Fear is the border between life and death. It's where souls die—or are reborn.
The city was completely rid of invaders, but the damage they'd done… Alumin was furious. This was his home. What gave them the right? he thought.
He searched for survivors. The debris made the once-familiar roads a maze of ash and destruction. The white walls of the Sarin villages were broken down, and you could see inside the homes. Some of those homes were his friends'.
At the corner, he saw the training grounds, still intact. How come his least favourite place was the only one still standing? Alumin found it ironic. Oh... He saw the teacher who taught him the meaning of the word. Her body was beaten, her skull bashed into the wall. She died in pain.
Alumin stared.
He never liked that teacher. He would butcher those who did this, and those they loved. They would feel that same pain.
A faint, breathless scream. A young girl.
Alumin was surprised she was still breathing. She wouldn't be able to for long. The debris was too heavy for him to lift. He had to try anyway. He took a deep breath and used his rudimentary connection to the sands. A long exhale, barely letting any air out, yet still keeping the flow steady. Alith was good at keeping it steady. He should be here instead of Alumin. He couldn't do it. He had to try anyway.
He was doing it. The sand lifted the debris up just long enough for Alumin to grab her and pull her away. Her left leg bone was probably broken. She needed help walking. Alumin let her weight rest on his shoulder and acted like a crutch. He was doing it. He was saving this girl, all on his own. Maybe he was wrong about himself.
A crack in the ceiling turned into a huge slab of stone coming down from above them. Panic. He froze. His eyes closed of their own accord.
A moment passed, and then another. Yet, alive they were.
A voice, stern and raspy. The most beautiful sound he'd ever heard.
"You fool," said Grandpa, "you don't hold her like that. Let me show you." Ghedden proceeded to blabber on. Alumin proceeded to not listen to a word. How was he alive? It didn't seem real.
The youth planned to take the girl to the shelter and have his mother see to her wounds. She needed medical attention. Luckily, his mother was the best there was. Her precision with the particles of sand was even greater than Alith's. She pioneered its use in surgery.
A sea of flames lit up the sky. A man in the middle of it all… Alith. How? I thought only the Sarin had access to the old gods, Alumin thought. His brother was in trouble.
His thoughts turned from whispers to screams. Alumin ran off to help his brother, leaving the girl with his grandpa. He couldn't hear a word of what Ghedden was saying. A ringing in his ear...