Swallowed completely by a roaring storm of fire, smoke and embers, the city below radiated an immense heat that was felt in the dead of night. Not a star in the sky, not a wisp of the night—the only light was cast by the flames below.
The tides of smoke and flames were dense, and sweat evaporated as it poured while Sem struggled to carry a body out of the fire. From a shrouding blanket of heat, Sem could barely breathe. He grew tired, as he struggled to re-navigate out of the burning city. As he came upon a crossroads, Sem could only assume the path ahead was the way out, but it was filled with a thick wall of black smoke.
"Come on... Hang in there..." he mumbled to both himself and the woman on his back. "We're getting out..."
Seeing a break in the smoke, a hidden path became clear.
He took a step forward—then, reflecting off the glimmer of his gloss covered eyes, five balls of fire rose from the ground before him—taking the form of wraiths engulfed in flames, as they blocked his path.
"More of you...?" Sem hoarsely muttered, as he coughed from the blanket of smoke.
With nowhere safe to go, Sem knelt down, and carefully laid the still woman on the ground.
His eyes flickered with a defensive anger, a territorial bound in his midst.
"You're not going to take her..." he stated with growing determination, as he rose to his feet.
"I may not know what you are, but you WILL leave.. her.. alone!"
Sem turned his stance to face the wisping-flamed beings before him, stomping hard on the ground as he spread out his arms and legs, dragging his feet on the ash covered path. He would be the wall, the shield and protector, of the woman at his feet.
"Get out of our way—!" he shouted ahead, his eyes piercing with a protective intensity.
One after the other, the flaming wraiths vanished from their position, and reappeared inches away one after the next.
As he saw silhouettes of invisible, curved blades emerge through waving flames, Sem quickly reacted as the first blade came slashing down—guiding a trail of fire. Coming down, Sem threw out a sturdy punch as he growled with a fighting determination. His fist passed through the wraith's figure effortlessly, disbursing its flames before the scythe-like silhouette came into contact.
With each of the wraiths appearing before him, a fierce punch was thrown out in rapid succession, disbursing the flaming being around him.
One... two... three... four... five...
Each one had been disbursed, and with each punch, the previous wraith appeared again somewhere behind him—effectively leaving him surrounded with each thrust and turn. They seemed to reappear at random, and as he became surrounded, Sem soon paused his attacks.
"Why do you keep appearing?!" he cried out, feeling as though he was facing an army of these beings.
Before he knew it, hovering over the woman has had been protecting, one of the wraiths began swinging down its wrath.
"I don't think so!" Sem shouted, as he whipped his leg up through the air, twisting his kick behind him.
The blade came down and just as it nearly came in contact with the woman below, Sem's leg was thrust under it, tearing through the being's form. The flames had once again disbursed, and a sharp pain was felt as droplets of blood scattered upon the barely breathing woman. Sem had been cut.
As he dropped down his foot, Sem felt something strange, as the cut was following up with a draining numbness trailing down his limb.
"What—?" he muttered in surprise. "Why is my leg starting to feel heavy?"
He had no time to speculate however, as the adrenaline heightening his senses caused his skin to tingle, for each of the wraiths were coming in for the attack all around him. Catching the slightest movement from the corner of his eye clear as day, Sem shouted, tenses every muscle in his being as he swiftly thrust his leg around again with everything he had. A cyclone kick was performed, ripping through each of the wraiths, and as his leg rose higher disbursed them into a vortex of flames.
This time, each of the infernal wraiths materialized back ahead, once again blocking their path.
Sem was shaking, but it wasn't out of weakness.
The aggrevation within him had skyrocketed, and Sem bowed forward, thrusting his arms towards the ground in an X shape.
"THAT'S IT—!" he shouted out, as he brought everything within him to the surface, "I'M ENDING THIS!"
Sem made a mad dash forward, and as the wraiths were approached, Sem cast his fists barreling through them one after the other in rapid succession. Flames were disbursed all around him, and their materialization was so quick, it was as though a fire storm was blazing in the open path surrounding them, and Sem was not going to let up.
Kicks, punches and slashes were incorporated in each of Sem's attacks, and as the wraiths began manifesting one after the other progressively closer to the damsel below, Sem sped through them, carrying out his protective attacks. Sem wasn't a fool, and soon sped passed the wraiths, cutting off their progression as he stood between the damsel and them.
That instant, Sem has had enough. His pupils constricted into vertical slits, his hair and fur rose, standing on end, and Sem pulled his head back as his chest expanded—taking in a deep, fierce breath.
His gravitational stance was lowered as he let out a massive roar. A long pulse of shock-waves rippled through the sound barrier, booming storming echoes all around him up ahead. Caught in the fierce display of inner strength, the flames of the wraiths were flicking back, distorting in the currents. All five of the wraiths vanished one after the other in quick succession. As they did, Sem dropped to his knees as his primal roar came to an end.
Sem jolted forward, his palm slamming onto the ground as a fierce cough of blood splattered from his mouth upon the ground. Sem was now desperately trying to catch his breath, and even the trail of smoke had briefly been disbursed.
As Sem turned over his shoulder to look upon the woman he had been defending, hovering behind them was a single wraith, motionless in silence. Sem panicked, and threw himself up from the ground.
"Don't you hurt her—!!" he cried out in a hoarse voice.
