I do not own Chaotic nor anything related to it. It belongs to TCDigital.
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The Fire
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The college is completely ablaze when I get there. Already there are chains of Mipedians rushing water to the building from the oasis, while Humans bringing their own private stores of pure water in hopes that they can make at least some difference. Those Mipedians gifted enough to manipulate water are putting their whole being into containing the blaze.
Despite everyone's best efforts, some surrounding buildings have also caught flame. People are being evacuated, and more and more water is brought in.
"Hera!" I bellow, searching through the crowd of people. "Has anyone seen Hera!"
"Osiris!" cries out Sobtjek's voice.
I make my way to where I had heard Sobtjek's voice. "What happened?"
Sobtjek's scales look scorched, but he's otherwise unharmed. "One of the new students stole a mugicsphere and attempted to cast without any practice or precautions. He messed the casting up horribly."
I look around. Many of the younger students are huddled together, and the older students appear to being helping put out the fire. "Is this everyone?"
"No." There's pain in Sobtjek's face as he says it, and for a moment my heart stops. "The new student was at the very center of the blast; he was killed instantly, as well as those immediately around him. The fire took a few of the teachers who were helping these students escape."
"Where's Hera?!" I grab Sobtjek's shoulders and shake him. "Where's my daughter?!"
"She was on the third floor," Sobtjek wheezes through my shaking. "Nobody's seen her since the fire started."
My blood turns ice cold. The third floor of the college is completely engulfed in flames. I let go of Sobtjek and shout, "I need an ice cloak! Now!"
"They're on the way!" a voice shouts.
"They're not coming fast enough!" I bellow.
I hear a scream nearby. "He just ran in there! Tiaane just ran in!"
I barely register what was just said. Ten of the longest seconds pass, and then I see someone run up with a bundle of deep blue cloaks. I snatch the top one off and wrap it around my shoulders as I run towards the blaze.
The moment that it's almost too hot for me to handle, the cloak's cloth becomes large, lightweight slabs of ice, and the air around me chills dramatically. I run straight through a wall of flame and into the building.
Even with the protection of the ice cloak, the air threatens to choke me. I duck below the curtain of smoke collecting at the ceiling and rush forwards, towards the large central stairs. Over the roar of the fire, I can hear feet landing heavily on wood.
I catch up to Tiaane on the second floor. The stairs to the third floor have partially collapsed, leaving a huge gap between the floor and the bottommost intact step.
Tiaane coughs and covers his mouth with his violet cloak. It's on fire. He doesn't seem to notice. "Hera!" he shouts. "Hera! Answer me!"
"Hera!" I shout as well. If she can't hear us...
Tiaane charges for the gap in the stairs and leaps, his hands catching on the bottom step. Flames lick at his scales as he climbs up, and he almost falls as the stairs start to give way. He clambers up the stairs, barely grabbing hold of the next step as the one he's on snaps and falls.
I can't get up now. Wait, the pillar the stairs go around, I can climb what little wood remains there. I cling to the pillar and hoist myself up. The fire scorches my fingers where I make direct contact with embers and flames, but I still climb up.
It's a horribly long minute's climb to the top. Tiaane makes it a few moments before I do, and he's on his hands and knees, coughing and gasping for breath. I'm on top on the pillar, but there's no easy way for me to get off, the floor looks about to collapse from the damage it's taken.
The smoke clears for just a second, and I see her. Hera, lying in the middle of the room just ahead of us. Crumbled stone lies around her head, a heavy piece of ceiling tile. There's a nasty cut on her forehead. She's not moving.
"Hera!" I scream. Please don't be dead, please!
Tiaane looks up, then gets to his feet and drags himself over to Hera. He collapses in a coughing fit a few feet away.
I'm still looking for a way off the pillar. If I stand on the ruined floor, I'll drop all the way back to the bottom floor again.
Tiaane climbs to his feet, keeping his head below the smoke. The walls threaten to grab him, and they're traveling towards Hera as well.
I hear a crack. Stones drop from the ceiling around Tiaane and Hera, and the room starts to empty of smoke. The choking gas clears, escaping through cracks in the ceiling.
The ceiling above Hera sags. It'll give way-
CRACK!
Tiaane throws himself over Hera, and I watch in horror as they're buried in debris.
Another crack, this one below me. The pillar starts to tilt forward, breaking through burning floor until it comes to a stop on a patch of untouched wood. I leap off, and the pillar slides sideways, taking out a wall on its way down.
I scramble to the debris and start clearing it away. I uncover Tiaane's horns, then his head.
"Keep digging," he coughs.
He doesn't need to tell me twice. I scoop handfuls of scorching rock and wood away until I can see Hera. She's completely untouched. Tiaane's body is forming a barrier between the burning debris and her.
I grab under my daughter's shoulders and drag her away. When she's free, Tiaane's arms give out, and he lands heavily on his chest.
He gasps, "Cold... She needs cold."
I grab for the ice cloak I'm wearing and remove it, and immediately the heat of the air almost suffocates me. I press the icy cloak against Hera.
Hera gasps loudly, the shock of the ice pulling her from unconsciousness. She coughs, then looks up. "Daddy?" she says weakly.
"You're okay," I gasp, barely able to breathe. "Tiaane, she's okay!" I leave the cloak on Hera as I approach Tiaane, ready to dig him out as well.
The floor below me suddenly drops an inch.
Tiaane's eyes widen. "Get back!" he shouts.
I reflexively step backwards, and suddenly, the floor right in front of me is gone.
Hera screams. "No!" She scrambles to the edge.
I stand and stare as Tiaane drops along with the floor, stopping abruptly as he hits the floor below, then falling further as that too gives way. There's a loud crash.
Tiaane is lying motionless, partially buried in all the rubble that fell with him. The flames are quickly closing around him.
Hera throws the ice cloak at me. "Get down," she hisses as she raises her arms.
The ceiling is gone, so the sky is clearly visible. In an instant, heavy clouds roll in, blotting out the sun. Hera screams loud and brings her arms down, as if she was pulling the sky down on top of her.
First there was fire. Now there is rain.
Water pours from the sky in sheets, instantly extinguishing the fire as it hits it. The floors quickly flood, putting out the fires not directly open to the sky.
Through it all, Hera screams. Water pours down as if she were crying. I quickly realize that she is.
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Tiaane lies in the rubble, eyes closed. There's floodwater up to his chest. His clothes have been completely incinerated, and there are nasty burns all over his body. An open wound just below his left eye is bleeding heavily.
Hera digs him out furiously. Rubble and watch spray out as she scoops handfuls of it away. She's sobbing the whole time, "Don't die, don't die, don't die..."
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Most mugic cannot actually heal. Mugic people are familiar with granting Energy in the show and card really only do that, give the energy to press on through injuries. The only known mugic with the ability to mend bone, knit skin and muscle, and repair organs is the M'arrillian mugic Fleshshaper's Shanty, almost all of which were used by the M'arrillians during the M'arrillian War.
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It's been two days since the fire. Hera has barely left Tiaane's side in all that time, only leaving when a doctor absolutely needs her out of the way.
Tiaane's eyes eventually open. Hera cries again, this time with joy.
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Up next: The Father of the Bride
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