Just before Seira slipped away from Arun’s sight amidst the chaos.

(Arun’s Pov) 

“Arun, there you are! We need you!” The voice came from Alwin, a young soldier and my best friend, breathless and frantic, as if he had sprinted across the entire town just to find me. Exhaustion was written all over him. 

He steadied himself, taking in a deep breath before continuing, “The rest of the Village Guard Brigade has fled. It’s just us and your wife left.” His words hit me like a cold slap, and my eyes locked onto his, filled with urgency. “What do you mean they fled?! What about the elders?” My voice cracked with fury. 

“They fled too,” Alwin replied, his tone grim. “There’s no one left, just us, a few of the village doctors, and some of the residents.” 

A thousand thoughts raced through my mind, but deep down, I knew this day would come. I had always known the elders would abandon us when it mattered most. “Those bastards,” I muttered under my breath, gritting my teeth. “Show me to the injured. Where’s Saphielle?” I demanded. 

I took a moment to steady myself, but as I turned to look for Seira, a sudden wave of panic surged through me. “Wait, where’s Seira?” I asked, my voice thick with anxiety, desperation clouding my thoughts. 

“She was here just a moment ago.” Alwin replied, confusion in his eyes. Without wasting another second, I motioned for him to follow. “I need to find her now. You can manage without me for just a little while longer, can’t you?” I asked, my voice sharp and demanding. Alwin nodded, agreeing without a word, before sprinting off in the opposite direction. 

With purpose, I made my way toward Myrin and Zal’s house. They had to be there. There was no way they’d abandon their daughter. As I neared their porch, I could hear the sounds of a struggle coming from inside. Without hesitation, I gently lowered Kailu, who had been strapped to my back, in front of the door. Before I could even attempt to open the battered door that barely clung to its hinges, I felt a blow to the back of my head, and everything went black. 

When I regained consciousness, panic shot through me. My heart raced as I sprang to my feet, rushing through the door. But as I burst into the house, a gut-wrenching scene unfolded before me, and I froze. 

Myrin and Zaleria’s lifeless bodies were sprawled on the floor, surrounded by pools of their own blood. Their once bright eyes now vacant and dull. A chill ran through me, freezing me in place. Seira, Kailu, Kaelen, Lura—none of them were anywhere to be found. The house had been completely ransacked; everything was in chaos, thrown about, abandoned. 

I couldn’t bear the sight for another second, but I had no time to grieve. I had to move. Desperately, I pushed through the house, running through the back door and into the cold night air. My eyes darted across the horizon, scanning for any sign of them. And then I saw them. 

I saw Seira and Kailu, along with several other village children, being carried away by bandits on horseback. Their figures were shadowed against the darkened sky. The image seared into my mind, filling me with a cold, uncontrollable rage, but I was helpless. There was nothing I could do. 

My stomach twisted, and my chest tightened as a suffocating guilt gripped me—an all-consuming weight that felt like it was tearing me apart from the inside. I had failed them. I had failed the one responsibility I swore to uphold: to protect them. I had promised to keep them safe, and I couldn’t. 

The bandits were already a distant blur down the road, their figures fading into the dark horizon. My fists clenched so tightly that my nails dug into my palms, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the storm raging inside of me. 

I had promised them. 

Myrin’s voice echoed in my mind, unbidden, pulling me back to that day months ago. I had stood in their doorway, sunlight spilling across the floor as Seira played with Kailu by the hearth. 

“You’re a good man, Arun,” Myrin had said, his hand heavy on my shoulder. “Zaleria and I… we trust you to keep them and her safe, if anything happens.” 

I’d nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat, trying to keep it together. “Nothing will happen,” I’d said, forcing every ounce of confidence into my voice. “I swear it.” 

He had smiled then—one of those smiles that reached his eyes. “Good. Seira is our entire world, Arun. Never forget that.” 

The warmth of that moment—the sound of Zaleria’s laugh, Kailu’s giggles, Seira tugging at Myrin’s sleeve—flickered and died, like a candle snuffed out by a gust of wind. 

The present crashed down around me, the reality too sharp, too cruel. The smell of burning wood filled my nose, and my eyes fixed on the spot where Myrin and Zaleria’s bodies lay still, lifeless. My promise, now a mockery, clawed at my soul. 

I was too late. The hope that once burned brightly inside me was gone, swallowed whole by the crushing weight of the truth. I had failed to protect them. And now, they were lost.