The Phoenix Sword

[Chronotrigger01]

I dont claim to be a writer in the slightest. In fact im not certain how many if any will read this. the copy-past from word to here got the spacing, and centerds all mixed up, so if it helps copy and past this to word, and center the chapters and "~~~~~" which signify stops of breaks in the story.

this is extreamly rough, and has not ben edited by anyone, only 5 people i know has seen this portion of the story so far, so if you reply, and i really hope everyone who reads this does, and gives suggestions or what they liked/disliked about this story, please be gentle :P

i do not candy coat violence, nor do i abdore it, i tell it for what it is. some things maybe be graphic, if you have any questions or want an update on the rest of the story as it comes along, email me at Josh11111@gmail.com

Enjoy :)

~Prologue~

The cold wind cut her like a knife to the lungs. It raced around her, mocked her, tormented her, biting her, telling her to give up, simply give in, telling her to let the pain end, let her suffering end, let it all end. The wind was seductive, it promised the ending. No I can't give up! I can't give in, not yet. Just a little further, a little more.
The wind howled in laughter, her resiliency; it beat on her, hitting her head, her legs, her back. All the while she kept what was in her arms, shielded.
"Not much longer…" The impending death or arriving at the town, she was not sure of.
She came over the hill. There it was at last, the wind followed her and realized what was ahead, it screamed in anguish and raced back the way it came. It was dark outside except the moon and the town lights. She was almost there, just a bit more and then she could rest. She came into the town, no longer walking, but running. Her legs seared in pain. She knew this town, she damned it for what it was, what it made her, what she became. Power or not, the good she did with it, did not supersede the evil.
Things had not changed in the last fifteen years. The teacher was still there, the house no different, the time of night always the same, always a routine. Death was upon her, and she helpless of its call. The door is all I need to make it to, and then I can rest. She came to it, out of breath, ready for rest. She knocked on the door, leaned on it, and slid slowly down to the small stone porch. Her child made not a sound the whole journey. She kissed it on the head, and closed her eyes, to sleep, sleep that eternal rest she so longed for.

~~~~~~
"What are we to do!? He can't grow up here, it's too dangerous! No…no…what must we do? Put him in with royalty? Or simply walk up to a family and say this is the blood of Cypher, keep him safe!
"Sister, we can put him with one of the blademasters, let him live in the Balamb kingdom. At the least, he will be able to use that." She pointed to the silver handled sword lying on the table. "Who else to be safe with, then with the protection we ourselves use?"
"Maybe…Maybe…fine. Done, but you are the one to make the arrangements, explain to the man you choose, that who the child is, and his bloodline. I will not risk having my plans interrupted, whether or not he can conjure doesn't detour from the fact that his bloodline must be preserved!" She pounded the table hard with her fist leaving a burning sensation on the heel of her hand. "Prophecy must be fulfilled!"

~~~~~~

~Chapter 1~

Every day was like this. Will awoke mid-morning. It wasn't unusual to sleep late. The sun in his eyes, he sat up from his bed, and shaded his face with his hand. Even at this time in the cool, arid spring morning, the sun's heat enveloped his hands, bringing some warmth back into his fingers.
He got up from the bed, and walked over to the washing bowl, splashing his face with the cool water. Feeling refreshed and revitalized, he dried his face with the towel hanging on the wall next to him.
He picked up his belt, tied it around his waist, and dressed himself back in his newly cleaned forest garb. It was an off color brown tunic with a dark green undershirt. Over on the desk he looked at the familiar hand carven wooden box, inside the dark burgundy felt cloth lay the long silver sword.
The blade was embroidered with what looked like a large golden inlaid bird. Never being able to quite figure what it was, he unsheathed the sword. The sword's blade was silver, but much unlike the handle or the sheath; when shown in the light, it seemed to have a slightly faint red tint. Slashing the sword through the air it left a red trail instead of a silver trail like one would expect, and it seemed that over the years as Will got older, got stronger, the trail seemed to linger on longer.
Putting the sword back where it was, Will grabbed his practice sword, made to the exact weight and length as the real one. Today sparked yet another day of training. I'd rather be farming like my friends; at least they stop working before dinner. Light, I go for hours into the night. Will always assumed the other boys were trained with a quarter staff for protection, or a bow to help protect the farm from wolves and whatnot. Will of course was trained. Trained rigorously with the sword, he learned to shoot like others did, but tracking, learning to be unseen, learn to not leave trails is where now most of his time was put forth, never questioning why.

