It wasn't long before I awoke again, the sound of crackling fire surrounded me on all sides. Just ahead, the monster I struggled against lies sprawled backwards upon the fallen log at the center of the clearing, the very same one that is now blazing out of control.

To think my plan actually worked, I'm lucky to be alive! No time to celebrate it though, I need to get out of here!

Attempting to lift myself up, I find that I'm unable to, my body feels far heavier than what I remember. It takes everything I've got just to reposition my leg, there's no way I'm getting up right now!

Panic begins to set in as debris rains down from above. As the still-burning branches crash upon the earth, sparks fly in every direction, blending seamlessly into the deep red atmosphere that now envelops the clearing. In striking contrast to the growing red fog are countless trees now stripped bare, and scorched pitch black.

Again I urgently try to hoist myself upon my feet, and once more I find that I'm unable to. I don't understand! Sure I took a hard hit against the tree, but nothing feels broken. I should at least be able to stand! What is happening!

Flames dance wildly nearby, stoking the growing fear welling deep inside me. Yet in that moment of despair, I experience a split second of clarity.

There's no heat.

In the heart of the flames, I feel just as I would, were I to bask in the warmth of the sun on a river stone. The fires lick harmlessly against my feathered body, leaving my scarlet-stained plumage untouched in the wake of rampant destruction.

Not only that, but in that sobering revelation, I realize that I am not beset by the choking haze of swirling smoke. My vision is unburdened by the deadly hazard, free to witness the unchecked wildfire that rages with every passing second.

I'm… I'm at a complete loss for words…

The world is burning, and I couldn't do anything but watch.

The mental toll of it all was too much. All of it. From the time I first awakened, to the position I find myself in now. It's been a road fraught with supernatural and the unknown. No one to guide me, no one to explain or answer anything at all. Nothing! Here I am miraculously alive, yet all I want to do is scream!

Nearby a tree falters to the inferno and crashes to the forest floor with a tremendous BANG! Sparks fly like thousands of deadly little fairies before they are swallowed whole by the fiery swells.

It's enough to jolt me to my senses and snap me out of it.

I have to keep trying, I can't take this anymore! Once more I force my legs to lift me up, but it's no use.

Why is this happening? Nothing feels broken, I should know. So why can't I move? What if…

I close my eyes and try to filter out all the noise and devastation happening around me. Once I steady and calm my breathing, I dive within myself to see if I can use my essence to get me out of this situation. However when I do so, I discover a raging and unstoppable torrent pouring out of me, as if a dam were broken and all the once contained water within was now spilling out with explosive force.

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Now that I'm aware of it, I feel it. The impossible ocean of essence that is leaking out of my body, fueling the wildfire with everything it needs to burn this entire forest down if nothing is done. If I stop the flow of essence, maybe I can put an end to all of this. I need to hurry, I don't want to think what will happen when it all runs out.

Within my being, I try to grasp the flooding essence, just how I did when I got into this mess, but it slips me away like an uncontrollable current. With that complete failure, I try to pivot in my strategy and attempt to divert it instead. The erupting tide of essence refuses to budge in the slightest, continuing its warpath. I refuse to give in and strain all my mental strength into forcing the tide to change course, and just as I sense that it might budge ever so slightly, I am flung from my inner consciousness back into the burning world.

My breathing is heavy and haggard at this point, and I am struggling to stay conscious. I know deep inside, that if I pass out here, I'm dead. Yet knowing that haunting fact, I don't know what to do. I've made a terrible mistake, and it seems like my fate is inevitable. I'm scared.

I dive into the depths of my being and fearfully behold the endless river of essence that threatens to drain me until there's nothing left. Already I feel my mental focus waning, struggling now to maintain my concentration. There's nothing I can do here, so I delve deeper within, tracing the flow of essence back to the source. From what remains of the once seemingly endless void of essence, I take a gamble and pull new strands from the dying star that is my heart. Greedily I grasp more and more, shaping the individual strands into new paths, all aimed towards the gaping hole made by the rampaging torrent.

Nearly all of the essence that I'm shaping is forced away by the surging maelstrom, but precious few remain and begin to weave around the rupture in my heart. It takes all of my fleeting concentration to mend the wound, and little by little it begins to close. Slowly the life-threatening tide begins to die down, until finally it ceases all together. Unable to hold out any longer, I release my concentration and arrive back into a realm of chaotic flames.

Weakly I hold onto what remains of my awareness, fearing what may happen if I slip away. Meanwhile the entire area continues to blaze without mercy, hungrily devouring everything within reach.

It's only barely noticeable over the roar of flames, but I think I hear it. Something pattering softly in the background, like a whisper in a crowd. I labor myself focusing on it, which brings my attention towards the sky. At first there's only a red fog, swirling with charred smoke, but after careful observation, something pierces through the infernal barrier. Then it happens again. Arriving from the obscured heavens high above, a small, nearly insignificant drop breaks itself upon the ground.

While I waged my own internal battle, it seems there was another being fought between land and sky.

Heralded by the brave few who made it, more and more drops of rain begin to break through the red fog. The arrival is that of a savior, fighting to bring an end to this disaster.

But what does that make of me? Here I am, wishing nothing more than to be saved, but what is there to be saved while I lay here unscathed in a bed of flames? I struggle alone to save nothing but myself, while the intervention of nature solely endeavors to end this calamity I loosed upon these lands. Does this not make me the villain in this sudden chapter of my life? Whether it was intentional or not, guilt still drapes its ugly mantle over my shoulders.

The rain intensifies, finally pushing back against the wildfires. Only now do I feel wet droplets splash upon my face, a sign that the struggles of nature are ultimately coming to an end. Flittering ashes dance over the what remains, flirting with the falling rain.

Only when I'm drenched and shivering do I finally recover enough strength to stand up and behold the scale of destruction I caused.

Treading on blackened muddy ground, I begin to walk aimlessly through the forest. As I walk, I am coated in pale ashes that stick to my feathers, yet I could be bothered less by such a trivial matter.

This entire stretch of the forest is empty, black, and gone. Absolutely nothing stirs. Only the steam wafting from the charred trunks and the falling rain make themselves known in this hellscape.

Going a little further, I find whats left of a burrow, and discover the burnt corpse of a small creature just outside of it. It's entirely unrecognizable, the skin is completely gone. Only scorched flesh and charred bones are that remain.

I can't help but morbidly chuckle to myself.

Found one.

Only had to burn down an entire swathe of the forest but I caught my first prey.

I can't bring myself to look at it further, so I keep moving. Along the way I find several other unfortunate critters that couldn't make it out in time, each as badly burnt as the first. In silence I continue to walk.

At last, after what seemed like a painful eternity, there was green on the horizon. Seeing it bizarrely felt like a strange dream, that somehow, it wasn't real. My exposure to the aftermath has diluted my perspective, for a while it seemed like it would never end. It wasn't until my feet, caked in ash and black mud, took their first steps onto the soft lush grass did the nightmare finally feel as it was at its end. Much was lost, and a great price was paid, but I made it. My survival at the cost of so much is what weighted most on my mind.

Finding a large oak just outside the burnt line of trees, I rest my weary legs and stare back into the wasteland. There I let the rain drown out the rest of the world.