Chapter 3: Inhumanity
Snow continued to fall heavily upon the earth, immensely creating deep layers of snow that would craft greater fatigue to Faolan's lower body. Romping through the deep snow with every step caused a massive amount of burning weakness to his legs because he was over extending the current capabilities of his body.
"I.. I can't move anymore!" Faolan trips onto the snow, panting like a dog, while the winter air froze his lungs causing him to sharply inhale.
"Why is it so hard for me to breathe, I gotta find mom!" Faolan again forced his body extremely to overcome the deep layers of snow. The roaring ash in the air, also helped deliver a negative stature on Faolan's fatigue, he coughed as he headed into the direction of the village.
Faolan now spots more families escaping.
"They must be heading to my home like the other family,"
Faolan gritted his teeth and without looking, rushed past the families full of fiery debris and scratches with some injured but not greatly.
"Okami, don't head to the village it's extremely dangerous, you might get killed!" someone who recognizes that it was Faolan called out, but the shout faded as Faolan drew further and further away from the safety of the outskirts.
Faolan's heart rate grew extensively at abnormal speeds, still he pushed on to find his mother, the adrenaline of the moment is finally making its total effect on him, for he could not feel any fatigue, weakness, or numbness for the moment. Only the desire to find his mother courses through his veins. The ash was becoming more present, normally it would blinding for any person to be in, but with Faolan's sharp eyes he stayed on the path to the village.
"I...I can't let anything stop me! Mom if you're in the village with so much danger, I have to be there with you," Faolan thought, his eyes watered a tiny amount, he dragged his arm across his eyes and wiped them away.
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With the glow of the fire drawing near and the ash getting denser, Faolan neared the entrance of the village. Faolan ran past much more of the families from the village, but as he ran past each one of them, the injuries intensified little by little increasing the fear that was instilling deep inside Faolan, his sweating would further develop, which was an extreme sign of anxiety for him.
"Okami-kun,Where are you going?" a voice motherly voice called.
It was Miss Yano-san reaching out to Faolan who she spotted on the run. She was with her child, covered in ash and dirt. Faolan halted his run to see if she knew where his mother was, he hopes that she had any idea where she may be.
"Miss Yano-san, do you know where my mother is?" Faolan panted at the question holding on to his knees trying to catch a breathe.
"Faolan…" Yano, pauses and looks away from Faolan, "Your mother is in the village, but you shouldn't go it's too dangerous," she holds his arm.
Faolan looks at her closely to see that not only was she covered in ash and dirt, but metallic shrapnels had pierced her, so was her child ultimately, leaving a sad expression on his face.
"I can't leave mother!" Faolan pulls away and produces his final sprint into the village.
Miss Yano only could gaze at the young boy as he headed into the fire, she lifts her son to properly evacuate much more quickly. "What will the fire turn him into? Okami-san I fear for your son. His eyes His… eyes are too innocent."
The village was not as beautiful as it was before, the embers of fire continue to blanket the village, shining brighter than before, it seems to be that the torches of the village wore knocked down during the night, or whenever the altercation that occurred within the village had caused the fire.
"It's so hard to see anything," Faolan saluted his hand over his eyes for a better description of the environment. Building pieces were being torn and consumed by the fire, the lush green that once covered the village gorgeously, has been swept and became nothing more than dried weeds. Faolan continued his journey in the hell he was in, searching for any sign of his mother.
"Mom, Mom! Where are you?" Faolan screamed from the very top of his lungs in the hopes that his voice would reach the entirety of the village. No reply.
rumble rumble
A faint movement of a shattered building nearby, "Someone is underneath that!" Faolan sprinted towards the shattered pile of debris. The rumble further continued as Faolan dug through lifting each piece of burnt wood and cloth,
"It's okay I'm here to help you." he continued to lift and dig, even if his body continued to tire out of the weight but his adrenaline assisted him, "I can't stop, I have to get this all out!"
Lifting finally a metal ceiling piece, Faolan witnesses a small boy covered in multiple injuries, serious scratches and cuts surrounded the boy's face and clothing. The boy teared up dreadfully, his face was raised with his arms reaching towards Faolan. Faolan was in awe in the sadness of the boy, the image behind the boy was a horrific sight no child should ever experience. The boy's father, mother, and sibling have been crushed by the building, "They have been crushed", Faolan felt a deep sadness within him, their bodies were close to each other, on top of the other as if they were trying to protect each other. Faolan, nearly broke into tears,
"I have to be strong for this boy. Mom would." Faolan wiped his eyes.
