Outside the Encanto

S.O.S

A/n: The image here represents the armor and aesthetic that is provided in the catacombs of the resistance walls. There is no reference to Colombian culture here and I'm sorry, I just really love ATLA fire nation uniforms, and wanted to incorporate a little of that into the story. Most of these next few chapters take place in a burning Encanto, even the sky is orange and red.

The circled uniform is the one you're wearing. (The POV is female, obviously choose another if you feel uncomfortable with the default choice :D)

Battle. War. Chaos. Beauty. Destruction. Violence. Betrayal. Crimson. Flames. Smoke. Choking.

How else could you describe the scene?

You use your earthbending to thrust yourself into the air, then crash into the middle of the enemy lines. You use flames to keep a shield around you, which none of the soldiers dare penetrate.

That's when the two sides meet.

Everyone practically crashes into each other like a tidal wave, mixing the sides and causing confusion, some people even killing their allies.

Explosions begin around you, sending debris and the tip of a spear into your forearm. Luckily for you it didn't go too deep, so you could pull it out without worry.

You look up to see several cannons loaded with bombs, along with people on tops of roofs chucking grenades into the crowd. You run up and send the bombs back where they came from, making the bombers jump off the roofs in order to spare themselves. The buildings explode, great bunches of flames rising from the ashes.

Smoke is everywhere. It clogs your vision, your eyes, your breathing. You're forced to grab a comrade and pull them behind a ruined building, trying your hardest to dodge the bullets.

"You alright?" You ask, back pressed against the wall.

"Yeah, thanks." He says, breathing heavily. The kid looks to be around 14. "Alright, I'm going back out." He takes hold of his sword and runs back amidst the chaos.

You take a moment to breathe, to reflect on what to do. You know you have to destroy your miracle candle, but not quite how to get to it.

A sniffle somehow reaches your ears, despite the bombs and the shouting. You crawl your way through the ruin, throwing and hitting away fallen concrete, wood, just piles of ash collected from the broken roof.

The sniffles grow into a muffled sob, terrifying you. You see a curly bun peaking out through the wreckage, bobbing slightly to the sobs. You stop, paralyzed by the helplessness of whoever is making that sound. It repels you to the core, but you continue.

Another ear-splitting explosion rocks the earth, sending you smack down to the earth, landing sharply on cutting stones and concrete. The house rumbles, threatening to fall.

You drag yourself towards the crying person, their curls closer in sight.

Red fabric peaks through the rubble, sound waves stitched on the hems. You realize who this is, and despite your screaming nerves, you push to quickly get to her.

"Dolores, come on. The house is about to collapse." You tug at her dress, but she smacks your hand away and back further into the rubble, against the wall. Her fact is buried in her skirt, her arms surrounding her knees.

"No."

"Please, we've got to go. Believe me, it's painful having a house dropped on you." You say, still trying to get her to move.

"No. I know what's gonna happen. I'm okay with it." Dolores pushes you away, and you get a glimpse of her face. Covered in soot, streaks of her skin show through where her tears carved the path.