The ground was scorched, charred, and blackened. Most of the trees that had been hit by the flame were now nothing more than crumbling skeletons, their bark turned to powder and falling into piles of grey ash. Flames still flickered at the nearby trees, stubbornly spreading despite the cold, moist atmosphere. The sky, usually crisp and clear at the start of the day, was now filled with thick black smoke that blotted out the early morning sun. In the distance, the cries of panicked animals and birds echoed.
Though the flames continued to burn, they moved sluggishly. The wet ground and the heavy mist slowed their progress, preventing them from spreading too far. Still, the portion of the forest that had been caught in the dragon's flame was entirely consumed—completely burnt down.
Through the smoldering remains, a figure limped, dragging his injured leg for a few agonizing steps. His calf was torn, blood caked around the wound, but the limp slowly faded. Step by step, his walk steadied. The torn flesh on his leg began to mend itself, the muscle knitting back together as though the injury had never existed. Soon, he walked normally, as if untouched by the chaos around him.
He made his way toward a young lad, who had somehow avoided dragon's fire but had not escaped unscathed. The lad lay crumpled on the ground, his body charred and smoking, patches of his clothes still smoldering. The sickening scent of burnt flesh clung to the air around him, and his skin was blackened, much of it cracked open by the heat. Smoke rose from his seared form, mingling with the haze in sky.
The figure paused for a moment, looking down at the charred, barely breathing body of the lad. The boy's chest rose and fell in shallow, ragged breaths, his life clinging to its last moments. Smoke curled from the burnt patches of his skin, and his eyes fluttered open, filled with pain and fear. Androw knelt beside him, his expression cold but not cruel. There was no saving the lad now, only mercy could end his suffering.
Androw drew his sword, the sound of steel slicing through the thick, smoke-filled air. Without hesitation, he drove the blade into the boy's heart. The body twitched violently for a second, before the pain in the lad's eyes faded, replaced by stillness. His chest no longer rose. The boy's suffering was over. Androw wiped his blade clean on the remnants of the boy's tattered cloak and stood, his gaze lifting toward the sky where Baal circled, wings casting a shadow over the smoldering forest.
"May your next life be filled with love and light," Androw muttered, giving the boy one last glance before turning away.
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A day before, the same boy had stood at the edge of his village, his youthful eyes glinting with mischief as he peeked through the trees at a girl. She was kneeling by a stream, washing clothes, her dark hair shining under the early morning sun. The lad watched her shyly, his heart racing as she hummed a tune, oblivious to his presence. His childhood love, a secret he'd never voiced aloud.
Suddenly, a rough hand clapped him on the shoulder, startling him. He turned to see a man from his village, one of the hunters, grinning at him. "Spying on her again, eh?" the man teased, chuckling as the boy's face flushed red.
"I—I wasn't spying!" the boy protested, dodging the accusation with a cute, boyish smile.
The hunter shook his head with amusement. "When are ye going to ask her parents, lad? Before it's too late, eh?"
The boy avoided the question, awkwardly laughing it off, but his mind wandered to the girl as they headed back to village. He dreamed of a future where he would finally gather the courage to speak to her, to ask for her hand. But fate had other plans.
As the flames devoured the forest, in his last moments, the boy's mind returned to her face. Pain filled his heart, not from the burns on his skin, but from the thought that he would never say goodbye, never tell her how he felt. His vision blurred as tears mingled with the ash. Androw's sword found his heart, and the darkness claimed him before the final words could escape his lips.
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Sorry for the long absence, everyone. Life hasn't been easy these days. Anyway, I'll continue releasing chapters until this fiction is complete. For more chapters, you can access my Patreon. I'm planning to complete five more chapters and hope to finish them as expected. Take care!
link: patreon.com/AmouxCreationX
]