The words linger in my mind as silence settles over the ruined village.
Smoke continues drifting through the air while the remains of the homes crackle beneath the flames. The smell of burnt wood and blood hangs heavily around us.
It is a smell I’ll probably never forget.
Aaron rests the giant sword against his shoulder before beginning to walk through the village.
"Come on," he says.
Sylvia starts following him.
I take one last glance toward the dragon before doing the same.
Every few steps another body comes into view.
Some are lying in the middle of the road while others never made it outside their homes.
I thought helping kill the dragon would prevent more people from dying.
Instead... the whole village paid the price.
"First village?" Aaron suddenly asks.
I give a small nod.
"I can tell," He says.
I look over at him.
"What is that supposed to mean?" I question.
He doesn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he bends down beside one of the villagers before gently closing their eyes.
"You just carry the death on your shoulders Kain," Aaron answers calmly.
His grey eyes slowly scan the village.
"It sounds like a bad thing when you say it like that," I say with a serious tone.
"I’m actually saying that war hasn’t hardened you yet," Aaron replies without hesitation.
He continues walking.
"I’ll still care about the lives that are lost," I say while following behind him.
"Good. The day slayers stop caring... Is the day they die," He replies with more of a cold tone in his voice.
"Why?" Sylvia questions.
"They stop seeing people, instead they just see numbers," Aaron responds.
Aaron gestures toward the bodies around us.
I look around once again.
Mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters are all over the place. I could never see them as just numbers.
These people all had lives before this happened.
"I still remember the first village I failed to save," Aaron speaks up, breaking the temporary silence.
"You do?" I ask.
He nods.
"I remember the names of some of them too," Aaron says.
His grip around the handle of his giant sword tightens slightly.
He lets out a quiet sigh.
"At least they aren’t forgotten," Sylvia speaks up.
I stay quiet.
It makes me feel a bit better after hearing the two of them speak about this the way they do.
Sylvia is right, they aren’t going to be forgotten and Aaron also seems to understand what I’m feeling. Five years will do that.
His eyes drift toward the dragon lying in the middle of the village.
"Every single dragon responsible for the deaths of those I watched die is buried somewhere beneath the ground," Aaron says as we reach the edge of the village.
There is anger in his voice... the kind that has stayed with him for years.
I look toward the dragon one last time.
It doesn’t feel like a victory at all, especially not after seeing everything around us.
Even if another village is spared...
These people are still gone.
~Kain.
I already know what you’re going to say.
~Do you?
I let out a quiet sigh.
Go ahead.
~This dragon cannot kill again.
That is at least one good thing to come from today.
After another few minutes, several wagons begin making their way into the village.
Men and women quickly climb down before looking around in horror.
One of them drops the bucket they were carrying.
"...We’re too late," A man cries out.
Nobody answers him.
Another person slowly walks over to one of the bodies before falling onto their knees.
"No..." She says as she begins to sob.
Tears begin streaming down her face.
She reaches out with shaking hands.
"...Mom?" Someone calls out.
My chest tightens as the sound of more crying slowly spreads throughout the village.
Family members, friends, even people who came after the attack ended.
They all lost people they love.
Aaron lowers his head, then Sylvia, and finally I do the same.
Nobody speaks.
The silence feels more respectful than anything anyone could say.
After a full minute passes, Aaron finally looks back toward us.
"This..." Aaron starts to say.
He gestures toward the village.
"...is also part of being a slayer." Aaron finishes speaking.
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"You don’t always leave after killing the dragon," Aaron answers with a calm tone.
He walks over toward one of the collapsed homes and begins to pick up some of the rubble. Sylvia soon joins in after.
I guess it would be wrong if I didn’t help as well.
The next few hours pass quietly.
We move debris away from the roads.
Help recover what little belongings the villagers still have that returned.
Carry bodies to a single open area so their families can identify them.
Nobody says much.
There isn’t really anything to say.
Every once in a while someone breaks down crying.
Other times they simply stare.
The entire village feels hollow.
Eventually the fires are completely extinguished as only black smoke continues rising into the sky.
Aaron wipes some ash from his armor before placing a helmet back on.
"I should get moving," Aaron says while looking past the broken village.
Sylvia gives him a nod.
"You heading back to the guild?" Sylvia asks with a bit of curiosity.
"No. There is more fighting ahead," Aaron responds as he laughs quietly.
That doesn’t really sound like much of a break.
"I don’t understand something," I admit.
Aaron looks over.
"You’ve been doing this for five years," I say.
"That’s right," He replies with a smile on his face again.
"So why keep going?" I ask curiously.
His answer comes almost instantly.
"Because someone has to," Aaron answers.
I stare at him.
"If every slayer quit after losing one village... There wouldn’t be anyone left to protect the next one," He continues.
That sentence lingers in my mind.
He isn’t just thinking about the next village or its people... He’s just thinking ahead. If there are people to save, we should save them.
That’s the kind of mindset he seems to have.
It isn’t anything bad or him forgetting about this place... It is the smart way to look at it.
"I’ll never get used to this," I say quietly.
"I hope you don’t," Aaron replies as he continues to smile.
He adjusts the giant sword across his shoulder before beginning to walk away.
After several steps he suddenly stops.
"If you two are coming to the front lines, be ready for what’s to come," Aaron advises.
"What do you mean?" Sylvia asks before I can.
"The war is only getting worse lately," Aaron answers with a serious tone.
"What do you mean by that?" I question.
"I’ve noticed the dragons seem to be adapting more and more lately. The ranks have also been adjusting," Aaron responds.
Ranks? That dream I had before did mention a captain but I didn’t think it was a real thing at the time.
"Haven’t they always had some sort of ranking?" Sylvia asks.
"No. That is something newer. I think they are starting to organize their troops better which means we are in for a rude awakening," Aaron answers with a serious look in his eyes.
If the dragons are learning...
Then this war is only going to become more difficult.
Aaron starts walking again.
This time he doesn’t stop until he’s several yards away.
Without turning around, he raises one hand.
"Welcome to the war!" He shouts.
I watch him disappear down the road until I can’t see him anymore.
Those four words continue echoing inside my head.
Welcome to the war.
It doesn’t feel like a greeting.
It feels like a warning.
Sylvia quietly walks over beside me.
"You ready to keep moving?" Sylvia asks with a soft tone.
I look back one final time.
I tighten my grip around the handle of my sword.
"Yeah," I answer.
I take a slow breath before turning away.
Even if today was rough... There are more days ahead. I have other people to save in the meantime... All while preserving the memories of those who passed.
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