RE:WRITE

9.0 Ignis_Chapter 3: Anger

I crashed into a mountain and the blurring scenery vanished. The darkness let me collect my thoughts.

What do I do? How do I get back? I need t-

The absolute darkness gave way to a flashing blur as I came out of the other side of the mountain. My thoughts scattered until I was no longer able to think coherently.

Why did they have to call me now? Why couldn't I resist their call? If I'd just been able to resist for a second or two...

Why was I so weak and powerless? Why couldn't I choose for myself? First the haze and now this? Was I a puppet meant to dance around at the whims of others?

I couldn't form these questions in my mind, but they tortured me nonetheless.

I felt guilty. I was the one who used magic I didn't understand. I was the one who lit up the forest and the night sky. That monster found us because of me and Jeffi and Yunni were in danger because of my actions.

I felt despair and helplessness, because I couldn't think of a way to save them. I didn't know how this 'summoning' worked. Were they calling out to me? Was it some sick, perverted joke by a higher being? I didn't know.

But most of all, I felt anger. Overwhelming anger. Anger at whatever force or being it was that was controlling my actions. Anger at whoever it was that forced me to leave the children right when they needed me most. And anger at myself for putting them in that situation and failing to save them.

Soon, anger began to consume my other emotions. I was angry at my helplessness. I was angry at my guilt. I was angry at myself for allowing those emotions from blinding me from my objective.

I felt my anger burst forth, as if it had manifested in my blood and was gushing through my body. Anger flooded through my mind and cleared it until there was only one thought left.

I need to protect them!

I tried everything. I lashed out with my fists, I flared the energy that I had used to fight the ape monster and I tried shouting as hard as I could.

STOP!

And I did.

I tumbled for several miles until I managed to drag me feet across the ground. As soon as I stopped, I rushed back through the trail of broken trees and rocks. My anger was fueling me, driving me faster and faster through the forests and mountains.

I'd left a fiery trail of destruction behind me but luckily it didn't seem like I'd through a town or a village and the fire proved useful in showing me the way across the plains where there were no broken trees or shattered rocks to follow.

-

A sea of flames greeted me as I reached the forest where I'd last seen Jeffi and Yunni. I searched around, wildly cutting across the burning the trees while shouting their names.

The night wore on, the gentle moonlight ravaged by the light of the flames devouring the forest. Black ash and burning embers floated through the air, burning branches fell from above and the cries of animals and monsters rang through the night.

But I still couldn't find them.

My anger intensified and so did my frantic searching. Were they already dead? Were their corpses being devoured by the flames? Were their ashes floating above my head?

And then I saw it.

A scruffy brown haired boy holding up a burning tree with his back. A little girl covered in burns lying on the ground beneath him.