The village was empty.

That was strange. Usually the Angra-Fyr Village was bustling with activity and purpose. Mothers shepherding their children and corralling them into doing chores. Young boys practiced fighting with weapons, while Aunties spun wool and traded tales. But today it was silent, and dark, and hot. So hot.

I gazed up to the sky; dark clouds completely obscured it. Was it going to rain soon? But it felt so dry…

I was looking for someone, wasn’t I? But who was I looking for…? Oh, of course. I called out Asha’s name, drifting through the empty, ruined houses. She must be in one of them.

The atmosphere grew heavier and more oppressive, the longer I spent in the village. We were going to leave. We needed to leave…why wasn’t she waiting for me where she said she would?

Asha, Asha…

Finally I found her, pinned beneath a fallen beam. I nearly missed her, hidden by shadows as she was. The harsh red light outside did nothing to illuminate her figure.

Asha, where have you been? You said we were going to leave.

Big brother…?

Slowly she raised her head. Her youthful face became sallow and pale. Sickly. Her dark hair hung limply, and her small chest shook as she breathed. Embers sat in her eye sockets, and sparks escaped her mouth in little coughs when she spoke.

Brother, it’s so hot.

The forest will be cooler. We just need to keep walking.

I took her hand, and it burned me. The skin sizzled and cooked as I led her away from the village.

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Brother, I’m tired. Let’s rest here.

No. No, we have to keep going. You can’t stop. You have to keep going, Asha.

The pain creeped up my arm, Now it was at my shoulder. Blisters formed and burst on my feet. But. I could not stop. The Deep Woods was in sight. We would be safe there. Safe there. Just a little farther. Just a little farther.

We can’t rest, Asha. Speak to me.

A…?

Smoke choked my lungs and stole my voice. I looked around. Asha was gone, and the world had grown so dark. The whole world was burning, and I ran into the fire. I could not call her name, my eyes and nose stung. But I had to find her. Where was she, where was—!?

A dark figure with burning eyes blocked my path. Slowly, the dream slipped away from me, into darkness. And an empty sort of peace…

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I awoke with little fanfare long before dawn. The memory of my nightmare hung in my mind like the morning dew, but unlike the dew, it was too much to hope that it would simply evaporate. Before rising, I laid and listened to the world around me, assessing if anything had changed. Something seemed off, but I sensed no immediate danger. Slowly, I sat up…

And flinched backwards as I saw the Greshan cuddled up right next to me. What the fuck?

Why was he there? Was he trying to do something suspicious in my sleep? If so, why was he asleep too? He was meant to be on watch while I slept. Was he just a fucking idiot? Was his victory simply sheer chance?

…No. He was a cheater, but I refused to believe he was simply a happy-go-lucky simpleton. I still remembered the look on his face when I cut his cheek. So…did he try to assassinate me in the night…only to fall asleep halfway through?

I squinted down at the Greshan boy, no older than me. Try as I might, trying to discern his intentions and motivations was only giving me a headache. Fighting with him had been more intriguing than I had expected. Something lurked beneath his cheerful facade. Whatever it was made my stomach twist unpleasantly. Why did he make me feel so uncomfortable?

I stood up. I had slept more than long enough, and now had my prize. No longer did I have a reason to delay returning to my village—especially since I’d need to return there to see my weapon actually made. Before the suns rose, and before the Greshan woke up, I gathered up the phoenix’s feathers and bones, and quietly left the camp. I tried to put that unsettling, intriguing Greshan out of my mind by wondering what sort of weapon I should commission for myself.

A spear or knife would make combat too dull. Perhaps a bow, instead.