A small crowd had started forming around the Oriental shop, witnessing two grown men bickering over a tea set for shits and giggles. The children had huddled together, barring their conflicting opinions, they knew when to mingle with people of their level and size.
Tibetha stood quite blankly in the midst of it all, not enjoying the feeling of actually enjoying the scene that unfolded before her. A latent part of her brain sent jitters along her hands for she had never witnessed anything like this in the nineteen years of her life.
It was loud, it was petty, it was entertaining.
Until Emir grabbed hold of the blonde man's accusatory finger and gently brought it away from Alzack's face. He slotted himself between the two and cleared his throat with diplomacy, "Since the set isn't even for sale, why don't you both channel this unbridled competition away from the kids? This is not going to earn either of you any good reputation."
His words earned him a grunt from Alzack and a cold hard stare from the blonde man. Emir was quick to conclude that this was not about reputation at all.
The shopkeeper, feeling like a protagonist caught in a love triangle, continued in lieu, "Ye-ah, I should just remove it from display. I-uh, only placed it to bring more cust—"
"No!" The blonde man shouted as soon as the shopkeeper's hands touched the set. Tibetha's peripherals got distracted by a small metal ball rolling in perspective.
Everything happened too quick.
Chills ran down Tibetha's spine as cold smoke began consuming her vision, blurring her view of Emir and everyone else. Coughs resonated all around her, along with the haphazard shuffling of feet. Words, shouts, words, screams.
"The kids!" She heard Emir shout, though she could see nothing but a dark grey fog that made her eyes burn. Something fell, something shattered, somewhere someone impaled the wood with a sword.
She could hear a blade cutting through the fog as her knees gave in and she fell to the cobblestone floor, considering herself lucky for not being a recipient of stampede.
"If you unleash your power, you can clear the smoke and save the kids," reminded the scratchy voice in her head. Tibetha sucked in a breath of exasperation and it burned her nostrils and throat. She coughed violently, further crumbling to the floor— would Emir save her?
"Save yourself," the scratchy voice insisted.
Someone ran over her, stepping on the ends of her robe and jumping over her body. A sword flung into perspective, its blade coloured with someone's blood, and fell in front of her with a loud thud.
Would it be better if she saved herself? Or would she kill everyone else in consequence?
The last time she tried to protect herself, people died. Is her life worth all those deaths? Why wouldn't Emir save her? Were the kids okay?
Her eyes zoned in on the bloodied sword. The droplets trickled into the crevices of the cobblestone, becoming one with the earth. Someone ran past her, stepping over the bloodied swords and leaving a trail of bloody footprints as they ran.
"You are beautiful too, with your cap down," the shy kid's words echoed through her mind.
Even if her life was not worth the effort, theirs surely was.
"Good decision. Such a good decision," coaxed the voice in her head.
With shaky fingers, Tibetha ungloved her hands. Her heart thundered so fast that she could barely hear it beat in its cavity. Instead, it felt slow and torturous and agonizing as she felt the sweat disappear from her hands and black flames engulf them.
The flames rose, burning through the fog around her and dissipating the internal burn and turmoil. As her vision cleared, she saw curled up bodies laying all around her. They were men, women and children, who had been enjoying the bicker tournament, all seemingly passed out. None of them seemed stabbed. Then, whose blood was on the sword?
There were no signs of Emir, Alzack or the blonde guy.
There were barely any signs of life but the occasional clink of swords or the distant screams. Was Emir safe?
She crossed over the bodies, following the sound of action as the flames began to engulf most of her hands. The festival was deserted and suddenly it all felt too much like home.
Off the course of the road and further into the inhabited valley, she spotted the blood drenched shirt of Alzack. He was kneeling over the soil with his head bent and Tibetha's breath hitched for over his head— the blonde guy was about to swing his sword.
"NOO!" she screamed and he looked her in the eye.
Her fire travelled faster than her, searing a burning trail over the leaves and erupting underneath the Alzack and the blonde man. He screamed and Tibetha ran towards him. Every step she took burned, creating a contagious fire behind her.
Alzack toppled forward with his face in the burning soil.
Control, control, control Tibetha, CONTROL.
THEY WOULD ALL DIE AT THIS RATE.
The blonde man withered to the ground as well and Tibetha came to an abrupt stop, panicking as she tried to open and closer her fist to stop the fire. It did not work. Though, her panic increased the intensity of flames around her.
STOP IT. DO SOMETHING. ANYTHING.
Suddenly, an arrow impaled her right side. Pain coursed through her body, rendering her powerless. Tibetha's flames died out as she fell to the charred leaves with a groan. Everything hurted.
"Master! Master! I tried to be as stealthy as I could! But you were turning into A-grade Cerberus food and something told me you wouldn't like that in the long run!" A voice exclaimed in exasperation and a lanky frame ran past her.
Tibetha felt arms grabbing her by her shoulders and pulling her up. She tried to resist but a familiar voice hushed her to calmness.
"Hey, its okay, its me," Emir whispered in her ear as he pulled Tibetha's limp frame in his lap. It was warm. "You'll be fine, I'm going to pull it out, okay?" He pointed at the arrowhead to which she could only groan.
It'd be better if he left her for dead.
"I'll count to three, we'll run as soon as I pull it out, okay? You'll be fine. It is just like a stab wound at a non critical body part. Think of it as your toe being stubbed but the toe is around your waist and your pain is multiplied by ten fold," he rambled. He'd be a horrible paramedic. At least he was safe.
Tibetha scoffed a smile and nodded, not having much hope for herself or words.
She craned her neck to look at Alzack and the others, in order to distract herself, but what she saw had her quite shocked. Alzack was still on the ground, probably passed out, but the blonde guy stood beside him as healthy and glowing as the day he was born. He seemed to be lecturing another lanky dude as he shuffled around in his bag for something.
As if having sensed her stare, the blonde guy snapped his neck to look at her. His bright blue eyes sparkled under the moonlight with a strange mirth — as if he wasn't being burned alive mere moments ago — and an ominous smile overtook his face.
It brought chills down her spine.
"Look back," he mouthed. Emir pulled out the arrowhead. Tibetha screamed, snapping her neck to look back. Her senses numbed the pain.
"It's okay, you'll be fine, you'll be fine," Emir chanted but his words seemed to drown under the racing footsteps of soldiers running towards them.
Finally, help?
"CAPTURE THE LASS!" one of them shouted.
Why did she even try with hope?
Tibetha's hand gripped Emir's arm, eyes widened with alarm. She wanted to speak run, groan out run, shout run, but words never made out of her mouth. The familiar feeling of her hands burning in the face of crises came over.
She wiggled and rolled out of Emir's lap, he allowed it because he seemed to have caught on the situation. The blonde guy and his lackey were long gone.
"FREE THE HOSTAGE OR WE KILL YOU, WITCH!" One of the men shouted.
Tibetha gulped. Why had she not thought about it? Nothing was in her favour today.
"SHE IS NO WITCH! SHE'S A CIVILIAN! A VICTIM! I WILL PROVIDE TESTIMONY!" Emir shouted back. Well, at least Emir was.
"LIES! WE HAVE WITNESSES!"
Tibetha's head spun and she tried to keep her panic at bay. But they were walking towards her with careful steps, bows and arrows strained, flame torches raised over their heads.
It scared her.
So, her hands started burning.
But this time, she saw the arrow racing against time to end her. Would this be the end for her?
In hindsight, she could have stopped it with a flick of her hand.
But she did not.
Instead, she witnessed the horror of Emir jumping in front of her and his neck being impaled.