Consequences of the weak

The room spun around me as I stared down at my mother’s lifeless body, the jagged piece of debris still lodged where her head should’ve been. I couldn’t move, couldn’t think. It was like the world had just… stopped. The fire roared around me, but I couldn’t hear it. The heat pressed down on me, but I couldn’t feel it. All I could see was her—motionless. Gone.

“Mom…”

The word barely left my mouth. It felt hollow, like saying it would change anything. But it didn’t. She was really gone.

Then I heard it. A deep, guttural growl. I turned, half in a daze, and saw the salamander—molten, massive, still wreathed in flames—barging its way back into the room. Its fiery eyes locked onto me, and for a second, I thought it would attack. But something strange happened. As I stared at it, the creature’s flames began to flicker, dimming and then sputtering like a candle running out of wick.

The salamander… it was fading.

It stood there, frozen in place, the molten fire that formed its body beginning to dissipate, piece by piece. I watched as its flames turned to ash, its form growing smaller with each passing second, until finally, it was nothing more than a few embers scattered on the floor.

As it disappeared, I felt something shift, like a weight I hadn’t known was there was being lifted. It was almost as if the creature’s existence was tied to my mother’s life force. And with her gone, it had no reason to stay.

My mind raced with questions—why had the salamander been here? Why had it been guarding her? Why hadn’t she screamed in pain when the beam was melting through her back? None of it made sense, and my head was spinning, trying to piece it together.

But there was no time to think. The fire was still raging, the smoke thickening around me, and now that the adrenaline had faded, I could feel the heat searing my skin. My lungs burned with every breath, and my legs felt like they were going to give out any second.

I had to get out of here. Now.

I staggered toward the door, but the moment I took a step, my knees buckled, and I collapsed onto the floor. My vision blurred, the edges of my sight going dark as exhaustion and the oppressive heat took over. I tried to move, but my body wouldn’t listen.

Then, just as everything went black, something stirred inside me. A voice—quiet, distant, but undeniably present.

“Solomon: King of Wisdom, Level 1. Synchronized .”

The voice echoed in my mind, calm and steady, like it had always been there, waiting. I didn’t understand what was happening, but in that moment, I didn’t have to. I could feel it—this strange presence was giving me information, analyzing the situation, providing what I needed to survive.

“Fire resistance required. Skill Adaptive Survivor has been Created. Activating skill. Due to surviving prolonged exposure to intense heat you have met the requirements to obtain the basic skill fire resistance. Fire Resistance Level 1: Synchronizing . Skill Synchronized, Reducing heat impact by 15%.”

While the skill was named Solomon , but its voice was that of a man and woman’s. Distorted as if both were speaking in unison. And just as the angelic voice has conveyed , The oppressive heat lightened, just enough for me to breathe again. My mind cleared, and I could move. I still felt weak, but now that I had a chance to survive , I wasn’t about to let the fire take me. Not here. Not like this.

“Sub Skill - Supernatural Awareness awakened. Skill activating. Escape route detected. Plotting strategy.”

Solomons voice echoed in my mind as Images flashed in—details of the room I hadn’t noticed before, paths through the flames, the structural weaknesses in the building. The voice—Solomon—was guiding me, showing me the way out.

I got to my feet, my body still trembling, but the new skill’s fire resistance gave me just enough strength to keep going. I moved through the burning debris, avoiding the collapsing ceiling and darting through a narrow gap in the flames that I wouldn’t have seen otherwise.

Step by step, I followed the path Solomon laid out for me, navigating the chaos with newfound clarity. The flames still clawed at me, but they couldn’t stop me now. I pushed through the smoke and heat until, finally, I burst out the back door, gasping for fresh air.

I stumbled into the alley, collapsing to my knees. The cool air hit my face, and I coughed violently, my lungs burning from the smoke, but I was alive.

Jay was there, waiting for me, his eyes wide with panic. “King! You’re—where’s Mom? Is she…?”

I couldn’t meet his gaze. I swallowed hard, fighting the lump in my throat, but there was no easy way to say it. The words felt heavy, impossible, but I had to say them. I owed it to him.

“She’s… she’s gone, Jay. Mom didn’t make it.”

Jay stared at me, his face pale, his mouth opening and closing like he wanted to say something, but nothing came out. He looked as shattered as I felt. We stood there in silence, the weight of everything crushing down on us as the flames from the store flickered behind us, casting shadows on a future that would never be the same.

About 10 minutes later the fire team showed up but it was entirely too late. They put out the remaining fire and got statements from the citizens. Some government officials, came over and talked to me about moving me and my siblings into a foster home . I hesitated at the offer . But then they gave me a second option. To drop out of school and become an official adult under the law and take guardianship of my brother and sister. . The law states you have to be 16 to be registered as a legal adult as long as you had a guardians consent. But since my guardians are gone that decision is up to me. The man advised against it but I didn’t care for his words. In the end I did some paperwork and the man offered us a ride home.

On the way there he let me know that in a few days I will need to get registered either at a local License station or path finders guild. I would need some form of official documents to prove I am an adult. He told me with the paperwork I signed tonight I should be able to get an id at any official office even being under aged. I listened half heartedly. I cared but at the same time I didn’t. My mother just died. I was in shock . But I also had to make sure I knew what to do for the future. Once he was done the rest of the ride was quiet

Even Jay was quiet the entire time. He didn’t cry anymore he just sat in silence. I could feel his pain but I couldn’t imagine what Jelissa was going to feel like when she found out . I hated the ride home, anticipating the moment.

Upon arrival there were some officials already standing with her in Front of the house. The second I saw her tears fell from my eyes. I couldn’t hold back. I walked to her and slowly explained. Before I could even finish , Jelissa broke down crying screaming,Throwing a tantrum. Jay and I were able to get her back inside that didn’t stop her. She yelled and kicked until she had no more energy. After a few hours she was fast asleep . I brought her to my room and tucked her away. I figured with everything going on she could sleep with me at least for the night. Jay must have been exhausted as well because not to long after He crawled up next to her and fell asleep just as quickly.Not me though.

That night I sat up for a long time . I contemplated, Thinking about life and how the weak always suffer. If this happened in the interior, the fire would have been put out before anyone could even get hurt, but since it was the inner exterior , there was a delay ? Why? Cause our lives are worth less? It pisses me off? That fire had clearly been raging for at least 10 minutes before I got there. I was in there for at least 10 minutes . And when I got out we waited another 10 minutes before anyone arrived at the scene. 30 whole minutes passed before a single fire soldier showed up . Unbelievable. Things like this just don’t happen to those in the interior . Then again Those who are strong could probably solve the problem themselves. I sighed at the thought. It had completely slipped my mind, although it should have been common sense for anyone. The people of the interior are strong, they wouldn’t need to wait to be saved. Only the weak are prone to loss. Only the weak are dependent on others to save them. I hated it. It burned at my soul. I clutched my fist at my own weakness until blood began to drip down my arm. I couldn’t let this happen again. From here on out I would protect my family. Nothing else matters. My feelings not my emotions.. Whatever needs to be done I will do it . No matter the cost.

That day I made a vow. I would never be weak again.

STATUS

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