Kaden's consciousness stirred as though rising from the depths of a cold, dark ocean. His body felt weightless, yet his chest ached, an unbearable tightness radiating outward like phantom pain. His eyelids twitched, heavy as lead, before slowly peeling open to reveal a canopy of ancient trees.
The forest was alive with muted sounds—the faint rustle of leaves swayed by an invisible wind, the distant chirping of nocturnal insects, and the occasional cracking of branches far off in the shadows. Moonlight filtered through the dense foliage above, bathing the area in silvery patches of light.
Kaden blinked, his vision blurry. The world seemed to shimmer, the edges of his surroundings pulsating as if reality itself was unstable. He tried to lift his arm but found it trembling, weak as though he hadn't moved in days.
---
His senses gradually sharpened, and with them came an overwhelming flood of sensation. The earthy scent of damp soil and decaying leaves filled his nostrils. The bark of the tree he rested against was rough against his back, grounding him in the moment.
Memories came rushing in, chaotic and fragmented. The outskirts. The beasts. The screams.
"Lira."
His chest heaved as her name echoed in his mind, each syllable slicing through him like a blade. The image of her standing at the door, the terror in her wide eyes as the beasts descended, burned into his thoughts. His fists clenched, nails digging into his palms until they bled.
"Lira," he whispered, his voice trembling with anguish. Pain surged through him, not from his body but from somewhere deeper, raw and untamed.
It should have been him.
---
Kaden gasped for air, his hand instinctively moving to his chest. But instead of feeling torn flesh or a jagged wound, his fingers brushed over smooth skin. He sat up with a start, his hand trembling as he pressed against the spot where the hole had been. Nothing. No scar, no pain—just the faint warmth of a heartbeat.
"What the hell…?" he whispered, his voice raspy, dry as sandpaper.
His mind reeled, struggling to reconcile what had happened. He should be dead. "He" was supposed to be dead.
---
Kaden scanned his surroundings. The forest loomed around him, its shadows twisting and shifting unnaturally. His senses felt heightened, every sound sharper, every detail more vivid. The faint crackling of twigs underfoot reached his ears even though no one was near.
His eyes locked onto the ground in front of him. A faint red stain lingered there, trailing toward the forest's edge. It was his blood—there was no doubt about it. His mind replayed the final moments he could remember: the beast's claws, the searing pain, and the unbearable cold as his life slipped away.
Yet here he was.
He pushed himself to his feet, his legs trembling beneath him. The bullet wound that had torn through his thigh was gone, as if it had never existed. Every trace of injury had vanished, yet the memory of pain remained vivid.
He took a step forward, then another, walking unsteadily toward the outskirts. A flicker of hope burned within him. If he had survived, perhaps… "perhaps Lira had too."
---
When Kaden reached the outskirts, the flicker of hope was extinguished in an instant.
The scent of blood and death choked the air, a heavy metallic stench that clung to everything. The once-crowded streets were now ruins, homes reduced to rubble, their wooden frames scorched black. The portal that had unleashed the beasts had closed, its swirling void replaced by a gaping silence. The creatures had retreated, but the destruction they left behind was absolute.
Scattered among the wreckage were the survivors, though they hardly seemed alive. People sat slumped on the ground, their faces blank, their eyes hollow. Some cradled the lifeless bodies of loved ones, while others wandered aimlessly, calling out names that would never be answered.
Kaden stumbled through the chaos, his breaths coming in ragged gasps. He scanned the faces, his eyes darting to every blonde head he saw.
"Lira!" he called, his voice cracking. "Lira, where are you?"
---
It didn't take long to find her.
Kaden froze, his body stiffening as his gaze locked onto the ground. There she was—or what was left of her.
Her body was mangled, unrecognizable apart from the golden strands of her hair, now smeared with blood and paste. The sight wrenched the air from Kaden's lungs.
He fell to his knees, his hands trembling as they reached for her. His fingers stopped short, hovering just above the torn remains.
His eyes grew vacant, the light in them extinguished as he stared. The world around him blurred, the sounds fading into an indistinct hum.
"No…" he whispered. His voice cracked, then broke entirely. "No, no, no…"
---
Grief tore through him, primal and uncontrollable. He threw his head back and screamed, the sound echoing through the ruins. The pain was unbearable, a weight pressing down on his chest, crushing him from the inside.
The world felt empty, colorless. Nothing mattered.
His fists pounded the ground, the force splitting his knuckles.
"Why?" he shouted, his voice raw. Tears streamed down his face as he looked to the sky, his expression twisted in rage and despair.
"Why am I still alive?!" he roared. "Why did you save me?!"
His cries grew wilder, his voice breaking into sobs.
"You could have saved her!" he screamed. "You could have—"
Kaden's voice faltered. He clenched his teeth, trembling. His head dropped, his shoulders shaking.
"Why didn't you let me die?" he whispered, his voice hoarse.
He raised his head again, his eyes wild, filled with madness.
"Why?!" he howled. "Answer me!"
The irony clawed at him. He was shouting at the Lords, the so-called protectors of humanity. But deep down, he knew the truth—"the Lords were dead."
And that was why the world had descended into this madness.
Kaden's laughter bubbled up, hollow and broken. He clutched his head, rocking back and forth. The laughter turned to sobs, and then back again, his sanity fraying at the edges.
The cruelty of it all was too much to bear.
Answer to the previous riddle: They were a grandfather, father, and son.
Riddle of the Day: "I'm filled with water, but I'm not a bottle. I can hold liquid, but you can't drink from me. What am I?"