Chapter 81: Praetor's Flame

It was just like he said. 

They lost. 

The three of her friends been captured, Claudia was deprived of her wand and her mouth gagged, Dale...was being tortured. 

Once they knew he was part of the authorities, they sepearted him from the rest and making sure he couldn't muster any strength to reply a call from his comrades and hope to get some information from him since mind reading doesn't seem to work on him. Everytime they broke a finger or carefully stab him where it won't be fatal, Claudia squirm from the leader's hold with a muffled cry, it didn't take a genius to say she was yelling them to stop. 

On the other hand, the other three was rendered useless from their ability. Stanley was gagged just like Claudia, Foax was blindfolded so he couldn't make out a target to manipulate, it was still better than Jeremy who's being gagged, blindfolded, and limbs tied tight enough that he couldn't even move a finger.  

Claudia cursed her captors over and over as if it could help her get anywhere close to escaping. Even though she didn't want to look weak, tears were trying to break out from her every time she hears Dale screamed in agony. 

Isn't this what she had been reminding herself? Not to act conceited just because she's the only one who could use magic. Because of her blunder, she couldn't utter a god damn spell to break through this ordeal. 

"That's enough!" The Leader suddenly spoke. Claudia looked up to him and saw his face was fixatated at one side of the gym, looking menancingly with his brows furrowed together. "Those buffoon..." he whispered to himself but not out of earshot from Claudia. 

He looked to his mean and bellowed, "Men, a change of plans, it's time to iniciate our Fail-Safe!"

The what? What does that even mean? Claudia thought. She wished at this time she could use Telephaty and talk to Dale to whether he was alright or not, though she doubted the former. 

His eyes was flickering toward unconciousness but remain open, Claudia was relieved he was still alive but pleaded in her heart for anything that could help her to get away. The terrorist seemed to be planning their escape and leave off the children so while they lost the match, Claudia thought the war is not lost as long as they can't go off with espers in tow. It wouldn't end as happily as everyone would have hope but as long as they survived, she could take whatever happened next. 

"I didn't want to use it but get ready the bomb"

Except for that. 

Claudia's eyes shot up at his words, there was a second bomb? She would have never expected that. How are they going to even escape in time?

She looked over and an idea hit her as she looked over the zombie-like students. Off course...teleporation! Just hold hands in a circle and you could teleport anyone out in a flash and those rings could copy off abilities. 

"Boss, the others patrolling school has gone and teleport already, there's just us now" 

"Good, we've collected enough data for that man anyway so he should be satisfied from what we have"

Data...what for? Isn't this terrorism? 

"That man would be please knowing I found witch" the leader chuckled, "can't believe i just said that. Witch, magic, to think they exist...but I guess he's curious to what it is which is why he choose this school"

Someone knows her...and her ability?

They attack this school...because of her?

Claudia felt the air in her lungs was suck out from the thougt, she shook her head trying to get rid of it, knowing it's not the time to lose focus but the knowledge kept haunting her at the back of her mind. 

"All right let's go" said the leader but while pushing Claudia with him. She glared at him, demanding what he's planning now and he got the message quite clear. 

"Well we aren't going to leave a valuable power to lay waste in this little school don't you think?" He smirked at her surprised look that showed in her eyes and the muscle tensing in her arms. She didn't fight back though, too many things were cramped in her heads. 

Is she going to leave helplessly just like that?

Is she going to leave everyone to die?

Is she going to be used to other's will?

Just like last time...

No!

She began to struggle anew, trying to wretched out from his grip as she drag her feet across the court. Instead, her action angered him and decided to break one of her arms. She screamed in pain and tears break through her eyes, the man did not lessen his pace toward the group of masked men and his grip tighten around hers, making sure she relished the pain. 

Her mind began to scream louder in her head, to fight, to break free, to do everything in her power from being taken away. Her head flailing around so much, she was able to look back at her friends. 

They were all squirming in place toward her, though they barely could move, she could see the desperation they tried to even try getting closer to her. Dale was still unmoving and knew he needed medical attention soon. 

Sadness and helplessness was replace by anger as it began to boild inside her. How dare they...how dare they do this! What right do they have hurting people? How dare they hurt her friends without a single look of shame or guilt on their face. 

She wished nothing more for the scum to drop dead. 

A scream was heard next to her and she found herself looking up at the Leader flailing his hand that was covered with black flame. 

Fear began to crept up, replacing her anger, but there was also curiosity in her mind. How did a flame appear?

It turns out, he wasn't the only one in flames, she look to herself and found she was covered with black flames as well. Panic began to swell up inside her, she was well aware her pyrophobia was acting up as she started hyperventilating. 

