Roots - A Freedom Fighters Origin Fanfiction

- Chapter 1 -

"You'll be safe down here," my father said, lowering him into the well. 

"Is mom going to be okay?" I asked shakily, fear pulsing through me. 

"She'll be fine," he looked me dead in the eyes. I could barely see him with all the smoke surrounding us. 

"But I want to help! I can fight!" I choked out.

 He sadly shook his head. "I love you," he said before dropping me at the bottom of the well and running off. 

I collapsed onto the ground and tucked my legs into my knees. I couldn't stop coughing, even with the small amount of smoke that could sneak its way downward. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I imagined what could happen to my parents and my town. Sounds of screaming above me and fire roaring were overwhelming. I covered my ears and sobbed, taking quicker breaths. 

I didn't realize how long I was down there until I smoke died down and the screaming stopped. I lifted my head and crawled out slowly, my small body trembling with fear. The remains of smoke and ash crept into my lungs, making it difficult to breathe still. 

As I looked around, all I could see was destruction. Houses that were once full of life and laughter were now just ash-covered ruins. 

"Mom! Dad!" I screamed, hoping to hear their voices calling back to me. But all I could hear was the eerie silence of the burnt-out town. I searched frantically for any sign of them, but all I found were charred remains. It was then that it hit me - any one of these unrecognizable bodies could be my parents. Tears streamed down my face as I realized the enormity of what had happened. My heart felt heavy with grief and fear.

As I turned the corner, my heart froze.  2 hooked swords lay frail on the ground. My mother's swords. Multiple corpses lay in its radius.

Any one of these... could be her. I picked them up. They were heavy but it didn't stop me. No one was left. I could barely breathe. I crumbled to the ground, my eyes too blurry and legs too weak to keep me up.  The swords made a clanging noise as they collided with the earth. There was only one thing I could think to do. 

After a while, I struggled back up to my feet and picked the swords up off the ground. The world around me was in shambles, buildings reduced to nothing but smoldering ruins and ash. I frantically searched through the wreckage, grabbing anything I could find that might offer me even a shred of protection. I clutched the swords in one hand as I carried all my tiny body could.  

Then, I ran. I sprinted as fast as my legs could carry me. Ash came up from the ground as my feet rubbed against it.  The thick scent of smoke filled the air, making it harder for my breath to spread energy into the rest of my body. I reached the outskirts of the village, continuing to run through the fields that once grew the crops that kept us all alive. That doesn't matter anymore. 

I closed my eyes as they continued to swell with tears and didn't open them until the area I was in was unrecognizable. I ran for what felt like forever, but the adrenaline rushing through me wouldn't let me stop. Before I knew it I couldn't take it anymore and collapsed once again.

 I gazed in front of me, the wind barely letting me see because of the hair in front of my face. An expansive forest rested in front of me. The trees were tall and thick, their leaves a deep shade of gorgeous crimson. It was both beautiful and eerie at the same time. 

I hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath heaving myself to my feet. I walked up to it, making it harder for me to look up at the red leaves. I cautiously stepped into the forest, the ground soft beneath my feet. The air was cooler here, and the sunlight filtered through the canopy into diamond shapes on the dirt. Here, there was no more smoke, no more fire. No more sense of pain wafting around me. I dropped everything I was carrying to the floor and took in everything in front of me. My eyelids were heavy and I was still crying. The fallen leaves that piled on the ground caught me as I felt my consciousness slipping away.