The Ashen Rebellion

23 | A loss of a home

THE DREAM BEGAN THE same way it always did. an old ghost, haunting Nyssa's sleep with relentless precision. A hazy, distorted memory of the day the Enforcers tore her life apart. But tonight, it was different. In the twisted landscape of her memory, everything was wrong. She was no longer the helpless child she had been on that day, but herself, burdened by the weight of her experiences. Yet the pain was the same, the helplessness as suffocating as the smoke. The scene unfolded with a surreal clarity, every detail vivid and haunting.

She found herself standing on the edge of a burning village, flames clawing at the night sky like the talons of a ravenous beast. The acrid stench of smoke filled the air, suffocating her with every breath. Her heart pounded, a relentless drumbeat of terror, as she watched the Enforcers move through the chaos, their black armor gleaming in the inferno's light. She screamed for her parents, the sound tearing through her throat, but it was as if her voice was swallowed by the inferno.

"Mom! Dad!" she cried, her voice cracking with anguish. Her body was unresponsive, locked in place, arms outstretched towards the figures of her parents. Amid the chaos, her father appeared, not lying in a pool of blood as she remembered, but crouched before her, his eyes kind and his smile gentle. "Get up, Nessa," He said, his voice a soothing balm to her soul, a sound she had yearned to hear for so long.

Tears streamed down her face as she heard his voice. "I—I can't," she panted, feeling the searing pain of a gash in her side. "I'm... stuck."

Her father's gaze held hers, steady and reassuring. "You're stronger than you think, Nyssa. Strength isn't about never falling. it's about getting back up every time you do. Now, get. up."

The words hit her like a lifeline thrown to a drowning soul, pulling her from the depths of despair. The scene shifted, the memory blurring at the edges. Suddenly, Jaxon was there, his hand outstretched, a beacon of hope. "Come on, Nyssa," He urged, his voice firm and filled with compassion.

Through tears that blurred her vision, she reached out, grasping his hand. Pain surged through her as her wound stretched, but Jaxon's grip was solid, grounding her in the present moment. He lent her his strength, pulling her to her feet.

The dream faded, thrusting her back into the brutal reality of her current predicament. She lay beneath a massive chunk of debris, the acrid scent of smoke filling her nostrils. The heat from the spreading fire pressed down on her like a physical force, each breath a struggle. Gritting her teeth, she began to pull herself free, muscles screaming in protest. She didn't stop until she was out, gasping for air.

"I did it!" She gasped, looking around for her father and brother, but they were gone. Only the remnants of the dream lingered, haunting her in the smoky air.

"Kael! Arjun! Lyra!" She called, her voice hoarse with desperation. But there was no answer, only the relentless crackle of flames and the distant shouts of Enforcers.

She knew she had to move. Clutching her side, she forced herself to stand and began to limp towards the exit of the city. Every step was agony, but she pressed on, driven by a will forged in the fires of survival.

As she stumbled through the forest, a shadowy figure caught her eye. An Enforcer, and he wasn't alone. Three demonic dogs, their eyes glowing with malevolence, snarled at his side. He unhooked their leashes, and they sprang towards her, a pack of nightmares on the hunt.

''Get her!'' The Enforcer shouted, his voice echoing through the trees.

Nyssa ran, each step a knife of pain through her side. She could hear the dogs closing in, their growls a terrifying symphony. When she tripped over a branch, she knew she couldn't outrun them any longer. 

She had to fight.

The first dog lunged at her, teeth bared. With a cry, she grabbed a thick branch and swung it, hitting the beast squarely. It yelped but came back with renewed fury. The second dog was on her before she could react, its jaws clamping onto her shin. Pain exploded in her leg, and she screamed, but she didn't stop. With a burst of desperate strength, she wrapped her thighs around the dog's neck, choking it until it went limp.

The third dog circled, growling, as she hurled rocks at it. Finally, one struck it hard on the head, and it collapsed. The last dog whimpered, retreating into the forest, tail between its legs.

Nyssa dragged herself up, her leg throbbing, and began limping towards the familiar village. The scent of ash clung to her, a grim reminder of the destruction she'd left behind. Her heart pounded with a sense of foreboding as she neared her destination.

When she emerged from the forest, she stopped, her breath catching in her throat. The village was ablaze, flames consuming everything in their path. Houses were ransacked, the remnants of a life once lived scattered and burning.

She fell to her knees, the weight of the world crashing down on her. "No," she whispered, her voice a broken sob. "Not again. Everything... it's all gone."

The dream and reality had merged, a tapestry of loss and devastation. But through the tears and the pain, a flicker of her father's voice remained, urging her to get up, to keep fighting. However, she was tired. Tired of fighting. Tired of hiding. 

The fighters were always the ones giving hope to everybody.

But... who whispered courage to the fighters when their own hope faded?