She stopped panicking and forced herself to slow her breathing when she realized something strange. 

She was in flames...but she wasn't burning. 

No heat, no pain, just black flames covering her like it's a part of her. 

She turned toward the leader who had hia goons tried helping him extinguished the flames with water ability but to no avail. 

Her head was pounding, her heart beats faster, and a smile appeared on her face. The fire started to spread in responsed, even to the other men, creating a choir of screams. Yes, burn...burn in pain and misery, suffer like I had suffer. You deserve it, they deserve it. 

Claudia...

Burn...suffer...burn...

Claudia!

Burn!

CLAUDIA!!!

She blinked, a voice in her head snap out from her tranced. The flames began to diminish and she felt she finally had a hold to reality. 

Claudia, what's happening? I've been trying to get in touch with Dale but he's not responding, can you hear me? Answer me what's going on?!

Ri...Rick?

Who else? So what happened?

"You little Bitch!"

Claudia was startled from the menancing voice, she looked up to find a gun pointing at her, the leader had a light red burns on his right hand and head, his whole face sweaty and wrinkled from frowning.  

She was still caught up from the aftershock, she only stared dumbly at him for a while. She would have reach out her gag there and then, but then she might put a hole in herself so she remain unmove. 

Damn a gun, oh God please don't let me die today. 

Claudia, what gun? What's happening?

Shut up Rick, if you want to help then get the rest of the people out of the school. There's a bomb and I don't know how long till it blows!

Another one! Dammit, stay where you are Claudia, I'll get some help as soon as possible. 

If you want help the stay the hell away from here because it's not safe. 

She tried prying off her mind off him and focused on the danger she's in. She really feels she has no hope on this one until her eye caught the glimering silver of her sword. If only she could get it to her side she would have a fighting chance against them. 

It might have been a subconcious thing, but with her hand raised she pointed her right index finger at the sword and slightly wave it toward her. 

The reaction it had wasn't what she had expected. She tried to hide her surprise and kept her face neutral. That failed and she let out a smirk instead through her gagged mouth which angered the man more, "what are you smiling about?!"

Oh how she wished he could hear her next thought. 

I'm not a bitch, I'm a witch. 

The sword flew toward her with speed that made the others duck, it's sharp edge hit one side of the Leader's head, toppling him aside and landed on her hand. 

Those who didn't flinch from the sudden event began shooting at her but Claudia had already made an ice shield between her and her shooter. 

"Forget about her, let's get out of here!"

The two shooters nooded at the order and began assembling while they shoot at fix interval, covering the back of their limp leader. Claudia was still busy trying to pull off the gag because it was a lot tighter than she first thought. 

There was a collective groan and she found all the espers were fainting one by one, as if being ordered so. She looked back at the Leader being one step away from teleporting. 

Oh she may can't catch up to him, but there was no way she let him get away feeling satisfied with his mission. So she couldn't stop smiling when she form a long Icecle floated off her hand and aim at the controller sitting at his back pocket. 

Which mean she was able to destroy the controller and stab his ass. 

His bellowed pain was enough to give her (a little) satisfaction, but cursed the moment most of the masked group got away. She turned to the bomb placed at the middle of the school bleachers then toward her friends. She cut the ropes, the gags, and the blindfolds and immidiately they look around, trying to assesed the situation. 

They got away didn't they? Foax pointed out the first thing he noticed. 

"Don't remind me, anyway does any of you know how to disarm a bomb?"

Stanley shook his head. 

Jeremy stayed silent. 

Foax raised an eyebrow then pointed out he could if he was reading someone's head. 

Claudia felt she wanted to curse the world. 

"Alright, at least out of all four of us, Foax has the experience of disarming a bomb so he's coming with me. Jeremy and Stanly, look after Dale will you?"

They nodded at eachother and went their way. They rushed toward the bleachers where the bomb was ticking away. It was like a black metal gallon, with suspicious red tubes and wires sticking in and out, in ths middle tere was an LCD showing the time blue numbers and curently saying thay have 1 minute and 30 seconds left before they became charcoal. She blinked in disbelief, and began to pull her hair. 

I don't know about you, but pulling your hair doesn't seem to help disarming the bomb!

"Don't talk smart with me now Foax, we have more pressing issue here!" She inched closer, hopefully looking for a STOP button along with Foax, her hand tried to touch the Death Tool but Foax seize her arm beforehand. Don't, there's a motion detector, a slight movement and we all be blown to bits, what's more it's bolted to the ground. 

One minute left...

