The drizzling rain seemed to pave a way for Cole to follow, the clouds parting to guide him to where he had to go.
Even if the sky had been crying heavier buckets that day, he would still be doing what he was doing right now; running through the rain without a single care for his clothes turning wet or being stained by the muddy ground. Such a trivial matter was nothing compared to his current goal, an echo of what was spoken earlier rushing back to his mind.
"Hello! I have horrible news! Kai, he was- we were-! There was a ex-explosive inside of the wave, he detonated explosives all over himself d-during the fight! M-most of the people inside are d-d-dead!"
"Im-managed to... I escaped under the c-commands of the ninja himself, in search f-for backup-! Please! Somebody! Help!"
Cole remembered the terror that washed over him as soon as Lloyd completed his words, soon curling into a tight ball and attended to by other people who survived the explosion still in shock. In a blink of an eye, he had sped out of the monastery immediately, ignoring the protests of his teammates that stood in his way, and sought to locate the fire elemental before it was too late.
The rain was merciless at the time, thunder crackling in the atmosphere, the surrounding electricity making the hairs on his skin stand stiffly. It was as if even his own body knew of the horrific memories that would surface if he stood in this thunderous storm for too long.
Cole didn't care, couldn't care. He had grown to detest the rain, yes, but the worry that was building up in his heart was enough to push those feelings deep into the recesses of his head. At least for now. In the meantime, he kept his eyes trained on the horizon, kept his ears sharped for any sounds of an ensuing battle. Perhaps if he had asked the people around him for some insight, he would not be so lost in finding where the missing red ninja was.
He supposed that was what he deserved for letting his emotions overrule his intuition.
Still, there was no time for that. He focused on following the faint noises of a battle near the forest of the woofs, the distant sound of metal clashing and small explosives going off being all he needed to find him. Thank goodness for his elemental power, as it propelled his steps towards the site of the fight.
Above him, the sky remained tumultuous, as if trying to halt Cole in his steps. He wasn't going to let that stop him.
It was only until Cole heard a louder, clearer explosion going off nearby that the rain decided to calm itself. In contrast, however, his heart sunk to his stomach.
He can't be dead. He just can't.
With his hammer in hand and faster footsteps,
Cole finally arrived at the scene, frozen by all that he saw.
The bruises and cuts all over his body were slowly numbing themselves, as he could no longer feel the sensation of agony flooding his senses. Was this a sign that he had already died?
Mounds and mounds of what could only be respectfully regarded as bodies were scattered across the beach, dotting the horizon with specks of maroon and fuchsia uniforms and dark-hued battle gear of their enemies.
Pools of blood were slowly seeping across the cave, most of them leaking out of those discarded armors that used to house flesh, now blown up and ruined beyond recognition. Cole could still see some lying figures spasm slightly, even despite the dozen of arrows that pierced through their torsos, giving up the very last energy that they had left, to indulge in a pointless action that only he would bear witness to. The air was a mixture of smells, a combination of the rain, blood, and a faint but present scent of gunpowder.
It was more than an explosion. More than a suicide bombing. This scene, it was a massacre. A butchery beyond any soldier's darkest nightmares.
And yet, despite the horror sinking into Cole, his spirits were soon lifted as he finished inspecting each of the bodies on the ground; none of them looked like the man he was looking for.
