Ivory Chronicles

Act I - Catalyst Revolt Part 6

GLIMPSE OF CHAOS

As we speed towards Urices or Root City, as the foreigners called it, reports of the fire grew more urgent. Nicholas pushes the car to its limits, going over 100mph. I can feel fear creeping into my chest, but I know Nicholas is more afraid of arriving too late to stop Max.

The traffic in the Capitol is at a standstill, but Nicholas doesn't head towards it. Instead, he swerves onto the median and drives against traffic, pulling into an abandoned parking lot on the opposite side. I was startled and asked him, "Are we going to walk there? That's going to take forever. We won't make it in time."

Nicholas confidently exits the car and leads me down an abandoned alley. "Massimo is not over there. I got a feeling that's a diversion. Follow me." I trust him and follow along, trying to keep up as he sprints ahead. The smell of smoke grows stronger and stronger, something started burning nearby not too long ago as black clouds emerged from afar.

Finally, we emerge from the alley and I see a large, stadium-shaped building illuminated by bright letters spelling out "Fine Arts." Bo'caní, a small plaza with many buildings around, very close together, each with its own unique activities, bars, restaurants, exotic dancers, anything to keep the people going, that's where we are. I call out for Nicholas and hear his voice on the opposite side of the building. I run towards him, but the thick smoke and crowds of people make it difficult to see.

Out of the crowd and into the street with two buildings already ablaze, their flames casting a hellish glow on everything around. I looked around, trying to guess which one Nicholas had gone into, but there was no sign of him.

People were running in every direction, screaming and crying, and the sound of sirens echoed in the distance. My heart was pounding hard, as I tried to make sense of the situation.

I scanned the area when suddenly I saw movement near the building on the left and sprinted towards it, dodging the people running from it.

As I entered the burning building, I finally saw who I presumed was Max, standing in the middle of the room, flames dancing around him. He had wavy brown hair and a brooding appearance, and eyes filled with anger. "I'm destroying everything that feeds them," he said. "I'll do whatever it takes, and you know exactly how to stop them, even if it hurts us more in the end." The flames grew larger and more agitated.

Nicholas screamed at Max to stop, but Max vanished in the flames. Nicholas hesitated, torn between going after Max or saving the people still inside the building. Then, his eyes closed for a moment, and a burst of icy mist came out of his body. The surrounding fire died down a little, but it wasn't enough. Nicholas continued to release icy mist from his body and hands, while I helped the people trapped inside. I felt like I had an icy shield protecting me from the heat of the flames.

After what felt like an eternity, we managed to get everyone out of the building. I grabbed Nicholas, who was cold and shivering. I took off my buttoned shirt and wrapped it around him. "Are you okay?" I asked, concerned.

Nicholas gave me a thumbs up, his teeth chattering from the cold. "Have I told you, I hate the cold?" he said.

As we emerged from the burning building, I noticed a crowd of people, their cameras and phones out, recording us. A news crew was setting up nearby, and a woman with what seemed like a microphone was approaching us. Suddenly, I felt a slight breeze and a hand on my back. I turned around and saw Ivory, with her face grim and her bright green hair standing out even the lights of the flames, grabbing both Nicholas and me. In an instant, we were teleported back to Nicholas' house.

Upon being teleported back to the house, I could feel tension in the air. Alba rushed over to Nicholas, hovering around him to make sure he was okay. I noticed Gustavo sitting in the corner, not moving an inch to help. I got up and turned to Ivory who was pacing back and forth, her face twisted with anger.