Incoherent Perspectives
Chapter 17 - Legends Can Die

I could see Queen Shizen mouth, "Thank you." as she held Cassius close. It was nice seeing them reunited. That meant something to me as this was the end of Destiny Harbinger's legacy once we ended all this chaos. When Queen Shizen lifted her head, she saw Helia standing in the doorway. She nodded and gave her a polite smile. She acted like she was never going to let go of Cassius. I smiled and began walking into the smoke. I was heading over to Ignisarbor territory and replace a way to end it all. I saw Asteria evacuating a few other dragons as they began flying toward the Falls District. She looked toward me, entering the Ignisarbor's half of the battlefield. The further I got into the territory, the fewer bodies there were. Asteria began flying forward after me, but she only made it a couple of meters before an Ignisarbor tackled her. There was a cliff there that they both tumbled down.

I was oblivious to what had just happened as I ventured deeper into Ignisarbor territory. The air grew thick with acrid smoke, and the distant roars of battling dragons echoed through the desolate and burning landscape. The once vibrant land now lay scarred and battered by the ongoing conflict between Queen Shizen's forces and the army of Clockwork. The path ahead was treacherous, and the ominous glow of the approaching flames cast long shadows on the charred ground. As I pressed forward, determination fueled my every step. The fate of Pyrix rested on the shoulders of those willing to face the darkness and bring about an end to this age of chaos.

The sun was blocked by all the smoke in the air from the fire. The charred bodies of even more dragons littered the ground as more flames continued rising. At this point, I didn't even know what my goal was anymore. Why am I doing this? Putting my life at risk for no reason. Why do I bother anymore? There was no stopping this war, all is too far gone, I thought. I looked around reluctantly, the sky was filled with smoke and completely red due to the massive forest fire. An Ignisarbor jumped out from the shadows, knocking me against a tree. She was about to strike, but I'd assume she breathed in some smoke as she began coughing.

Apparently, dragons can breathe fire but when the fire is something like a forest fire, they can't handle it? I thought. She attempted to strike, but one step to the side managed to dodge her weak attack. She only kept getting worse for ware. I was about to make quite possibly the dumbest decision of my life. I pondered it for a moment until I made my final decision. "Follow me!" I said using the collar of my shirt to prevent me from inhaling more smoke. The Ignisarbor growled slightly, only to cough more. She seemed to ponder it for a moment too before she bolted up. Then, the fire began getting worse and she was flying but could barely catch up. We eventually reached the edge of the forest and the Ignisarbor managed to get out. But I went back in to see if there were any other dragons.

ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ Cassius

Louis had returned to the edge of the woods with an Ignisarbor before running back in. Cassius looked around the crowd and could see the rest of Destiny's Harbingers had worried expressions. Asteria wasn't seen there however, she was knocked out at the bottom of the nearby cliff. Cassius had no idea what had happened to her. The flames kept getting higher and higher. The crowd at the edge getting bigger and bigger. Louis risking his own life to save all these dragons had the war paused. The first dragon that had come out of the fire, looked around looking like she had a newfound respect for this human. A while later another three dragons emerged from the forest but Louis didn't. The fire was getting worse by the minute. The crowd outside all had worried faces at this point.

But when the final dragon emerged and Louis didn't. All of them knew it was too late. A massive rainstorm rolled in, pouring rain. The storm lasted a long time, so long it even put out the fire. Destiny's Harbingers walked away with their heads hung low after a while. Aurora was the only one who couldn't accept the fact. "Where are you all going? Louis still has to come out," Aurora said, the rain not even bothering her. Who's going to tell her? He thought. Lumina gave Aurora a sorrowful look. "He's not going to come out," Lumina said sadly. "No... He will. He's just saving the final few dragons... right?" Aurora had that look of "Please tell me it isn't true," Cassius was beginning to feel bad for her. He was unable to sugar-coat it like Lumina's attempt. After letting out a saddened sigh he said, "Aurora, Louis is dead. He ran back into the fire and although he rescued four dragons, he ran back in for the last few. They are all dead." Cassius had to force it out because he knew the thought was unbearable for all of them. Himself, Lumina and even Dawn. It was especially worse for Asteria and Aurora because Aurora had been with him since the start and Asteria couldn't say a final goodbye, she was still unconscious at the bottom of the cliff.

Cassius could see medical teams attending to her and some of the other warriors Lumina and Aurora missed. When Aurora heard Cassius say the words, "Louis is dead," A whole wave of emotions came over her. Anger, Frustration and especially sadness. She began losing her mind at the first Ignisarbor guard that had come out of the forest. She just sat there, looking toward the forest with a bewithered expression, like she didn't know what to say about Louis' sacrifice for her and other Ignisarbor soldiers. She was oblivious to the fact that Aurora was losing her mind. There were a few medical teams that rushed to the five survivors Louis had saved. The war had been called off after Clockwork and Shizen came to a census. They both get equal control of Vanderberg Highlands. Louis' noble sacrifice inspired the census and the agreement between the two leaders. Cassius looked back at the forest a final time and watched as a few dragons ran in to retrieve the bodies after the fire had subsided. Aurora was deeply affected by this, they all knew it.