Morning light revealed the full extent of Riverstone's devastation. Kael and a small group of villagers moved through the rubble, assessing what remained of their home.
The granary was a complete loss, little more than a pile of scorched timbers and ash. The water systems were heavily damaged, and the wells needed clearing. Houses closest to the square were destroyed, their walls blackened and sagging.
"We'll need weeks, maybe months, to repair even a fraction of this," Yara said grimly, running her hand over the jagged edge of a collapsed beam.
Kael nodded, his expression tight. "First, we focus on what's essential. Water, shelter, and food."
The group made notes of what could be salvaged—tools that could be mended, fragments that still held power, and building materials that hadn't been reduced to rubble.
They took the functional fragments from the dead corrupted.
When Kael picked up a fragment that had been damaged in an attack, he realized something. The corrupted itself was unharmed, with no visible damage, but the fragment powering it had been destroyed.
This meant that attacking the fragments that powered the corrupted would immediately kill them, as the fragments were the key to their existence.
Kael realized that this was a huge discovery that could help them through future attacks. 'God forbid, they should never be any more of these attacks.' He thought to himself.
The remaining food supply was meager. Only a few sacks of grain that had been hidden before the battle, some vegetables harvested from the outskirts, and wild herbs foraged in the days after the attack.
The water supply was their most immediate concern. The wells were partially contaminated from dust and debris, and without functioning pumps, accessing clean water was a labor-intensive process.
Kael began assigning tasks. "We need to clear the wells first. Miss Yara, take a team to gather whatever food you can find near the forest. I'll work with the others to start clearing the square."
The villagers nodded, their weariness evident but their determination was stronger.
That evening, the survivors gathered in the remains of the meeting hall. Though the building's walls were cracked and its roof was gone, it was still a place where they could come together.
Kael stood at the center, his shoulders raised despite the emotional pressure he felt. This was what the local elder, Brannan would do—before he perished in the battle. "We need to decide how we move forward," he said, addressing the group.
The villagers murmured in agreement, though their faces were filled with doubt and exhaustion.
"We have two options," Kael continued. "We stay and rebuild, or we leave and find somewhere else to start over."
The debate that followed was intense. Some argued that staying was too dangerous, that Riverstone's location left them vulnerable to another attack. Others countered that leaving would mean abandoning everything they'd worked for, not to mention the graves of their loved ones.
"If we leave, we're giving up on the land that's sustained us for generations," Yara said, her voice firm. "Riverstone is our home."
"But what's the point of rebuilding if it only gets destroyed again?" another villager countered.
Kael listened carefully, his mind racing. Both sides had a point, but neither felt right. Staying meant risking another attack, while leaving felt like surrender.
As the meeting continued, Kael wrestled with his own thoughts. Part of him was driven by the need to protect what was left of the village. But another part burned with a desire for revenge against the corrupted and whoever—or whatever—had sent them.
His father's sacrifice still fresh in his mind. Would staying honor Marcus's memory, or would it put everyone at greater risk?
Lira, sitting quietly beside him, seemed to sense his turmoil. "Whatever we decide," she said softly, "we'll face it together."
Kael nodded, gaining strength from her words.
In the days after the attack, Kael and Yara began studying the fragments left behind by the corrupted. The pieces hummed faintly, their energy still active but unpredictable.
"These fragments... they're not like the ones we've used," Yara said, holding a shard up to the light. "There's something darker about them."
Kael frowned, running his fingers over a fragment embedded in a piece of crystalline armor. "I think they're being controlled somehow. Maybe even corrupted, just like the attackers."
Their research was basic, limited by their lack of knowledge and tools. But it was clear that the fragments were more than just remnants of the stars—they were part of a larger, more dangerous system.
Kael began to piece together a theory. The fragments weren't just tools; they were containers for energy, capable of altering both technology and biology. The corrupted attackers had harnessed this power, but at what cost?
The more Kael learned, the more questions arose. Who controlled the corrupted? Why had they targeted Riverstone? And could the fragments be used to protect, rather than destroy?
As the survivors worked to clear debris and salvage resources, tensions grew. The question of whether to stay or leave continued, dividing the villagers into two camps.
Some argued that rebuilding was the only way to reclaim their lives. "We can't let fear drive us away," Yara insisted. "This land is all we have."
Others were less optimistic. "What happens when they come back?" a young farmer asked. "Do we just keep fighting until there's nothing left?"
Kael found himself caught in the middle, trying to mediate while fighting with his own doubts.
The fragment Lira had found in a bush one day began to draw attention as she became more used to its energy. She could sense that it was about to merge, it had some sort of magnet force to her. When she keeps it somewhere, she later finds it attached to her body.
"It's like it's alive," she told Kael one evening, holding the fragment in her hands. "Like it's trying to become a part of me."
The survivors' behavior showed their shared trauma. Small disagreements sometimes flared into heated arguments, but they always returned to the understanding that they needed each other to survive.
Kael worked to foster a sense of unity, encouraging collaboration and mutual support. He paired villagers with complementary skills, ensuring that everyone had a role to play.
but of course, Kael's leadership was not without its struggles. He often doubted his decisions, questioning whether he was leading the village toward survival or ruin.