"Some day you will understand." His father said. Jon, was without a doubt, the most incredible swordsmen Will had ever seen. His walking seemed to flow like air as he moved; in training his father was unbelievable. Hearth Oak spring festivals had contests of every sort, staffs, to archery, to swords, to even cooking. Every fighting contest, Jon won. Tomorrow is the day of festival.

Will walked down stairs.

"So he's awake…eat quickly, there is much work to be done." Jon said.

Maybe my trick will work; light I wish I could get it to happen on command.


~~~~~~
The night was cool, and girls dressed in festival cloths. Local musicians played dance music, and torches all over the place kept the outskirts of town all the more black. But something didn't feel right, and Will could sense the air had a rather…violent smell. He danced with the girls now and then, but something made his stomach churn. What worried Will the most was his father seemed to be as alterative as him, then again his dad is always alert.
The spring dances always appealed to Will. It was competitive, joyous, and the girls all dressed up, even though the women did get a bit…odd.
Will's dad walked over to him. Even when Jon moved around he walked with a deadly intent.

"Son, I want you to walk back to the house and get you're sword." Pausing for a moment he then said, "The silver one, Will."

Will walked back to his house. Most people were centered in the middle of the town, very few on the outskirts

And then it came.

Will heard the familiar sound of a bow string snap, and the arrow's malicious sound as it whizzed through the air. It hit a woman nursing a child in the heart.
A battle cry came from all sides, and immediately Will started running to the house to grab his sword. His dad was moving though the crowds directing everybody into the Inn, to keep safe.
What is going on!? Will was sprinting up the stairs, skipping two, three stairs at a time. Flinging his door open Will went for his sword. Attaching it on his back and tying off the back strap he started downstairs.
Will could hear wood creaking announcing the arrival of someone. Quietly moving out of the room Will crept downstairs to see a man dressed in a black with green and gold embroidered vest and black leather pants.
The man saw Will and unsheathed his sword. Will did the same.
The man all out sprang at Will, and time trickled down to a crawl. The man drew closer and closer, and Will leapt over railing as the man's sword came thundering down. The man changed direction as he ran at Will. Slash after slash was met with block after block. Will dodged to the left behind the table as the sword came at him again. He smiled at Will, such an evil grin. The man kicked over the table, and as he did Will quickly moved to the side. Then he darted at the man, thrusting his sword into the mans chest. Will simply looked down at the lifeless body. I killed him…I actually killed a man!
Panting he ran outside to find Jon. The ground was littered with bodies, some from the town's folk, but most made up of the mysterious attackers. Will caught sight of his dad with four men around him in a circle. The man behind Jon rushed at him, and attempted to split his skull. As he came down Jon ducked down low and coming up caught the man across the chest with his sword. Jon moved with a cold fluidity. The man on the right rushed in and Jon spun slashing his sword horizontally, decapitating the man. The man now behind Jon came at him and was met with a block, and then Jon lunged his sword catching the man in the middle of the chest. To Will, it seemed as though someone was dancing, Jon was working his art. A bow string cracked the air as an arrow caught the last man in the spine, dropping him without a sound.
All of the attackers were either dead or the very few of them alive, were running away. The men in Hearth Oak may not be seasoned swordsmen, but every male was exceptionally good with a short bow.
Will ran toward his dad, and he could see him wavering. He caught him as he started to fall. Holding his dad up he looked at Will and passed out.
~~~~~~

[Chronotrigger01]

"Is he going to be alright?"

"Yes Will, we think he's going to be just fine. He lost a lot of blood, but Jon is no child, most people would have died long before. Light if it weren't for him, I'd imagine most all of us would be dead." Richard Cawr said. "Come on, there is work to be done, and mourning to do. Your dad should wake up within the next day or two."
Looking at his dad Will left the room and prayed the Creator would keep him alive.

******
Jon sat up with a massive headache. Pushing the pain away became a second nature to Jon. Still to weak to move it seems, Light that hurt, Will's fine though, that's all that counts. He'd be a lot safer in Balamb Harbor then here. Not many armies are that ignorant to attack that city, no, he'll be safest there, too dangerous to travel back to Tir Al'Rang. As soon as he gets here it's time to tell him the truth. Sighing, Jon landed back onto his pillow to sleep.

~~~~~~

Will knocked on the door.

"Come"

Entering the door sat Jon on the bed, rather, there was Jon Laying on the bed, and Mistress Cawr promised to strap Jon down to the bed if he tried to get out of it.

"Come, sit, there's something I need to tell you. Will, I'm sure you've been rather curious why you have no recollection of your mother." Jon said

"Sometimes, but you said she died when I was a newborn."

"I did at that, and she did, but Will, I've never had a wife. Here, I'll tell you what I know." Jon said.

Will looked at his father; he could tell he had something to get off his back, something that's been eating at him. Will took the chair and sat down.

"Your mother died shortly after you were born, not to say she died giving birth to you, but rather she died on the doorsteps of a very important person in a land far south of this kingdom. With her she left a note saying your name, birth, bloodline, and most importantly the object she was carrying on her back. Your true name is Will Cypher. This last name may not mean much to you, but it is an ancient bloodline, not pure, but important. The Cypher bloodline has had a reputation in the past for birthing women with strong potential, but the last man born with the gift was well over centuries old. The sword has an ancient magic involved and I myself do not understand all of the details, but you must leave this town Will, and you must leave tonight. No good byes, no tears, only a leavetaking."

Will stood there as shocked as ever. Jon not my father? Cypher? What does all of this mean?

"Will, you will head to Balamb Harbor, these people who attacked the town will eventually make there way to the harbor, but that place is much to protected to be attacked anytime soon, and with some luck I will be back to the harbor with an army of my own, they knew this time was coming, they will be quick to help."

Light, quick to help! An army of his own?! Who is this man? "Father…er…ahh Jo…uh…Father…" Will finally decided on father, the man raised me all my life, he is my dad more then anyone else . "…Why aren't you coming with me?"

"Responsibility is a heavy burden son, we all must do what must be done, nothing is ever easy, remember that. I will come back for you. Here…"

Jon tossed Will a bag full of gold crowns. This is a fortune! Where did he get all of this!?

"Son, I want you to go make preparations to leaving, take what you need to survive, some light food, cloths, and that sword. Do not come back to say good bye Will, I want you off as soon as possible. Remember Will, stay away from people, stay in as few towns as you can, and if anything, stay at Ebonhill only, these attacks are going to be all over, and that sword attracts attention."

"Will, I may not have been your real father, but I did raise you, and you are to remember fast who you really are, not your titles. I am proud of you, and there is much bloodshed ahead, remember who you are."
And with that Will left to his house, to pack and leave Hearth Oak.

~~~~~~
Will was ridding down the road just as the sun was setting. It gave off a vibrant red-orange glow. The hazing clouds around the sun rehashed the evening skyline. The cool crisp night was ahead and Will could see the town in the distance, he would be another hour or so before he would reach Ebonhill. Will began to drift into his old memories.
(Will sprang out on an all out sprint. He lifted his sword and slashed as his father. His father simply evaded to the right and swung his sword, nailing Will on the back of the head. He fell on the ground dropping his practice sword.

"Will, do not attack straight up, only offence when catching the person off by surprise. Defensiveness is the key. Wait for the attacker to rush at you, use your speed to your advantage. It is more dangerous to attack then to counter-attack." His father said.
Will got back up off the ground. Picking his sword up, he stood up. Will's father rushed at him and swung down. Will parried, turned and swung hitting his dad in the ribs.)
A stick cracked under the foot of the horse and will suddenly awoke from the daze. It was now dark outside. The road along Ebonhill was lined with torches. Along the side of the road were large oak trees. Light danced on the trunks and leaves, giving an eerie ghostly feel, the night's air cut crisp into Will's lungs.
The white air exploded out of the nose from the horse. As it went out it expanded until it dissipated, only to be replaced by another breath. Will entered the town, it was just after dark and most people were sitting down to eat their dinner, he could see the candlelight dance in the eating rooms of the villager's houses.
The town of Ebonhill was mainly a farming town. A river ran through the town and on a clear night the moon reflected off the water, ripples distorted the moon as fish came up to eat when the bugs landed on the water. It's main crop was wheat, which supplied 40% of its countries graineries. The town its self was average size, nothing like the Balamb Harbor, but it was a self-supporting town, it had no need to import anything but large scale unrefined metals; Ebonhill could refine its own metals, had plenty of livestock for the town, and of course the best bread in the kingdom. Will's mind started dreaming back to when he and his father had visited Ebonhill when he was in his 15th year, this is where a training academy was located. Later the academy was moved to the capital city, and the school now lies in rubble.
Will rode the horse on the far end of town. He walked in catching the horse master snoozing on a stool with a blanket and smoking a pipe. As Will neared, the horse master woke abruptly.

"Good evenin' sir, bitter cold night isn't it?"

"Very chilly, is there space for my horse?" Will said.

"For your kind sir, there is always room." Taking the reigns, the horse
master said, "Beautiful horse yah av' here sir, where be ya from?"

"West." Will said.

"All right, how long do you plan on staying?" the man said.

"Just a day." Will said.

The horse master blankly staring for a few moments finally said, "All right, comes to four silver marks".

Will dug into his money pouch; he pulled out a handful of coins, quickly picking four silver marks. Put the rest back into its pouch, and refastened the pouch back on his belt. Will gave him the four silver marks and went to find an inn on a crowded night.

~~~~~~

[Chronotrigger01]

Will awoke when he heard a blood curdling scream, then it died. Looking out his window he could see two or three houses on fire. Getting out of bed Will bolted downstairs as fast as he could, and burst out the door. Running toward where the scream was coming from he saw several bodies, man, woman, and child brutally slain. Wills anger rose as he saw what was happening, he was trying to run from all of this, how far does this chaos extend?
Ten men, dressed in black with green and gold embroidered vests and black leather pants had a girl no older then Will held down to the ground. Her mouth was gagged and her clothes being ripped off she was being forced into doing what the men willed.
Will was in an all out sprint, faster then he had ever ran in his life all he could think about was what they were going to do. He came up on them, silently he crossed the road with out a sound. Panting Will held his breath; the men were close, only several feet away and they had not heard him. The street light allowed Will to be unseen in the dark. Will closed in, unsheathing his sword he lifted it in the air. Slashing down on the man who as about to **** the girl. A red arc was all that was seen as the man's eyes bulged. Caught off by surprise the shock nulled the pain as he gasped for breath. Slowly and painfully gasping, praying for his lungs to work, the sword pierced into them and ruptured them from the back.
The nine men quickly unsheathed their swords as Will screamed to the girl to run as fast and as hard as she could. Quickly surrounding Will, he just realized what he had done, traded his own life for that of another's. The men simply laughed at him as he turned around and around to find an exit, but he had already signed the deal, he had traded his life for hers.
One man said, "So, the hero comes to save the day. Well if you didn't notice hero, this town is lost, nothing you or anyone else in the kingdom can do that will stop the town from burning down to a cinder."
The rage in Will burned as the man described exactly how they would **** every woman and kill every child. He burned with hatred how the men had killed every man they met execution style. His blood boiled as they told them that the Imperium would do the same to every town in this kingdom until they had complete control. The rise of the Imperium had begun the man told him, and nothing he or anyone else shy of Creator could stop them, and maybe not even the Creator himself.
Suddenly Will's sword began to emit a strange blue glow, stronger pulsating every second, until time its self came to a crawl, and the familiar feeling came to him, never being able to touch it. The sword burst into a blue deluge of flames, and Will could feel the hatred building.
The darkness came into Will's mind, and a small flame appeared, the familiar feeling of the flame happened every time time slowed. The flame in the darkness, Will always grabbed at it, but never could seize it. Until Will gave of himself and let the pain, the anguish, and the hatred fill his mind and leave him, putting into the flame within the darkness. The flame burst into a blue fiery wrath.
Suddenly, Will's body was engulfed in the blue fire. A fire so hot that the air itself bubbled distorted and bowed down to Will. Flames so hot that time it self was consumed in the fiery wrath. Will conceded to the hatred, let it flow from him, and the blue flame around his body burst out into a fiery maelstrom, everything and everyone in its path ceased to exist. Even the souls of the nine men were caught in the rage, everything near him turned to void. The maelstrom claimed everything near him, the men and several houses, turned to void.
Will blacked out

~~~~~~

Will awoke suddenly. His body ached; he scarcely remembered a time in which he felt such pain. Opening his eyes he saw that it was early morning. Where am I ? he thought. He was under a tree, maybe two. A fire crackled as he looked around. He was in his bedroll and his pack was under his head. As he looked around he saw his amber horse, and yet another. A small graceful black stallion nuzzled his own horse.

"They've taken a likening to one another." A voice said.

