Ashes of Raom

Gwen’s eyes snapped open; she sat up and glanced around. Her heart pounding lessened as she noticed she was inside a room. It had the bed she was sleeping on and a side table with a candle slowly burning. The window on her right was open, letting in a cool breeze from the night sky.

Shit, Mel is going to kill me for not being back today, she thought, shoulders slumping.

Pulling aside the covers, she tried to move off the bed when a sharp pain shot down her spine. Gwen immediately stopped moving and lay against the pillows. An occasional sting shot through her body, screaming at her for even trying to move.

No wonder they had me propped up, instead of lying flat.

To take her mind off the pain coursing through her body, she focused on her magic. It was weird to feel it so empty, even after being asleep; it was barely over a quarter full.

Gwen glanced down at herself and noticed the bandages wrapped around her torso. Her shirt and hoodie were missing. She clenched her fist, angry that she was brought down to such a poor state.

A list of things began to grow in her mind for when this quest was over: morning runs, practicing with her staff, washing off, eating breakfast, then taking jobs preferably in the dungeon, with the weekends off for recovery.

The creak of the door opening, followed by the sound of the staff tapping against the floor, made her jump. Her head snapped to the entrance to see an older woman dressed in white robes with short gray hair. A weathered smile rested on her face.

“Welcome to the waking world, Savior of Raom!” the woman said, slowly stopping next to the bed.

“Ew, please don’t call me Savior. My name is Gwen, an adventurer from the capital branch.”

“Well then, Adventurer Gwen, how are you feeling?”

Gwen shrugged. “I’m alive, that’s all that really matters.”

“Good answer.”

“I do try my best…” Gwen trailed off, taking a breath. “Was I able to save any of the villagers?”

The older woman’s smile wavered, her eyes misting over. “Some died, but you saved more lives than what was lost.”

“That’s good…I’m sorry we couldn’t save more people.”

“It’s not your responsibility to take the blame for something out of your control.”

Gwen's eyes lowered to the bed. “I know… but still.”

The old lady placed a hand on Gwen’s shoulder. “You have a kind soul, but remember, you’ll only run yourself ragged trying to take on the world by yourself.”

Gwen looked up at her, eyebrow raised. “Who are you? I get the same feeling being around you as I did from the Priestess from the Church of Hael.”

“Ahh, how long has it been since I’ve heard that name? I was once a Priestess there before I retired and moved back home to Raom.”

“Huh, what are the odds?”

“Speaking of odds, where is my… err, friend, the one with cat ears? Is she okay?”

The old woman nodded her head. “Ahh, young Kira, yes, she is sleeping in the room next to this one. She stayed with you for hours, worried until I made her rest.”

Gwen let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. “Thank you so much for making sure she’s okay, and just giving help.”

“We are both children of Hael; it's our sworn duty to help others even if we don’t like them.” The older woman said, taking a step back. “Now rest, child; we shall continue this conversation in the morning.

Gwen wanted to argue, but another yawn escaped from her. “Yeah… that sounds like a good idea. Good night.”

“Good night, my child.” She replied as she walked out the door. Her staff tapped against the wood until it disappeared down the hall.

Gwen leaned back on the propped-up pillow, eyes looking at the ceiling.

Something was nagging her about the old lady’s demeanor. She seemed way too calm, as if she knew about the attack on the village.

Gwen didn’t know; maybe she was just paranoid, or didn’t hear her correctly due to being so tired.

She wanted to think about it even longer, but her eyelids grew heavy, and then she saw nothing but darkness.

***

The moon was high in the sky, shining down on a man dressed in a dark hood covering his face. He stood over the ruins of the mostly destroyed church, anger twisting his expression. He clenched his fist, his chest rising rapidly with each breath.

I thought gaining the ability to summon goblins would’ve made them stronger, he thought, kicking a loose piece of rubble. Yet, they’re just as weak as ones found in the fucking wild.

He wanted to rip his hair out.

After all the time he had wasted training them and equipping them with armor, this was supposed to be a test run to see if he had the strength to attack the capital. At this rate he’d have to hold off on his plans even longer, especially now since he would have to rebuild his army from scratch.

The sound of someone approaching caught his attention, but he didn’t turn around. Instead, he stared at the ground as a dark glow flared around his body.

“What did you come to gloat, Grandmother!” he sneered, his lip curling back. “I bet it thrills you that I failed at destroying your so precious village.”

The steady tap of a staff continued until it stopped a few feet behind him. A cool breeze swept through the ruins before the older woman finally spoke up.

“It was never my intention to ever make you feel as if I ever wanted you to fail.”

The man's fist tightened, the dark glow growing stronger.

“You never wanted me to succeed. You never taught me anything, not even a simple healing spell. You always told me I should care for this village, yet you did nothing when I was ridiculed for being a bastard child with no land or name to inherit.”

“Grandson, I—”

“I severed ties long ago when I took on the path of a destroyer. Instead, call me Damien,” he interrupted.

“Even going so far as to throw away the name your mother gave you,” the older woman said, sadness creeping into her voice. “I never raised you to become like this… to forsake everything we tried to give you.”

Damien spun around, his eyes turning pitch black.

“You gave me nothing! Just a whore of a mother and a senile old woman who cared more about a village than her own family!”

The old woman let out a slow breath. Her hands shook, but remained at her side.

“Your mother… my daughter… was a beautiful woman, and I’m sorry she was so taken from you so young.”

“Do you think I care about her or you?” he roared, stepping into her face and towering over her.

The old lady didn’t flinch just stared up at him with sadness.

“I don’t see a grown man, nor do I see someone evil. I see a young boy who never knew the love of a mother or father, lashing out at the world by starting with the village that rejected him first.”

Damien opened his mouth, but decided against speaking. Instead, he turned back around and began walking away.

“Then let that young boy cut ties with you once again, Villager Leader Dana! The next time we meet will end with you dead, and your precious village burning with you.”

As the words left his mouth, he took another step. His entire body turned into dark particles before disappearing into the night, leaving Dana standing alone.

She watched the empty road, sadness filling her eyes.

“I’ll keep praying for you… in hopes you’ll change your mind before it’s too late.