"Fath", the lone figure used its voice for the first time. Talking was hard for it, as its vocal chords were basically unusable since its whole body was burnt. It was finally aware that it was not just a lone figure anymore, but rather him. It was now known as Fath, a lost soul, a wandering corpse and finally an extinguished one.

Fath did not know what the hollow corpse meant with its dying words. Fath certainly was not extinguished as he felt the tiny bit of consciousness he possessed burning with the longing feeling of setting himself free. He bowed down, running his fingers through the ashes that were once an enemy just mere moments ago.

The feeling of loneliness overcame him once more, filling him with a sense of apathy as he went through the ashes to take the sword hilt he dropped. After a bit of going through the ashes, he found it and took it into his left hand. He did not have a scabbard for carrying the bit of the blade that was attached to the sword hilt, so he was forced to have a weight rest on his left arm.

Not wanting to remain any longer, Fath moved on. He noticed that there was something on the horizon what seemed like a cluster of buildings. These buildings were different than the Tower of Gods, for one, they were coming closer instead of remaining on the horizon and second, the were far smaller than the Tower. It looked like a small village of some sorts.

Now Fath knew the first thing he needed to reach in order to get one step closer to his goal, and so he continued. Increasing his speed over time as he felt excited to be able to meet new faces. He wondered if the other beings were like him, burnt to a crisp and without any kind of worldly belongings. Or if they even resembled him. What if that place was full of malicious hollow corpses, bent on taking his soul and sending him back to the unknown?

He halted momentarily, a nagging feeling of discomfort creeping up his consciousness. What if this place was but a mere illusion made by the evil intent this realm harbored?  

But he could not help himself not to continue, he had no other choice. Going back would only mean to mindlessly walk towards the Tower without accomplishing anything at all.

The hike went on for more than a few hours, but the results could be seen. The village was nowhere as far away as it used to be, Fath thought that he would reach it in less than another hour. What he could see from where he was now was that the buildings were all run down, made out of gray things. He wondered if it was solid stone or something else.

The closer he got, the more cautious he became, readying himself in case something might be happening. His left palm clutched the sword hilt stronger than ever before, the anticipation making him feel worried.

He could now see that the buildings were made from some kind of burnt wood, they looked that they could break apart with just the smallest force. The windows of these buildings were all open and he could see that the majority of the buildings were illuminated, making the village feel like a safe haven for lost souls.

Amidst these dark lands, only light may make those like Fath feel anything that could be close to safety.

Taking the first step into the village lifted something from his mind, he did not know what but he suddenly felt more relaxed, as if the ominous atmosphere from the realm could not break through the light that came out of the buildings. He went into the middle of the village, where something akin to a market was built. Stalls of different size were placed there, not a single thing was placed on top of them.

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He waited there, unmoving, waiting for something to happen.

And then he heard something. The slight creaking sound of an opening door could be heard to his right.

Fath turned around and looked into two gray eyes that were observing him. Those eyes belonged to a being like himself. Charred skin, though of fainter, gray color. It looked certainly healthier than the skin he had. And what were only rags as clothes on his own flesh, she was wearing clothes of some sort of sturdier material.

They looked at each other until the being in front of him motioned him over to her.

He unconsciously followed her directions and went up to her.

Now they stood just a few inches apart.

"So, who are you then?", she asked clapping in her hands at the same time. As soon as the sound ceased, the doors of every building opened. New figures come out of the buildings, making Fath feel threatened. He wanted to lift his sword hilt in defense but was immediately stopped by the woman who now stood beside him.

"No need to worry, they won't attack you. We aren't like the ones drowned by the ashes." She touched his shoulder, a gesture to make him feel more relaxed.

Fath understood her seemingly kind intentions, but he could not help but flinch as he saw her come even closer to him, "Who are you?", he asked while making sure to distance himself from her.

"We are just like you, newcomer", another one answered, a rather burly fellow. He looked just like the others, with his ash gray hair and burnt skin. The only thing that set him apart from the others was the fact that he had a weapon equipped to his hip. A real sword that was not broken.

"We heard them. The spirits." The woman continued, "They announce every newcomer inside of the Lost Kingdom. It has been around ten years since the last one came. So not a long time passed until you came by. There are only about one or two newcomers every century or so. We weren't prepared to receive and help you, as we do with all newcomers."

"Why would you stay here? Don't you want to go to the Tower?"

Fath did not understand why they would remain there. Why would they not want to get closer to the Tower?

"We are too weak for it, we gave up long ago. Life in here is not that great but we manage to get by," the woman replied.

"We are all Ablaze", the burly man said,  "but there are still some differences between all of us. There are the ones like us, who aren't powerful enough to take on the trials to reach the Tower, much less challenging the Tower itself. So we decided to remain here, without going through needless risks."

"Whether you want to remain here or leave is your choice, we just want to show you an alternative." The woman said, raising her hand and showing Fath the buildings they lived in, "Not everyone has the ambition to return the world anymore. The feeling of hopelessness since the start of our struggle has left us no other choice but to live here."

Fath was astonished, "So that's what awaits us when we reach the top? A world in which we can live in?"

His question caused quite an unexpected reaction. Some of the residents gasped and withdrew immediately. The woman and the burly man did the same.

"What are you asking, of course, we all want to return. Don't you know what you are here for?", the burly man asked, slowly drawing his weapon. It was a short, rusty sword.

Fath felt the pressure of the multiple gazes directed at him, forcing him to raise his broken sword as well.

"What are you doing?", he asked.

The man did not respond but took a small step closer, now that he had drawn his weapon.

It was the woman who answered his question, "Tell me, are you extinguished?"