Straining with all his might, Will attempted to sit up. When doing so the headache hit him like a wave as he fell right back down on the pillow. Looking down by his feet he saw her, the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, but he had seen her before. Thinking hard he remembered, last night, the girl who he had saved, who he traded his life for. But how was he ok? He should have died, nothing but blackness fogged his memory as he remember her running away.

"Take it easy." She said as he walked over to him with a steamy cup. "Here drink this; it will help ease the pain." She bent down and lifted his head so he could drink it.

She had dark brown wavy hair. Light smooth skin, and beautiful blue eyes. Eyes you could stare into and be lost in for hours. This must be a goddess he thought to himself. She was in a dark blue dress, just like her eyes.
The aroma of the tea smelled familiar, his father often gave it to him when he was young.

"Thistle tea" she said. "Helps speed up the bodies healing."

Sitting up Will could see his surroundings, he was under some trees. And out beyond it, he saw lush green valleys. By the hills and the green grass he figured he was somewhere south. The tea was helping considerably, he no longer had the headache and it didn't hurt to breath as much.

"Who are you? What happened? Wh-Where are we going?" Will said.
?
"My name is Ann she said, and who I am I will explain in a minute. You must be a Cypher, no one else that is male has the Gift." She said. "Last night was the male awakening."

Confused, He told her his name and asked, "What am I?

"You" she said, "Are the only male born of magic in the past 4000 years. And even beyond that, you command Fire, an element not commanded in a very long time."

"What do you mean 'command fire'?" Will asked. (Imitation of sentence 4)

"To understand that, you must also understand the past. 4000 years ago before the Dark Times, people were born with the gift, more then now, but still very few. But they, unlike myself, controlled all four elements, or sides of the gift; Fire, Earth, Air and Water. I myself command Water, but not at any level like those of the past. Every person has some ability in all four elements, but all are so weak that not much more then a fire can be made, water created, small gust be felt, or a stone created."

"As it used to be, four people with different talents were grouped to each other, so all elements were present. Eventually we learned to combine each talent to create more powerful magic. Fire has been missing for a very long time."

"The Dark Times which I referred to is a time in which magic was hunted down and destroyed. It was seen as evil because of the immense destruction it could cause, more so, those who were born without it, were frightened by those who were. The wizards of old often followed their own accord, judging and siding with those who best interested themselves. Magic to be passed from one offspring to another must be done so by pure magic blood. Other wise it is diluted, and passed recessively."
"Wizards were hunted down, and killed by armies, armies of the Imperium Army. The people of the world became so fearful over time, and that all magic had to be eliminated. Very few Wizards kept to the morals taught to them, many sided with those of the highest bidding. The few who were left, fled together to a remote land and started a small town, a town in which the gifted would come and find safety. The pure bloodlines where gone, and the gift was found only in one fourth of those before."

"So I take it, that we are going to this town?" Will asked.

"Yes, we are headed south of the Balamb Empire and to the town of Tir AlRang."

"So what happened, why did I blackout?" Will said.

"The awakening takes a toll on the body so immense that he is left helpless. Last night, you called forth a power that you posses, you used a fire spell. The awakening spell, especially for males is quite devastating. The awakening is said to be a firestorm so hot that it burns a dark blue."
"When you awaken, you unleash a power unfathomable; you incinerated most of the town, taking every Imperium soldier with you. They attacked the town to send a message or flood something or someone out, they were about fifty or so strong, I got as many as I could before I was drained. Fortunately I was able to get to my horse and your horse also. I saw you ride in earlier that night. Those men, they caught me off from behind as I was trying to defend the town. They killed silently, letting no one hear so they could move around without restraint."

Ann ran up and hugged him, "Thank you for saving my life, but come, we are not out of danger yet, you were like a flare, and they know what has happened, if we are to be safe, we must make it to Tir AlRang as fast as possible."

[Chronotrigger01]

~Chapter 2~

Will could not help but take peeks at Ann. Light she's beautiful. And every time Will looked, Ann gave back a smile, such one as it could melt your face. It's been several hours since he woke from his sleep, and Will rode in Ann's wake, being right next to her often him speechless. After some time of riding, the clouds started to give off faint glows of orange and red. Ann started down away from the path, and turning her head she said,

"We probably should break camp for the night." Turning back around she lead her mare down toward a forested area, instinctively Will's horse followed right after Ann's.

