Legendary Stars

Part 2 Chapter 5

Smoke filled the air mercilessly. The atmosphere was tainted with war and singed by fire. The border of Upper and Lower Ember was a battlefield. An air of uncertainty troubled Emberites of both sides. Not mentally ready for war, the people of Upper Ember stayed away from the border. Not physically prepared for war, the people of Lower Ember stayed away from the violent border.

As day turned to dusk, the Flamethrowers were pushed to their limits, severely outnumbered, and exhausted from battle. Cahya, Calida, Yuuna, and Beamer had successfully freed Sitara, and she swiftly left to resume her secret duty. This allowed four more Flamethrowers to engage in battle with Agnes' minions.

Inside the headquarters, the Flamethrowers were in the thick of the battle, led by Arrow. His Pyrocean genes became outstanding in battle. Breathing fire and being on fire, anyone with eyes could see how blessed the family of the DragonLords were. His gifts were extraordinary. He traveled by fire to attack and returned to the side of his fellow Flamethrowers, watching and defending their backs like a true soldier. Suvan, gifted with superhuman strength and power, protected his fellow Flamethrowers. He hypnotized whoever was weak enough to be lured by the intimate dance of the flame, only to be dangerously beckoned to their deaths. Flame, healed by Jai, shot fire arrows at his enemy. The trio fought to defend their Legend as he confronted Agnes.

The roof was on fire, and the left side of the building had completely burned down. However, the Flamethrowers fought without fear, determined not to leave without imprinting their fire into the minds of their opponents. Arin and Kiran fought soldiers on the first floor. They were back to back handling their own, to the disbelief and amazement of the enemy Firehearts. Alena was pursuing Zay, luring him away from Jai so he could confront Agnes. The roof was burning quickly, as she was hot on his heels. When she closed the distance on him, she attacked with fire punches. However, Zay's reflexes were acute. He blocked every punch with pinpoint accuracy, not phased by the threat of fire. His combat fighting was impressive, especially for one not gifted with the flame.

"Just give up already. It's almost night, and you're losing. Just give it up," Alena panted, struggling to breathe through the smoke.

"The only one who seems tired is you. Looks like you need to work on your stamina, Firefly," Zay replied. They had been running, ducking, and dodging for hours, and he was not breaking a sweat. Alena was thankful that he wasn't a gifted Fireheart, or she would have been in serious trouble. Zay punched, then made an attempt to strike her with his elbow. Alena blocked the punch and narrowly dodged his elbow. However, the elbow was a diversion from the sweeping motion of his foot. Alena fell backward as the roof was already unstable under her feet. Her eyes went wide as fear ran through her veins at the thought of falling from at least fifty feet in the air. She closed her eyes.

She was not falling. A hand had tightly grasped her wrist. She dared to open her eyes. Looking up, she saw that Zay had grabbed her, "Pull yourself up!"

"No! Let me go," Alena spat.

"Don't be stupid. You want me to drop you into a burning pile of rubbish. You fall, you're gonna die. Pull up!"

"No, I'd rather die like this," Alena choked, trying not to cry.

"I'm not trying to kill you, Firefly. If I wanted to kill you, rest assured, I wouldn't be holding onto your life right now," Zay gently spoke. Unsure she was too weak or scared, he used his strength to pull her from dangling on the edge of the burning roof. Never once did she grab onto him for safety. Did she really want to die?

After pulling her to somewhat of a safety zone, despite the flames on the roof, she punched him in the chest and knocked the wind out of him. "I told you to let me die!"