"How bad is the bomb?" She asked with a nervous tone. 

Enough to blow half the school to bits. Foax said with a regrettable tone. 

"Well how do we stop it?!" 

Foax looked intendly at it, trying to somehow excavate any of his memories that could help to maybe slow it down or cut off thw motion detector. Nothing came to mind as he had never chalanged the bomb in front off him. He had always pride himself with his telephaty to not only read people's mind but to re-enact them whatever is in their head. 

Now he cursed he don't know anyone who could help him with bombs. 

I'm sorry, I don't-I can't help...I thought I could and yet...

Claudia wanted to say something but her words caught stuck in her throat. Foax was crying...his head was down with a look of defeat cross his face, to him, it was the first time he felt useless. At least since that incedent three years ago, he swore not to let anything happened to his friends, to protect the only few people he could call his family. 

To uphold the promise he couldn't kept with her...

Now he's going to die along with most of the student population and there isn't a damn thing he could do. 

I'm sorry Theresa...

His mind swept up toward the past memories of her first few days since they met, he remebered her as a girl who always smile. With her wild red hair, her freckles across her cheeks, her subtle blue-green eyes, her sharp canine teeth showing whe she grins, he began remembering simple features about her. Even when things go downhill for her, she made stupid bad jokes for herself and lift her own spirits. He began remebering how stubborn she was in games when he felt like losing and she would slap him in the back and flashed her trademark smile as she said to him...

Don't give up!

He blinked, his mind was forced to look again at reality and his head was then yanked to look at a pair of jade eyes. "Don't you dare give up just like that Foax, I didn't face a hundred of terrorists, fought off zombie-espers, and had my arm broken just to let them have their way and I'm not going to die today!"

...since I've already died once. 

Foax would have like to ask if he misheard her mind but then she went thinking of different foreign spells that he didn't understand. He looked back at the bomb, there was only 40 seconds left and he let out a dry laugh. 

If only there was a miracle...

"Don't you know Foax?" He turned to face and saw she had a smile that somehow reminded her of an old friend he just thought of seconds ago. 

"The word magic comes from the word miracle"

30 seconds...

She looked back at the bomb with deep thoughts, there were a lot of spells she had in mind but there was a risk, most of them was because it might trigger the motion detector. She thought about submerging it to the ground, but then she doesn't know if it might blow up a gas pipe and make it worst. Float it in the air? Worst, it will flail around and if that doesn't trigger it, she doesn't know what will. Freeze it, no...useless. Teleport it, no time to make the magic circle or the long damn chant. Shield it? No...too much of a gamble with a bomb that could crush half the school. 

Ugh, this is the first time she wish she still has her spell book. 

Claudia cursed herself that she mostly only knows combat spells, she suddenly remembered how her Master would say she was a battle junkie and how now was a bad time to agree the 400 years denial. 

25 seconds...

Can't you think of something? Like make it explodes bunny and doves instead of flames?

"I'm a freaking sorcerer Foax, not a trickster magician! I can't just turn anything into anything" She blinked and took his words to some thoughts. If she took his aim into consideration. 

20 seconds...

There's one spell that could work but doing it now would be a race of time. Either she finished the spell at the right moment or the bomb will. Not before or after the explosion but just the right time. Can she make it?

17 seconds...

No time to dawdle!

"Foax, make sure Rick teleport everyone as much as he could, tell him the time and don't argue, also...tell me how the countdown once it reaches five seconds"

Wait, Claudia...

She ignored him, with one word she flew from her spot and rushed out of the gym. The wind rushed past her cheeks and looked up at the sky, it's almost night time but there's still a a minute or two before the sun fully sets which was the key part of the spell. She made it at the edge of the school wall at the north side, she cut a flock of her hair, made a tight knot then place it down. She then did the same to the East, West, and South side of the school. Her long black hair was no longer and made a ruly bob cut hair. She took a second to catch her breath as she never felt she had flown as fast as she had today amd felt the strain of her mana dimishing. 

Claudia, it's five seconds now. 

Her hunch back immidiately straighten, and she flew as fast she could above the school, right at the middle. [O Mighty Wind, O Raging Fire, be one with my call and follow my cause...]

Claudia...it's three seconds now. 

[...let you know no heat, let you know no force...]

Two sec...Claudia where are you?

[...to protect as it is and make no mistake...]

CLAUDIA!

Foax, trust me...

[...let our power be shared, let our will be one...]

A loud explosion was herd all across town and people watch in horror as the school was engulfed in flames. People began wallowing in despair at the scene of what will be known as 'The Praetor's Flame'