Ashes and Kingdoms

Finn knew nothing and was headed east with Lena as Dorfaye's soldiers took control of the towns and villages of northern Nornicom one after the other, making steady strides towards the state capital, Combs - in their name, Roflía - with the new soldiers who joined there.

A land formerly known as the province of Mazra, ruled by the Governor of the Empire and garrisoned by legion soldiers. But there was no more shadow of it in the earth which now spread under Finn's eyes. Only a straight stretch of street barely conveys the prosperity of the past.

"You're totally lonely"

"Right. It's quiet around here for a long time. Everything."

Feeling what Lena's reply meant, Finn frowned slightly. The city is obsolete and human activity is stagnant, not least. When the dragon says "everything," it also includes such things as dark relatives and spirits.

"... did you go south"

I don't ask, I solitary. Maybe the odd dark move since this spring isn't just about the area around Nanais.

Lena did not answer. Instead, what she finds also passes on to Finn's consciousness.

The view of the seabed overlapped my vision. A small group of fish, secretly leaning against each other and killing their breath in the shadow of a complicated rock. I'm hungry, I'm completely weak. If you leave it alone, it will disappear as it is.

Let's go down.

At the same time as Finn's whisper, Lena turned her neck to the earth. As she landed at a sufficient distance to be unnoticed by the group, Lena looked around as a flutter and a girl.

"It's really quiet.... as lonely as I am"

You feel that way. You mean this isn't normal?

"Maybe. Something that doesn't really show signs of life. Even if you're not as active as a human being, there would normally be more signs of all sorts of creatures and spirits, but here..."

After getting a little lost in words, she snapped horribly. "It's empty," he said.

Finn walked toward the small group he had just found, alert to his surroundings.

Not so much, the wreckage of a desolate village appeared. But there is no shadow. Finn looked around, but did not search, passing straight through the village. On both sides of the road, which once seemed obvious, there are bodies exposed to buildings that have been smashed down and set on fire.

"You're a human being."

Finn turned into a rugged face. In addition to scattering pots and bags, rough furniture, and traces of burning that remain in transit, excrement is falling there. If you were attacked by a beast of darkness, it wouldn't be like this.

He went without hesitation through the village, past a cemetery only of loess and round stone, for a small hill that seemed beyond the field.

With a few slight footsteps, he rushes away. He must have seen Finn and rushed to hide himself. Between the bleak crops that remained in the rough fields, one of the bleak cages that had been left behind was rolling.

Finn looked down at the footprint that remained on the ground and hurt his chest at its small size.

Turning to the back of the hill, spirals were staining out of the rock that seemed to dry up even now. Next to the grassy source, the trees grow and hide the entrance of the deep hole from the careless human eye. But of course, Finn clearly saw it.

They heard the footsteps of the nearby fins. Signs of killing my breath and snorting came through. Finn crouched by the hole and spoke as calmly as he could.

"You don't have to hide. I won't hurt you, so why don't you come out and let me talk to you? Who are you afraid of?

No reply. Finn twisted his neck wondering what was going on, and then, uh, looked back at Lena staring at the hole with him on the side.

"Tell me from you, too. We're not enemies."

"Me? I don't think I can say it well..."

Lena blinked her eyes with confusion, but still, she stepped out onto the edge of the hole.

"Um... are you there? Don't be scared. Finn's not a scary person."

…………

Finn, feeling subtly indescribable, holds his eyebrows back. And, since there were signs of sneaky movement behind the hole, he turned his attention back to you.

The fish, which had solidified as frozen, are moving in horror. Finn, aware of Lena's light, worked a little quietly, as he did against the crowd at Comlis. The feeling of a thin curtain of light down on the bottom of dark, cold water.

Slightly, there was one child peeking through the hole, a dirty face. The frightened, alert and busily moving eyes circle to surprise as soon as they capture Lena's appearance following Finn.

When the child thought he had opened his mouth, he pulled into the back like a wild rabbit.

"A princess!

A tall, faint scream sounds. Finn laughed while watching a decent Lena. Indeed, although it is the jewellery that is not worn, the wavy, shining gold and silver hair and white clothes without a single stain cannot be forced to be considered noble daughters.

At the time, Lena tilted her little neck and was just making her eyes squeeze.

