Ashes and Kingdoms

It was quiet that night. The moon is thin and does not rise until after midnight, and the sky is filled with stars. The earth is darker than the sky as far as I can see, and there is no light besides the little fire that Finn is burning right now. Despite this, the signs of darkness were far away.

Finn looked up at the sky with serenity and smiled, recalling that there was always light where Deia lay. Lena, sitting beside her, leans in reluctantly but perfectly, bringing it to her shoulder. Finn stroked his head gently.

Eventually, when the sky was cloudy and darkness thickened, blue light dots appeared in the distance.

A pair, two pairs. He approaches me as I go around and back, alarmed by why there are lights like this. Finn stood up slowly, a few steps from the burning fire and proceeded to the dark. The sword is still unplugged.

"Can you hit the fire over here?"

Finn spoke quietly. Of course, I'm not the one whose words make sense, but I was wondering if I could tell you from the tone of my voice that I had no hostility, entrusting you with my hope.

There was no reaction. The crisp and dry noise come and go. The thin cold air begins to drift at your feet, and the low roar gradually overlaps and begins to play with anger.

Finn walked further as he felt Lena's watchful obsession. Cover with consciousness the strong light that dwells within you and proceed to the point where the hands of darkness are touched.

Shh......!

Shortly after the sound of rubbing the air, Finn took a decent blow and blew it off. Your body literally floats in space for a moment and falls on your back. Hate fangs devoured his throat-held arm.

Bite your voice with your back teeth and shake off the beast with all your strength. Soon after that leg stood up in momentum stepped on the ground, now something like a whip flew up on his flank. Barely turns himself away and turns to shock. On the hem of his jacket, the faint marks of darkness remained a belt of white and frost.

"Is bare hands reckless on boulders?"

I was wondering if it would be okay because of the small number. Finn bites his lips and pulls Ferrendaine out of his sheath. The white light spilled, and the beast of darkness reacted snugly and flew away.

When Finn lays down his sword, the darkness is pushed down, and the blue light is twisted and smaller.

(It's not like I want to get rid of you altogether.)

If you don't even attack me, I don't even care if I'm urrowed right there.

I'm the only one who feels that way.

They will deny, of course, that the other humans are outrageous.

The beast of darkness retreats with hostility. Finn regretted it, but the power of Lena and the feeling of the light of her sword wrapping and supporting herself was still a comforting thing to refuse.

When the slightly blue light completely disappeared, Finn spilled one small sigh and shook his head, putting his sword in his sheath and back by the incendiary fire.

"Good luck"

When did you learn the human smell words, that's how Lena works to touch Finn. Finn meditated his eyes and tasted the sensation of soft light pouring in. The paralysis of his arm was removed and the painful dull pain ran only during one breath, disappearing. When I opened my eyes and rolled my sleeves, the blushing red and black mole nearly disappeared.

"Thanks"

As Finn thanked him for his discipline, Lena smiled happily. Finn smiles back, too, and falls back, for Christ's sake.

"That's something that's not going so well."

Next to it, Lena sat down again and replied, "It's okay." Not with comfort, but with encouragement.

"Little by little, but the color of darkness is changing. I'm sure one day Finn will get what he wants."

"... right"

Finn nodded, slapping Pong and Lena on the shoulder.

Until the replacement Mac woke up, the two had been leaning in and staring at the flames of the bonfire.

The next day and the next, things didn't change much.

The streets were completely uninterrupted, never even met bandits, and the farmland and ranches that seemed to have been along the road were just returning to the wilderness. The birds chirp in the bushes, and the cat or something after it from time to time rocks the retreat and the grass.

Finn was struggling with the strong grass that grew in the gap between the detached laying stones, but when he finally succeeded in digging back and pulling through the roots, he wiped the sweat off his forehead and looked around him all the way.

"It's going to be tough."

"Huh?" Mac listens back and follows his gaze to convince. "Oh, you mean to return it to its original farmland. Right. It's still going to take until we can really build a field, and in the meantime, we can go rough all we want."

"... there will also be villages and cities that disappear as they are"

"I have no choice. Sometimes everything goes back to the dirt, and the people who live there say the city stayed completely changed. Nothing will ever be the same. For me, Tetna's a sifter, but now that I'm with my brother and everyone, it's just as normal to calm down."

Mac said as a dust. There would also be an aim to lighten Finn's heart, but more than that, his voice had sincere thoughts.

"If I remember the old days in a few decades, I'm sure I'll miss this Tenryu squad the most."

"Whatever it is, it's a unit you named."

Plast smiled rarely. Mac scratches his head in illumination and sperm again into the grass to deceive him.

While doing so, Mac may have been unconsciously preparing his mind. A few days later, even when he finally arrived at the site of Tetna, he was quietly watching the ruins without disturbance.

Even rougher villages than a year ago were no longer inhabitable. Grass has grown everywhere, the roof of the house has rotted away, and the only temple that should have held up has also been destroyed in the distance.

"... Is there something I can use or can I look for it?

When Finn spoke softly, Mac smiled bitterly and nodded, "Of course," but didn't try to add himself either. I'm just confused as I look at my people scattered around the village.

Next to it, rarely and quietly, Nellis lined up. I'm not saying anything, I'm looking at the village with you.

Slightly, Mac opened his mouth abruptly.

"My house, over there."

What you point to is a private house that collapsed so indistinguishably that none of it is distinguishable. As Nellis took a step in silence, Mac stared at his nail tip and took a deep breath before walking out with his face up.

Aim for a broken house through what used to be a road, avoiding rolling debris and entanglement. The reticulation and mud walls remained holes, rounded up to the interior of the rainstorm.

