CHAPTER FIVE: FLAMES
FOR ONCE IN HER LIFE, Prudence was certain that she was happy. Her mother had finally gotten off of her back about marrying some noble boy in the village, her older sister had been too busy to be the usual amount of annoying she was, and her and Void had been more entranced with one another than ever. Sure, they fought sometimes like any couple would, but they were so unknowably in love, even if he was too stubborn to realize it and she was too scared to.
Pru had definitely came out of her shell more, not letting shyness stop her from saying what's on her mind or what exactly to do next, and he was the reason for all of that confidence. The fox showed her that if she wanted something, then she could have it with enough planning and persuasion, since all you really needed to know is who you were dealing with along with their weaknesses. After all it was fun being in control, it was fun playing the game with him, and she was so sure that she'd follow him anywhere.
In fact, as she headed back to her village from visiting her grandmother that she still adored, she couldn't help but think about him. She remembered the way he would kiss her, desperately for the most part, but there were moments where he would ease up and slowly let their lips meet in a surprisingly delicate manner that made her heart want to burst. Actually all she felt were feelings towards him, the kind that took over without permission and were the reason behind practically every little touch or interaction, and she was gradually starting to realize that. Maybe affection simply wasn't the right word for what we had anymore, she thought, eyebrows furrowed.
She smelt the smoke before her eyes found it tainting the white clouds in the sky, the familiar scent burning her nostrils in way it never had before, and her feet stopped moving for a second as she understood that the smoke didn't come from a harmless, little fire. So with fear striking every bone in her body, she ran towards her village so quickly it would have alarmed her if she wasn't distracted, her red cloak flailing behind her. The whole time all she could do was hope that she was wrong, that the smoke meant nothing, and that the two people she still cared deeply for, her family, were safe.
After witnessing so many innocent people die by Void's doing and one by her own, it was surprising how easily her humanity found her again, coming from the depths within her and fueling her motivation to just get home. Perhaps it would always be there no matter how much blood was on her hands or no matter how much she tried to push it out of the way for the most part, because it was a part of her just as much as he was. She cared—God, did she still care, about her family and him and this fire that may break her if anyone she loves is hurt. It would kill her if Void died, she would be devastated, and in that moment, she understood how much she loved him. She understood completely.
The stench of burning flesh filled her in the most unpleasant circumstance, her stomach churning uncomfortably as if she were going to throw up, and once she did reach her destination, it was absolute destruction. Buildings had collapsed, the sound of crackling wood still being picked up by her ears, but flames had already took their toll, they had ruined everything. Ash was everywhere, and to her horror bones were found mixed into the mess, granting her with a sight the girl never wanted to ever witness. Pru didn't even know she was crying until her hand absentmindedly reached up to wipe some of her tears away.
Still, after freezing to take in the nightmare in front of her, she decided to continue on, hoping that there was still a chance, that her family was alive and their home was in tact. She didn't even care how all of this started, as long as her family was safe then the rest was bearable, and the blonde silently prayed Void's little cabin was far away from this tragedy just like her grandmother's was. It was odd for her to be on fate's wrong side for once, because before this, no painful experience had ever happened to her. She was one of the lucky ones that never experienced utter hurt from losing something so dear to her heart.
All of that changed in a fraction of second though when she was face to face with her demolished homestead, pieces of fabric that was made from her mother's dress the middle-aged woman was wearing this morning floating around, their edges black from being nearly burnt altogether. The young girl dropped to her knees, the wet snow damping her clothing, but it didn't bother her—it couldn't, not when the people who have been with her her whole life had just...disappeared without warning. She was something she never thought she would be, she was broken.
"Chīsana Hato, little dove, are you okay?" Void asked as he appeared beside her, true concern being found in his tone while he knelt down next to her, his heart tugging in his chest at the sight of her so unhappy.
She shook her head sideways to indicate that no, she wasn't okay—actually she was far from it—and any gratitude that could have been shown at the realization at least one person she loved was fine seemed to be pushed to the side.
But still, her arms found their way around his torso and her face became nuzzled in his neck, seeking the kind of comfort he could bring her, tears still uncontrollably spilling from her eyes. His arms wrapped themselves around her also, a hand even coming up to comb through her long, blonde hair soothingly, because it killed him to feel the pain that radiated off of her, the kind he so graciously fed on from others. But he never wanted to hurt her, she the exception to his cruel ways.
"I know you're sad, Chīsana Hato, but I had to. They were catching onto me, onto us, and then we would've had a much bigger problem on our hands."
Void could feel her body tense up before she backed away from him just enough so he could see the hatred burning in her eyes. "You did this?"
Suddenly he found it hard to speak, which was a first, since he was a witty fox who loved to tick people off using his words, but he saw it. Void saw the feeling of betrayal written all over her beautiful, pain-stricken face, her puffy red eyelids and flushed face adding to the unsettling picture that he unintentionally did what never wanted to do. Then he was scared—terrified actually, because he knew that this might be it for them and that he went too far, and losing her was something he never even comprehended could happen. It was unbelievable.
"Little dove," He spoke carefully, calmly, silently questioning everything he did when he knew she wouldn't be in the village, "I had to."
"No, you didn't," Prudence said, and her voice broke almost as much as her heart did.
When she tried to stand up, knowing that it would only cause her more pain being around him, his hand clasped onto her arm to stop her from doing so. His grip on her was tight, internally pleading her not to go, to forget this ever happened, but with the way her lips snarled up in disgust made him understand that wasn't going to happen. Newfound regret consumed him, and the trickster wanted to take it all back, to find another way even if it wasn't as affective as this one. Because maybe then everything would've been okay, maybe then he wouldn't be holding onto something that's already gone.
The blonde never knew that someone who meant so much to her could break her more than she thought was possible, because it was him, it was the dark fox that promised he would always be there to protect her, and yet he was the one she needed protection from. From the beginning, Prudence knew this was dangerous, though she fell for it, she fell for him in every way possible and now she wished she never had. Nothing more than demolition would come from being with him, and she didn't want to be caught in the middle of that again where unfortunately she's the one broken beyond comprehension. They couldn't be together, and Pru swore to herself silently that she'd never trust the untrustworthy again.
The girl tugged hard enough that Void decided to let her go and not get her more enraged with him than she already was, but that didn't make him quit in trying to fix this, and soon he was standing up as well. "I'm—."
"No, don't! Don't even try apologizing, because there's nothing you can say that can make this better. I can't believe you would do this to me. You knew that my family was still here and yet you decided to just think about you like you always do and cause tragedy. Well, you know what? You continue to do that. I won't stop you and I won't be apart of it either. I never want to see you again," Prudence interrupted him, saying everything that's been on her mind and ignoring the hurt of his own that flashed across his face, and she turned around, walking away and he didn't dare to follow, even when everything ached for him to.