The light of dawn filtered through the trees.
Auryn sat against a tree. Body aching…eyes red and gritty.
He hadn't slept. Just watched. Waited for another attack that never came.The chimera's corpse lay where it fell. Already stiffening. Flies gathering.
I need to move.
But his body rejected. Shoulder throbbing while his left palm felt like a flint ignited where he had been cut.
He unwrapped the crude bandages. Examined the damage.Three gashes across his shoulder. The wound, deep and crusted with dried blood.
Palm sliced in multiple places.
Could've been worse. He thought.
He pulled out some supplies from his saddlebag. Clean cloth, water and salt.
Auryn cleaned the wounds properly this time and applied the salt. He gritted his teeth.The stinging pain almost brought tears to his eyes. He held his breath,doing his best to remain calm.
He rewrapped everything a lot tighter and cleaner. Pulling out dried meat from the bag. He ate it with hard bread.
There was no taste.Just fuel. His horse grazed from a nearby heath.
He checked the countdown.
```
[TIME REMAINING: 89:10:34]
Three days and more. That was enough time in his books.
If nothing else goes wrong.
He slowly mounted the horse, wincing as his shoulder protested. Ignoring the pain. He spurred the horse east. Leaving the chimera for scavengers or other beasts.
---
The landscape shifted the further he rode.
Forest gave way to the borderlands. Rougher terrain with under-maintained roads.
The area reeked of neglect with numerous portholes and overgrowths.
My territory. My responsibility. The thought sat heavy in his chest.
By midday, the heat from the sun was borderline relentless. It hung high and merciless.
Auryn's throat was dry. He drank from his waterskin as he spot a village ahead.
It was small with wooden walls that needed urgent repairs. Claw marks on the gates. Chattering coming from within.
Auryn kept his hood up and rode through slowly. What he saw made his chest tighten.
The inside walls held together with hope and rope. Roofs patched with whatever materials they could scavenge. Thatch. Planks. Torn canvas.
Children played in dirt streets. Too thin. Hollow-eyed. An old woman sat on a stoop, staring at nothing.
Fields beyond the walls stretched barely tended. Crops struggling in the poor soil.
This is what Auryn died protecting? What I'm supposed to protect now?
Author's Eyes activated automatically. Colors bloomed.
Most villagers had gray auras. Fading. Doomed if nothing changed soon. A few silver flickers. Loyal despite hardship. Despite neglect.
Auryn kept riding. Keeping track with everything. He passed two farmers. Older men. Leaning on a fence. Their voices low and tired.
"Bandits hit the Sandersons' place last week."
"Took everything. Livestock, grain. Even the wife's jewelry."
"Where were the prince's guards?"
A bitter laugh. "Prince is weak. Can't even protect himself. How's he supposed to protect us?"
Auryn's hands tightened on the reins. Jaw clenched. He hated that title. Strength wasn't all about who punched harder.
The original had guts and though he wasn't perfect. He did what he could and that was what resonated with Julien in the first place.
He wanted to stop. To correct them. To explain. He sighed and resigned.
I have to be better. He decided.
He rode on. Eyes forward. Mind set on his goal.
---
An hour later, a larger settlement appeared. Not quite a town but more than a village. Market square at its center.
Auryn dismounted. Legs stiff. Shoulder protesting.The square bustled despite the poverty.
Merchants hawking wares. Traders arguing prices. Beggars lining the edges with empty bowls.
He kept his hood up. Moved to a supply stall.
"Cheese. Dried meat. Apples." His voice was flat and authoritative.
The vendor nodded. Gathered the items. "Three coppers, milord."
Auryn paid. Tucked supplies into his saddlebag.
As he turned, some movements caught his eye.
A boy. Unruly black hair. His face dirty like his rag clothes. His ribs were visible through the thin fabric.
This six year old was watching a bread stall intently. Hunger and desperation in his eyes.
Author's Eyes came to life. Gray aura.
He was Doomed. If his path doesn't change.
The boy waited. Patient. Predator instincts despite his age. The vendor turned away. Haggling with another customer.
That was the moment. Quick as a snake, the boy's hand shot out. Grabbed a small loaf.
The merchant spun, almost like an alert rang in his mind. He was incredibly fast and caught the boy's wrist.
"THIEF!" His voice billowed.
