The Final Battle

Pain.

It was the first thing I felt when I regained consciousness.

A dull, throbbing ache pierced through my chest, and every breath I took sent sharp stabs of pain through my ribs.

My body was heavy, like I had been crushed under a mountain.

I forced my eyes open.

The world around me was in ruins.

And the scent of burning flesh filled my lungs.

Screams rang in my ears—raw, desperate. I spun around, the sudden heat making my vision blur.

It wasn't the empty void anymore.

I was in a village.

Or at least, what was left of it.

The houses were burning, flames licking at their wooden roofs, turning wood into ash. Smoke flew into the sky and bodies lay on the streets like peas in a pot.

Some people were charred beyond recognition, others still holding onto weapons as if they refused to die without a fight.

I stumbled backward, my breath catching.

A ding rang in my ears.