Ashes

"Terre, révèle ton shinri! Mechanika's Touch!" Reiji chanted as he sprinted toward Caitstown.

"Everyone, please be safe," he prayed silently, his heart pounding with urgency.

As Reiji darted through the forest, his sharp eyes caught the rumble of stones scattered across the ground. 

His stomach sank as he recognized them. "These… they're the remains of those small stone monsters. They've already made it this far."

The realization had him gritting his teeth, as his thoughts turned to Tatiana and the villagers.

Reiji pushed himself harder, his speed increasing as he raced toward Caitstown, desperate to reach it in time.

Within minutes, Reiji reached Caitstown, now engulfed in flames and slowly burning to the ground.

He cautiously stepped into the village, his heart heavy as he took in the destruction. Scattered across the streets were the remains of shattered stone monsters.

"This beautiful village… it's gone. My home, now crumbled. But they can rebuild it," Reiji thought, a glimmer of hope piercing through his sorrow. "The Felinials are resilient, and thank God, it doesn't seem like a single one of them died here."

As he continued to search through the wreckage, Reiji came upon the lifeless body of one of Tatiana's beasts.

"This sabertooth-like creature…" he murmured, kneeling to examine it closely. "She was right—it wasn't a Darkspawn. It looks like one, though. It seems she never managed to tame it and just used it as bait so they could escape."

The creature's appearance caught his attention: dark scales, sharp tail and claws, red patterns running along its feet and tail, a piercing red eye, and horns atop its ears.

"This beast… it's intimidatingly beautiful in its own way," Reiji thought, his admiration momentarily distracting him from the chaos around him.

Reiji raised his head and scanned the burning village, his heart heavy with regret. "I wish I could extinguish these fires with my ability," he murmured to himself.

His thoughts drifted to his companions. "Anyway, I think they managed to escape... Tatiana isn't weak. If they had to face someone like Krogar, Bobbin might struggle, but with Tatiana's help, they could take him down. Still, what in the world caused all of this?"

A sudden "R-R-R-RUMBLE!" echoed through the air as debris from the crumbling structures crashed to the ground.

"I have to get out of here," Reiji thought, his instincts screaming at him to move.

But then his gaze fell on the shattered remains of the stone monsters. "Still, I can't waste Mechanika's Touch. There's valuable material I can collect with it here."

Without hesitation, Reiji began collecting all the materials from the fallen monsters. 

He worked efficiently, salvaging as much as he could until his ability finally faded. 

When he was done, he carried the sabertooth-like beast over his shoulder, he left the smoldering ruins behind and headed to a safe distance.

On a clearing, Reiji gently laid the beast down. He took a deep breath and chanted, "Corpo illumina, shinsen terasu! Vitalis Vedere!"

"Now, let's see if my ability works on this beast," he thought, curiously.

Reiji placed his hand on the lifeless beast and activated his ability. At first, everything seemed to go smoothly as he began to visualize the creature's skeletal structure and internal workings. 

But as he continued, a wave of exhaustion washed over him. His vision blurred, his knees buckled, and before he could react, he collapsed face-first onto the beast's body.

His mind swam in a foggy haze, even in unconsciousness. 

The heaviness in his chest slowly lifted, replaced by a strange, soothing relief. Then, as if pulled by an unseen force, his awareness stirred.

Reiji bolted upright with a start, his heart racing as he tried to make sense of his surroundings.

His eyes fell on a girl with mauve-colored hair cascading loosely around her face, framing her amber eyes. 

Her small nose and full lips curved into a subtle, enigmatic smile that added to her striking beauty.

"Reiji?" she called softly, her voice familiar yet laced with concern.

"Why are you in a Drainea state?" she asked, leaning closer.

"Huh?" Reiji responded, still groggy and disoriented.

"I hope I was able to restore a bit of your energy with my recovery spell," the girl said, her tone gentle.

"Lyrien?" Reiji asked, his mind struggling to connect the dots.

"Yes, it's me," she confirmed with a nod. "What happened to you?"

Reiji, startled, bolted to his feet, but his weakened state betrayed him. 

As soon as he stood, his legs gave way, and he fell back onto one knee. 

Before he could hit the ground again, another pair of hands steadied him, helping him up.

"Lyra?" he asked, blinking as his vision cleared.

"Yes, it's us. Calm down a bit—you've been in Drainea," Lyra said, her tone firm but laced with concern.

Reiji looked at her, confusion etched across his face. "Drainea?"

Lyra furrowed her brow, equally puzzled. "You don't know Drainea?"

Before Reiji could respond, Lyrien quickly interjected, her voice light yet insistent. "Of course he does. Right, Reiji?" She shot him a meaningful look, clearly urging him to go along.

Reiji hesitated but gave a small nod, unsure where this was heading.

Lyrien stepped forward, her voice calm as she continued, "He's just still reeling from it. Let's have him lie down." 

She removed her robe, spreading it on the ground to make a makeshift resting spot for him.

Reiji watched her, still confused by the sudden shift in the conversation. Lyrien met his gaze and gave him a look that seemed to say, "Just play along."

"Y-yeah, I'm sorry," Reiji said, lowering himself onto the robe. "I'm still a little dizzy."

Reiji laid down on his back, covering his eyes with his forearm to avoid eye contact with Lyra, who seemed to be growing suspicious of their actions.

While still shielding his gaze, he said, "Thank you. I fought that beast and… you know…" He trailed off, trying to steer the conversation away from Lyra's suspicions.

"You're welcome, Reiji. It's nothing compared to what you've done for us. Right, Sister?" Lyrien quickly chimed in, her tone light yet purposeful as she glanced at Lyra.

"Well… she's right," Lyra replied, though her voice held a hint of lingering doubt. "Take some rest, Reiji."

"Sure. Thanks again," he responded, keeping his tone calm and neutral.

In his mind, Reiji thought, "Phew! Is Drainea a common term in this world? But what's more puzzling is that Lyrien seems to be protecting me from something. What does she know?"

After a brief silence, he broke his thoughts and asked, "By the way, can I ask… which direction is northward from here?"