We crouched under a mess of roots from a fallen oak, barely breathing. Through the smoke and the branches, I could hear the knights talking somewhere in the ruins.
The night reeked—ash, wet dirt, and that hot, burned smell that never seemed to go away. The trees around the village were just black shapes now. Leaves crisped and dead, branches dripping soot. Off in the distance, a few embers still glowed on the ground, like they were too stubborn to die.
We stayed low. I could see the light from their torches moving between the burned trunks.
"…Aurexiel's light… it really was him," one said, voice shaky. His helmet was slid back a bit, and in his chest, something was written there and that's 'Captain'. "The Heavenly Wyrm came for real. Split the skies open."
The others' torches flickered, fighting against the smoke.
Another voice—stronger, but nervous—cut in. "Then why destroy a bunch of peasants? He's supposed to be a guardian, not some butcher."
A deeper voice answered. "He was summoned. Not sent. You remember what the priests said? Some ritual—something they weren't supposed to do—dragged him down out of his realm before he could choose where to come."
Someone spat into the ash. "And the curse?"
Nobody spoke for a minute. Even the wind went still.
Finally, the deep voice said, "They say the throne approved it. Wanted to use him to scare off the rival kingdoms in the north. A tactic—get him here no matter the cost."
Another scoffed. "Well, it worked. He came. But instead of killing the invaders, he burned this place."
The moonlight made the scorched ground shine in patches. You could still see the shapes where his wings had hit—huge scars dug into the soil. Just looking at it made you realize—no human could match that. That wasn't cruelty. That was raw power.
The first knight spoke again, quieter this time. "If he's what they claim—a divine protector—why not the capital? Or the warlords in the north? Why here?"
No one answered. Just silence heavy enough to feel.
Then one of them muttered, "Maybe… something here drew him. Something that shouldn't have been here."
They all turned toward the grey horizon, at what was left of the houses burnt to dust. They didn't say another word. Got back on their horses and rode away. Hooves hitting the dead earth, echoing.
We waited until the sound was gone completely.
The girl tugged at my sleeve. Her clear eye caught the moonlight. "You heard them?"
"Yeah," I said. "Aurexiel was summoned. Not sent."
She looked down. "If he's not a monster… then this wasn't punishment."
"Then what was it?" I asked. I didn't get an answer.
The Mark in my chest pulsed again when I heard his name. Aurexiel. The Heavenly Wyrm. They say he carries the first dawn inside him—a dragon whose soul stretches across oceans and stars. And somehow, his mark ended up here. In this ruin. With us.
We moved on, staying quiet, slipping through to the far side of the forest. The air got colder. My head stayed on that one thought: why this village?
Behind us, smoke still climbed into the sky. And the stars… the stars wouldn't even look down.