You coughed for the nth time. The smoke filled your burning lungs as you struggled to make your way towards the Sanctuary. Your eyes burned with each step you made; only it seemed you were moving in slow motion.
Their screams only progressively got louder with each step you took, and it made your heart squeeze in sadness. Why were you reliving it again? Wasn't the one time enough? Did you deserve this sick punishment? You doubted you could handle another similar event. It'd surely break you this time.
With one final step, you were back where you last remembered being, in the center of the Sanctuary, where all your sisters breathed their last breath, and where you felt the most helpless in your life.
None of it made sense to you; they prayed every day. They did as they were told, and the sisters did everything to please the being they worshiped, yet they still burned in one of the holiest places. And for what? What did they do to deserve this?
Why?
The sisters writhed in pain, their apparel was nothing more than a pile of ashes now, and their screams only became much more unbearable. You wanted to cover your ears to lessen the pain their cries gave you. You tried to close your eyes so tight you'd see stars. You tried to do all of those things, but you couldn't. You stood there, fixed in place, unable to move any of your limbs as if some unknown force wanted you to watch it all.
Why? Why do they have to suffer?
"[Name], please! Help us!"
What did you do to get this treatment?
"It- it hurts so much!"
It was only till you saw one of the girls begin to walk in your direction did you get concerned. They were nothing but skin and bones; she shouldn't be able to walk. Not in this state.
Though it was hard to tell who the girl was, she was still unrecognizable at this point. Her skin was way beyond charred, and her skin was practically melting off her bones- it was horrifying. Again, you tried to turn your head away from her, to rid your eyes of the sight, but you found yourself unable to, your limbs still frozen. But your brain continued to scream, telling you to move.
"Why?" the girl asked, her voice devoid of emotion. It sounded like Briar, the sweet girl who could do no wrong, but at the same time, it was nothing like her, only an empty husk of the girl you loved dearly. "Why won't you look at me? This is something you caused. Something you wanted."
Your eyes widened just a fraction. Did the sisters also believe you were at fault here? Did they think you had a hidden agenda as well? All of these questions remain unanswered, only making the tight feeling in your chest worse.
"Everything was your doing, wasn't it?" another sister spoke, and this time it was Delphine, her voice as empty as the last sister. Her marred hands gripped your shirt, and her touch felt like hot stones on bare skin; it was painful. You felt your eyes begin to tingle. And it wasn't long until all the sisters started to surround your frame.
You couldn't blink, you couldn't move, you couldn't speak. It was impossible to do so with the sisters now attempting to rip you limb from limb.
"Why didn't you do anything, huh? You saw us, didn't you? So why?" another sister uttered, her voice broken.
What could you have done in a situation like that? What could anyone have done? By the time he would've gotten help, it'd be too late, so what could you have done?
Again you tried to reason with the sisters and internally begged them to let you go, but they only gripped harder, and your voice remained unheard. It felt all too real to be a dream. Far too damn real.
If it were a sort of punishment, you'd be okay with it; it was something you deserved anyway, no? Everyone believes you were behind it, so maybe this would be a good way to redeem yourself.
The sisters continued to claw at your skin, the actions alone causing your skin to break. You look up at some of the sisters and instantly regret it. Their skin was far beyond help, their clothing was already melded in their skin, and their skin bubbled uncontrollably. They were practically unrecognizable save for the voices you went off of, but even that was warped. It was sickening.
Please, just let me go. I'm sorry, is what you would've said if you could, but at this point, nothing would reach them.
It was getting harder and harder to breathe now, and it wouldn't be long until you passed out. You attempted to curl yourself into a small ball, their assaults only getting worse. The only good thing was that you weren't burning to a complete crisp right now, and you can thank your newfound power for that.
"You did this; you did this to us! We won't EVER forgive you!" The last sentence struck a chord deep within you, their words like lashes on your skin, and the dams broke again. Your tears fell excessively, and all you could do was hug yourself tighter. Is this truly how they felt? You knew it was a dream, it had to be, but everything about it was off.
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry. But it wasn't my fault. At this point, your feelings were mixed, half of you believed you were in the wrong, but the other half believes you weren't the one who caused it. Maybe your presence alone caused it? You continued to question yourself, but no answers came, only furthering your disappointment.
Then all of a sudden, the air wasn't so thick anymore. The crackling of the fire was no longer there, and the sisters weren't on your back anymore, the pressure now completely gone. You kept your eyes closed, though, in fear of seeing another unsettling thing.
It was quiet, eerily so, and it unnerved you to some degree. You breathed in and out, doing your best to calm your racing heart.
Finally, you opened your eyes, the wounds on your skin were no longer there, and the shreds of evidence of a struggle were all gone.
"Odd."
You took a glimpse around your surroundings, and you instantly leaped upwards, scrambling away from your previous spot. Where you once sat were charcoal-colored bones, wisp-like trails oozing out of them. It was hard to explain without making up new words for it.
Looking around now, that was all you saw, remains of what you assumed were humans. A thick black cloud of smoke hung lowly on the ground, making it seem like you were walking on clouds. You gasped lightly as your foot hit another bone.
"Where... what is this? Is this what Hell looks like..?" you thought out loud; it'd be funny if it were, though, seeing as you were the one 'behind it all.'
