Everyone froze as Gi's head fell to the ground. Rolling a few times.
For a moment, no one moved as they're mind processed what's happening. Their priestess, Gi, was dead. And the one who's killed her was the newly 'Chosen' kid, named Clay.
That was what's running on everyone's thoughts but then they heard a voice that brought them back to reality.
"Subdue him quickly!" It was their Chieftain, Quin, who gave the order. Hearing that, everyone screamed and fell into a panic. The guards of the shrine immediately left their post and ran towards Clay, but much faster than them, Lei was already upon Clay. Ready to throw a punch.
Dein watched all of this unfold in mere seconds. To no one's knowledge, he is still inside the shrine, hiding.
He saw Lei about to reached Clay's echo and throw a punch so he ordered it. And in the next moment, Lei fell sideways as he avoided the wooden sword flying at him.
Not metaphorically, literally. Dein had ordered the echo to throw the sword to buy time. Then, it ran, carrying the sack containing wood and well… Clay's dead body.
The echo ran past Clara who's still frozen. Unable to think straight as she watched her 'brother' throw a rampage. The echo erupted with incredible strength as it lifted the sack and threw it on one of the beam support that allowed the bonfire to stand.
The beam went out of place because of the sack.
Losing one beam to stabilize it, the bonfire swayed and the interlocking logs started coming undone one after another, until finally, it toppled to the ground.
The people looked up, running in panic as all hell broke loose in the tribe.
But they were all too late, the giant bonfire fell right on their head. Countless burning wood and logs flying everywhere. Everything those feiry woods touched started burning with startling speed.
The run around, screaming as they burned. The huts, tree houses and everything went on fire.
In a span of mere moments, everything was burning and so was everyone.
The only people who managed to survive was those in the opposite direction of where the bonfire fell. But they were in a panic as well.
Seeing this, Dein smiled. "Come on, go ahead and burn bastards…"
[What is it with you and big fires mister?]
The voice of the Little girl in his mind pulled him from his thoughts. Yeah, really, what is it with him and big fires anyway? Ever since coming here, his 'go to' whenever he has to excape is starting a fire.
'well… I don't know? But I should probably stay away from fires when I leave this nightmare huh?'
Dein joked in his mind. Then, finally, he moved.
****
"Arghh!" A burning man scream his lungs out as he slowly died, running.
"H-help… HELPPP…"
Another one screamed of agony, screaming for help. Everywhere, that's all you can hear. Either people's cries of agony or desperate flea for help. Warriors or not, everyone was in a panic and the flame was only growing stronger. Devouring everything.
That was everything that Clara can hear. And in her eyes, everything was burning. She still couldn't fathom what was happening, how it was happening.
Everything unfolded way too fast. The kid whom she treated like her own brother, Clay just survived the battle against the monster and left the shrine victorious. It should be a cause for celebration…
So why did he cut Gi's head off?
Why did he destroy the bonfire? Was that really him? She doesn't know. She can't speak. She can't breathe. And before she knows it, tears were falling down her eyes. Smoke were filling up her lungs as everything she ever knew come undone before her eyes.
"ah… ahh…"
She heard someone gasping for air, she tried to look around, trying to find the person but before she knew it. She's already on the ground. Clutching her throat as she gasp for air.
She seem to hear something on the back of her mind as she felt someone grab her shoulder.
"…Cla…ra …! C… la… ra! We… …to… move…!"
Someone kneeled beside her, saying something to her but Clara can't register their words. She in a state of panic and everything around was slowly moving to the back of her head. She's unable to understand them.
…Or maybe her mind simply refused to.
The person spoke again, this shaking her body. She still can't register anything as she turn to look at this person's blurry face because of her tears that won't stop falling.
"C…Cla…ra …wa…ke up!"
'what are you… talking about?'
Clara barely formed the thought when she felt a sting on her face. The person slapped her, making her ears hear a loud ringing sound. As if coming from inside her mind.
'huh?'
She being shook and Clara blinked a few times. She could finally breathe again and the ringing on her ears grew weaker as well.
She blinked, tears uncontrollably falling from her eyes.
"Ch-chief… chief…" she cried as she finally registered the person on her mind, Quin "w-what is happening chief? Why is… why is everyone dying?!"
She asked between sobs as Quin took her in his arms.
"Breathe Clara, breathe first…"
As Quin comforted her, another voice resounded from behind them. Quin looked up to see a guy full of burned marks. His clothes still on fire. It was Lei.
"L-Lei… you okay?"
But Lei stared at him blankly, his eyes wide as he spoke.
"I-I lost him… I, I lost the kid, he just vanished…"
He suddenly informed them, as if unable to believe even his own words. But of course he can't believe it. He chased the kid down after all, even as he burned but right in front of his eyes, it vanished in a whirlwind of sparks. As if it doesn't exist at all.
Quin also cannot believe was he's hearing but he knew Lei wouldn't lie. Not in this situation. And Quin already knew that being wasn't Clay anymore after all.
Only, Clara was confused as she pulled away from Quin.
"D-dissapeared? Y-you mean Clay? What are you talking about Lei? Tell me what happened to my brother!"
She demanded, still crying as she stared blankly at Lei. Lei, meanwhile, just stared at her with same blank expression. His confident, arrogant demeanor now dissapearing as everything around him burned and stopped making sense.
"I, I don't know…"
Clara was about to ask him questions again but she was stopped by Quin. The only one who did his best to remain compost.
"Stop it. There's no point, questioning everything right now. We have to move! Evacuate everyone who's still alive." He ordered to the two of them. Lei looked down and but Clara will not back down.
"T-then, what about Clay? Are we not going to find him? H-he's my brother, he's probably so scared right now…"
Clara pleaded but Quin simply looked down as he explained something he too don't understand.
"Listen Clara… your brother Clay… he wasn't the one we saw earlier. I saw it with my aspect, that… thing, doesn't have any soul and yet it was moving." He paused, looking at both Lei and Clara's eyes before adding in a slightly terrified tone.
"I-it's not human"
Clara's face sank as she heard those words. She simply cannot accept it unlike Lei who already had an inkling that that 'Clay' is not a human.
Clara spoke again in a pleading tone.
"T-then, if that's not Clay, what happened to him? Where is he right now?"
Quin refused to answer for a while before saying. "I don't know… but I know one thing for sure. That nightmare we brought for Clay to fight…" he paused, looking at the shrine which is now on fire. "…Is definitely still alive."
"That's why we have to leave now… save whoever we can and evacuate."
Quin finally added, handing Clara, whose expression cannot be read, over to Lei. "Let's separate, evacuate everyone still alive. Let's meet North."
He ordered before turning around to leave. Evacuating the people was their top priority now and so they have to leave. That said…
'Where to?'
Quin bit his lip. Running to save his people.