Chapter 24: what the people saw

The world woke up with Umbra, all so well-known and heartbreakingly new. The sun rose in the pale light across a desolate landscape. His eyes adjusted very slowly as he took in the scene before him: all faces known, his friends, family, and mentors-all were gone. Their bodies were strewn about him, lifeless. The very things that had held him in place, the bonds that once provided meaning, were again torn away.

His breath caught in his throat. The pain was too great, not because it was fresh, but because it was so achingly familiar. He could feel the weight of the world upon him, the crushing pressure of loss.

He let his sword fall, cold steel clattering on the cracked earth. His hands shook as he fell to his knees, staring at the lifeless forms of the people who had meant something to him.