Ashes to Ashes | ✓

25 || Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust

It had never been cold in Niveus due to the constant heat that poured from the Core. Even in winter, it was said that the chill was bearable. Though the icy mountains in the north—where the kingdom of Ienaeus lay—bordered Niveus's lands, their unforgiving cold weather never reached the kingdom.

Now, the Core lay below the ground, broken and destroyed. Magic no longer clung to it, and its warmth no longer safeguarded the land of Niveus. Cold wind raked Felix's hair, snagging on his clothes. He shivered and pressed close to the stone. He was no stranger to the claws that shredded his flesh with frost, but that didn't make him hate it any less. Up high, clinging to the side of one of the castle's remaining spires, the winds were merciless.

But there were things man could not see from the ground, and a higher place was required.

In the Core's explosive discharge of magic, the castle of Crocea had been destroyed. About half of it still stood strong, though there was no telling how long that would last as the days rolled into months and years. The stairs spiraling up the inside of the tower had broken and fallen away. Anyone in their right mind would have given up on the endeavor, but something possessed him to climb to the roof anyway. It was hard enough when he was at full strength. It was hell with his body covered in wounds and his shoulder screaming until his fingers went numb.

With one final heave, he hauled himself onto the eaves of the roof. Tiles slipped beneath his boots and he clung to the spire, spouting a curse. His heart raced and he waited a moment until it stilled.

The wind stung his eyes as he turned to face the city, like it was begging him to look away. It howled in his ears and pulled at his limbs, but still he clung to the tower and fixed his gaze upon the truth. I need to see if it's as bad as it looks from the ground.

From his vantage point atop the roof of one of the palace's towering spires, Felix could see the whole world. Niveus's forests and towns surrounded him in an endless maze of roads, greenery, and tiny pockets of human life. Directly below him was the rich city of Crocea, its banners waving in the wind as it howled. With a view like this, it was no wonder royals and nobles loved their big houses and tall palaces so much.

If only the world weren't scarred.

Burn marks marred the land, an ugly scar that covered the once-beautiful city. The streets of Crocea were empty of life, and the wind that whipped through seemed to stir the spirits that lingered over the unburied bodies. Flames still lingered in some of the trees beyond the city walls, though they had grown weak and small as the days began to tick by. Ash drifted through the air, but it was easier to breathe when he was above it all.

From his vantage point atop the roof of one of the palace's towering spires, he could see the whole world. The world they had destroyed.

He didn't know if it was because of Dinah, or Aiko, or himself, or a collection of everything, but the message was clear. The Ember Core, humanity's last gift from Niveus's phoenix god, was no more. Like Furvus, Niveus was now a magic-less kingdom.

Like Furvus... His gaze traveled to where the Core room was. A fissure in the ground marked its place. Cloud blotted out the sunlight now, but he could still remember hauling Aiko out that day, snagging the book as he passed it. She still had yet to wake though her wounds were cleaned and bandaged. Even now, he was certain she lay still, trapped in a deathlike state as though fate could snatch her from him at any moment.

He curled his fingers against his palm, digging his nails into his flesh. Dinah's mocking sneer flashed through his mind, her laughter ringing in his ears. There was too much he didn't understand. Dinah's magic, the Ember Core, his weak flame... thinking about it all made his head spin. Frustration twisted his gut and he jerked his gaze away. One thing at a time, he reminded himself. Move one step at a time.

Turning, he pushed away from the pointed roof and climbed down from its edge. None of that mattered for the moment. He promised to stay by her side and that was all he would do.

Greed no longer bound him, nobles no longer wielded him. Destruction surrounded him, yet he breathed easily for the first time, and a lighthearted laugh slipped from his lips.

In the ash-covered, empty kingdom of Niveus, he was free.

THE END! *flings confetti*

I'll save my ramblings for the final author's note but thank you so much for reading! :D