Cruna & Rore's Burning Journey

"You can do it, Cruna!" shouted Rore.

Cruna looked at him and then back at the burning house. Its walls were glowing red, the smoke was filling the rooms, and the heat was unbearable. Cruna knew that there was no hope for her parents and her sister, but she couldn't leave them. She had to try everything before giving up on them.

"I'm not leaving until I know that they are alright!" shouted Cruna as she ran towards the house. Rore followed her and grabbed her hand with all his strength to stop her from entering the house.

"Don't be stupid! There is nothing we can do! The whole house is going to collapse any second now!" shouted Rore at Cruna, but she simply ignored him and started pulling him towards the entrance of the house. The roof started shaking violently as if it was about to collapse at any moment and so did the walls. The small flames were spreading really fast, and soon there was more smoke than fire visible. They had to hurry up, or they would die too.

"Cruna, listen to me! It's too late for your parents; let's just get out of here before we end up dead like them," said Rore in a desperate tone as he realized that there was no way to make Cruna understand what he wanted. He pulled his hand away from Cruna's hand but she held onto his sleeve tightly so he couldn't go anywhere. Rore would have loved to stay next to her but he knew that they didn't have time for this. He decided to use a different approach and slapped her across the face hard, hoping that this would shock her enough to make her see reason. Cruna looked at him surprised with tears running down her cheeks but when she saw how serious he looked, she answered with a simple nod indicating that she understood what he meant by leaving immediately even though she didn't want to leave without knowing what happened to her family.

Rore quickly grabbed Cruna's hand again and ran towards the door which by now was almost engulfed by flames as well. They took a deep breath and rushed into the burning room coughing due to the thick black smoke around them which made visibility exceptionally difficult for both of them. Their eyes were stinging so badly and their lungs felt like they were about to explode from all the coughing but they knew that they had no choice other than reach for their family's objects that contained their blessings before it was too late for them as well.

Rore took out his mask from under his shirt while Cruna took out a very thin chain with a cross hanging from it from under her dress along with a small wooden doll sitting on top of it. Both of them held onto their respective objects tightly with one hand while holding each other's hands tight with their other hands as they were finally able to cross through the living room, where all hell broke loose only moments ago, into one of the bedrooms where their mother always slept alone due to being unable to get pregnant again after having twins. They breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that their mother wasn't there and rushed towards their father's bed in another corner of the room hoping against all hopes that he was still alive somehow, even though they knew better than anyone else in this world that their father died instantly when he fell off his balcony while trying to put out some embers coming out of an oil lamp earlier that evening, right after dinner time.

The fire had spread without warning, and the town's soldiers, who should have been helping the citizens escape the blaze, did nothing. It was easier for them if people died during the catastrophe because it saved them from being accused of negligence or cowardice, which could lead to exile or disappearance. Families searched for their loved ones, never finding even a single trace or clue behind all these years since the tragic fire.

Cruna and Rore clung to one another, navigating through the burning remains of her home. The memories of that fateful night continued to haunt them as they focused on reaching for their family's precious belongings that held their blessings. As they moved past the destruction left behind by the firefighters' attempts to save the house, the tragedy was forever etched in their hearts. They knew that they had lost their families, but the thought of surviving and finding solace in each other became their newfound source of hope.

The young survivors, Cruna and Rore, would forever be bound together, not only by the shared tragedy but also by the love and determination that saw them through those dark moments. Together, they would rebuild and find strength in each other, a testament to the indomitable human spirit even in the face of unimaginable loss.