Oceanum Collis

•Chapter 41• Reunited with family

Orlando kicked against a small piece of iron, almost shaped as a helmet of some sort, on the ground. Serena was walking next to the young man.  The further they walked, the more remains they found. "This cannot be real." She whispered. Orlando let out a sigh. "Oh, it's real." He replied. The air was still filled with ashes, making it harder for them to breathe. It was as if all the fresh air had been replaced with something toxic. Something that could drain all the oxygen from your body. Serena glanced over her shoulder. She saw her brother standing a few feet behind them. She walked up to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. He was staring at a corpse. A burned corpse. Its mouth was wide open, probably from screaming. It wasn't as if he'd never seen a dead person before. Elves didn't die by natural causes, but there had been enough battles for them to be killed. And yet, somehow, this was different. This was inhuman. "We have to keep moving," Serena told him quietly. Hayes kept his eyes on the burned body in front of him. No eyes, no teeth. Burned to the bone. "Hayes," Serena said. The elven prince turned his head towards his sister. "Can't you see?" He whispered. His eyes had turned dark. As if a shadow had fallen over them. "This is what they do." He said, "And you want them to -" He continued. "This wasn't his doing. This was Erix. Not him." Serena said sternly. But Hayes thought about that differently. This was their doing. "Orlando!" A young voice called out. Everyone turned their heads towards the sound. Orlando's eyes widened as soon as he saw who was running toward him. "Orlando!" The little boy exclaimed.

Orlando knelt down and took Elliot in his arms. "You're alive." He sighed in relief. The little boy wrapped his arms around the young man, embracing him as tightly as possible. Misty smiled as he hugged the little boy. Sure, he was very sweet and kind, but this was different. He was so gentle with the little boy. Orlando looked at Elliot. "How is this possible? How's your mother? And the baby?" He rambled. "Elliot? Elliot!" A woman's voice called out. A beautiful woman appeared on the streets. Elliot's mother spotted her son. "Elliot, honey!" She exclaimed. She hurried towards him. Orlando stood up. The woman's eyes widened. "This can't be." She whispered. She shook her head as she made her way toward him. "You shouldn't be here." She tells him. Elliot smiled proudly as he looked up at Orlando. "Mommy, look who I found!" The boy exclaimed. His mother shot him a glare. "Honey, don't scream." She hissed at him. She turned back to Orlando. "You're not supposed to be here." She repeated. Orlando put his hands on her arms in a reassuring way. "What happened here?" He asked her. Elliot's mother made her way over to Orlando. The young man helped Antonio sit down before he turned to the woman. "Ma'am?" He said. "Could you take Elliot with you to the market? Please? I-I have the baby and I-" The woman started. Orlando holds up his hand and smiled at the woman. "I would happily take him to the market. And I will try to get you some fruit." He tells her. The woman grabs his hand. "You are an angel." She replied. Orlando planted a kiss on her knuckles. "Angels have wings, Ma'am. I clearly don't." He joked, making the woman laugh. The little boy, from earlier, ran up to Orlando. The young man smiled at him. "Hey, buddy. Do you wanna come to the market with me?" He asked him. Elliot nodded in response. He turned to his mother. "Mommy, can I?" He asked her. "Of course, Darling." She replied. Elliot's grin grew bigger. He turned to Orlando and grabbed his hand. The woman shook her head. "It was horrible. There was fire everywhere. Erix has gone mad." The woman explained. "How are you still alive? Are there others?" Orlando asked her. The woman sighed and nodded. "A few of us were able to escape. But not all of us." She said sadly. The woman had tears in her eyes. "How's the baby?" he asked her. The woman smiled. "She's all better. It was a miracle." She answered. "I'm glad to hear that." He replied. 

Her eyes only got wetter. Orlando smiled weakly and embraced the woman. "It's all right now. We're here to help." He tells her. Elliot's mother peeked over the young man's shoulder. Her eyes widened when she noticed the group he brought along with him were no humans. Elves, werewolves, and even a mermaid. "Don't worry," Orlando tells her, "They're not here to harm us. They're here to help. They saved me." He assured her. It didn't take long for the survivors to join Elliot and his mother. They were all very excited to see Orlando again. Most of them thought he was dead. Some children also joined in. They all gathered around the mystical creatures. Serena slowly knelt down as Elliot jumped up and down in front of her. "May I?" He questioned. Serena noticed him looking at her ears. She hesitated for a moment before she gave him a slight nod. The boy stepped forward and touched the she-elf's ears. "They're so pretty." The little boy smiled. A little girl ran past them. She stood in front of Asher. The tall, brunette werewolf looked down at her. "What?" He said. Misty, who stood beside him, slapped the back of his head harshly. "What was that for?" He asked her. "Be nice!" She snapped at him. "Are you a pirate?" The little girl asked him. Asher looked at the little girl again. He knelt down in front of her. "No, I am a werewolf." He answered her honestly. The little girl's eyes widened. "Really?" She asked excitedly. Asher was slightly taken back by her reaction. She wasn't scared of him? He turned his head to look at Misty again. She shrugged in response. "Is it true that you can make your eyes glow?" The little girl questioned. Asher turned to the little girl again. His eyes lit up in a bright golden color. "Cool!" The little girl smiled.

As more children gathered around, Serena turned her attention back to Orlando. He was chatting with some of the adults that also came along. She stood up again. Elliot quickly grabbed her hand before she could walk off. The she-elf smiled at the little boy as they walked over to Orlando. "Are you a princess?" Elliot asked her. Serena furrowed her eyebrows. "How did you know that?" She asked him. Elliot shrugged. "Your weapons. They're very elegant. Antonio always said that's what the high elves used to have." He answered. Antonio. She had completely forgotten about him. Was she supposed to bring that up? Where was he? "Orlando," Serena started as she reached him. Orlando held up his hand. "Just one second." He said sweetly. He turned back to a man standing by them. "So he just set the place on fire?" Orlando asked. The man nodded in response. "He searched all of our houses. He's looking for you." He explained. Orlando sighed and put his hand over his eyes. "This is bad. This is really, really, bad." He said. "And there's something else you should see." The man tells him.