Ash and Silence

The Concordium hall was quieter in the afternoon/early evening. The benches were half-empty, the boards mostly empty. It was like a library calming down after the rush in the day. Ren carried the signed paper to the older woman’s desk from before. She barely looked at him as he placed the paper down; she scanned it and muttered the details to both herself and the boy next to her. “Extermination. Dockside vessel. client signed. Completed.” The boy beside her reached for the paper and straightened the folds from the many handlings throughout the day and placed it in a folder behind the ledger. “Payment: one silver, sixty copper talons.” He counted each coin from one hand to another, then threw them haphazardly into the open hands of Ren. The old woman's voice seemed a mixture of both bored and drained. “If you want any more, come back in the morning.” Ren thanked her quietly, and the four stepped back into the cold air of the city. The streets seemed calmer than in the morning, but the calm felt uneasy.

They drifted down the stone steps, the rattling of the coins dying down as Ren tightened the bag; the night air was creeping in. The streets were quieter but not empty. A man in a patched coat leaned close to a woman filling a lantern outside a small home. His speech was slightly slurred, but not enough to label him a drunkard just yet. “Another village. Gone. Nothing left but the fields.” The woman didn’t stop what she was doing and closed the small glass door on the side of the lantern. “The third this month?” “Second this week,” the man corrected. “No bodies, no mess, not even livestock. Just… gone. Concordium’s keeping it hushed. Anyone sent to check doesn’t come back.” The four slowed, listening but trying not to stare. Alice pinched Miyako’s clothing to get her attention. “Surely that’s impossible; maybe it’s just a prank.” “Or it isn’t,” Hibiki said, a grin creeping over his face. “Maybe there is a big evil dragon snatching people up.” He raised his hands, pretending to be a monster, and moved towards Alice.

Ren turned on him, voice sharp, clearly annoyed at his continued antics. “You think this is a game? People vanish, and you laugh?” “I didn’t laugh,” Hibiki snapped back, the grin being replaced with a sign of irritation. “At least I’m not walking around acting like I’m everyone’s bloody dad.” “You’d be dead if someone didn’t!” Ren hissed. His fists tightened as the stress started to get to him. Hibiki shoved him in the shoulder, hard enough to make Ren stagger backwards. “I don’t need you holding my hand!” Ren came back at him, shoving harder, his words hot. “Then stop acting like a child! This place is dangerous.” Their boots scraped on stone, and Alice flinched at the noise. Miyako finally stepped between them, her knife flashing out just enough to make both freeze. Her voice was full of animosity. “Enough, look over there.” Her eyes flicked past them as she nodded her head to a thin street a small distance away.

The young guard from before stood at the mouth of the street. He hadn’t moved yet, but he was watching, both alert and scrutinising. Hibiki’s breath grew heavier, and his hands shook slightly. For a moment, Ren thought he would just snap and scream. Instead, Hibiki muttered something under his breath, turned sharply, and ran towards the guard who had disappeared around the corner. “Hibiki!” Alice shouted, her voice cracking, but he kept going. Hibiki was getting close to the corner, and Ren's shoulders tensed up. Miyako exhaled loudly, and they all ran after him.

As they chased after him, their boots clattering on uneven stone nearly sent them falling numerous times. The streets started to twist, revealing thinner alleys and dead ends. Crates slumped in corners, and broken shutters lined the homes. Ren threw his head around looking for any sign of him until he spotted a hatchet at the end of one of the alleys. Alice stumbled and tried to catch her breath. “Why would he just—just run like that?” “Because he doesn’t think,” Miyako spat, grabbing Alice’s hand so they could both follow Ren’s new path. “He just follows his temper.”

They turned another corner, and the smell hit them before the sight did—burnt wood and ash, along with what smelt like extremely strong alcohol. Ren came to a stop, his hand lifting instinctively. Just ahead stood a blackened building. The roof had collapsed, and there were scorch marks coating the floor outside; the front remained, but the sides and top were clearly barren. It definitely had been a while since it had burnt, but only a few days at max. Ren took a small step towards the remains. “Here.” As they stepped closer, they could hear movement and clattering alongside small grunts and shouts. Alice’s fingers wrapped around the club. Do you think that’s him in there?” Miyako shook her head and raised her hand. “Not just him. Listen.”

Ren stepped closer, looking through a burnt hole in the barely functional door. The glow of a lantern flickered inside, shadows shifting in sharp bursts. Someone with a deep voice was speaking, and more were responding. A higher younger voice drowned them out. “Let… go!” It was Hibiki. Ren turned to the others. “He’s in there… but there’s more too.” Alice flicked her head between the two. “Is–is it that soldier?” The noise inside grew with footsteps scraping and wood bouncing across the floor, and Hibiki’s voice rising and struggling. Miyako looked at Ren, her hand already on the hilt of her knife. “We can’t just storm in blind. Decide.” Alice's eyes locked onto Rens. “Ren—what do we do?” He froze, and his breath shook as he stared at the source of the noise, his heart pounding between moving and holding still. One wrong choice could damn them. Ren swallowed, anxiety gnawing at him. He stared back at Miyako, thinking about the plan that was growing. “I–I have a plan, but it might not work.” “What?” She looked irritated, but it was obvious she was scared too. “I’m going to try that thing from when the wolf…” Alice gasped. “But! But you don’t even know what that was. What if you can’t control it?” He gripped his clothing for support. “I have to try.” Miyako gritted her teeth, clearly wanting to argue but not having a solution herself. “Fine. But if you lose it, I’ll stop you myself.” Ren nodded. “Let’s go.”