Flames raged, Hitsu stared, and Nox felt hopeless. She could feel her brain going into overdrive as a plethora of different ideas, explanations, and plans filled her head. The problem was she had no idea which one was the best.
Should she try to put out the flames herself? Would putting out the flames all at once harm the girl inside the house? Should she help Hitsu? What was wrong with him anyway? What else could she do to break him from his trance? Should she do a dance to allow her to run through the flames? How would she get the girl out? How sturdy is the house with the raging flames? How much time did she have left? What could she do? What should she do? What can she do?
Nox's flurry of conflicting thoughts was silenced in a moment when Nox noticed an eerie detail. As she listened she noticed that a fundamental sound was missing from her surroundings. Despite a raging fire burning only meters away from Nox, she couldn't hear a thing. There was no crackle of the flames, no creaking of weakened wood, there was nothing.
Slowly Nox turned her head and gasped. The flames sat frozen in time, not a single spark dared move. Despite the flames stillness what scared Nox the most was the temperature. Nox could feel the air around her growing hotter and hotter as if the world was warning her. Overwhelmed by fear and her own brain screaming to run, Nox pushed Hitsu's to the ground where she fell directly next to him.
Not a moment later the flames in the house shot out of the door. They flew over Nox and Hitsu like a phoenix. Nox followed the flames with her fear-filled eyes to see what controlled them in such a way. Her eyes landed on a person she had seen just minutes ago, they landed on the armed man from the alleyway. The flames came to him like a trained pet, gathering around his body, in his hands, and inside his mouth.
It was then that Nox was able to get a better look at the armed man. Nox realized he was actually more likely around her and Hitsu's ages, a relatively young face hid under his hood. His clothes consisted of a dirty and old sweatshirt, jeans, and shoes. Through the light of the flames, Nox could make out black hair and fiery red eyes. What held Nox's attention though was the blades peeking out from the sleeves of his sweatshirt, one of those blades threatening a man's life just minutes ago.
Nox watched as the last of the flames left the house. They flowed into his skin, into his palms, and down his throat until nothing remained. The man's skin glowed a vibrant orange for several moments and he grimaced in pain before returning to normal. Just as soon as the fire had started it had been put out, not by a hero but by a bandit.
It took several moments but Nox soon realized that the flames were no longer alive. She looked to the house to see it now empty, black scorch marks covered the walls and doorframe but the house was no longer burning. Remembering her goal Nox turned back to Hitsu only to see he was now broken from his trance. The two met eyes and quickly scrambled to their feet. The two dashed to the door of the house, both desperate to save the girl inside.
"Wait!" Hitsu said suddenly as he threw his arm in front of Nox stopping her from entering the house.
"What is it?" Nox asked.
"The fire might have weakened the house's support," Hitsu explained, "it's dangerous to just rush inside." Hitsu motioned to the charred stairway that led to the house's second floor. "If she's up there the floor might not hold."
"What should we do then?" Nox asked.
Hitsu answered by putting forward his hand. From his palm pink neon shot out in the shape of a disk that floated inches above the ground. Hitsu carefully stepped onto the pink disk before he turned to Nox.
"I'll make sure the girl is okay," Hitsu said, "you and Juno handle the crowd and the parents."
With those words, Hitsu moved his hand forward and the disk followed. Nox watched him disappear into the house before she looked down to Juno at her feet.
"Come on Juno," she said, "let's go have a chat with our friend out there."
The two turned and looked at the bandit who was in the process of walking away. He made it several more steps before a sudden arrival of a giant cat impeded his escape. With Juno now in front of him the bandit turned around only to find Nox behind him.
"Don't leave so soon," Nox said with a threatening tone, "we want to discuss something."
"My baby!" a woman shouted causing the three to look back to the house.
Hitsu walked out of the house with a young girl in his arms. The girl looked scared as she clung to him but she seemed unharmed. Upon hearing her mother's shout the girl's face lit up and Hitsu gently set her down. He watched as the girl ran to her worried parents with a smile, a smile that quickly faded when he looked in Nox's direction. With nowhere to run the bandit simply waited as Hitsu walked to Nox's side. Once there all fell quiet, the air growing tense.
"I didn't think we would be seeing you so soon," Hitsu said to the bandit.
"You looked like you needed help doing your job," the bandit replied coldly.
"So it was you who put out the fire," Hitsu confirmed, "care to explain why?"
The bandit didn't respond, he stared at the ground like a scolded child.
"You try to rob a man but then put out a fire?" Nox said, "I don't understand you."
"I think I do," Hitsu said as his smile returned, this time smugger.
"Alright you three," Hitsu said as he turned and began to walk away, "let's go."
"Three?" Nox said surprised, "where are we going?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Hitsu asked as he looked over his shoulder. His smile shined brightly at Nox and the confused bandit.
"We're going back to the guildhall."
...
End of Episode 30