Elenya's Perspective
Today was the hottest day in Oros City since the cataclysm. It felt as if the sun, which they could never see due to the smoke-filled skies, had descended upon the earth. These were the thoughts of Elenya, who was currently working amidst the ruins of an old mansion. Elenya was battling this life alone because three months ago, her husband Aesen, who worked as a guard for Lord Vaenis, had contracted the Gray Scale disease. Aesen caught the disease while on a mission to eliminate an infected person who had lost their reasoning due to the sickness. He was subsequently sent to the other side of the city, which was designated for the afflicted.
Thinking about her husband brought sadness to Elenya—not because she missed him, but because she had no child to remember him by. Elenya and her sister, Aesena, once dreamed of escaping this ruined city and living a happy life with their families. However, Aesena had died giving birth to her first child, who also didn't survive. As for Elenya, although she had been pregnant three times and had given birth, none of her children had survived. All three died for the same reason: they were born with monstrous traits—scaly skin like a lizard's and small bat-like wings.
This phenomenon had become increasingly common in recent years. In fact, eight out of every ten children born exhibited these monstrous features. As a result, the number of people living in the ruins was steadily declining.
While thinking about these matters, Elenya continued to tend to the garden she was responsible for. If she failed to cultivate the garden and it was reported to Lord Vaenis, it would not bode well for her. Although Lord Vaenis was considered more merciful than Lord Daemir and Lord Vaelmen, losing the garden and her position as a servant in his household would leave her destitute.
Elenya worked tirelessly in the garden all morning without rest. Once she finished, she headed to Lord Vaenis's home to perform her duties as a servant. Upon arriving, she swept the house and cooked meals at the request of Lady Aera, Lord Vaenis's pregnant wife. While preparing the meals, she noticed that the water supply was running low. She decided to fetch water from a well located near the "White Shield Mansion," a mysterious estate surrounded by a transparent barrier that no one could penetrate. How the barrier functioned remained a mystery, but no one dared to enter the mansion.
Normally, it was the guards who were responsible for fetching water. However, news had spread that stone men—people who had completely lost their humanity and reason due to the Gray Scale disease—had escaped from the grand arena where they were exiled. The guards had been dispatched to eliminate them as quickly as possible. Since Elenya was the only young servant among the four in the household, the task of fetching water fell to her.
Carrying the buckets, she avoided looking at the starving people writhing on the ground as she made her way to the well. On her path, she passed by the ruins of enormous mansions, their rubble untouched even decades after the cataclysm. These mansions once belonged to the second and third sons of the Dragon Lords, who were not entitled to inheritances. The mansions were like cities within a city, with even the smallest capable of housing at least 6,000 people.
The number of survivors after the cataclysm was so small that they couldn't even fill the smallest of these mansions. Yet, no one lived in them, as the rapid spread of the Gray Scale disease necessitated small, scattered groups for survival. Elenya still believed this was the right decision. The disease could spread simply by touching an object used by an infected person. If people had lived in large groups, even Valeria's descendants might not have survived to this day.
Lost in her thoughts, Elenya reached the well. She carefully tied her buckets to the rope and lowered them into the well. Once the bucket filled, she pulled it up. As she was pulling up the final bucket, she suddenly heard shouting from the ruins of the mansion behind her.
Turning around, she spotted stone men about 150 meters away, running toward her on all fours like wild animals. Panic surged through her. She let go of the bucket she had just started to raise and ran in the opposite direction, hiding in the ruins to evade the stone men. She zigzagged through different paths to throw them off, but they refused to give up the chase.
No matter how fast she ran, the stone men were closing the distance. She had been running for ten minutes, and exhaustion was starting to set in.
She hadn't noticed, but she was getting closer to the "White Wall Manor." From the sounds the stone men were making, she knew they were still chasing her. She didn't want to die here. She still wanted to realize the dream she had shared with her sister. Hoping the guards searching for the escaped stone men might hear her, she screamed with all her might.
After screaming, she turned right, past the ruins of a nearby house. That's when she regained the hope she thought she'd lost. Ahead of her, she saw three people standing with weapons in their hands. Desperate, she cried out to them, "Please help me! Save me! I don't want to die. I'll even be your slave if you want!"
As she ran toward the trio, she saw them standing as if they were talking about something. Even though she couldn't hear them, she knew they were debating whether or not to save her. And she wasn't wrong—one of them suddenly turned and started walking away.
The one leaving had the average height, hair, and narrow shoulders typical of Valyrian descendants. Of the remaining two, one was slightly shorter than the average Valyrian but otherwise shared the same features. This shorter individual reached into a bag, pulled out another bag, and handed the first one to the tallest of the trio—who also had broader shoulders than an average Valyrian. After this, the shorter individual turned and left as well.
