(El’s POV)


    Did you… ever see the sky?


    Did you, ever see the clouds with its fleet riding in the winds – twirling, twisting, and curling above?!!


    I saw it once. I saw it twice… I saw it, through the ceiling of my… Hmmmm, dwelling might be a fitting word to use. Shadows wave, stretching languidly as I awaken; like fingers grazing the immense building, with rubble strewn about me.


    In this span of darkness, I gazed upon the quiet night sky, sprinkled with starlight. Perhaps it was a hallucination on my part, but... it felt as though – the same whisper had been interminably caressing my ear for some time by now.


    With weary hands, I propped myself up, sitting amidst the dirt and dust that clung to my skin like a second layer. Slowly and carefully, I shifted my thin arms, my empty stomach rumbling – a sound that echoed the whispers of pain surrounding me. At last, I had traced the source of that incessant growl; it was my own body, a harsh reminder of my plight.


    Annoying as it was, it was mine to bear after all.


    Turning my head to the side, I caught sight of spots and puddles of blood pooling beneath the jagged gaps of the massive wooden roof that had once threatened to crush me. It was a sight I wished was merely a nightmare.


    The two elderly figures, who had hovered on the brink of madness, perhaps contemplating the unthinkable like butchering or eating me alive, now lay lifeless, or more specifically; the two crushed beneath the debris.


    Uh, maybe not crushed. I’ve no idea since I’m not the one there, and my eyes were not present to witness the scene either. Was it my fault? Perhaps. Was this a punishment from the gods, as I had heard whispered in hushed tones before? It certainly felt that way.


    How had this calamity unfolded? I pondered, lost in the haze of my thoughts.


    Just days before, the three of us had teetered on the edge of starvation, our bodies drawn together in the stillness of the cold night. We had clung to one another in a desperate embrace – our scents mingling, a testament to our shared suffering. It was a slightly unpleasant closeness – by the gods, it was the odor, to be honest; but at that moment, it was the best decision we could make, a fragile lifeline that kept us alive, if only just barely at least.


    I rose to my feet and brushed the dirt and grime, off my torn and filthy clothes.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    My white shirt was no longer white, and my short black pants were no longer black – both fading into their original felted fabric. Yet, I was grateful to have clothes at all, unlike my last friend who had lost everything to the gnawing of repulsive – white worms.


    Hmmmm… what was the name again?!!


    Ah, maggots!!! Yep, that''s the word. At least I now remembered something correctly this time.


    Uhm, the dust didn''t come off easily. Was it the moisture in the air that caused it, or something else? I couldn''t quite grasp it. I had learned about it from the books I once read, but erratically, those memories were sometimes scattered in my head. Well anyway, the point was – something was wrong with my brain. How did this happen??! I wondered.  Surely, gradually losing one''s memories could not have been a good thing, could it? Coupled with the fact that I sometimes struggled to remember anything precisely, it only made matters worse for me. However, dwelling further was pretty much pointless. I continued walking until I stood beneath the moonlight, which had fallen gracefully upon the ground through the uneven hole in the ceiling, connected to the wall on the side. Looking up, it was magnificent.


    In this godforsaken land where death roamed about without a path, there was still a beauty to be admired – a fuzzy warmth nestled and flowing playfully inside my chest as I found the charm in the world, remaining so mesmerizing even amidst this unsettling reality. A moment later, I grimace. The side of my head, my right knee, and my shoulders – all were in pain, likely from the debris that had fallen on me earlier. However, this discomfort was bearable compared to the pain in my stomach.


    I was starved.


    *Drap drap drap*


    *Neigh*


    Suddenly, the faint sound of horse hooves echoed in the night, growing louder. One, two, three... surely there were more. Damn it, weren’t they leaving already? Oh, how furious I was. I gnashed my teeth. It felt like a hammer interminably pounded inside my chest.


    Before, this lovely abode was at least a shelter from the rain and cold, but then it exploded out of nowhere, leaving chunks of broken wood all around. Why? I had no idea. All I knew was that – there was fighting on the other side of the wall before chaos erupted, and boom; now here I am, with dried blood marking my face from the roof that nearly killed me. I''m just slightly fortunate to still breathing here.


    As I remember that morning, other poor and famished villagers were scattered about outside, walking to and fro, tending to the dry fields as part of their daily routine, when suddenly they were attacked. Myself and the two elders, who had already peeked outside, were hiding, quivering with fear. I was not trembling or afraid for my life; my hands and legs were just weak from hunger, hence the shivers.


    In short, I''m not scared!!?


    For a while, there were loud sounds – what one might describe as shrieks from men and women ringing outside. I''m sure there''s a clash of swords with hoes and spades, perhaps. I had no idea if the villagers could even fight back, as they seem all skin and bones to me; not like the warriors I once saw visiting this village with their tall statures, massive arms, and thighs, muscles bulging – and intimidating faces to boot.


    Could you imagine that? It was nerve-wracking, knowing this village was likely doomed.


    * * *