No Place For Me | [boyxboy]

CHAPTER 31

Rue started to scan the top province since he couldn't find them below. He wondered if they escaped to the land above. Cotol and the small town Aslu were two closest towns to the end of the province. However, they could be hiding in the forest.

As he sadly expected, many animals had died in the fire. As Cotol came to view, there were fewer people dead. Rue knew it was because most people that lived above can fly.

            When Rue's mana swept over a baby that was still alive but hidden in a barrel, he was sad to see that its parents weren't as lucky. The world, no matter the good, was too cruel, and as much as his mother warned him never to forget. Time and time again, Rue wished for the best.

   When Zutar declared war, they never considered the lives that they would destroy in the process. It takes a sick person to kill another for no reason at all.

           As Cotol was coming to an end, Rue prepared himself for the truth that everyone he cared for was gone. As Rue was about to withdraw his mana, he found the twins, seconds later Lashun and Simon and even Astron and his friend Tolum. As his mana continued to crawl, he saw a few other folks he didn't know held hostage in one of the very few sheds that stood.

Rue could feel his heart racing as he continued to search for the others, not far from where they held the men. He located Zsuzsi, Eka, Sopha, and other women. Some women were held in a different room with the members of Zutar's army. Rue was relieved that there were survivors, but his heart was numb, so he couldn't rejoice.

         Part of Rue blamed himself because he believed that if he had been there Enna and many others would be alive. In Rue's heart, he knew he could have protected them.

            When Rue stopped his mana, he turned to the small fairy and frowned. She looked so sad as she pressed her face against his cheek before vanishing.

Rue opened a portal to Cotol. When he walked through and could actually see the devastation, with color, it was a sorrowful sight. It was eerily quiet. The only sound was from the wind blowing the ash that covered the area like snow and the crackling fire from the buildings that were still burning. Rue couldn't recognize the beautiful town he visited, not even many weeks ago.

Rue searched desperately for the home where the baby was put in a barrel. Rue feared that the baby that was in distress would eventually suffocate under the rubble if he didn't get to it. When Rue finally found the collapsed home, Rue's fingers trembled as he used his man to lift the debris to get to the child.

After removing a few layers of the home as quiet as he could, Rue found the parents lying in a pool of blood around the barrel. Rue gently lifted them away before walking over to scoop the crying baby out. The baby was filthy, covered in its own wastes and critters.

As Rue used his mana to blow the critters away, as sad as Rue knew he was, he was numb. He couldn't feel anything until the baby settled in his arms. When the baby's green eyes watched him intensely, Rue felt his heartbeat again, and he could feel the tears fall finally.

       As he brought the baby to his chest, Rue's heart ached unsure what to do with it, knowing he couldn't bring the baby with him to go rescue his friends.

           When Rue thought of Emy, and he looked at the sky. Rue knew she would soon arrive to bring him lunch. She would find the baby and care for it. Rue quickly opened a portal to his room. He grabbed the sheets from the bed, created a nest in front of the door, and then laid the baby in it.

            When Rue was confident the baby was okay, he walked through the portal to find his friends. As Rue quietly found his way to where they were kept, Rue wondered how many of the eastern provinces looked like this? How many people died.