Pacifica took a step back as her eyes widened too, but not to the extent of Luna. Luna’s entire body froze up in fear, the ginger-haired man hovered both of his fingers onto the buttons of his swords.

  And with a push of a button, sparks flew from the chrome metal that replaced the old steel from his original blades. Pacifica soon gawked at her mouth open, covering her open mouth with her right hand.

  (Pacifica’s thoughts) That’s one of the original Pacithiests … Kenichi Honda.

  Her knees buckled, she slowly looked over toward the ghostly pale face that dawned on Luna, her panting pushing her chest forcibly.

  As for Kenichi, he melancholically walked toward the tanned woman. Sparks of old metal quickly stung his all-black clothes, not even a flinch or jolt came from him, leading to his walk to be more sinister than it already is.

  Standing in front of her, he didn’t raise his right or left arm.

  (Kenichi) You’re still alive.

  The nerves located all across her back soon stimulated the feeling of falling, leading her to glance up at the night sky. Seeing orange clouds, a familiar feel to it soon crawled up to her, since a month prior, she fought a battle that she couldn’t win.

  A fight that almost took her life.

  That same man frowning and imposing on her, tears began to nestle onto the edge of her lower eyelids, the salted liquid staining her eyes red. Her swords beyond chipped, her skin irritated red, her clothes blotted in pink…

  For the first time, a large hole swelled inside of her.

  (Luna’s thoughts) Luke…

  And for the second time, she glanced up toward the orange-filled sky.

  (Luna’s thoughts) I—

  A hand clamped down onto her shoulder.

  With her fingernails digging into her skin, she glided through the gravel road as the silhouette of the ginger-haired man coated in all black began to wither away in the distance. Her bottom being grated by the road, the back of her feet and legs began to bruise and scrape while her knuckles hovered over the gravel.

  She saw two of her swords slowly withering in the distance.

  Her gliding stopped, Luna barely noticed the green donkey that helped her. Along with a youthful face looking at her, she had her mouth open with bits of tears starting to form along her dark-coated eyes.

  (Luke) Luna, get on that donkey. We don’t have much time.

  Being sucked back to reality, her entire body jumped, using the soles of her feet to spring herself upward. Her breathing still heavy, her heart continued to beat against her ribcage and chest, as she slowly got on her green donkey.

  Luke noticed a ginger-haired elf followed by a barely awake woman who was his age. With their donkeys, two of them sent off rocks and pebbles like missiles, as the entire group eyed the southern hill.

  The eastern flames from prior soon began to reach more and more toward the southern gate.

  (Luke’s thoughts) If we go full speed, we could probably make it, but…

  All four of the donkeys they were riding on began to pant under the smoke and ash. Their stomachs and chests stretched out from their wheezes, the donkeys stook out their tongues, the bristled air sucking out whatever saliva and spit in their mouths. Knowing this, Luke began to pat the top of the donkey’s head that he was riding, keeping his eyes on the flames with a slight exhale of air.

  (Luke’s thoughts) We have to be lucky for our donkeys to sprint full speed.

  Luke adjusted the donkey so that it faced straight at the southern gate. The three of them followed suit, both Pacifica and Luna had their eyes on the verge of closing, as the donkey’s hair started to turn into their bed.

  But as Luke raised his right hand, both girls including Sean all widened their eyes, as his donkey began to gallop full speed.

  Following Luke’s example, the three of them held onto the reins of their donkeys with iron grips, their eyes focused on the wooden gate. Seeing that the flames from the east began to creep up more and more like rapid lava, Luke couldn’t lose focus.

  He couldn’t.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  (Luke’s thoughts) We can make it…

  Dry wheezing bristled their ash-covered ears. Flames and painful pants being the only things that their ears can pick up, it only caused Luke to jab his donkey’s hind legs harder.

  Letting out a cough filled with smoke, their visibility began to darken, leading their donkeys to draw blood from their nuzzles.

  (Luke’s thoughts) We can make it.

  His own hands began to blister beneath the rubber-starched reins.

  His nose, his mouth, his eyes; all were parched and molested by the smell, taste, and fog that clashed with his tear-jerking face. Legs, feet, lower body; all succumbed to blood loss as if his own heart directed all his blood to his mind and chest.

  (Luke’s thoughts) We can make it!

  Reaching the halfway point, Sean turned his head to the right, as his peripheral vision caught…

  Another bastion of flames trying to reach toward the southern gate, the direction being due west. Widening his eyes, the fire and wheezes that were blocked by the elf’s ears were soon drawn back to life.

  His throat storing whatever dust and ash that called his vocals home, he straightened his back while swirling down whatever saliva he could produce to swallow.

  Continuing their galloping sprint, Sean used the bottom of his boots to double-tap his donkey’s right bottom leg. Charging faster than before, Sean managed to outpace Luke, followed by Pacifica who took note of the new fire to the right.

