With every swing of her spear, Dawn cast it upon the heads of the majorly injured who had lost all hope.
The injured who believed that they were without agency, without choice, so they chose to embrace their inevitable demise.
Dawn merely complied. She killed each of the majorly injured in a single swing, opting to give the most painless death she could spare them.
Soft wheezing and breathing began to quieten, and the near silence fell into total silence, ignoring the resounding battle at the settlement.
Next, she would cut and carve each body to release the foul scent of blood and guts.
A metallic scent pervaded the air thickly. Although the smell of beast corpses had lingered in the air, the scent of human corpses was far worse.
Dawn did not gag at the intense mixture of stenches, nor did she try covering her nose. Instead, she felt a terrible sensation churning in her stomach, one she stifled with her utmost effort.
She had done her part, fulfilled the wishes of the majorly injured, and — hopefully — increased the odds of her people surviving.
Without a moment's hesitation, Dawn turned around to leave the site, before sparing one last glance towards the Settlement.
Her home Settlement.
Star Gazing Settlement.
Only a terrible torrent of crimson flame stood in its place, writhing like violence incarnate.
She felt an odd feeling poking at the back of her head, or rather, her mind.
"Please... return to us soon..."
Speaking to the open air, Dawn did not await a response.
Dawn turned around to leave the gruesome sight and return to the other denizens of the Settlement.
...
The air between the denizens of Star Gazing Settlement was thick and awkward.
People were tired, frightened of the horrors which could strike them from the dark.
Thunderous sounds boomed across the sky. The cloudy sky above had already broken into streaks, like the grey strokes of a paintbrush.
Dawn's mood was especially awkward. It was like she held her breath ever since she returned to the rest of the Settlement's denizens.
Heaving a heavy sigh, Selene patted Dawn on the back. It was a simple gesture, one that was meant to convey reassurance and understanding.
The meaning behind this gesture was understood, but it only lightened what was on her mind.
"Don't feel too upset about what you did. It was the right thing to do."
"Was it really, Selene? It does not sit right with me at all...! Even when I offered a hand to resist their so-called inevitable fate, they refused my hand... Even if it was out of stubbornness or sentimentality, or weakness... I can't understand why."
"..."
Selene went silent at Dawn's words. She thought to herself for a moment before giving Dawn a reply with her monotone voice.
"People simply succumb to what they can't oppose. I understand that you and your Father are defiant, but not everyone is. Some people cannot resist, so they choose to suffer no longer and end it all. Rather, they expedite their ends for they see no hope."
"When you put it like that, it is easy to understand, but it is still sickening to think about."
"You would not be the only one who thinks like that, besides your Father, that is."
Sparing her gaze towards Sun, who fell to the back of the group where the minorly injured were supported, Selene sighed.
"He's taking it rough, too, but don't worry. I'm sure that he will get over it soon, just like you, but it's a thing we'll have to wait out."
"I see..."
"..."
Selene carried on her silence for a moment before adding.
"I don't know how exactly to comfort the two of you, but I'll be there to make sure you two won't fall... I'll catch you two if you feel too weak to go on."
"You will catch us...? With those arms of yours?"
"You know what I mean...! You seem fine already..."
It was true. That little reassurance from Selene was moving. Dawn couldn't help but throw a little jest towards Selene.
"Seriously, it is assuring to hear that, Selene."
"Of course. Don't worry about it."
...
As the Starlit Sky shone brightly, lighting the scattered clouds stretching across Night's Sky, the veil of darkness was slightly lifted.
Yet, they did not get a chance to admire the slightly illuminated world around them.
"What is going on?"
"This pressure!"
"Look...! Look at the sky!"
At the call of an especially loud voice, heaves were turned upwards, their gazes looking at what was once the Starlit Sky.
There were no stars, but it was not as if Night's Sky swallowed the light.
Instead, a large dark grey-blue mass was falling, like a massive storm cloud or the tide of fog.
Shock. Dread. Horror.
All these feelings arose in the hearts of the people, as they were enveloped by the cascading mass of blue-grey.
...
...
...
"Puh...!"
Spitting out a mouthful of something moist—which was similar to mist or steam—Dawn coughed up a substance which she could not identify.
While it looked like mist, everything about it told her otherwise, but that was the least of her concerns.
The same substance that spewed forth from her mouth also surrounded her.
"Is this mist? No... it can't be... what is this stuff...?"
Trying to stand, Dawn staggered to her feet shortly before tumbling over.
What she hit felt like soil filled with stones.
Closing her eyes, she tried to focus on where she was, but everything felt disorderly.
She was confused.
Up, right, left, down, forward and backwards, it all felt askew.
As Dawn tried to rise again, she fell forward and landed on her back.
Standing up, she crawled forward a few breaths before taking a step.
Falling off a cliff, she found a person kneeling right in front of her.
Turning around, she felt the intense heat of the mist, which was like the icy dew of a winter night.
Unable to ground herself, unable to find her bearings, unable to steady her position, Dawn felt her very being tumbling, and rolling, and falling, and yet...
"...?"
Like a breach in the fog itself, there was a point of light. It was not a strong source of light, and it was also very distant.
Dawn reached out her hand in front of her, and the light filtered through the gaps of her fingers.
"That is..."
A faint sound resounded through the mist, faint but clear.
"It is towards the light...?"
Dawn could only question, uncertain of what that sound meant, and yet....
"Father...?"
Feeling that this sound was familiar, she moved towards it. Dawn moved towards the light.