Chapter 28
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Denion was sitting on a lawn covered in blooming spring flowers.
I gazed endlessly at his adorable little back as I knitted a pair of socks for him with my own hands.
The spring breeze slipped between the trees and brushed ticklishly against my cheek.
That warm breeze danced across the green grass before mischievously tousling Denion’s soft hair.
Giggle—
The child’s clear laughter rang out.
Watching him fondly, I lowered my gaze to finish the socks that were nearly complete.
In that brief moment when I took my eyes off him.
A chill brushed across my skin.
I jerked my head up and looked toward where Denion had been.
The place where he had been sitting only moments ago was completely empty, as though no one had ever been there.
“Denion?”
My heart began pounding.
Without even realizing that the sock I had been knitting had fallen, I looked around, but as if it were all a lie, I couldn’t see so much as a single strand of Denion’s hair.
“Baby, where are you!”
‘Baby, baby.’
I ran across the lawn like a madwoman, screaming until my throat went hoarse.
That was when it happened.
“Mamaa! Waaah!”
I heard my child crying.
“Denion? Denion! Where are you!”
No matter how much I looked around, I couldn’t see Denion.
The warm spring breeze now felt not merely hot, but scorching against my skin. Before I knew it, flames were flickering all around where flower petals had once danced.
“Mamaa! Waaah! It’s hot. It’s hot.”
My chest burned at the sound of my child’s anguished cries.
Where are you, Denion!
Mama— Mama’s coming!
I wasn’t afraid of the blazing flames.
I threw myself into the fire that towered as high as a house, its crimson maw gaping wide.
Then my mind snapped awake.
I saw the ceiling of an old wooden house.
A dream…?
But I could still smell something burning and feel scorching heat prickling against my skin.
“Mamaa! Mamaa! Waaah!”
Diaz was clutching the hem of her clothes and wailing at the top of his lungs.
As I pulled myself out of my daze and sat up, only then did I see that the wooden walls were on fire.
“What in the…!”
“Hot, it’s hot. Waaah…”
I pulled Diaz into my arms and quickly covered my nose and mouth with my collar as I looked around.
The three girls who had fallen asleep with me still hadn’t woken up and remained exactly as they had been while sleeping. They seemed to have inhaled too much smoke.
When I held a finger beneath their noses, thankfully, they were still breathing. Only Diaz remained awake, sobbing uncontrollably with a terrified expression.
We have to get out of this room.
I looked around, thinking of escaping through a window, but of all things, there were no windows in the room.
The door was the only exit.
I left the frightened Diaz a good distance away and approached the door, then grasped the handle. Using the power of the Fire Spirit, I sensed the fire beyond the door.
The fire beyond it wasn’t very strong yet. That meant there was no danger of flames surging inside the moment I opened the door.
After taking a deep breath, I carefully opened it. Outside was utter chaos. The cries of children and Jared’s shouts as he seemed to carry them to safety rang out chaotically.
But of all places, the path directly in front of the door had been blocked by a wooden beam that had fallen from the ceiling. Worse, the beam itself was on fire.
“Is anyone there! Please help us!”
There was no way I could carry the unconscious children across it. But if someone were on the other side to help, I might be able to pass the children over the beam.
Then I saw Layla beyond the beam.
“Miss Layla! Please help us…”
But Layla, who was in a state of panic, met my eyes and simply fled with a terrified expression.
“Layla…?”
I could only stare helplessly at her retreating back.
A sense of betrayal surged through me, but there was no time to stand there in shock. If I simply waited for Jared to come rescue us, the flames would spread into this room as well.
I looked down at my open hands and bit my lip. Even in a situation like this, there was no way to save the children while keeping my ability hidden.
Whether my ability was discovered or not no longer mattered.
I had to save the children first.
“Cough, cough!”
Just then, I heard one of the girls coughing behind me.
“Big Sis!”
It seemed one of the children who had been unconscious had regained consciousness.
She kept coughing in pain, apparently having inhaled a great deal of smoke, but it was an enormous relief that she had woken up.
I quickly went to the children.
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