Mildune watched in horror as the wyvern's flames washed over the city, scorching the streets with its heat. Its every wing beat a thunderclap, resounding off the mountain. Then, as the last standing tower crashed to the ground, it turned and flew away, leaving the city to burn behind it.
Mildune remained frozen for the next several minutes, his mind blank of any conscious thought. It wasn't until a burning building lost its support, and crumbled to the ground, sending a shower of sparks spiraling into the sky, that he snapped back to his senses.
'No... No, this can't be happening! I-I have to do something!'
The thought of his uncle, trapped in there somewhere, drove Mildune to start moving. From a stumbling walk, to a desperate run, he dove into the flames, moving at a speed others might find surprising.
The fire burned his skin as he ran, but he ignored the pain, entirely focused on finding his uncle. Over a pile of rubble he leapt, and under a fallen building he slid, dashing forward until he reached the city center, where all the stalls were set up.
"Uncle? Uncle, we need to get out of here!"
Mildune burst through the smoke, shouting as he ran to his uncle's stall, only to find a smoldering heap of wood and stone. With strength he did not know he possessed, Mildune grabbed several beams, and threw them to the side, sending up a shower of ash.
However, the space beneath was empty, besides a cloud of smoke, which flooded his lungs. Coughing, Mildune backed away, and with teary eyes, scanned the street. Across the street, he spotted a twisted leg, sticking out from beneath a fallen wall.
With a grunt, he shifted the stone away, revealing Desmont, whose face was badly burned, but he was still breathing.
"Hey! Desmont, you need to wake up!" Mildune shook the old blacksmith, who coughed and opened his eyes.
"Mildune? Is that you?"
"Yes! Yes, its me," Mildune said, helping Desmont sit up. "Do you know where my uncle is? I can't find him!"
"Your uncle?" Desmont coughed again, and gestured down the street. "He… he went that way… What happened here? What's going on?"
"A wyvern attacked…" Mildune said, standing. He looked down the street, peering through the ash as far as he could. "I'm going to find my uncle. You need to get to safety!"
As Mildune started to run away, Desmont grabbed his hand, and pulled him. "Wait! You're uncle…Cough… He wasn't alone when he left. There was a man with him. A strange man, draped in a black cloak. He felt…cough, cough… He felt dangerous."
With that, Desmont let go of Mildune, and staggered away, his large form soon disappearing in the smoke.
Mildune thought about what the old blacksmith said and gritted his teeth. "Dangerous or not, I need to find my uncle. All else, be damned."
Leaving the stalls, Mildune flew down the street, sparks erupting from beneath his boots with each step. His eyes darted back and forth, frantcially searching the passing streets and alleys for his uncle. He called out until his voice was hoarse, but still there was no answer.
'Where is he?' Mildune thought, nearing the end of the street. Around him, the buildings seemed to fall away, and he found himself standing at the edge of a crater, half a mile wide, and deep enough to be a valley. 'What in the name of Emereil happened here?!'
A light breeze blew through the clearing, moving some of the ash and smoke, and revealing the craters bottom. There, a man knelt, his body enveloped in writhing shadows as he leaned over a second man, who laid in a crimson pool.
"Your refusal displeases me, Seer. Solvengold would have granted you power beyond your belief, had you just revealed the child's whereabouts!" The man's cold voice cut through the air like a knife as he stood, and with a hiss, he slammed his boot down on the man's chest. "Now, I'll ask you one final time. Where is the boy? Where is the one born from a dying ember?"
The words swept through the clearing, chilling Mildune to the bone. An instinct, rooted deep into the depths of his being, screamed at him to run, but his feet refused to budge, not when the man lying on the ground was his uncle.
As the smoke shifted, Berrodin's face came clearly into view, looking much older than it ever had before as he stared defiantly at the man. "You dissapoint me, Azerial. Allowing yourself to be corrupted by the very thing we once sought out to destroy. Now you come to me, as one of the Soullous Ones, no less, and demand answers? No… No, I'll die before I tell you anything."
The shadows around Azerial thickened, and a glint of silver appeared in his hand.
"So be it."
With those words, Azerial plunged a dagger into Berrodin's chest, and twist it with a grim smile. Time seemed to slow as Mildune ran into the crater, crying out in an silent scream. At the bottom, Azerial whirled around, his eyes flickering with a vicious glint. But before he could do anything, Berrodin grabbed his ankle, and a hot white light poured out of his hand. This caused Azerial to screech, and pull away, pure hatred dawning across his face as his own shadows enveloped him, and whisked him away.
The incredibility of it meant nothing to Mildune as he ran to Berrodin, and dropped to his knees. "Uncle, can you hear me?"
"Mildune… I'm glad… cough… you're here," Berrodin said, coughing between words. Blood dribbled from his mouth as he grabbed Mildune's arm. "I need…cough, cough… to tell you something."
"You can tell me later, after I get you help!" Mildune said, tearing off his tunic. As he placed it against Berrodin's chest, trying to stop the bleeding, he wildly scanned the surroundings. "Is there anybody out there?! I- I need help! My uncle-"
"Stop… Stop, Mildune. I need you to listen to me," Berrodin said, before falling to another fit of coughs. As they ended, he tightened his grip on Mildune's hand. "Trust Perin… Go to Ilthen'mist… You'll be safe there…"
"Please, uncle. I don't understand. Why are you talking like you're about to die?" Mildune said, tears streaming down his face. "You'll be fine! You have to be fine!"
Berrodin shook his head, a slight smile tugging at his lips as the last bit of light dimmed from his eyes. "May we meet again… my boy…"
"No… No, no, no! Not like this! Please!" Mildune shouted, shaking his uncle. A firey rage swirled within his core, violently bashing against his chest as he staggered to his feet, and turned to the sky.
Then, with an anguished howl, the energy burst free, and a shockwave swept the city. Its power washed over the world, alerting beings from all races of his existence. And then, as his cry came to an end, Mildune fell forward, dropping to the ground as the last of his strength left his body.
It was there, as darkness was closing in, that he vowed to get revenge, no matter the cost.