The door was finally decaying, so the two went inside with the wreckage of the wall all tucked away.

A broken chair and table roll into the corner of the room, and the earthen kamado is splattered with ash. I wandered around for a while without doing anything, then Mac accidentally said.

"There's nothing left over here. When I evacuated to the temple, I had everything I needed."

"Oh well."

Nellis hammered and added in the guise of casual flair.

"Just memories."

"... yeah"

"My windmill must be playing tricks, too"

"... n"

I can barely hear your reply. Nellis puts his hands behind his hips and continues to look at him the day after tomorrow as if he were talking to himself.

"I'll keep it to myself. You can cry."

…………

A slightly damp bitter smile was a substitute for gratitude.

Around the same time, Finn was working with Oandus on the rubble of the abandoned house. When I left here last year, I had gathered a lot of hard food, but I needed more food then. I ignored it at the time, now there may still be something useful left. Non-rusted nails, buckets of water drawers and sturdy leather strings, tools and farm tools still available.

Of course the treasure doesn't come out that easily. Oandus rested his hands and sighed loudly and looked out.

"I wonder if Mac's okay"

"Nellis was on, so you'll be fine"

When Finn answered, Oandus turned into a complicated face. Hum or oom, I scratch my head with a leaking roar that won't do anything.

"Hey Phineas. Um... those two, what do you think?

"What?

Finn was neat during the bundle, then saw that Oandus seemed hard to say, and nodded oh.

"Nothing in particular so far, though. I'm not sure what they think. What does your uncle want to do?

"Mmmm...... No, Mac sure, he's pretty solid at that age, and I don't think it's a bad idea to be Nellis' son-in-law."

"We're not both that old yet."

Finn says with a bitter smile. Oandus breathed relieved, as he was helped.

"Um, well, yeah. To tell you the truth, I thought you were Nellis' son-in-law when I picked you up for adoption."

"I'm glad we didn't make it happen for each other."

Finn stepped aside and clapped his shoulders, but Oandus was a true face.

"You didn't shy away, did you?

"It" gets stuck in words for a moment and nods honestly. "Well, a little. But I think it turned out good. Uncle, Nellis is my precious sister."

"Hmm... well, even I'm not saying I can't do anything. Unless you're attracted to it, that's fine."

Yeah, and Oandus nods, and makes a comeback, and gives in and moves the shelf wreckage. Finn helped with that, too. Cuttlefish, cotton, and make a noise and something spills. Looks like a small spoon or a medicine holder. As Finn was picking them up and quantifying, Oandus' voice came down from above.

"If you're true, you're old enough to have a wife."

"It's too early."

As insignificant as possible, Finn answers with a bitter smile. Oandus went to pick up something that rolled into the corner of the room, unaware of his upset.

"But you'll be twenty years old by now. When this job settles down, why don't you have a seat in Nanais? If only you had a daughter who would come to such an inconvenient place."

Oandus laughed lightly. Finn laughs a little, too, and deceives the reply.

(Good old, huh? If it's normal, it certainly might be)

In the previous nanice, men were mostly married by the mid-twenties. But things are different now. Besides,

(If you don't know how many decades to live, when will you be 'good old')

I can't measure my life anymore, although I'm just like a normal human being. Finn kept staring at the wreckage of the fine life in his hand, thinking about it for a while.

One line spent that night in Tetna, and the next morning I decided to leave already. Because there was nothing left to help, and there were close signs of the beast of darkness.

Follow the path you once walked with your family and Igros alone, this time backwards. Finn felt painful in his chest every time he came across a familiar view.

"Speaking of which, this is..."

Oandus snapped, remembering that the road had slipped down and that the tree was approaching. Finn also looks around and thinks a little before noticing.

"That's where you were ambushed by the Dark Beast. The atmosphere has changed a lot since then."

When you gaze at the destination, the streets through the trees rise slowly, leading to the low hills. The second day I left Nanais, I ran into a dark beast lurking between the trees as I came down that hill.

"... Igross and I, managed to buy some time..."

"You rushed through in a big hurry. In that case."

Nellis also looked around remembering. At that time, the dark darkness blocked the way when I said there was still day, and with corner lights and pine lights I could barely only illuminate my feet.

Now it's just a bleak, lonely road. Left and right tree stands stretch out the branches to the middle of the road, with leaky wooden days dancing. There is one thing that that means.

- No longer are we alone in passing through here. What lies ahead is the deserted wilderness.

Of course no one dares speak. Paying off the branches silently, mowing the grass on both sides to improve the outlook, he went ahead without saying anything.

Beyond the hill was a nostalgic landscape peculiar to the north. Wide plains and bright green trees. Containing remnants of morning mist, the soil is damp, and waterfowl flocks absent in dotted ponds and marshes. Streets stretching straight between them.

(Came home)

Finn bit his lips and followed the white streets by force. It disappears in the shadow of a distant hill, but beyond it lies Nanais. And a nostalgic sea.

Families who were equally frustrated by emotion each leak exhale quite a bit. Plast, as well as the twins, who were usually so loud, did not interrupt.

Slightly, Finn regained his mind, looking back at everyone and smiling. Let's go, speak up, and walk out. I think I'm almost there, and my footsteps are lighter.

By sundown, a line reached the abandoned village. It's that village where Finn first met Lena a year ago. The sleeping barn was all sleeping outside this time because the walls were rotting and collapsing and it was becoming dangerous to get inside.

The same path, the same place being followed in turn, but the time of year has changed everything. Still, Finn didn't get shocked by that.

Until you see Nanais.