"...No."
One word. It was one word strong enough to send shivers down your spine. Startled, you whip around, your eyes darting to find the source of the voice, and when you do, almost immediately, you throw your hands up to shield your eyes.
"Sol?"
In front of you stood an enormous being. So big, you had to back up a bit to get a good view of them. They wore long pristine white robes that hid most of their face, only leaving their mouth for display. On their head were two pointed tips, giving the appearance of two horns on their head. On their neck sat the symbol of the Sun God.
Your question only seemed to fall on deaf ears since 'Sol' did nothing but stand stiffly. Then, behind them, emerged seven pillars, and you were confused- rightfully so.
Soon after those seven pillars shot upwards, an eighth one rose as well, though significantly smaller than the other ones. Whatever that meant was beyond you. Soon after they did that, they rested their huge hand on your head, and as soon as they did so, an odd feeling blossomed in your chest- akin to a small flame growing.
Even though it hurt a bit, you looked up at 'Sol' again with more questions on the tip of your tongue, but as soon as you tried to utter one syllable, everything faded into the inky color you slowly became accustomed to.
'No! I still have so many questions left...'
〜ー〜ー〜ー〜ー〜ー〜ー〜
As your consciousness slowly began to wade in, you heard a somewhat familiar feminine voice sound over your frame. Barely making out any of the words said, you keep your eyes closed for a little longer until a sharp pain makes itself known on your right rib.
"I said get up!! You still don't listen, do you?" you launched yourself upwards, holding your side and screaming out in pain. Son of a-!
"What was that for?! You could've just shook me awake!" you bellowed, and finally, you could put the voice to a face, and it was Hibana. You cringed outwardly.
"You pretty much sleep like a rock, [Name], it was the only way to get your ass up. Now do something about your flames. You're burning whatever's left of your clothes." she sassed back, flicking her hair upwards as if it pained her to even speak to you.
Well, it's good to know she's as catty as ever. But doing as she said, you patted away the blue flames on your clothes that seemed to have ignited during your slumber. You brushed away any dirt stuck to your skin- never once looking back in her direction, and instead took an interest in the fire-fighters and detectives wandering about.
It's a little late for that, though. The fire's already out...
After cleaning yourself up the best way you could, Hibana now walked away to do whatever, not even bothering to tell you why so many people were around you and the remains of the church.
Fortunately, it gave you some time to brood about the dream (if you could call it that) you had, though half of it felt like a dream, and the other half didn't. Your mind wandered back to the encounter with... Sol? Their vague messages, the rising of pillars, the environment, and just their overall appearance was way off, and surely, you weren't getting any answers anytime soon.
On instinct, your newly acquired flames made themselves known, creating a devilish appearance. Two flame horns sat atop your head and a line of fire sprouting from behind you resembling a spade-tipped tail while your normally [e/c] eyes took on a bluish hue. Truly, you took on the appearance of a demon, and it wasn't helping your case any bit.
"Ah, y-you're finally awake! I tried to check your wounds e-earlier, but when I shook you the first time and then the second time, you d-didn't move... so I brought your sister over-." you frowned softly. You droned out anything else the nurse had to say unintentionally, taking note of the slight quiver in her voice.
'She must be afraid of me, I guess...', you thought sadly. Though you had expected it, it didn't mean you were prepared for something like this. The constant haunting of the sisters and Hibana's clear disgust towards you was enough. Height may have had a factor in the reason for her fear, though; you completely towered her.
"-And I brought you some new clothes s-seeing as yours are well..." the nurse trailed off, but you got the idea. You took the clothes gingerly, thanked her, and then allowed her to check if there were any wounds on your body. After she was done, she scampered off and gave a timid thank you, again leaving you to your own thoughts.
But soon after the little nurse disappeared, Hibana and two other people right on her trail. Whatever shred of a 'good mood' you had evaporated, and you soured.
"Well, no need to look so excited to see me. I can see your tail wagging from here."
"What do you want, Hibana? I've had enough conversing for today."
She feigned offense and scoffed loudly. She told you what was going to happen to you now. Thinking you were to be arrested, you raised your wrists in front of you, pretty much ready to be taken away. She only flicked her wrist, getting her lackey next to her to push your hands back down. Why she couldn't do it herself was beyond you. She then continued to tell you of your fate, saying someone would come to question you later and that you'd be experimented on later at the Hajima Industry, whatever that meant. You yawned rudely, but she never did stop droning off.
Though, the last part of her ongoing list for you is what caught your attention the most.
"I'm going to be able to join the Fire Force," you exclaimed, a smile already forming on your face. "But, I didn't go to school for it!"
Hibana raised her hand, the gesture meant to silence you, and it did, but it was getting harder to conceal your happiness.
"You don't have to worry about that. They're pretty much desperate to get their hands on a recruit anyway. I've already let one of the members know of your arrival soon, so get ready or something. Han, go ahead with him, you'll be transporting him there." the man, now known as Han, nodded his head eagerly, obviously smitten with the woman, and you wasted no time in finding a place to change your clothes, with Han right behind you.
*I'm done w the intro. Next chapter, [Name] meets Shinra on the way and the others! This draft sat for way too long, next chapter tmrw most likely </3