Part 3: thus, it ended and began

CW: blood, slight violence, death

The night was set but tensions kept rising. In the middle of the village, inside a large wooden house, Talisha met up with several villagers to discuss the matter of the smoke in the sky with their chief. Alice meanwhile without her mother knowing watched through a window.

"Man, I can't hear anything they're saying," she pondered inside a bush, "I wonder if I can get inside somehow?"

She spotted an open window on the top floor looking around the house.

"Bingo bongo," she snapped her fingers, "Now, time to fly-"

She fell face down on the muddy ground, a nearby goat seemingly laughing at her.

"Shut up you're supposed to sleep," getting up, she cleaned up her clothes, "Okay, remember what the professor said, focus on flying, empty your thoughts, and only think of flying up their window."

She closed her eyes and her feet were lifted off the ground. Slowly she reached toward the open window.

"Ok, slowly now-whoa!"

Her flight was unsteady, she kept going up and down trying to reach the window, and even hit her face again on the house's wall too.

"If that won't work," she flew to the house's roof, and her flames dispersed when she held onto it.

"Ok now, slowly," step by step, she climbed down the houses holding onto the moss, "Here I go!"

She jumped into the window with her eyes closed. She carefully touched the ground below her, and when she realized she made it, she snapped her fingers.

"Ok step 1: get into the house, done! Now, step 2! What to do in step 2?"

"So this is our plan."

"Huh?"

Alice walked down the hallway and could hear the adults discuss things on the floor below.

"We already started working on the issue," an elderly man with a long white beard wearing an oversized white coat pointed his cane at the door, "We already sent Edd and Alan to talk to them. If the fire were made by some passing travelers, we'll just leave them be."

"And if they're not?!"

Talisha spoke out, her voice hoarse.

"It's too dark to fight them, and we'll have to evacuate everyone at a moment's notice without having time to prepare rations and everything!"

"Talisha, please calm down-"

"How do you expect me to calm down," her eyes were wide, filled with anxiety, "Chief, can't you see? Who knows what they want from us? It could be the empire, robbers, it could even be…Rue."

Everyone stood in silence as that name left her lips. They tried to reassure her but it was for nothing.

Who…is Rue?

Alice was confused when they suddenly got silent.

Why does that name sound so weirdly familiar? Did she do something to us or-

"Talisha," Alice's professor spoke out, harsh in his tone, "Listen, I understand where you're coming from, but think about it. We haven't heard a word from them since that day, there's no way they'd try to attack us after so long."

Talisha frustrated, held onto her arms, "I know, but still-"

"Chief!"

"That voice-"

Uncle Alan?

Alice walked down the stairs. Peeping into the scene, she saw a young pale blonde man. Her eyes widened in fear seeing his leg all torn up and wounded

"Alan?! What in the ashes happened?!"

His breaths were heavy as the others slowly got him a seat, "It was horrible. There were ten-no, twenty of them, no more. They-ugh, attacked us the moment they saw us. I was able to escape, but they-they captured Ed!"

Hearing all that, the villagers were unsure of how to respond, so the chief stepped in, trating his leg.

"My child, what did these people look like?"

"They-argh! They were hooded figures who wore long black coats, and belts with which they carried empty bottles. Not only that, from what I recall, their backs had this strange white symbol on their backs. It looked like a face of some sort.

"A face...no!"

"It can't be-"

Adam hit his fist against a wall, "Rue."

Concern filled the room and it became verbal soon after

"How the hell did she find us?"

"Worse, how many people did join her ever since that day?"

"Are we doomed-"

"Silence-" the chief loudly stomped his cane on the ground, "This is not the time for catastrophizing! Talisha, come with me to evacuate the children and elderly through the escape tunnels. Adam, lead all the hunters and huntresses as fast as possible, we need as many as possible. Tell them it's the highest of emergencies!"

"Wit, chief," Alan held onto the chief's coat, "Let me join in the attack as well! I can't leave them alone with Ed!"

"No. You're injured and in no state of fighting. We'll have to evacuate the other villagers first before we can carry you to the tunnels. Until we finish with them, you'll be guarded, so don't worry."

"Tch, you didn't change at all…"

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing, I understand, everyone take care!"

They all went their separate ways, and just as they were about to leave the house, Alice climbed up the stairs so she wouldn't get noticed.

I have never seen them this agitated before. Is that Rue woman really that dangerous? What did she do?

"Agh!"

A scream was overheard on the floor below when everyone left.

W-what was that?

She walked down to see what happened.

"Finally, they left."

Huh?!

Behind the wall, she saw Alan, his leg still wounded, being able to stand on his feet like nothing happened, and a man lying unconscious on the floor.

Uncle? Why-

Before her very eyes, the presumes Alan was suddenly surrounded with gray flames, and when they dispersed, a hooded figure stood in that same spot.

