Dawn arrived softly at the edge of the Blight, pale light brushing across frost-hardened earth as if the morning itself was too fragile to touch the dark too roughly.
A lone figure stood on the hill overlooking the lantern-lit village of Ilyra, robes tugged gently by the dawn breeze. Aeris's ash-white hair, streaked with ember-orange strands, caught the rising light, each glowing softly as if tiny flames lived within them. He closed his grey eyes, letting the cold sink into him, reminding him he was still here, still burning.
Around his neck, a flame-shaped pendant glinted gold in the dawn. He raised it briefly, pressing it to his lips before crouching and placing a hand to the frostbitten soil.
"I leave a light here," he whispered.
A warm flicker passed from his palm into the earth, a soft ember sinking beneath the frost, leaving behind an invisible mark that pulsed once before fading from sight. Aeris felt it, though: a tiny part of himself left behind, a promise to the dawn that someone had lived here, someone who would not be forgotten.
He exhaled, his breath misting in the cold, and stood, the faint glow in his hair dimming. Each ember mark was a small cost, a quiet drain of warmth from the flame that lived within him. His pulse fluttered weakly, but he only placed a hand on his chest, breathing through it as he always did.
He turned and began walking down the slope toward the village, boots crunching on the frost, the dark blue scarf around his neck fluttering like a banner. Lanterns hanging from fence posts flickered as he passed, each flame swaying gently, each one an anchor against the dark that pressed closer each day.
At the edge of the village, Mira Elin stood beside the healer's hut, stirring a kettle over the fire. Her moss-green shawl was wrapped snug around her shoulders, a sprig of rosemary tucked behind her ear. Her warm brown eyes softened as she saw Aeris approach, a quiet smile breaking across her face.
"You're up early again," Mira said, her voice gentle, the smoke from the kettle swirling around her in the cold.
Aeris tilted his head, a calm smile in return. "Dawn keeps its promises."
Mira shook her head fondly and poured steaming tea into a clay mug, handing it to him. Aeris accepted it carefully, savoring the warmth against his cold fingers, inhaling the scent of chamomile and mint. The heat seeped through his gloves, making him feel briefly alive, briefly whole.
"Thank you," he murmured, taking a small sip.
The warmth made him think of the ember within him, the one that would not last forever, the one burning away each day he chose to help instead of hide. But he did not say this to Mira. It was a quiet burden, and burdens were easier when they were shared by none.
A bright laugh rang across the frost as Liora ran toward him, her red cloak a streak of color in the pale dawn. Her bell chimed in her braid as she stumbled slightly on the frozen path before catching herself and beaming up at Aeris.
"Aeri!" she shouted, waving something in her small hand. She was missing a tooth, and the gap showed in her wide grin. "Look! Look what I found!"
Aeris bent down to see. It was a feather, pale grey with a dark tip, soft and clean despite the frost. He reached out, brushing it with a gloved finger.
"It's beautiful, Liora," he said softly. "Will you add it to your collection?"
She nodded eagerly, the bell ringing as she bounced in place. Her storm-grey eyes, wide and bright, flickered briefly with a silver glow before she glanced away, clutching the feather to her chest.
"Your ember was really bright this morning," she said quietly.
Aeris's hand paused on her braid. He smiled, a soft, crooked smile that hid the small pain in his chest. "The dawn was helping me today."
She frowned, sensing the evasion but letting it go, slipping her hand into his as they walked back toward the square. The bell in her braid rang softly with each step, a tiny sound of hope in the cold air.
The village was waking, smoke rising from chimneys, the scent of wood and faint herbs in the air as people moved in quiet, purposeful rhythm. Lanterns swayed as people checked the fuel, ensuring the village's circle of light remained unbroken through the day.
Near the village's edge, Evin Rahl was sharpening his sword, the steady scrape of steel on stone a song of quiet vigilance. His broad shoulders hunched slightly against the cold, dark hair tied back with a strip of blue cloth that fluttered like Aeris's scarf.
He looked up, green eyes calm and watchful, and gave Aeris a nod. "Morning, Flamebird," he said, using the nickname Liora had given him last spring.
"Morning, Evin," Aeris replied, standing beside him, the tea warming his hands.
Evin's eyes softened as he glanced at Liora, who presented her feather with a proud flourish. He grunted his approval, ruffling her curls, and the bell chimed as she giggled.
