Ashes and Kingdoms

The western sky was stained with cropped vermilion.

With the sound of the bell, Finn took several soldiers and a long shadow on the road and went outside the castle gate. Behind me the door closes and the sound of a banging sounds. The walls drop a purple shadow, and the sky shines to hasten home as soon as possible.

Finn partitioned with the face of the incorporated squad to light a bonfire platform protecting the town. A platform enclosed to withstand rainstorms is filled with fuel full of pine fat and oil. A soldier nearby stopped when he tried to transfer the fire to Matsui after igniting the first one.

"He hasn't. At first, just one bottle. When they come and run out of hands to turn it back on, I'll use a new pine light. Otherwise, it won't last a night."

Finn nodded with a frightened face. I was so thirsty in my mouth that I answered in a voice.

The golden remnants fade away. When the flames burned on all the platforms, they gathered at the walls, and finally lit a bonfire for themselves, and sat around it.

"You're not with me."

One speaks to Finn. Another one blurred.

"Neither do we. Even Igross' stupidity is worse than such a perfect kid."

Finn looked around at them in silence. One, two, … five. There are only six of them, including Finn. I noticed his anxious gaze and one laughed.

"Don't worry, it's from this gate to the watchtower there that these six protect. Beyond that there is another squad. See? Look, it's on fire now."

A small bonfire lit up between the walls at the tip of the finger. Finn gets a relieved breath. A few smiled small, but couldn't afford to care less about that.

Igross sprained and suddenly Finn, the recruit, was ordered to replace him. That means there are no spare soldiers in the regiment. They must be doing it in a very small number of people. This means that that much wear and tear is caused by injuries and deaths.

(Can I survive?)

Aware of his anxiety, a careless sweat conveyed his back.

As I mock Finn's nervousness, it gets darker and darker around. The bonfire looks like a jewel in the dark. Finn, who was narrowing his eyes to that glare, caught one light and another moving at the edge of his vision, stiffening himself. I just accidentally floated my hips, and I get pounded on the shoulder.

"For a while, please. I'll take your place right away, so just move all over your eyes and come tired enough to lose consciousness as you sit down. You can't sleep now, can you?

"Right."

Finn nodded with a tight grin. All right, and the soldier nodded, consulting quickly and hiccups just within his companions, the three lay on their backs against the wall.

"At first, I'll come out with you."

Ok, and one stood up and transferred the fire to Matsui.

"But do your job clearly. Sora, your pine light. Don't ever drop it."

Give one to Finn and you hold the other. Pulling out the sword, the disturbing sheath was left on the spot and he moved on. Finn pulls out his sword as well and stands beside the soldier.

"Fool, go over there some more. Though it would be inefficient for both of us to solidify. Are you gonna stick to my ass?

Pushed at the elbow, Finn blushed away in shame and anger. Stand slightly wider apart than you think you can take on. Whispering self-assertion.

Then again, turning to the wilderness, Finn wandered into the depths of darkness that spread beyond the farthest bonfire. Between the golden flames and the flames, I feel a little blue light. No, are you sure that's over there?

Finn looked up to the sky unexpectedly, but the sunlight had already been completely lost. The stars are not enough to illuminate the earth.

When I looked down, I knew clearly this time. There are a number of blue dots floating in the dark. If it's just two pairs of things, it seems like it's the same as a wolf or other beast, but depending on the location, it's a clump like a bunch of featherworms. For the minute I couldn't see him, all I could imagine was what kind of monster he was, and fear raised him.

(Calm down, calm down, or you'll fail)

He regained his sword with a rattle-shaking hand, and Finn swallowed his solitary spit to recall his daytime training.

Once the darkness gets there, run anyway, don't stop. The sword is meant to defend itself, don't think about taking them down, etc. Get rid of it, shake it off, bounce it off.

Inhaling deeply, Finn set his eyes on the other side. Rather than just staring at one spot, we vaguely deliver a wide range to the horizon. As soon as the bonfire is extinguished somewhere, you'll see.

Soldiers next to me slowly began to advance. Get your feet out so the fins can stick too. One step, another, towards darkness.

As I walked between the bonfires, I felt I had also inadvertently become a hero who appeared in some epic poem. With all this bonfire, you're going to butt in with the beast of darkness and run away with it just because you pined it...

But it was only while I was dreaming. The moment the xixixi and unpleasant sound reached my ear, both my sweet hope and my ordinary heart were wiped out.

Kichi Kichi...... Casa, Casa, Zawazawa......

For a moment Finn had the illusion that he was still at the windmill house with Oandus and the others, leaning against each other in a room with the best light and waiting for dawn.

(Same sound. It's them, they're coming)

Katakata Katakata. To the dry sound, Finn remembered a toy trojan horse, but the association didn't warm his heart either.

(Coming)

Where. Where's the first one?

Run your gaze quickly. And...

"Right, Finn!

A soldier yelled and at the same time Finn found it. One bonfire diagonally forward of the right hand, missing from the row. Reflectively he ran out and bounced back with his sword something that had struck him from the darkness.

"Huh!"

