Clay was surprised that his outrageous demands were met by the lumeria shoulder. But a great weight of relief flooded through him. His parent's could at least have a chance at surviving this frightful event. But there was another weight that clung to him now.<br/><br/>The lumeria's words<span style="font-style: italic">"you owe me"</span>Clay had never owed anyone anything, and now he owed this one man his parents life. With the sudden echo of laughter which soon followed by yelling and the sound of metal, told him he had no time to sit idle. Quickly Clay grasps a knife as clatters along the table. Clay exits the kitchen his attention focused on getting to his mother. His feet moving without needing nothing but that his mother would be safe. Reaching the second floor he gently opened the door his Mother wearing a expression of concern.<br/>"Clay child what's going on? Why do you look so pale?"she questioned her hands gently cupping his face trying to comfort him.<br/><br/>"There's no time to explain, Father will be fine but I have to get you out of here safely." Clay's face was tight with concern as he could hear the echoing voice of the soldier. Before his mother could offer up a fight Clay gently urged her to move to the window. "Alright Mother I want you to go down the escape, head to the next town. I'll meet you they promise, okay?"he nodded gently to his paling Mother. Quickly she began to hold his wrist tighter, shaking her head making her once dark locks shiver as she silently argued. Clay's hand down gently holding his Mother's, "I made a promise so let me keep it".<br/><br/>His Mother's face was full of worry but she took one more second with her son, gently kissing his forehead. With Clay's Mother down the escape and on her way to the next town, he felt compelled to help the remaining lumeria solders. Quickly he moved from room to room but sadly he would not be in time.<br/><br/>Meanwhile in the room...<br/><br/>Hotaru shook savagely along the floor, sweet beading down her face. The fire inside licking at her screaming to be set free. "Dammit all"she mumbled her face against the wooden floor, her red hair falling around her. Hotaru held her head as she tried desperately to keep the fire within in her control. "I can do this, I am in control not my power " she chanted to herself.<br/><br/>The sounds below her making her become more unstable by the minute. Hotaru could hear Xiu's voice bellowing to someone. If he had already taken action where was Redine? All of this unlocking the locks one by terrible one. One minute Hotaru was on the ground in shambles, the next she floated gently surrounded by warm tingling air. Her gaze gently looking over Akami in his unconscious state, "I'm sorry".<br/><br/>With that Hotaru's eyes went yellow as she relinquished to her gift. A heart breaking scream filled the small inn room. Hotaru thrashed and screamed as the flames began to leave her just like how she killed her younger brother.<span style="font-style: italic">"Killer!"</span>echoed in her mind breaking each lock with more force. And with the last echoing scream that filed her lungs an explosion of fire erupted within the room devouring the top floors with its flames.<br/><br/>Clay had been mere room's away when a echoing tingle echoed down his frame. His slender frame grabbed the rail of the staircase as he made his escape barely making it out of the ground floors door Bedford the fiery explosion erupted within the inn. Covered in black smoke his face confused but alert one frame was shattered. Fear, concern, astonished guilt weighed down within Clay as he sat in the charred remains of his families inn. "Hello?" he croaked out, not fully sure if he wanted too know what still lied in the black smoke of the wreckage.<br/><br/>Hotaru stood naked in the center of the black carnage, she could smell the scent of charred flesh and hair. Hotaru's face stained with soot filled tears. A badly burned bandit grabbed her foot and without thinking her foot lifted with all her strength bringing it down along his neck, breaking it. Slowly she sat curled around herself in the wreckage. "It'll be okay, it'll be okay"she mumbled to berserk knowing full well she had killed again.and this time not only regular people but Lemurinian as well.