The last remaining person reached into the bag they had just received and pulled out an unusual bow. After drawing the bow and nocking an arrow, they aimed it. When Elenya saw that two of the three people had left and the last one was now pointing an arrow at her, she broke down in tears, overwhelmed by hopelessness and the fear of death.
"Please, don't kill me!" she screamed, sobbing. "I'll do anything you want. I'll be your slave if you want—or even share your bed. Just don't kill me!"
When the man didn't release the arrow despite drawing the bowstring, she thought her words might have worked. Hope reignited within her, and she used all her remaining strength to run toward him.
When she was just 12 meters away, the man suddenly shouted, "Woman! Dodge to your right!"
Elenya didn't understand why the man had told her to do that, but knowing she had no other choice but to trust the one who had stayed behind to help her, she did as he said. She was running straight toward him, but suddenly, she swerved to the right. The moment she did, a loud sound echoed behind her, as if someone had struck a stone with wood.
As she approached the man and took one more step forward, she suddenly felt as though she had hit a wall and found herself on the ground. At that moment, Elenya lost all hope. She believed everything would end here, and she would die without ever realizing her dream.
While she was lost in her thoughts, the man grabbed her by the ankle and dragged her with all his strength toward him. Terrified that she might hit that invisible wall again and be unable to get inside, she shut her eyes tightly.
This time, however, there was no sensation of hitting a wall. Instead, it felt as though she were standing beside a warm fire. When the feeling passed, she opened her eyes and couldn't believe what she saw. Outside, the stone men were punching at the air as if trying to break through something. No matter how much they struck, they couldn't take a single step closer to them.
She stared at the sight in disbelief, unable to accept that she was safe—until she heard a voice beside her.
"Stand up, woman. If you make any suspicious move, I'll cut off your head," said the man who had saved her. He stood holding a sword about one meter long, double-edged with blood grooves on both sides. Like all weapons forged from Valyrian steel, its blade was rippled, and its hilt was blood-red, adorned with an eagle's head.
The man was around 1.80 meters tall, broad-shouldered, with long white hair that fell to his back and a sharply defined face. His prominent cheekbones, strong jawline, and straight nose stood out, but what caught Elenya's attention the most were his eyes. Despite having the typical features of Valyrian descendants, his eyes were neither lilac purple nor ocean blue. They were steel gray.
When she saw his eyes, she blurted out, "Why are your eyes gray?"
The man ignored her question and repeated himself. "I said, stand up, woman."
Though exhausted, the fear instilled by the sword hovering above her head compelled her to get to her feet. Once she stood, the man said, "Now walk ahead of me, woman. I have questions to ask you, but first, we're going to my brothers."
Elenya began walking in the same direction she had seen the other two go earlier. As she walked, she wondered who these people could be. For over twenty minutes, they moved through crumbled stone statues and overgrown bushes. After a while, she spotted an apple tree in the distance and two figures resting beneath it. As they got closer, bloodstains on the ground came into view.
When the two men under the apple tree heard their footsteps, they looked up. The moment they saw her, they stood abruptly, their faces filled with shock. Before she even got close, the shortest of the two yelled angrily, "Vaegon! Why did you save this woman? Do you want all of us to catch gray scale?"
The man who had saved her, Vaegon, walked with her in silence until they reached the apple tree. Once there, the two men placed their weapons between themselves and Elenya. The shorter man, still visibly angry, said, "Vaegon, something is wrong with you today. You've never lost control of your emotions like this before. Did you pity this woman so much that you're willing to make us sick?"
Vaegon, the man who had saved her, responded calmly, "Vaelar, Darion, when did you both stop using your brains? If this woman is living here, it means others are living here too. This gives us a chance to figure out what year it is. And not only that, it also means we can use the people here in the future."
While the three men were talking among themselves, Vaegon had sent Elenya to the other side of the apple tree. She was observing the two who had left her behind earlier. They both resembled the man who had saved her, but their faces were softer, their hair longer. Their cheekbones were less pronounced, and they had straight noses. Most notably, their eyes were also gray. The shorter one had the darkest shade of gray among the three, and his hair was the longest.
As Elenya observed them, she noticed a mansion behind the apple tree. She realized it was enormous, with at least seven floors. However, most of it was in ruins. She still didn't know where she was. While she was studying the mansion, her attention shifted back to the trio when she heard Vaegon say, "Why are you so afraid of her? She's just a woman. If you're scared of catching the disease, we can use our elixir. Even if we get sick, we can heal ourselves."