After a while, Finn was face-to-face with only a dozen women and children crawling out of the hole.

Fatigue casts a dark shadow on every face, and the knob is suspiciously watching this one. Finn explained with suspicion whether his words would reach their hearts in fulfilment.

"Me and Lena are from Nanais. Now there are fewer Dark Beast raids there, much safer than before. Who are you all afraid of? If there's anything I can do, let me help you."

Nobody tries to keep an eye on Finn while we talk. A painful silence ensues, and Finn can't wait. Even though I didn't do anything, I just felt condemned for saying I existed.

The feeling, though, was no mistake. Somewhat and one woman told me to whisper with a dark face.

"You're a man, you have a sword. You're lying about helping."

"What is it..."

Half-consciously inquiring, Finn swallows the words. I don't even have to ask what that means. The tragedy of that village, the fact that only women and children are hiding, makes it clear what is being done here and now.

Finn bit his lip and clenched his fist. Another woman threw an emotionless voice at her nagging fin.

"If you want to exorcise the villains, do as you please. Leave us alone."

(Men just kill each other anyway)

Even the grief faded and fell out, a glimmer of despair drifts.

(I would have liked your help. I wanted you to stay by my side and help me.)

A man leaves from the source of a woman who hurts and nods. Take a weapon in your hand, and don't look back, whether it's for revenge or just for anger.

Finn took a slow, deep breath in silence, looking up at each and every one of them firmly.

"That being said, I can't just leave you here like this. I'll give you a hand either moving to Nanais or continuing to live here"

Sincere words, too, however, do not easily reach a strong heart. Finn, however he felt, waited patiently without rushing to respond. In the meantime, explore the area with the dragon's eyes to examine the existence of the problem.

(one in the southwest forest...... one in the south)

Two groups of rough appearances were immediately found. None of them are big enough, but they grind their fangs trying to eat and kill each other “enemies”. And there was always one or two, something bigger and rougher prominent than the others. He's the ruler of the group.

(Sounds like it has nothing to do with the East)

I was concerned that the situation in Nornicom and Dorfaye had spilled so far, but apparently it simply meant that the men who had become insecure and banditized were vandalizing each other's villages and towns. Legion soldiers with weapons and combat experience must also collapse in large numbers.

It's just like the Vitya region, just before it was destroyed by the Dark Beast. However, I guess here the beast of darkness was more temperamental, waiting for the human beings to self-destruct. And before I could see the results, somehow they started disappearing... perhaps going south.

Instead of rebuilding their lives, the remaining humans are still obsessed with eating together. Finn secretly had a hard time.

"Nanais is too far away."

A small voice said, Finn pulled his consciousness back. The women open their pompous mouths with one, two, as they gaze at each other.

"It's the land of birth..."

"If you can live here."

There is no power in words spoken independently of blurring. But Finn nodded to encourage him to "OK."

"Let's rebuild the village. Fortunately, it's all over the north now, and the number of dark beasts is decreasing. So as long as you keep the fire on fire at night, you don't have to worry about their raids"

"The beast of darkness doesn't have to come, but when those people do, everything will be doomed."

You've seen it, and one woman shows the village with a glimpse. Finn nodded again and lowered his eyes lost in the words to be said. Take that as a sign of helplessness, or another woman sighs.

"You're not alone, you're just gonna get killed. A lot more."

I just heard you go home. I don't expect anything, I don't need hope, I just wait to die - I give up like that. Every day that was so tough, it was taking my thinking away from them. It's almost unrecognizable that Finn and Lena suddenly appeared without the dirt or fatigue of their journey, or that it was evidence that they had a peculiar power.

Finn abandoned his stray and shook his head slowly.

"It's not easy to die. I am Dragon Marquis."

There was no immediate reaction to the quietly spoken word. No one even asks back.

Finn didn't wait for everyone's understanding to catch up and went on pale.

"Please just wait a moment. I'll see if I can bring back the people who left the village. Even if I can't, I'll hit my hand at least so this village won't be vandalized."

The day is still high. If we dissolve the nearest group by the end of the day, we won't have to worry about being raided again tomorrow.

Lena.

Just calling, Lena quickly returns to what she was. In a shout of amazement and fear, Finn rose to the sky.