He raised his fist. Ready to strike. But Auryn moved without thinking.
He Crossed the distance in three strides. Bumping hard into the merchant.
The man stumbled. His grip on the boy lost and in a flash the boy was gone.
He ran like a antelope disappearing into the alleys.
The merchant turned on Auryn. Face red.
"Watch where—"
His eyes widened. Seeing Auryn's build. Tall. Broad shoulders. Noble bearing even with the hood. He swallowed his anger.
"Apologies, sir."
Auryn said nothing. Just held his gaze until the merchant looked away. He turned and followed the boy's gray aura through the narrow streets.
---
Auryn found him in a dead-end alley. Crouched behind crates.Eating the stolen bread like his life depended on it.
Probably did.
Auryn approached slowly. Hands visible. Non-threatening. The boy looked up. Fear flashed across his face. He was ready to bolt.
But he was trapped. No escape routes in sight. Auryn stopped three paces away. Pulled his waterskin from his belt.
Tossed it at the boy who caught it reflexively. He stared blankly.
"Drink," Auryn said. Voice gentle.
The boy hesitated. Then lifted the skin. He drank in desperate gulps. Water ran down his chin.
Auryn pulled a small coin purse from his belt. Five gold coins. A fortune for a street kid. Tossed it. The boy caught it. Eyes went wide as dinner plates.
"Use it wisely."
The boy stared at the coins in his palm. At Auryn. "Why?"
"Because someone should." Auryn turned to leave.
"Wait." The boy's voice shook. "You're... you're the prince. Aren't you?"
His hood had slipped during the bump. His silver hair was visible and this boy even at a young age was quite perceptive.
Auryn looked back. Meeting the boy's eyes. "What's your name?"
"R-Rue, Your Highness."
"Rue." Auryn nodded once. "I'll remember."
"Why help me?" Rue's voice cracked. "Nobody helps people like me."
Auryn paused. Studied the boy again.Gray aura. Doomed by poverty. By neglect. By a system that didn't care so much.
How many Rues are there? How many gray auras fading because Auryn failed them. Because I'm failing them now?
"That's going to change," Auryn said quietly.
As Auryn left the alley, his shoulder throbbed. The wound was getting worse. Itching. Possibly infected.
He had maybe two days before it became a real problem.
Get the blade. Get back. Get it treated.
Simple enough but pulling it off. A different story all together.
—
The afternoon stretched long. More villages. More decay.
Burned farmhouses. Collapsed roofs.
At a crossroad, soldiers shook down travelers. One merchant argued.
"I paid last week—"
A guard backhanded him. "Pay again or turn back."
Auryn rode past. Jaw tight. Anger building.
The empire was rotting. His brothers played power games while people
suffered.
The late afternoon bled into evening. The sun hung low. Orange glow casting long shadows.
Auryn crested a hill and froze.
Below, in the valley, lay the ruins.
The Cinderfang Ruins. It was massive and ancient. Buildings split apart like children's toys. Giant claw marks and blood paints on its walls.
Black scorch marks were everywhere. This was once a battlefield where dragons fought. Vines crawled through cracks. Nature reclaiming what dragons destroyed.
The sky above hung ash-gray. No birds, no clouds, just ominous. Silent as a tomb
This is where dragons and heroes clashed. Where legends died in the books.
Golden text suddenly materialised in his vision.
══════════════════════════
[DESTINATION REACHED]
[CINDERFANG RUINS]
[WARNING: EXTREME DANGER]
[ESTIMATED CLEAR TIME: 4-6 HOURS]
══════════════════════════
```
Auryn stared at the ruins. At the power waiting inside.
The eternal burning sword. Cinderfang. One of the Hero's weapons would be mine…
Nika was supposed to claim the weapon in chapter 52 with his team. Only a few weeks from now but Auryn was re-writing this story.
He wasn't waiting to be prey. He would be the hunter.
His shoulder throbbed. Reminder of the chimera. Of his mortality.
He was wounded, exhausted and lacked backup. The smart move was to turn back. Rest and come prepared.
But the countdown ticked in the corner of his vision.
[TIME REMAINING: 74:08:12]
Three days. Council in three days.
No time for smart. He needed to do this.
He spurred his horse forward. Down the hill Into the valley of ghosts.
Toward the ruins that killed gods.