"It's okay, I'm gonna help you get out of here," claimed Faolan.
"Mo-mmy, da-, bro-th," the boy could barely think nor speak.
"What's your name?" Faolan wanted him to think of something else.
"Koga, Juichi" he whimpered.
"You can call me Faolan, I'm gonna get you out of here okay?" Faolan took the Juichi by the hand to guide him through the endless fire.
"Mom, I hope you're okay, I can't leave this boy alone, I know you wouldn't so please be okay!" Faolan, followed his mother's example of helping others. He needed to help Juichi, escape the hell that he is entrapped in. They both continued to run through the burnt buildings, that seem to be fading with the ash.
"You don't have to answer this question, but do you know what happened?" asked Faolan as they ran together.
Juichi hesitated, "There was a monster.. who was like a— man— but he wasn't a man and then—then everything was gone." Juichi couldn't speak no more, he looked saddened.
"You don't gotta talk about that anymore, let's focus on each other, lets keep moving forward, I have to find my mom soon." Faolan turned and gifted a hopeful smile for Juichi.
"Thank you", Juichi took in the present of hope, what Faolan had said to him reminded Juichi of his very own mother.
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Ashy covered snow had now started to fill the fire that bloomed the entire village that glow started to lose it's intensity, leaving fewer fires than before. This meant by the time Faolan had arrived to save Juichi the fire was already dying down, however the ash smoke, still fumes greatly across the village. Faolan and Juichi had already come at a stop to rest their bodies for a couple minutes after running to the location of Mr. Nakama's smithery. Faolan needed the stop, especially after physically exhausting himself without a break.
"Faolan-san do you believe my parents are in a better place?" Juichi asked while he looked straight up at the unseeable sky.
"Yea, I believe so," Faolan hesitates to answer clearly, "But I don't believe that they should've died," Faolan thought, clenching his teeth.
"My mom always said to keep moving forward, but where do I move from here, especially when they are gone now?" Juichi wipes his nose and sniffs to keep his cool, Faolan notices and was amazed with how Juichi was dealing with what happened to his family. "I don't understand how, he's much calmer than before, I did try to be like mom." Faolan thought, taking a moment before he replied.
"My mom would always tell me to find someone I love," Faolan closes his eyes embarrassingly thinking of his mother's words to him.
"Do you love someone Faolan-san? I can't really love someone yet since I'm only eleven," Juichi's mood is entirely normal as if they were having a normal conversation.
" How could Juichi be so strong? He just lost his family.." Faolan confused himself in Juichi's casualness.
"Ah, me? No I don't love anyone else right now." Faolan cleared his throat. "Are you feeling okay?" Faolan asked wanting to understand Juichi emotions.
"I'm very sad that my family is gone, but I have to be stronger right now, I know I'm just a kid but, I'll dishonor my family if I fall behind, I don't want to fail my mother." Juichi's expression returned to being bleak, he frowned for a moment, then resonated a sort of confidence. Faolan couldn't understand his character.
Cliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing
A sharp sound came near Mr.Nakama's smithery, Faolan stumbly stood back on his weak legs to hear for the sound again, while Juichi looked towards Faolan in what he was doing.
cliiiiiiiiing
"I have to head towards that sound! It's near Mr.Nakama's place, maybe Nakama or Mom is over there," Faolan wasn't fully sure if his mother could be towards that sound, he more likely thought it was Mr.Nakama himself with the guest he had brought over for tonight, Faolan turns back to Juichi,
"I have to head over to whatever is going on over there, do you think you can come, you can also stay here if you want," Faolan looks back at Mr.Nakama's place.
"I'll stay behind you," Juichi stood on his feet making a hardened expression.
"Okay, let's go." Faolan took Juichi by the hand to guide him, still not understanding the boy, they sprinted towards Mr. Nakama's place, which was in a open area of the village.
Faolan looked over at the buildings to see many of them destroyed, many families survived and many didn't.
"What sort of monster would do this and why? What is the benefit of doing this to innocent people?" Faolan was saddened to see so much destruction.
The loud metallic sounds grew closer and much more ringing, the speed that the sound made also quickened in pace.As the two boys neared the sharp sounds Faolan took cover, kneeling slowly due to the weakness of his body, with Juichi also kneeling in cover. They hid behind a former storefront shelf that was destroyed in the fire. Faolan then looker over the shelf, spotting Mr. Nakama's place,
"It looks like the other buildings in the village are covered in ash and have been destroyed by the fire," Faolan scouts around the Mr. Nakama's place, the sharp sounds have stopped.
BAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG
The side of Mr.Nakama's place was blown open and shattered into the outdoors, ashy debris covered where the massive hole was made. Faolan who had ducked in reaction to the explosion, looked over once again, "Keep your head down Juichi," Faolan asked Juichi to do so in order to not be in any more harm than he already was.
Two dusty silhouettes formed from the explosion. Faolan squinted his eyes to see what it was, he gasps. One of the figures appeared to be disfigured, bodily twisted yet seemingly injured from many slashes, one of its eyes was missing, with a grin that shared no happy emotion, only evil intention. Faolan's eyes forcibly closed on their own, sensing the presence of so much evil, he struggled to keep his head up,
"Faolan, are you okay?" Juichi tugged on Faolan's haori.
Faolan instinctively continued to wipe his eyes til they reopened,
"Don't look Juichi," Faolan notified Juichi of his state.
Faolan looked over the shelf once again to spot the second figure only to be, someone he could not expect, someone he wished to never expect in this situation.
"Mom," The long dark beautiful hair of Faolan's mother Akari Okami, her kimono torn, ripped. She was injured, sort of bloodied, filled with cuts all over her body. She wielded a stunningly blue katana with an engraving:
'Fear No Evil'
Faolan stood up and yelled, "MOOOOOOOOOOM!"
The mother turned her head to Faolan with the same gentle eyes, the same dark color that was brighter than any other color. Okami was exhausted, she returned her focused on the monstrous being in front of her. Faolan vaulted over the shelf only to be dragged back from his haori from behind.
"WHAT! It couldn't be Juichi,"Faolan turned his head to see Mr.Nakama holding him by his haori. He instilled the same stern face and spoke,
"We must go."
Faolan's eyes widened and he screamed, "NOOOOOOOO!" Faolan attempted to wrestle through Mr. Nakama's grip but he would not budge. Juichi could only watch and feel sorrow for Faolan.
"You too, come boy," Nakama order Juichi, and obliged.
"LET ME GO, LET ME GO, LET ME GOOOOOOO!" Faolan began to pummel Mr. Nakama with his palms as Mr. Nakama held him over his shoulder. Faolan had begun to cry in a furious anger, seeing his mother with so much blood, with so much injury. Faolan could not fathom the possibilities of what could happen to his mother.
"I DON'T WANT HER TO DIE, LEAVE ME, LEAVE ME!" Faolan shifted his palms into fists pummeling Mr. Nakama's back wildly.
Juichi was silent, he didn't make a single sound, he refused to look at Faolan. The look of a kind boy who saved him from demise, was slowly fading, he closed his eyes trying to only focus on the good, only to tear up. Juichi felt shame, unable to do anything for Faolan, as he did for him.
Mr. Nakama said nothing more for Faolan's sake. Faolan wept and wept, he could not do anything anymore physically straining. He had weakened himself through extraneous running, and forcing his body's limits have taken a massive toll on him. The fatigue throughout his entire body finally took over, the adrenaline was gone. Faolan could barely lift an arm anymore, his tears slowly streamed down his face. "Mom, you are the greatest thing to me in this world, why is our happiness ending?" Faolan only wondered the amount of support his mother has given him, his entire life. He would remember, how she would feed him, care for him whenever he was sick, and praying for him to be blessed all the time.
He felt how much he loved her, thinking back to the times where she would sit beside his bed when he was young praying nearly every night she could,
"My God, I pray that you guide my son through the highs and lows of life. He will experience great happiness but he will experience great pain in his life. I pray that you will bless him life wherever he may be, I pray for healing whenever he would need it. My Lord, my son is a blessing you have given me and I am thankful for the time you've allowed me to be with my son," she closes.
Faolan carried now a shattered heart, gazing at his beloved mother.
Okami turned once more, she left a parting smile and left behind a tear for Faolan, the blue blade reflected the bright moonlight. She whispered only words Faolan's heart could ever hear.
And will maybe be the last.
"I love you."
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
AM_Sensei
AM_Sensei Hello everyone, thanks for checking out the chapter!
There's alot that happened in this chapter, so I do hope I was able to make the situations clear and consecutive enough. Be ready for the next chapter, it's going to get.... bloody.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone