The sight that greeted him stole the breath from his lungs. The town of Yasi, engulfed in flames. Smoke billowed into the sky, thick and black, obscuring the setting sun. Heavily armed soldiers, their faces grim and merciless, moved through the burning streets, accompanied by grotesque, monstrous creatures that Zeldris had only ever seen in ancient, terrifying texts. They were chasing down fleeing villagers, their screams echoing through the inferno. He saw people cut down in the streets, women being dragged away, children snatched from their parents' arms.

  "Where's Mother? Where's Sophia?" The question tore from Zeldris's throat, raw with panic. "We need to find them! Now!"

  He grabbed his father's arm, pulling him roughly to his feet. "We need to get home! Fast! Maybe… maybe they're still safe. Maybe we can still save them!"

  "Rieltz!" "Aerys!" The incantations, usually whispered with care, were now shouted with desperate urgency. Zeldris channeled his aether, the familiar surge of power now fueled by terror. He grabbed his father, and they launched themselves into the air, flying towards their burning home with a speed born of desperation.

  "Please be safe… please be safe… please be safe…" Zeldris repeated the words like a frantic prayer, the wind whipping past his ears.

  He looked down at the burning town below, his heart breaking with every glimpse of the horrors unfolding. People he had known his entire life, neighbors, friends, slaughtered like animals. Tears streamed down his face, mingling with the soot and smoke.

  "Why… why is this happening? What did we do to deserve this? Gods… I'm so sorry… everyone…"

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  "Zeldris, now is not the time for that! We need to get home! It's too late for the village, but maybe… maybe it's not too late for your mother and sister! Can't you fly any faster?!" His father's voice, rough with fear and grief, snapped him out of his despair.

  "Right… you're right. I'm sorry…" Zeldris choked out, pushing his aether to its absolute limit.

  "Asious!" He roared, the wind screaming around them as their speed increased.

  They arrived at their home in what felt like an eternity and a heartbeat. Zeldris stumbled as he landed, his knees buckling beneath him. His house was engulfed in flames, the windows shattered, the door hanging open like a broken jaw. The heat radiated outwards, a suffocating wave of destruction.

  "No… no, no, no!" He screamed, his voice raw with anguish. He ran towards the inferno, desperate to get inside, but the flames were too intense, licking at the sky like hungry beasts.

  "ZELDRIS! Use your magic! Do something!" His father yelled from behind, his face streaked with tears and soot.

  Zeldris, his mind reeling, desperately grasped at the familiar threads of his power. He remembered the ancient texts he had studied, the whispers of forgotten spells. Without thinking about anything else, the words suddenly formed on his lips, pulled from him by a force he didn't understand. "Clouds gather, and rain descends, the heavens weep, let the storm transcend. Tempest's Descent!"

  The world seemed to hold its breath. Then, with a deafening roar, the sky cracked open. Dark clouds swirled overhead, blotting out the smoke and fire, and rain began to fall, not in gentle drops, but in a torrential downpour that hammered against the burning town and their home. The flames hissed and sputtered, slowly dying as the water cascaded down.

  His father gasped, his eyes wide with a mixture of awe and fear. "Zeldris… how did you… what was that?"

  Zeldris stared at his hands, trembling. "I… I'm not sure. I just… I heard whispers in my head, but never mind that. We need to make sure Mother and Sophia aren't inside!"