  As if hell was trying to not let them escape, the heat from both their left and right combined was enough to soak all their bodies with their sweat. Maintaining their stability, more blood streamed out of their donkey’s nostrils, as one of the donkeys…

  Finally collapsed.

  (Luna) W-What…

  Laying face first on the fertilized soil, she had her arms and legs spread far apart with the soil seeping into her ragged clothes. Staining her smooth skin, mud, and dirt that mingled with her sweat managed to nestle into the top layer of her skin, with a long dry cough escaping her lips.

  Her feet and legs not even able to get herself up, she slowly tilted her head upward to see…

  A youthful-looking man ran right in front of her.

  Sprinting his way toward the fallen woman, he immediately carried her princess style, using whatever strength he had in his skinny legs to push himself forward. Not looking back, not looking to the right or left, he poured his entire pupils and irises onto her literal being.

  (Luke) Hold on.

  Setting her on the rear end of the donkey, Luke holstered himself on the donkey yet again. Seeing that both Sean and Pacifica were already reaching the southern gate, he hunched his back forward.

  Using the bottom of his boot to jab the donkey’s lower left leg, even the donkey’s head tilted upward as its tongue was in full display for ash to settle onto. Luna, who started to close her eyes, held onto Luke’s lower waist with whatever strength she had in her biceps.

  Both fires from the east and west were meters away from swallowing them whole. Like being in a deep-fried oven, the donkey that they both rode on soon bled out from its eyes.

  But a dozen meters in front of them, a wooden gate was wide open for them to cross.

  (Luke’s thoughts) I can’t die…

  His cheeks and hands being stabbed by the leftover embers from the crops, he shut his eyes while tilting his head downward, not letting a single jab of burning ash into his irises.

  Allowing his smell and hearing to jump upward, body odor and burnt garlic were all that he could smell, all the while the crackling flames meters away from them only laughed harder. Luna, who began to clutch onto Luke tighter, only caused him to bite down on all of his teeth.

  (Luke’s thoughts) Please … don’t let me die …

  Both Luke and Luna arched their backs backward with the motion of the donkey.

  Some of the embers fully stinging his eyelids, a gust of air brushed against his face and right side-bang. His palms callused with the rubber reins, Luke didn’t dare to open his eyes, his white teeth getting pricked by the hot air.

  (Jack’s thoughts) No freaking way.

  The flames fully encapsulated the field from below them, the donkey was in the air midway, with some flames grazing its hooves. Landing on the other side, it soon collapsed onto the dead grass, leading both Luke and Luna to tumble out. Opening his eyes, he looked back to see the crops that were swallowed up by flames.

  (Luke’s thoughts) We made it … we made it…

  Using his palms, he helped himself up as he just stared into the fiery inferno that was in front of him. His eyes unable to look away, took a step back, the heat coming from the flames started to make his head feel light.

  Wobbling back and forth, his stability was soon brought back by a hand holding onto his right ankle. Looking down, a barely awake tanned woman looked up to him with a sleeping face.

  (Luke) Here, let me carry you.

  Carrying her princess style again, Benn, Christian, Chris, Pacifica, and Sean all watched as the light brown-haired man with red eyes walked toward them. The flames reaching up toward the clouds, Luke dug his fingers into the woman that he held, tilting his head downward to catch a glimpse of her soiled face.

  Her clothes all botched with pink, her swords missing.

  But in the end, she was alive; all of them were.

  (Luke) We’re going to have to leave these donkeys here behind to rest. Let’s get in the van.

  (Christian) Absolutely. Come on, let’s go.

  Walking up the hill, Luke watched as the others carried both the slumbered Miles and Hope. Both their mouths opened, not even the crackling flames were enough to jolt them from their sleep.

  Looking back, his eyes soon encapsulated the burning flames that ravaged the poor crops.

  And in front of him, was the only group that he was close to call family.

  Inhaling as much air as he could, both of his lungs were filled like balloons as he continued to walk up toward the steep hill. Looking forward, he didn’t dare to look back.

  ______________________________________________________________________________

  (???) Just continue walking Luke.

  Wielding nothing but binoculars, a man wearing a black hoodie and sweatpants sat down underneath a tree. Inside the lens, a youthful man carrying a woman uphill displayed to the unknown man clouded in mystery.

  Getting up, he swatted away a couple of dead grass that nestled onto his thighs and bottom, using his left hand while he settled down the binoculars with his right.

  (???) That woman is one heck of a fighter, similar to a woman that I know…

  Turning his body around, he put his left hand inside of his hoodie, while still wielding his binoculars with just two of his fingers.

  He looked up toward the sky that began to clear up from the smoke, gazing upon the strands of stars that were barely visible to the naked eye.

  (???) So this is how it begins…

  Eyeing one particular star, an orangish light shone through the night sky but was overcrowded by the many other star constellations.

  But for some reason, the man was eyeing that one particular star, a star that seemed to be devoid of life or spark.

  (???) Come at us, you old bastard…