The Everburn Mage

6. That Night

He was awoken by the putrid stench piercing his nostrils.

Unveiling his heavy eyelids, Rune's doughy and leaking eyes sluggishly adjusted themselves to the dark environment. What first he discovered was how he wasn't sleeping on his bed but rather lying on the hardened, wooden floor. His next revelation came as an even bigger shock. Seeping from underneath his bedroom's door billowed thick and large puffs of dark clouds.

Like an excited feline, Rune sprung off the floorboards. Above him, practically clinging to his roof, was a swollen, pulsating cluster of smoke. He swiftly blanketed his mouth and nose with his hands, thus sparing himself from inhaling the contaminated odors. Confused and partially dazed, he desperately attempted to navigate his way through his own room. Aimlessly fumbling throughout the darkness, he struggled to forecall what exactly happened since he'd fallen to sleep?

After dinner, he remembered hurriedly going to his room. His excuse was that he was exhausted from his rough day. In actuality, he merely longed to hone his magic casting skills even further. Other than the fuzzy memories of him gazing at the puny sparks of fire he repeatedly manifested, he'd no recollection of what transpired afterward. Had he passed out from smoke inhalation or had he already fallen asleep before this madness started?

Stumbling to his door, Rune failed at keeping a certain, disturbing inquiry out of his head. Clutching a hand to his chest, he pondered out loud, "Did I do this?", in a quivering voice.

Suddenly, a loud crash erupted downstairs. It was a noise Rune could clearly identify as collapsing wood. "Mom!" he shouted. Forcefully pushing open his door, a wave of heat assaulted him. Being a fire mage, he was taught he'd eventually grow an immunity to the intensity of fire. Even when he practiced his basic spells, he rarely discerned the heat it emanated.

However, standing at his doorstep, what all he could feel violently caressing his fair cheeks was that of ignited air. Patches of wildfire dotted the floors as chunks of wood crashed down from the ceiling. To make matters worse, the thick layers of smoke made it difficult to discern where exactly he was going. As fortune would have it, however, he lived in the house long enough to be knowledgeable of its general layout.

"Eight steps right, five steps forward."

If his mental map was correct, the stairs shouldn't be too far away. With squinted eyes and an arm wrapped around the lower portion of his head, he hesitantly plunged into the void of smoke and black. 

Occasionally, his waist would collide with the wall beside him or he'd nearly trip because of a piece of burned debris. By the time his hand managed to grab ahold of the railing of the stairs, he already felt like passing out. Slowly but surely, he descended the staircase.

"Stay awake," he'd repeat to himself whenever he felt the seductive urge to faint ensnare him. "Stay awake...until you find them..."

Carefully placing his foot on the next step below he suddenly felt the wood underneath give out and his body start to fall. Butterflies fluttered inside of his stomach. A current of wind screeched into his ears. And as he was about to shut his eyes for good, pain injected itself onto his right knee and, much like a virus, spread up his leg.

 Another sharp sting assaulted his thigh, another his waist, and another his scalp. Finally, as amplified agony invaded his left shoulder, Rune's chin collided with the floor. There he lay just barely holding onto his consciousness, all the while his body throbbed from the numerous injuries. Rune readied himself to pass out but, ahead of him, his fractured glance focused on something, or rather, someone he cherished most dearly.

"Mom..." he whispered.

Not even ten paces in front of him he found her lying motionless and showcasing no signs of life. Atop the woman sat a large pile of wooden planks along with chunks of the ceiling, most of which were being consumed by greedy flames. Hopping from where he lay, Rune sprung to his mother's assistance, completely ignoring the pain and drowsiness he experienced mere seconds ago.