Just as Elenya was about to ask about the elixir they mentioned, Vaegon turned to her and asked, "Woman, what's your name? How have you survived until now? How many others like you are still alive? Where are we right now, and what year is it?"
As Elenya hesitated about whether or not to answer Vaegon's questions, the shorter man, who was holding a one-handed axe made of Valyrian steel, with a small spear tip at the end and five black stars etched into the center of its axe head, stepped forward. "Woman, if you want to live, answer the questions we're asking you," he said, thrusting the axe forward.
When the spear tip at the end of the axe came close to her face, Elenya panicked and said, "I'll answer your questions, please don't hurt me!"
In response, Vaegon said, "Darion, pull back that axe and let her speak." The man named Darion withdrew the axe, and Vaegon continued, "Start answering, woman. If you try to deceive us, I'll kill you myself before leaving you to them."
Terrified, Elenya nodded and stammered, "My… My… My name is Elenya."
Normal point of view
Taylan's question. He looked at Taylan and Arda with mild annoyance and said, "Vaelar, Darion, when did you stop using your brains? If this woman is alive, it means there are others living here too. This gives us the opportunity to learn what year it is. And not only that, it means we can use the people living here from now on."
Then, lowering his voice so the woman wouldn't hear, he added:
"Why are you asking me what happened for me to lose control of my emotions? Let me explain it to you right now: One day, I died in a car accident, and then I was reborn in a ruined city with stone men, in a wild world I thought was just a figment of imagination, with two mentally impaired people like you. What do you think could have happened to me that caused me to lose control of my emotions? Instead of judging me, take a look at yourselves. When you saw that woman today, you did something you've never done before."
After Sezayi finished speaking, Taylan and Arda nodded thoughtfully. Arda said, "Vaegon, you're right, but that doesn't change the fact that you made a mistake. Don't tell me I'm wrong, you know you shouldn't have brought that woman here. What if we catch the gray scale and slowly turn into beasts like those people?"
At Arda's words, Sezayi raised his voice in anger;
"Why are you afraid of her? She's just a woman! If you're afraid of catching her disease, we have the elixir. Even if we get sick, we can heal ourselves.
At that moment, Sezayi noticed the woman looking at them. He turned toward her and asked, "Woman, what's your name? How have you survived this long? How many others like you are still alive? Where are we right now, and what year is it?"
While the woman was thinking about whether or not to answer Sezayi's questions, Arda pushed the axe he was holding, named Killer Star, toward her and said, "Woman, if you want to live, answer the questions we're asking."
The woman trembled in fear as the tip of the spear on the axe neared her face and said, "I will answer the questions, please don't hurt me."
Upon hearing the woman's fearful words, Sezayi turned to Arda and said, "Darion, pull back the axe so the woman can speak." When Arda withdrew the axe, Sezayi added, "Start answering, woman. If you try to deceive us, I will kill you before I leave you to them."
The woman nodded in fear and, with a trembling voice, said, "M... M... My name is Elenya."
Sezayi asked, "Alright, Elenya, where are we right now? How many people like you are still alive? And how did you survive?"
In the same trembling voice, Elenya replied, "This... this... This is the city of Oros. I... I don't know how we survived the apocalypse. And I don't know how many people are still alive. Only Lord Vaenis might know."
Taylan asked, "Who is this Lord Vaenis? And is there anyone else who calls themselves a Lord?"
Elenya responded, "L... L... Lord Vaenis is the leader of the Pekaeyrs house. The other Lords I know are Lord Vaelman Qelon and Lord Daemir Onys. I don't know if there are others. I'm just a servant."
After hearing Elenya's words, Arda said, "Alright, you're a servant, and you don't know about these important matters. But, do you know what year it is and how the stone men arrived here? Surely, even as a servant, you must know that."
At Arda's words, Taylan and Sezayi both looked at Elenya. Thinking that if her answers displeased them, she might be killed, Elenya, with fear, said, "Master, we are currently in the 223rd year of the Great Destruction. The stone men arrived here 20 years ago from Volantis, through a transport ship carrying three gray scale infected individuals that got lost in the Misty Sea and ended up here in Tyria. Since then, the number of survivors has decreased, and the number of stone men has increased."
The news was hard to accept for the three of them. According to the books they had read, the gray scale disease could spread by touching the belongings of an infected person. According to what the woman had said, the gray scale disease had been present in these ruins for twenty years. This meant that although many people had survived in the ruins at first, many had died due to the disease.