"We're leaving today," Evin said, turning his gaze toward the tree line where the Blight's dark mist coiled like a bruise against the dawn.
Aeris nodded, sipping the last of his tea before handing the empty mug back to Mira, who had quietly approached with her shawl wrapped tight.
"Yes," Aeris said softly, "it's time."
They prepared to leave, gathering rations, herbs, lantern oil, and small parcels Mira packed with care. Liora slipped her drawings into her satchel: pages of dawn skies, swirling embers, and shadowy shapes drawn in charcoal. Evin checked his pack again and again, tightening straps and checking the leather ties of his boots.
Mira pressed a small pouch of herbs into Aeris's hands, her eyes warm but clouded with worry.
"For the cold," she said softly.
Aeris squeezed her hand. "Thank you."
They set out as the morning frost began to soften under the sun's pale rays, the village lanterns swaying gently in farewell as they stepped beyond the gates.
The path wound through frost-covered fields where black crows sat silently on fence posts, heads tilting as the travelers passed. Liora tried to count them, losing track before starting over, whispering numbers to herself, the bell in her braid chiming with each step.
At the forest edge, the air grew colder, mist rising from the earth in thin, curling fingers. The trees stood like silent sentinels, branches heavy with frost. Evin led, hand on the hilt of his sword, scanning for twisted creatures the Blight sometimes sent wandering. Liora stayed close behind him, occasionally darting off to pick up pebbles or feathers, calling them "little lights."
Aeris walked last, touching trees and rocks as they went, leaving behind small, warm ember marks. He whispered each time he did:
"A light for the dark."
Each ember flickered briefly before sinking beneath the bark or stone, invisible to all but him, a soft promise that he had passed this way.
At midday, they stopped near a small, half-frozen stream. The water moved under a thin sheet of ice, the trickle soft and comforting. Liora crouched, peering down, laughing as bubbles formed and popped beneath the surface.
Evin knelt, pulling out dry bread and fruit from his pack. He handed a piece to Liora, who accepted it with both hands, taking a big bite before grinning at Aeris with crumbs on her lips.
Mira's herbs flavored the tea they brewed, and Aeris cradled the cup in his hands, letting the warmth seep into him as he watched the mist drift through the trees. Each sip calmed the ache in his chest, though the glow of his ember flickered faintly, pulsing with each heartbeat.
Liora's eyes flickered silver as she glanced at him, and she tugged lightly on his scarf.
"You didn't eat much, Aeri."
Aeris smiled, the kind of soft, tired smile that made her chest tighten. "The tea is enough."
She frowned, but instead of arguing, she rummaged in her satchel and pulled out her feather, tucking it carefully into the folds of his scarf.
"So you don't forget to come back," she said.
Aeris swallowed, the ember in his chest flaring softly. "Thank you, Liora."
They moved on as the sun reached its cold zenith, walking deeper into the forest where the light grew thin. Evin led with practiced caution, sword ready, while Mira gathered herbs from beneath frost-rimmed leaves as they walked, slipping them into small cloth pouches.
Liora's laughter occasionally rang out, bright and clear, a beacon in the hush. Aeris found himself watching her, the way she stopped to look up at the branches, tracing constellations with her finger even in daylight.
Each place they stopped, Aeris left a small ember mark, pressing his hand to the earth or tree, whispering:
"A light for the dark."
He imagined that someday, when he was gone, the ember would guide someone back, reminding them that even in the dark, someone had chosen to leave warmth behind.
As dusk began to creep over the forest, the air thickening with cold mist, they set up camp near a fallen tree, lanterns casting soft gold light against the gloom. Evin prepared a small fire while Mira brewed tea and checked Liora's scratches from her explorations.
Aeris sat apart for a moment, watching the flame, feeling the ember within him answer its warmth. He pressed his hand into the soil again, leaving another soft, hidden mark.
"A light for the dark."
Liora came to sit beside him, her bell ringing softly as she leaned against his arm.
"It's cold," she said.
Aeris draped his blue scarf around her shoulders, pulling her closer, and together they watched the flames dance, the ember in Aeris's chest flickering softly in time with the firelight.
As night fell, the lanterns held back the dark, and Aeris closed his eyes, breathing softly, whispering to himself:
"The dawn will come."