From his view, we stormed towards the wraith. Our fist was cast forward, and the wraith disbursed without a trace. All that was left was smoke and embers.
As we look down upon the still woman, we saw nothing. Not a motion, not even a breath.
Back into regular view, the building that had been just off the path began to collapse. Catching Sem's shocked attention, the building crumbled, throwing a storm of debris towards them. Sem reacted quickly, diving over the woman, covering her with his body and shielding her head with his paw as countless pieces of debris slammed into him. Sem felt every impact, as his body was torn, and he gave out involuntary cries of pain. Dust and ember had been scattered throughout the air, then when the collapse had settled, Sem cupped his hands under the damsel and lifted her from the rubble. Several pieces of debris had fallen off of him, and he rose from the rubble bloodied, with the woman cradled protectively in his arms.
"Miss, are you okay?" he asked hoarsely, but there was no answer, and his small body was trembling under it all. "Miss?"
No longer were the wraiths anywhere to be seen, and unable to see clearly through the cloud of dust, Sem soon rose to his feet as he prepared to carry the woman on his back once again.
"Come on... I'm getting you out of here... Just like I promised..."
With each heavy step, Sem stumbled slightly over the rubble, as he made his way carrying the woman out of the city.
Out behind the city cathedral, Kenrir was stuck laying amongst the rubble of stone and burning structures as the crackling of burning wood and smolders grew louder aroundhim.
Kenrir opened his eyes to the sound of a powerful shout echoing through the city. He had closed his eyes only for a moment—feeling weak.
"That fool... Did he really get into something so bad as to go that far...?" Kenrir muttered. "His body can't handle that kind of power in its current state..."
With the new motivation, Kenrir struggled to lift himself once again as the fire around him spread. It was growing ever closer to him, causing Kenrir to become covered in sweat. The salt hitting his open wounds stung slightly, and he knew it could only get worse.
He managed to lift himself off his back, as a sharp pain shot through him, stemming from the claw stabbed wounds on his chest—his elbow propping him off the ground below.
"Now not only do I have to find a damsel and stop that beast, but I have to figure out what kind of trouble that brat is in..."
Kenrir knew that Sem wasn't as young as he looked, as it was the same for himself; that was simply their biology—but that didn't stop him from making such remarks given their situation.
As Kenrir finally forced himself to his feet and took a heavy step, droplets of blood fell upon the ash covered ground. He held his wrist over his chest, covering up the wounds under his punctured clothes, and continued on in the direction he last saw the ferocious Nekomata head. He moved slowly at first, each step heavy as he dealt with his lingering pain.
"I won't let this— be how it ends..." he thought inwardly, his own thoughts hitching in pain.
Outside the city, on the hillside, Sem was finally making his way up the slope.
As Sem carried the woman on his back, the weight of each of them—including the lack of feeling in his limb—caused him to stumble slightly, as each step of his injured leg grew heavier, and heavier.
Tatalia watched the raging fire, and as soon Sem's head poked into view, Tatalia rushed to her feet.
"Sem...!"
She rushed over to him, wide-eyed with a sense of surprise and relief.
As she quickly got closer, she immediately recognized the state he was in, rushing over faster with worry.
With a heavy step, Sem's leg had finally given out. He fell to his knees, and with the woman limp against his back—Tatalia swooped down onto her knees before him, catching them both in her arms as he fell forward. Sem had landed nestled on her chest, but as she saw the woman's face, Tatalia gasped in horror. A sudden chill rushed through her bones as she came face to face with a person that was no more. Tatalia froze, right down to her core.
"Tati..." Sem murmured tiredly.
The mention from his voice drew Tatalia's attention, drawing her out from her natural reaction. The chill remained, but Tatalia softened as she turned her gaze upon Sem in her arms.
"Sem... what happened?" her voice was soft, soothing towards him, and quiet.
"I... fought for her life..." he muttered quietly, his body heavy with exhaustion. "Help me with her... Please..."
Tatalia's heart ached for Sem, as after all he had clearly gone through for the woman he carried, it would all be for not.
Tatalia did as Sem has asked, and assisted him in laying the cold woman gently on the ground.
"Sem... I don't think she..."
She couldn't bring herself to finish those words, but as Sem now looked upon the woman lying there, he knew.
"What...? But, she was breathing... She was—" his voice cut off, as Sem gritted his teeth and water came to his eyes, trembling after all he had done. His inward breath hitched rhythmically, as he struggled to cope with the life lost before him. "I did everything I could to save her..."
Tears fell, and Tatalia instinctively wrapped Sem up in her arms. The heartbreak felt great, as all of Sem's hopes to help even just one person were shattered.
Sem, being cradled from the side, gripped Tatalia under her inner shoulder as he buried his face into it and cried.
"How...? Why—? After everything I've done—!!"
His voice was still hoarse, even now.
Tatalia cradled him tighter, doing the only thing she could to comfort her dearest friend.
She didn't know it yet, but she felt for him more than she had ever realized—and it was crushing her inside.
"I'm sorry... Sem..." she murmured tenderly.
As he mourned the woman at their side, Tatalia kept him warm—safe even, as the wounds covering him stained her clothes.
"It's going to be alright..."
Anything to soothe him, until they would be joined with once again...
In the present time, Variann began to open her eyes...