Phoenix Ashes

Sequel to Dragon Rider, this book won't make sense if you don't read the previous one.
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'And from the ashes, a phoenix emerged, looking even more splendid than it had before.'
Phoenixes are reborn through flames, dying only to live another day. However, what happens to the ashes they leave behind? The ashes of the flames that allowed the phoenix to be reborn?
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This is the story of what comes after a war won. This is what comes after the final battle where good triumphs. This is the novel where children were soldiers before they could dream. This is a tale where veterans are restless, wanting peace but not knowing it, never having known it.

They were not born to save the world. They made their way through ash and dust. They fought for themselves and then fought for the world. This a story of the battle-and-world-weary, a story of the young being soldiers. This is how they still fight, how they still can. This is the story of those left, of dragons and riders struggling to live again.

Warnings: LGBtQ+ characters (later on and not a focus point), PTSD (portrayal might be unrealistic, as I have never had PTSD), survivor's guilt (might also be unrealistic as I have not had it)