From Ashes

Prologue

How the echoing screams filled the heavy rust-scented air. As it coated the back of my throat in a thick pulp-like layer, bringing with it a lapping wave of nausea, my eyes drifted over the scene before me, taking it all in.

The battlefield was a spectacle of violence that would forever haunt my dreams. It was nothing short of a bloodbath which showcased just how much we were unprepared for it. Our companions still locked in combat with the opposing side who were unbowing to their enemies powers, but not all of them were still standing to continue the fight. And while our allies were alongside us, aiding in the pursuit to push on, some were trying to retrieve those who we had lost so far.

But, even as the carnage continued, with either side unrelenting in their efforts to gain the higher ground, I searched for one familiar face. A visage which conjured up memories from the past years of my existence. Our first meeting, our first dance, the beginning of our courtship, the first kiss, the birth of our children, each and every one of them flickered across my mind, including the smiles which were paired with the images.

As I pushed back the shadows creeping in at the edges of my vision, unable to move as my numb hands were painfully pressing against the large wound, I finally caught the sight of long, murky locks as they swung their weapon, catching the flesh of their adversaries who were trying to surround them. How beautiful they were as their focus was rooted to the remaining men; their eyes almost as alive as when we had watched those sunrises together.

I hoped with all of my being that I would remember those eyes in my next life and the warmth they had given me.

A flash of heat drew my attention for only a second to witness the rivers of flame which began to stream the battleground. When knowing that I would not burn before my end, I set my drooping eyes back onto the only love I ever had and observed their weapon vanquish the last man, allowing their attention to drift elsewhere. My heart slowed as they crept from comrade to comrade, determining if their assistance would be needed before continuing to the next.

It was not till they skimmed over me and had to race back that they took in my wounded state, the stoic mask sinking into a pale, horrified expression before their towering figure began to break out into a run. The desire to get to them arose from within, but as I attempted to take just a single step, my heavy limbs felt as if they were locked in stone. With numbing tingles running through my body, I found my stagger finally shift into a buckle as my knees met the dirt, my ears barely catching the bellowing yell of my name.

I was only slightly jostled as my only love caught my body from planting prone into the remaining patches of grass, their quivering breaths bringing my focus back to them. Their rough hand cradling my face evoked a soft smile from my lips, my lids falling close for just a minute with the motion before I held it against my cheek, their warmth seeming to tingle my skin as it tried to take in some of it.

"We-we need to get you get to the tent. Th-they can help you-"

My hand drifted from theirs on my face to stop their babbling before it would begin, bringing with it another memory; trying to hold our first child awkwardly. The memories helped root the smile on my features, but it brought with them tears that I could barely feel pooling before spilling over.

"There is not a thing they can do, my love. You and I both know this." I responded, my hand travelling up their arm back to their hand, forcing my eyes to stay locked on theirs.

They argued, "They can try!"

"Fate has decided it is my time. As much as we wish otherwise, we can do nothing but embrace the fact."

I felt their forehead press against mine, their locks becoming a private curtain that blocked out the battle which was still raging on around us.

"I can not lose you. I do not want to exist without you by my side."

As I gently nuzzled their cheek, their hand drifted to the back of my neck where it grasped the base over our mark as if that would hold me here with them. As the waves of heaviness crashed over me, attempting to pull me from the shore of consciousness, I brushed my nose over theirs as I pulled away just a bit to peer into their watery gaze once more. I silently pleaded that I would remember those stunning orbs after this extant.

"I will meet you in our next life. With open arms that will welcome you as soon as we meet again."