Moments, a stabbing pain ran through my body through my arms. I thought they did it, but I don't have time for it. Run as hard as you can, rebuild the defeated platform and light the fire. I felt the shadow that had been there until now escape into the darkness.

Shortly afterwards, a faint sound of cutting the sky rang, and Finn took refuge in us with his sword. The moment I was struck, my sword frosted amazingly.

No way, Finn looks away. By then, the frost had disappeared already, and the sword just had dew on it. But the blood is drawn from the hand holding the pattern. Finn held his right hand and rubbed the gossip with his left hand while holding the pine light.

Soon after the senses return a little relief, the flames disappear on the left side next. When Finn rushed, a black shadow was about to cover him on the platform.

"This!

Forget the teachings of Masud, shake up your sword and slash it. But just before, the noisy shadow turned around, and he opened his mouth and attacked me.

It was an unexpected size. Finn bounced backwards aggressively, placing the pine light like a shield. Being on a flaming extinguished platform looked like a giant black bobcat. Besides the fact that the three eyes emit blue phosphorescence, the nose, ears, hands and feet can only be distinguished.

In a distracted gap, a hand holding a pine light was lowered. The beast bowed down and jumped at the same time as Finn returned to me.

(Getting hit!

For a moment, he looked like he was eaten from the head. Finn crouches on the spot without thinking, and only his left hand raises high and raises the pine light. But it was too late.

"Ugh!

Pine lights were bounced off with the impact. Finn falls overwhelmed by severe pain as if he had been ripped off his arms. My arm was safe, but I'm paralyzed and I don't feel it.

Finn turned his face and looked for the beast, even though he was stuck in pain in fear.

――

I was directly beside him. A deeper shadow arises in the elaborate midst of black darkness. They're trying to open their mouths and tear their prey apart.

At that moment, it was what Nellis looked like that went through Finn's brain.

(I don't like it, I can't die!

Unaware that he was screaming like crazy, he stuck out his sword obsessively. I had a response, but the beast didn't scream one. In the eyes of an open fin was the black fangs of an imminent beast, even though the sword was thrust through his mouth.

(No.)

It's a lie, can this ever happen?

In the corner of the paralyzed head, useless words are spun. The moment I passed on the blade and the darkness flowed down and I felt it dripping in my right hand, there was a chill running all over my body.

- It was an indisputable hatred.

Hate, hate, hate. I'll kill you, I'll erase you, I'll eliminate everything from the world without even leaving a trace.

It was not a clearly worded thought, but Finn intuited that it was the heart of this beast, or the very element that shapes the beast. There was no way this was the same as a normal beast of the field.

(No, lose)

What a tiny thing, such as human power, in front of so much obsession, anger and hatred.

Stunned and enlightened, Finn was caught in despair, frozen without even doing it. I could see my right hand swallowed every sword as it was - but for a moment, my vision was inadvertently brightened.

As soon as he did, the beast screamed so spectacularly that his guilt sprouted, that he rose to pull himself out of Finn's sword in a madness of death. Finn accidentally took his hand off the sword because of its awesomeness.

"You idiot!

When he returned sane with his ears cursed, the beast had fled back into the darkness to fly half swallowed his sword. Finn was short of breath and sat up stunned, but someone forced him to grab his arm and stand.

"Instead of Matsuaki let go of even the sword, what the hell were you asking me during the day, you horse! Don't fall asleep. Just pick up the pine lights!

Yelling, Finn rushed to look for Matsui. It is falling a few steps away and the flames are weakened with sand on them. When Finn picked it up, the soldier who came to help set the fire back by letting him touch his pine light. The previously extinguished bonfire is already shining bright again.

"Don't blur, go back to the wall and borrow someone's sword. Hurry!"

Just saying, he went back to his job again. Two in a far away place, the light is missing. Finn hurried back to the castle wall and received a sword from one of the awake.

"If you screw up, I won't help you. Eat on your own."

Rather than reprimand, it is a threat. Finn nodded with a frightened face and ran back to his holding. I didn't expect encouragement or anything, but when I thought my buddies might abandon me, my fear grew. I just didn't know my feet were cliff, even though I was struggling with my beast opponent.

(Please help me)

To no one. He was praying. Somebody get me out of here, help me, finish me off.

But of course, there was no response.

By nightfall, the feeling of time was completely gone. When I wonder if I've wandered off for just a few moments, I'm shaken up abusively. I had the feeling that I was injured everywhere, but I didn't see any wounds that were actually bleeding. I was just terribly tired and despair was twitching and spreading black stains from the corners of my mind.

The front line of the bonfire came a little closer to the wall. If it had been for less than the first time, it wouldn't have lasted overnight. Finn's feet seemed swollen and painful, and his hands with pine lights and swords gradually turned into lead.

But after coming and going several times between the nightmare and the narrow of reality, he realized. The vision is thin and bright. The ground is blurred, the campfire's extinguished platform and the cobblestone of the streets stretching far south. Speaking of which, I haven't fought in a while since just now. I can't see those blue dots.

Rest assured, Finn looked around.

Eventually, the sound of the bell marked the dawn. Pong and I were slapped on the shoulder and turned around, a soldier with an equally exhausted face had a familiar grin for the first time.

"You survived, kid."