- Heaven's Last Breath -

Interruption

As the midday sun reached its peak, I felt myself being revitalised under its warm orange glow. I sat alone on the veranda, waiting for the others as they prepared for the long journey ahead of us.

"Let's get going Aaron, we're all ready."

I stuffed both hands into the pockets of my black puffer jacket, turning around to see that everyone had changed into their new clothes.

Stood on the left was the rose haired sorceress. She was wearing a long sleeve black crop top, a large white 'omega' symbol stitched onto the front. Over her shoulders, a small cape, fading from black to a rose pink, blew under the gentle breeze. Ariel was wearing a white miniskirt and a pair of knee high mahogany brown winter boots, the fur at the cuffs coloured a sable black.

At the centre of the three, stood Death who was wearing a long egyptian blue cloak, gold fur lining the edges. His silver chain pendant hung over his bare chest, his lower half clothed in black army shorts and some sable coloured leather boots.

On my right, Jade was waiting patiently, her arms crossed as she looked up to me. The noirette was wearing a snow white kimono, violet wisteria flowers stitched across the dress. A pearl white obi belt held Kuraokami's Sorrow to her waist, her feet donning a pair of traditional rice straw zori.

"Alright then, let's get out of there."

As I stepped through the front door, the others followed. From the maps of the Ironforge we had spotted around the city, I knew that we had to exit out of the south east gate. That meant we had to pass through the adventurer's guild, giving us the opportunity to pick up anything we might need for the journey.

The hustle and bustle of Ironforge reached its midday peak as everyone scrambled around during their lunch hours to do whatever they needed. Along the way, Ariel made sure to swipe us some lunch as we ate on our way to the adventurer's district.

Fortunately, we were able to exit the city without any problem. Of course, the dwarves were a little saddened to see their esteemed samurai leave so soon but it couldn't be helped.

The moment we stepped out of the city gates, we were hit with a blast of cold wind. I felt my hairs raise on end, feeling a certain noirette hold me close to keep warm.

After some walking, I spotted the Ashen Forest just ahead of us. Stood on the other side of a small water bridge, the woodland loomed ominously. A sudden cold wind swept over the ground, catching Ariel by surprise to our amusement.

I lead the way, entering the forest with caution. As the name suggested, the trees had been dead for many years. Even without their leaves, the shrubbery managed to stay alive despite the adverse conditions.

A path had been cleared through the forest, thick smoky ash lining the forest floor. There didn't seem to be any signs of life here even of this was technically still a forest.

"What the hell happened here?" Ariel spoke out loud, voicing the question we were all thinking.

I looked back to the rose blonde, an uncertain look on my face. I thought for a moment, noting that this forest would have been vibrant and inhabited by all sorts of woodland animals once upon a time.

But something would have changed that and yet I had no idea what it could have been.

"Who knows but it looks like this forest has been dead for years." Death answered for Ariel, though it didn't exactly clear up much.

After some time, we arrived at a clearing in the forest, the dead trees parting to give us some space. I stepped forward, looking to the distance, seeing the paths diverge.