Twisted Reality AU

Chapter 3

Aaron, stay awake. The surroundings seeped in as Aaron reopened his eyes. He must have fallen unconscious.  Every body part ached, and he could feel himself drifting back asleep. Slowly, he moved his left arm, feeling a greasy substance coating his elbow. "What the--" Aaron shifted his head and noticed the pool of oil spread across the office floor, with his body sitting in it.

He tried to recall the last thing he saw before blacking out, but it was all fuzzy. He did remember Alex in here, talking something ridiculous. His palms were greased in Oil, and partly shifted his thinking. Why is the floor covered in this?  He took a whiff of it, and figured it was the gasoline for the quillarity vehicles. Did Alex just spill this on the way out? His left arm seemed numb, unable to move. Aaron hoisted himself up however, and tried not to slip. Where was Alex now?, he thought. Standing up wasn't the best choice however, immediately making him dizzy so Aaron wobbled over to the chair.

Maybe he could just relax here on the chair. Yeah, sounds good. Alex isn't here anymore, so he's safe. Hopefully.

_ _ _

Alex knelt down and moved the sparked lighter to the gasoline which has now seeped all across the Palace floors. All it took was a simple brush of the igniter against the oil before everything had burst into flames. Large blazing fire coursed through the hallways and stairs setting any trace of oil ablaze.

The head mage stepped back as the fire raged in front of him. A grin crept upon his face, while he watched any closeby furniture catch on flames. The collared or frozen guards quickly caught on fire yelling and screaming to somehow pat it off them. It didn't take long for the air to smoke up. The gasoline only made the air more thick, and humid. It wasn't going to be long until the structure began collapsing.

Yes...I..I just did this, Alex thought. An overwhelming feeling of accomplishment coursed through him. Ha! I just did this! He stepped back once more, watching everything burn. Oh what a delight! His eyes reflected the bright orange flames, his smile not fading as any chandeliers or hanging furniture came crashing down. It was a lovely feeling, the power he felt. Alex couldn't help but break into laughter and joy. This was amazing! Satisfied, Alex left the palace, absolutely at joy with himself.

_ _ _

Samheed paused, just about to cast a soliloquy. He could hear some distant crackling and smell the faintest bit of smoke. He glanced at Lani and the others who also shared similar expressions. Their suspicions were answered once they heard the screaming. Samheed glanced around, and spotted the large palace, now caught on Fire.

Everyone in the Skirmish paused, all eyed to the Palace. "Retreat! Save anyone inside the Palace!" The General yelled. Any Quillarity soldiers that were not under a spell left the Artimeans, chasing towards the Palace.

"Wait..." Samheed said, watching the Quillarity head towards the building. "Isn't Alex in there?!" Meghan, also came to the realization.

"Shoot, You're right Sam! Florence, Samheed and I are heading to get Alex. Let's scram out of here before the whole place is consumed in flames. Aaron must have done this!" exclaimed Meghan. She shot off her last backward bobbly head at any remaining guards that still picked up a fight.

"And Quill? We're letting it burn?" asked Lani. "We must have some spell to put out the Fire!" Florence, took consideration of the moment and called for Sky.

"Yes Meghan, go ahead! Meet us back at the gate. Lani, Sky and I will figure something out. Let's make sure Alex is retrieved safely first." Florence instructed. Everybody nodded and split up. Quill, which was already hot, blazed in heat. The air fogged up in smoke. Meghan and Samheed chased behind the quillarity towards the Palace while Lani, Sky, and Florence, paced towards the gate.

The closer they got to the Palace, the thicker the air got. Smoke poured out from cracking windows. The whole structure started crumbling. The remains of the Quillitary broke out into plans not even noticing Alex by the building. Meghan and Samheed kept up their pace. "Meghan, I think I see him..!" Samheed exclaimed, letting out a sigh of relief. Meghan smiled in response, though kept her eyes forward.

Alex wafted the musty air, and continued his walk towards wherever Florence's team was. He was ready to head home, and watch the panic arise in Quill once everything sets ablaze. That's when he noticed the two figures running forward. The air was thick, but he could make out the figures. Meghan and Samheed!

Alex had forgotten about his annoyance towards them when he set everything on fire. Now, he couldn't wait to tell them his accomplishment. "Alex! You're okay!" Meghan yelled, just approaching Alex. "Right?"

Samheed, and Meghan pounced a hug on Alex, catching him off guard.

"Of course I'm alright. Isn't this amazing?" said Alex, pushing the two off him. They could hear the fire crackle from the building behind them, along with soft crumbling.

"Amazing? That Jerk set this place on fire. Didn't he realize this is their only home! I'm so glad you're okay." Meghan sighed. Alex's expression shifted.  Meghan was referring to Aaron.

"You think that coward started this fire?" Alex scoffed. Samheed raised an eyebrow, and glanced at Meghan. "The fire is good Meghan. Now Quill has nowhere else to go. They'll have to deal with it just like us when Artime...fell. It's perfect." Meghan looked back at Samheed and then Alex, putting two and two together.

"Alex, you started this...purposely?" Samheed said, even though he already knew the answer. Without waiting for a response, Samheed shoved Alex back and shook his head. "Alex, you really set Quill on Fire?!"

Meghan scoffed, unable to believe this moment. She looked at Alex disapprovingly and lifted her shirt over her mouth, as the air has gotten unbearable.

"Are the screams from inside the building not making you guilty? All the innocent deaths you are causing?" chided Meghan, following a cough. "I'm heading in to save Aaron. The Quillarity are most likely going to save the others. You...you deal with him Samheed."

Samheed nodded. She shook her head at Alex, and ran inside. Alex gritted his teeth. That building was going to collapse any second, but oh well.

"You know I had to do this since NONE of you guys could do your simple job right! I wanted war, not a Playdate!" Alex snapped. He grabbed Samheed's hand and pulled him away from the structure. "Now, let's get away from this building!"

Samheed shook his hand out of Alex. "No Alex, why are you so okay with this? Don't you realize what you're doing? This isn't you!"

"Samheed, stop being stubborn and get away from the building!" Samheed wasn't budging. Alex let out a sharp sigh, and tugged on Samheed's arm pulling him forward. "I'm trying to save your life, dammit." Alex muttered. They had gotten out far enough. But before Samheed could continue his argument, the loud sounds of rubble interrupted.

Alex and Samheed stepped back as the Palace groaned, it's exterior collapsing. What was the second floor collapsed on the first, and in only a few minutes the Palace was now just a mush of rubble.