Sezayi realized that his plan of using the surviving people in the ruins to build a new city was not feasible. He turned to Elenya and asked, "If the disease arrived at the time you mentioned, everyone living here by now should be infected or dead. But you're not infected. Tell me, how have you managed to stay free of the disease until now?"
In response to Sezayi's question, Elenya said, "Master, it's not that we haven't been infected. When Lord Vaenis' guards find someone infected, they either kill them or lock them in the large arena on the other side of the city."
Taylan, after hearing Elenya's answer, raised his head and asked, "Why do they send the infected to the arena on the other side of the city instead of killing them directly?"
Elenya replied, "Master, even though the chances are low, there is still a possibility of surviving the gray scale disease. However, even if they survive, the skin damage caused by the disease remains. Because of this possibility, those infected or guards who fought the stone men and got infected are exiled to the other side of the city."
Arda, disturbed by what Elenya had said, frowned and asked, "How do you know this, even though you're just a servant? If such a thing reached the people's ears, the Lord governing you would be killed within the hour. People would choose the chance to survive, even if they knew they were going to die."
Elenya took a deep breath and, hoping not to pay a heavy price for what she was about to say, answered, "Master, my husband Aesen was also a guard under Lord Vaenis. He contracted the gray scale disease while killing a stone man, and he was sent to the large arena on the other side of the city."
Elenya's words further angered Taylan and Arda, who were already opposed to her presence. Taylan shouted angrily, "Vaegon, for the love of all that's holy, where was your mind when you brought the wife of someone infected with the gray scale disease to us?"
Arda was about to lash out in a similar manner when Sezayi raised his hand to silence him and turned to Elenya, asking, "How long has it been since your husband got infected? And what kind of person was he among the Lord's guards?"
Arda, growing frustrated with Sezayi's questions, yelled, "What are you going to do with the fact that the man got infected or how strong he was in combat?!"
Sezayi ignored Arda's outbursts and continued looking at Elenya. Unable to withstand the intensity of his gaze any longer, Elenya finally spoke, "My husband was infected three months ago, and he was one of the top three warriors among Lord Vaenis' guards."
The news was difficult for all three of them to accept. According to the books they had read, the gray scale disease could spread by touching the belongings of an infected person. According to Elenya, gray scale patients had been present in these ruins for twenty years. This meant that although many people had survived at first, most had died due to the disease.
Sezayi realized that his plan to use the survivors of the ruins to build a new city was no longer possible. Turning to Elenya, he asked, "If the disease arrived as you said, everyone living here would be infected or dead by now. But you're not infected. Tell me, how have you managed to stay free of the disease until now?"
In response to Sezayi's question, Elenya said, "Master, it's not that we haven't been infected. When Lord Vaenis' guards find someone infected, they either kill them or lock them in the large arena on the other side of the city."
Taylan, hearing Elenya's response, lifted his head and asked, "Why do they send the infected to the arena instead of killing them directly?"
Elenya replied, "Master, there is a slim chance of surviving the gray scale disease. However, even if they survive, the skin damage caused by the disease remains. Because of this, those who are infected or guards who fought the stone men and got infected are exiled to the other side of the city."
Arda, disturbed by what Elenya had said, furrowed his brow and shouted, "How do you know this, even though you're just a servant? If this information got out to the people, the Lord in charge of you would be killed within the hour. People would choose the chance to survive, even knowing they might die."
Elenya took a deep breath, hoping not to pay a heavy price for what she was about to say, and replied, "Master, my husband Aesen was also a guard under Lord Vaenis. He contracted the gray scale disease while killing a stone man and was sent to the large arena on the other side of the city.
Elenya's words only further angered Taylan and Arda, who had already been opposed to her presence. Taylan shouted in frustration, "Vaegon, for the love of all that's holy, where was your mind when you brought the wife of someone infected with the gray scale disease to us?"
As Arda was about to respond in a similar manner, Sezayi raised his hand to silence him and asked Elenya, "How long has it been since your husband got infected? Also, what kind of warrior was he among the Lord's guards?"
Arda, still irritated by Sezayi's questions, yelled, "What will you do with knowing when the man got infected or how strong he was?!"
Sezayi ignored Arda's outbursts and kept his gaze on Elenya. Unable to bear it any longer, Elenya said, "My husband was infected three months ago, and he was the third-best warrior among Lord Vaenis' guards."
Elenya's words sparked an idea in Sezayi's mind. He wanted to see the effect of the healing potion on the gray scale disease. By healing Elenya's husband, he would not only save a strong warrior but also win the loyalty of both the woman and her husband. This could be the first step in rising Valyria from its ashes.
