Daeyang's eyes fluttered open to the acrid smell of smoke and the piercing cries of agony that filled the night. The battle had ended, but the nightmare had only just begun. He struggled to sit up, pain radiating through his body, but the sight that met him was one of horror. The huts and buildings of the Suk clan were engulfed in flames, casting a hellish glow over the chaos.
Screams echoed in the air—families torn apart, loved ones trapped in the inferno. Daeyang's heart raced as he tried to gather his thoughts. The clan had fallen, and he had to find Hana.
Stumbling forward, he felt the heat of the flames licking at his skin, and the ground beneath him was littered with the bodies of his fallen kin. Each step was a reminder of the loss, each face he passed a haunting memory. Then, he saw her.
"Hana!" he cried out, rushing toward her. She lay on the ground, her body still, but he could see the faint rise and fall of her chest. Relief washed over him, but it was quickly overshadowed by despair as he knelt beside her.
"Hana, please, stay with me!" he pleaded, cradling her head in his lap. "I thought I lost you!"
"I'm here, Daeyang," she whispered, her voice weak but steadying. "You found me… just hold me, okay?"
He pulled her close, the warmth of her body contrasting with the cold reality around them. "I'm so sorry, Hana. I couldn't protect you. I should have been there."
"Shh," she murmured, her fingers brushing against his cheek. "It's not your fault. We fought bravely. You have to be strong now… for both of us."
The screams of their clan echoed in the background, a haunting chorus of despair. Daeyang could feel the tears pooling in his eyes as he looked around at the devastation. "What are we going to do? They're all gone, Hana! I can't… I can't lose you too!"
"Listen to me," she said, her voice growing fainter. "You have to survive. Promise me you'll keep fighting. The Suk clan may be fallen, but our spirit lives on in you."
"I promise, I promise!" he choked out, his heart breaking as he felt her body grow colder in his arms. "Just stay with me, please!"
"I love you, Daeyang," she whispered, her eyes fluttering as she struggled to hold on. "Remember that. Always."
And with that, her breath escaped her, leaving Daeyang alone in the darkness, surrounded by the flames that consumed everything he had ever known. The world around him blurred as he clutched her lifeless body, the screams of the dying echoing in his mind, a haunting reminder of the night everything was lost.