Blood Like Cherry

Leo made his way back to the door. Sounds of battle came into his ears.

Mia was able to hold out?

Leo opened the door. He was partly correct because Mia was not alone. Ike was helping her, but both could not take down Xavier.

Leo kept Xander on the floor filled with debris. He then summoned Tenebris.

Leo charged from the back. Xavier dodged his attacks, but Leo increased his speed in return.

Leo and Xavier fought until they were close to the part of the building where the wad fire. It looks like the fire had spread into this building.

Seeing this fire Xavier's face changed. He ignored Leo and ran to another location. He got caught which made him forget this.

Why is he running? Leo followed.

Leo used his pure element attack, but Xavier ignored it. He tried to pull on a doorknob but failed as it had heated up. Xavier held the pressure from Leo's water attack using his back. He ignored the attack and kicked the door.

"Do you wish to die?" Xavier spoke to Leo.

Leo pointed Tenebris at Xavier. "No, but you can die," Leo charged towards Xavier.

"Fool!" shouted Xavier, but he did not move from his position.

Just before Tenebris reached Xavier moved out of the way. Tenebris struck the door. The blades went towards the inside of the door. Xavier shoved Leo to the ground. He then kicked Leo's stomach. Xavier then tried to pull Tenebris but failed. He pulled ever harder but failed again.

How could he succeed? Leo was the owner of Tenebris. It would not help someone who was not it's owner.

Leo spun on the ground and caught Xavier's leg. This made Xavier fall to the ground. Leo got on his feet and took Tenebris, but before he could strike a hand pulled him.

It was Ike. He did not say anything. Ike pulled Leo and both of them ran.

"Let go," Demanded Leo, but Ike did not reply.

When Leo looked back Xavier still had not moved from his position. He was sure that the knock would not do anything to Xavier, but why is he not moving?

After twenty seconds the room near Xavier exploded.

Both Leo and Ike were hit by the blast. They both flew and fell on the ground.

The explosion was massive. It was loud. Leo could not hear anything else other than the explosive sound. Some covered the entire area. This made it hard to breathe. Even opening the eyes were a problem.

"Run," A voice sounded in his ears. Leo knew that the voice belonged to Ike.

This would be the best opportunity to escape this place. Both Leo and Ike ran. Along the way, he saw how badly the city was hurt.

Charcol bodies lay on the ground with no one to help them. People injured and in tears. Leo saw the old man and the boy running to safety. He saw many others getting pushed to the ground and stepped on due to the commotion. It was a tragic sight, but not a new one.

Leo and Ike found themselves overlooking the city. Smoke gushed out from the city. People ran like wild animals. Screams of agony and despair sounded from within the black smoke.

Ike sighed. "Was it worth it?"

Leo did not respond. It looked like Ike had asked that question to himself and not to Leo.

Ike turned his attention to Leo. "We better get going. We will meet up with the other in town. I need to cool my head," Ike began walking.

Leo stood there for a few seconds then walked away. There was no way Xavier escaped from the explosion. Both him and Ike got injured so it was easy to imagine what would happen to Xavier who was at the center of the explosion.

It was an unfortunate death and could have easily been avoided, but Xavier could not do anything.

---

It took Leo and Ike twenty minutes to reach the town, but there was something wrong...

The town was no longer there...

It was replaced by destruction. The cherry trees all had disappeared. Buildings had crumbled. The pathways were no longer there. Blood and flesh populated the area.

Ike's eyes were open wide. He could not believe this. He saw people with the bodies ripped apart. Lungs and stomachs pulled out. Intestines

Ike could not believe this. What? How could such a thing happen?

Ike ran towards the town.

---

Mia stood in front of her house. At least what remained of it. There she saw a sight she would never forget. A sight she could never forget.

The sight of her father separated into six pieces. His head, legs, hands, body were all pierced through spears which were erected in front of their house.

Mia did not move. She could not move. No tears fell down. As of this moment, it was not sure if she was alive or dead.

---

Emilia found herself towards the edge of the city. There she found her parents. Cut in half. Their hands still held each other, but their bodies did not. The family she longed to protect was no longer there.

Emilia fell to the ground. Her heart stabbed by a sword. Not with one strike, but a sword that kept stabbing her heart. It did not stop. It would never stop. How could it?

---

Xander walked around his orphanage. It was in ruins. The people he once knew lay on the ground. Their insides spilled out.

Around him, nothing but ruins stood. The wooden and cement building had all into ruins. The happy and lively people were all dead with their blood and guts spilled out. The cherry trees which filled the town were all gone. The cherry's mixed with the blood.

Xander felt no pain. He could no longer feel any pain. He wanted to. At least that is what his mind kept saying, but his heart refused.

He wanted to run. To where? He did not know. All Xander wanted was to run and never stop because if he did. He would die.

---

Leo walked inside the town. He stopped near the entrance. There he saw the four men that were there when he came to the town.

They were together. The only difference was that they were dead. From the looks of it, they were the first ones to come in contact with the enemy. Leo was sure they did not try to escape because if an enemy is coming to attack a place you were in who in their right mind would use the only entrance?

Leo walked past the men. Then he came across Zek.

Zek's remaining arm was inside his mouth. Zek's tongue was replaced by the fingers of his remaining hand.

It was a tragic sight. The entire town in ruins. It was as if someone had squeezed all the cherry trees over the town and sprinkled it with human flesh.