That coat, that symbol…

Alice found herself unable to move

Who are these guys?

The hooded person suddenly appeared behind her, "Who do we have here?"

She gasped, but he put his hand on his mouth.

"Little girl, keep quiet and I might let you live…"

"Leave her be!"

The unconscious man from before finally woke up and blasted flames at the hooded figure, but he teleported once more."

"You noisy little son of a-"

"Kid, warn Adam and the others"

"But," Alice's legs began to shake, "I can't just-"

"Go!"

The man had sparked large flames that glided her away from the house into the fields. She landed near the village gate, her entire body startled and shaking

I…need to go back. No, I need to warn the professor-no, I need to go back to mom-No, I, I, I.

She hit her fists to the ground, "Damn it!"

Getting outside, she began levitating far and wide to find the hunters. Outside the walls, the large forest made it hard for her to spot anyone above. Nor did her bright flames help her either way

"It's been several hours already, better check down below now," she slowly landed on the ground surrounded by many bushes and trees. She sparked some small flames to help her navigate.

It wasn't easy for her at first. Not only did she have to worry about the mages, she was worried about the wild animals roaming around the forest at the darkest time of night, but not all hope was lost.

"That sound," she began hearing several people walking in the distance, and began following it, "I hope that's the professor and the others."

Once she reached the source of the sound, she found a giant red tent in a small field of grass, and a light coming from behind, most likely a campfire. She began inspecting it while sneaking around the bushes surrounding the place

Is this where the hooded people hid? I don't see anyone here, I hope I'm not too late-ah!

In front of the tent, she noticed two hunters unconscious and tied up on the ground, no one guarding them. One of them had long brown hair while the other's head was covered in a bag.

Uncle Ed? And is that Alan? This is a trap, it has to be. I need to warn the others-

Before she was able to do anything, behind her someone grabbed her and kept her mouth shut. She tried to get away but she was only able to remove their right hand from her mouth.

"Let me go this instant you-huh?"

With blue flames burning on the person's left hand, she was able to clearly see his face, "Professor!?"

"Zvezdoprah," he whispered, "What in the ashes are you doing here? Shouldn't you be evacuating with your mother and the others-"

"Adam," a hunter with a bow in his hand approached them with others behind him, "We're heading in, right."

"Right," Adam lets Alice go, "Return to the village, you'll be safe there."

"What no," she gripped his hand, "You can't, this is a trap!"

"What," the hunters were confused over what she was talking about, "What do you-"

"The guy from here wasn't Alan, it was some sort of impostor. He suddenly turned into a man with a black coat after using some weird gray flames and-"

"Excuse me," Adam suddenly held her shoulders, "Did you just say gray flames?"

"Y-yeah."

The hunters all looked at one another with concern in their eyes, then they silently nodded.

"...We'll free those people first, then we'll see what to do next."

"Got it," a huntress went and did just that, "Is this?"

She removed the bag from the other person, who was Alan as they expected.

"Knew it, let's carry them back as fast as possible, we can't get caught while they're still in that condition."

"My, and how do you expect to do that?"

A strange voice echoed throughout the forest, and all the hunters prepared their weapons.

"Professor, what's going on?"

He clenched his teeth, "Just stay with me for now."

"Aren't you a courageous one," a hooded mage suddenly appeared behind, "Too bad it's all for nothing."

"Adam," the hunters all shot their arrows at the mage, but he disappeared in an instant.

"Crap!"

"Professor, look out!"

Another mage appeared and tried to attack them with gray flames, but Adam grabbed Alice dodging it as they slid through the ground-

More and more mages appeared until hunters were completely surrounded.

Alice began to shake, "What-what are we going to do?"

"Ok, calm down child, we'll just-"

"Run."

"What," Adam slowly got up, "What are you-"

"Run away and take her with you, it's too dangerous for her to be here."

"What," he objected, "I can't just leave you all behind!"

"Tch, and it's not like we'll let you…"

"Now!"

The hunters were able to hit some mages at their backs, distracting them all to give the two a chance to escape

"Go now! We don't have much time!"

"But-"

"Go!"

Clenching his teeth, he carried Alice in his arm and flew away, "You better come back alive or else!"

"On it!"

"Everyone, no," Alice tried her best to get free from his grip, "We can't-"

"It's too late."

Seeing her professor's face, filled with grief and regret, she was still in denial, "B-but-"

"It's too late…"

Any and all thoughts she had vanished the moment she heard gruesome screams. Some of them refused to give up, and some begged for mercy. All she knew was that's the last she'll hear and see of them, and that neither of them could have saved anyone.

"I'm sorry," Adam said under his breath, holding her closer to his chest.

"Are you…apologizing to me or?"

"I'm sorry."

Tears fell from his face as they silently traversed the cloud-filled sky, no other voice reached their ears.

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this update was too big for tapas so continue on in the next ep