“I’ll stay with her, we’ll make sure we get as many people to the bunker as possible!” Xylia shouts to Luke while blasting one attacker after another. Her eyes meet his, glowing in the midst of the flames of the battlefield. “Go!”

Luke nods, now sprinting towards the Academy. He blasts as many as he could as he jumps over the broken roads, shouting for everybody to head towards the mountains. They don’t respond, simply running immediately towards the direction he was pointing at.

Dozens of bodies lie bloody on the floor, greeting Luke as he enters the Academy. The same faces he used to pass by as a student, now lay on the floor with charred skin, some of them having small plants sprouting out of their bodies. A gruesome sight as Luke holds back the urge to barf.

“Eat this!” Nieko screams as he blasts an assailant with the Maga, now whirring to life on his arm as three of his classmates support him. One of them falls to the ground, crying. “Get yourself together, mate!” As he finishes, he has an enormous tree trunk being swung his way, elongating from beneath the robes of one of the enemies. “Now that’s freaky.” He shuts his eyes, tensing himself for the blow when a bright white wall of flame appears in front of them, turning the entire log into ashes as it runs back to its caster, now writhing in pain.

“Rough welcoming committee.” Luke speaks, his voice recognizable underneath the black mask. “Good job kicking their asses.”

“Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?” Nieko exhales, all the pent up tension now exiting his body at the sight of Luke. He goes ahead to embrace him, glad to see a familiar face amongst the entire ruckus. “Why are you here?”

Luke points towards the main hall in the distance, now being illuminated by a white purple light. “That.” He bids Nieko goodbye as he rushes towards the vicinity, the manna of Noah Skye now gone, along with two others. What remains are three, highly distinct natures, Carson and Eli being two of them. The third grows faint as Luke maneuvers his way quickly through the debris. He feels the hum of Llyr and Agni, two massive amounts of manna clashing with one another. Luke reaches the opening as he sees Elizabeth now unconscious on the ground, massive cracks beneath her body. Carson now walks away, leaving behind Elizabeth broken on the ballroom floor.

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