BENEATH THE ASHES

en's

etched out before him, a barren expanse of churned earth and scattered debris. The opposing forc

g in the fading light. The air reeked of sweat, smoke, and o

ence and the machinery of war, without implying actual combat. Let me k

silk cloth was tied around his bicep,

b. For a moment, his expression softened, a hint of longing flickering across his face, but he couldn't show

he thundered, c

ams of the fallen, and the stench of smoke and sweat. The earth trembled beneath his fe

haunted by the faces of the fallen, their cries echoing in his mind. The flames that engulf

rom a deep slumber. The air was heavy with the acrid smell of smoke and o

nd trebuchets unleashed their deadly payloads. Arrows and projectiles screamed th

filled the air, a haunting melody that

dim light. He parried the blow, his riposte swift and d

. As he stood over his fallen opponent, he heard a faint warning cry: "Your back!" He spun around, but

im and the attacker. The warrior's sword sank deep into the general's chest.

tried to defend himself, but he was relentless. With a swift,

blood-curdling scream as he stumbled backward. He c

lash on his face. He looked down to see the warrior's

opping to his knees beside him. "

've done terrible things, nephew," he whispered, his voice barely aud

ng a surge of desperation. "No, Un

something in the distance. "The princess...she didn't...

t, and he felt a pang of sorrow. What h

a sense of peace, a peace that can only be when

limp, his chest still. He felt a wave of grief

weight of his words. "Calthera? What did she have to do wit

r, threatening to consume him. His maple eyes, normally bright and vibrant, now seemed dry and lifeless, devoi

him. The flames behind his eyes intensified, spreading like wildfire. His pupils seemed to shrink, his irises bur

to contort, twisting in ways that seemed humanly impossible. His

imbs like living vines. His muscles screamed in agony as they s

s, talons, and a beak. The sound was like a thousand

umed him. Yet, even as his body burned, it began to heal,

den, like a thousand tiny suns. They rustled, unf

formation, burning brighter, hotter, and more intense. His

a cry of agony, of triumph, and of rebirth. The sound echoed ac

er self. He stood tall, his wings spread wide, his eye

the weight of Kaiden's transformation. His eyes blazed with an inner fire, and with a mere thought, the Cynso