Down toward the path lay a forested area. High trees would make good cover for the night and allow a decent size fire. Ann headed to the exact spot Will had thought to pick out, this obviously meant she has spent a few nights under the stars. Tying off the reigns to some steaks in the ground, Will started to string his bow.

"If you'll collect some fire wood I'll be back shortly with some food." Will said

A little while back from the forest ran a stream, if he could find no small game they least he could get was fish.
~~~~~~


The sky was nearing dark and Will returned with two gutted and cleaned fish. Ann was sitting on top of her bedroll with a small fire ring and some fire wood in the center. The wood was unlit and she turned and smiled that smile to Will as he appeared from the forest.

"Good!" she clapped excitingly, taking the fish from Will, and hanging them on a branch.
"Here, come sit down, I'm going to teach you to light the fire."

Nervously Will sat down on the bed roll Ann had laid out.
"Alright, now remember when awoke? The darkness in your mind?"

"Yes, a small flame always appears, but I've been able to form the flame often, and when I do, time seems to move very slowly for me."

"Yes, that's one advantage the male commanding had, but very few males were ever born with the talent so it evened out in the end." Ann kept a cool composer. "Now, once you form the flame you will need to put forth an emotion until you can get a handle on how to command each element. The emotion does not matter, however, the type of emotion does matter how strong it becomes. After you work with the power long enough you won't have the darkness unless you're trying to conjure an incredibly strong spell. Now to command an element you must do as it implies, command it. Making the element submit to you is the most important thing, if you lose control; it will take over, and will most always kill you and everyone around you."

Looking fearful and hesitant Will nodded slowly.

"After feeding the emotion into the flame it should grow, and depending how much emotion or how strong of a spell you are attempting to form, will dictate the size and color of the flame. The more you work with an element, the easier it is to call upon it when the need is quick.
When you have the element awakened, reach out and grab at it, the first few times you will stumble and it is to be expected. Once you have it in your grasp, and assuming your will is strong, it is yours to command, form and mold the power however you want now and it will obey."

Will formed the flame in the darkness, and the first emotion that came to him was anger, anger for the Imperium army, for what they've done, and what they are going to do. Fear also slipped away from Will and the flame burst into an inferno. Trying to grab a hold of the fire was impossible, but Will was determined not to kill himself and especially not Ann. Taking a hold of the fire Will trembled in its presence, the power flowed through him and Will thought he was going to burst. Taking command Will opened his eyes. A calm came over Will, an all knowing came over him, an understanding of who he was and what his limits were washed over his mind. With the power he held now he could incinerate, even obliterate an entire town.
Commanding the Element of Fire, Will instructed, no he ordered Fire to ignite the fire wood. Fire incinerated it instead. Shocked and angry Will released command of Fire, not really understanding how, but just doing so seemed right. Will returned to his old state of being and he could see Ann was as excited as a woman on her wedding day.

"That was incredible! You fed a bit too much emotion into the flame, but Light! Holding that much power for your first try!"

How did she know how much emotion I fed into the flame, how did she know how much power I held?
Ann commanded a small amount of Water and doused the melting soil from the immense amount fire Will had commanded. Taking some kindling and small sticks Ann went about to make a normal fire. Commanding Fire she ignited the kindling which was how far her powers went with that element. The fire slowly started to build and over time she tossed some larger and large sticks until she was satisfied with the size of the fire. Taking a stick Ann moved some hot embers from the fire and put a wide smooth black rock on the fire to heat up. After a while she threw both fish on the rock and began to cook the fish.

Eating in silence, Ann finally started the conversation.

"So Will, where are you from? I know things have been hectic to say the least." Ann said inquisitively.

"Well, I grew up in Hearth Oak, but I'm not sure where I was born, somewhere south of the kingdom my father said. Well, at least I think he was my father; he told me my mother died a while after she had me. Jon isn't my dad, but he did raise me. To be quite honest I'm not sure who my family is, or was."

"Tell me what happened Will."

He did.

"I am going to take first watch, you need sleep Will." Ann said in a motherly voice.

"No, I will take first; I need some time to clear my head. I will wake you up in a few hours."

When Ann went to sleep, the last thing she saw was Will sitting there staring off into the blackness of the night. Will never did wake her up.

[Clareon Wolfeyes]

Good story, as in most short stories, its difficult to fleshout characters, but with a story that could get as big as yours, I think it'll be worth it later on, as well as getting a little more background on the world Will occupies. Can't wait for your next entry.