Sezayi thought he needed to explain this idea to Taylan and Arda. However, Elenya couldn't hear this conversation. If the plan failed, the woman might think he was mocking her pain and enjoying it.
Turning to Elenya, Sezayi said, "Stay here tonight. But if you're thirsty, there's a pool ahead. Drink water from there. Tomorrow, I will send you to summon the other lords here. I want them all to be present. If you try to escape, know that there's a transparent barrier over this mansion. I can find and kill anyone inside that barrier, or within a 50-kilometer radius, if I wish. Do you understand me?"
Sezayi's words surprised everyone. Especially Elenya, who had learned that this mansion was called the "White Wall Mansion." She had tried to enter this mansion while being chased by stone men, but was denied entry. However, when Lord Vaegon pulled her in, she had been allowed entry. She had believed that only the person controlling the barrier could let someone in, and this convinced her that Vaegon was telling the truth. After all, why would a Lord lie to someone like her, a servant? With this thought in mind, Elenya knelt down and said, "I will obey your command, my lord. I will speak to Lord Vaenis tomorrow to bring all the lords here," and then stood up and made her way toward the pool Sezayi had mentioned.
Her actions surprised the trio. Even Sezayi hadn't expected his lie to be this effective. After they regained their composure, Arda turned to Sezayi and asked, "Tell me, Vaegon, why haven't we known about your ability to control everything and kill whoever you want?"
Taylan added, "Exactly, Vaegon. Like Darion said, why haven't we heard about these abilities of yours?"
Sezayi looked at them calmly. "You see, children, this is an opportunity for us. Tomorrow, we'll wake up our dragons, and as we leave, we can take some of the surviving people here with us to Sothoryos. Maybe these households will follow us. That way, we not only get the dragons we need to rise Valyria from its ashes, but also the people we need to govern," he said.
Arda frowned and asked, "Okay, let's say we accept everything. What will you do with Elenya's husband, you bastard?"
In response to Arda's words, Sezayi answered calmly, "Darion, just like me, you want to see how effective the healing potion is. That's where Elenya's husband comes in. He's been infected with the gray scale disease for three months. If the potion heals him, we'll solve the problem of the gray scale spreading to the people we bring to Sothoryos."
Taylan, smiling bitterly, asked, "I have a question, Vaegon: What if the potion doesn't work? And what will we do with Elenya? Don't you think the woman surrendered a bit too quickly?"
In response to Taylan's question, Sezayi said, "Vaelar, if it doesn't work, we'll kill the infected person. As for Elenya, I also think she surrendered too quickly, and I don't trust her. That's why, while the woman is here, everyone will take turns standing guard. Since I brought her here, I will take the first watch."
When they heard Elenya's footsteps, the trio ended their conversation. Shortly after Elenya arrived, the sky darkened. As Sezayi had said, he took the first watch. During his watch, he carefully listened for any signs of animals approaching. Meanwhile, Arda and Taylan were sleeping. When it was time for the shift change, Sezayi woke Arda, and he went to sleep. There was no disturbance during the night. Later in the night, when it was time for the last watch, Arda woke Taylan. Taylan's watch also passed without incident. In the morning, the trio awoke with the warmth of the sun.
Sezayi and Arda combined their strength to shake an apple tree for breakfast. Although their combined strength had little effect on the tree, they managed to knock down twelve apples, which were enough for breakfast. After eating, Sezayi, Arda, and Taylan, with swords and axes at their waists and bows in hand, set off with Elenya. After walking through the ruins of a broken statue and overgrown bushes for more than 20 minutes, they reached the edge of the barrier.
Though no stone men were visible, they still shouted or threw stones from inside the barrier for more than ten minutes as a precaution. When no one came, Sezayi turned to Elenya behind him and said, "Don't forget the task I gave you. Bring the lords here by this afternoon. Don't even think about escaping; otherwise, you'll see whether the things I said yesterday were lies or not."
Elenya, slightly frightened, replied, "I won't forget, my lord. I'll speak with Lord Vaenis and try to bring the other lords here by this afternoon. If they don't come, I'll bring some of the people from the street," and then stepped outside the transparent barrier. She disappeared behind the ruined building she had passed while escaping the stone men.
Once Elenya was no longer visible, Taylan said eagerly, "Let's go, children. I'm not waiting any longer."
Arda, equally excited, added, "Vaelar's right, Vaegon. Let's go."
Upon hearing Arda and Taylan's excited words, Sezayi, filled with happiness, replied, "Then let's go, children. Let's awaken our dragons and take what is rightfully ours, to escape this cursed place." The trio, brimming with excitement, headed toward the large building where they had discovered the treasure room and the cat-sized dragon bones the day before.