What remains of ash

a teen was in a militia with his dad they were sent on an impossible mission and betrayed

As the clashing of swords fades into the distance, the quiet lingers like a heavy fog. He kneels by the river, hands stained dark crimson, the blood mingling with the current, swirling away like it never mattered. The dead lie around him, sprawled in grotesque poses. Their lifeless eyes stare at the empty sky, the scent of death thick in the air. The silence is deafening. Then, a soft crunch of footsteps on the dry earth, measured, deliberate, as though the figure approaching knows the weight of each step.
“You’ll bleed out lying there,” The stranger says, his voice smooth, like he’s speaking to a man who still matters. Ash doesn’t even look up, his voice hollow.
“If you’re here to kill me, do it.” The stranger pauses, his breath barely a whisper in the stillness.
“No need to be harsh, and that’s just not how I am. And it appears that whatever you were a part of has already come to an end.”
Ash finally lifts his head, eyes glazed, vacant, fixed on the man who’s somehow too clean to belong in a battlefield. His cloak, pristine white, is an insult to the blood-soaked dirt beneath him.“Who are you?” Ash spits, his voice barely coming out.
“Name’s Vael. I’m from Wydfal. But right now you’re not the one asking questions.” Vael’s voice is calm, even as the storm of death swirls around them. “Who are you, and why is someone your age on the battlefield?”
Ash’s lips curl into something that might’ve been a smile if he weren’t so defeated.
“My name is Ash, and…” His voice fades. “I was with my father in the militia.” He looks down at his hands, gripping the earth, as though trying to keep himself grounded. “He... He’s gone. That’s it. That’s the end of it all, right?”
The words hit him like a cold wind. His father, dead, betrayed by the very men they fought for. Ash’s grip tightens on the soil, his fists clenched so tight his nails dig into his palms. His father, the only thing keeping him alive in this hell, the only one who mattered, was slaughtered by their own comrades. The realization cuts deeper than the sword that took his life.“If I could just get up...” Ash mutters. “Maybe I could catch up to them. Maybe I could make them pay…”
Vael watches him, his gaze never changing, as if the broken boy in front of him is a problem he’s not sure how to solve.
“I can take you back to Wydfal,” he offers. “It’s about three hours by horse. We can get you a doctor if you’re lucky, or drinks if you aren’t. Let’s just get you on your feet.”
Ash stares at him, his expression hardening like stone. “You think I don’t know what this is? The offer. It's a pity.” His voice grows louder. “You think I’m a fool. A boy who’ll fall for your empty words, your promises of mercy? You don’t know anything about me, about what’s been taken from me.” His laugh is bitter. “You think I’ll let myself be saved?”
“There’s nothing left for me. This battlefield is all I have left. No matter where you take me, no matter what you promise, there’s nothing but suffering at the end of every road.”
Vael’s gaze remains steady. “I didn’t ask for your trust. But if you want to die here, go ahead. No one’s stopping you.” His tone is still as calm as it was before. “But if you want a chance at something more, I can offer you that. Your choice.”
The wind rustles through the trees, but it doesn’t ease the suffocating weight of Ash’s thoughts. All he feels is the crushing realization that nothing will ever be the same.
“Don’t try to save me,” Ash mutters, his voice cracking as he forces himself to stand, though the world spins around him. “There’s nothing left.” Vael stares at the broken boy, his demeanor changing.
“You think that this is all you have left. Listen to me, you have no idea how immeasurable a life is. And you’re just trying to give up. If you stay here, you’ll be nothing more than the corpses that lie around you.” Something in Ash changed; his mind began to race; he clenched his jaw. Even his eyes, which a moment ago were filled with dread, now lit with an indescribable flame. The fire is lit within him, Vael thought to himself
Ash tried to stand, trying to use his little strength. He thought to himself, If only I could muster the strength to find him. He arose, knees shaking as if they were going to give out. He gave a final look at the battlefield where his friends lay dead. “Fine… but I’m only going with you because I don’t want to die here.”
“Well then, let's start going, don’t want it getting dark on us now.” Ash is still puzzled by Vael. What are his true ambitions? Why is he here? Why is he offering help?
“Tell me, who are you really?” Ash asked skeptically. “I’m exactly who I told you I am… I know the truth can be hard at times.” Vael’s tone had changed to a more definitive one.
“Tell me, Ash, what happened out there?” All the memories had been swirling around Ash’s head like a vortex, fueling him to keep going.
“We… we were betrayed,” Ash’s voice dropped, and for a second, it sounded like he might choke on the words. “The upper ranks... They set us up. Sent us on a mission that no one could have survived. And we were just... thrown away. Like we didn’t matter.”
Vael's eyes narrowed as he regarded Ash, his voice steady but sincere. "So, who were these upper ranks?"
Ash, now more focused, let his thoughts settle. "They were the Twelve..." In an instant Vael's entire demeanor shifted, now ice cold and filled with authority.
"Ash, get behind that tree and stay quiet," he ordered. Ash quickly ducked behind the tree, peeking out to keep an eye on Vael.
Vael's horse suddenly pulled against its tether, nostrils flaring and hooves stamping nervously on the forest floor. A low, warning whinny cut through the silence, making Ash freeze something was wrong, something was out there. The horse's agitation sent a chill down Ash's spine.
A moment later a mountain bear emerged from the brush. Its fur gristled and grey. It stood ferociously in ton thee trail. Calm as ever Vael unsheathed his sickles from the horse's satchel. Just who is he? Who in their right mind would stand head to head against a mountain bear? It's suicide.
Yet in the blink of an eye, Vael lunged forward, sickles gleaming. The blades carved deep into the bear's shoulder, the beast's roar tore through the forest, echoing in Ash's skull. His hands trembled against the rough bark of the tree, fear flooding his chest.
"Vael, just run, you're going to die!" Ash cried out, using the last scraps of his strength.
"I thought I told you to stay quiet!"
Distracted by his new accomplice, Vael turned his head for just a moment and the bear's massive paw crashed into his chest, sending him sprawling backward. Ash's legs buckled beneath him, and he slumped against the tree, unable to stay upright.
But Vael was already back on his feet. He circled the enraged beast with calculated precision, then rushed in close. With one deliberate strike across the throat, he opened the bear's neck. The creature staggered, its roar fading before collapsing to the forest floor with a thunderous crash.
Silence fell over the clearing. Ash stared, body still shaking, as Vael stood over the fallen beast, barely winded. Blood dripped from the sickles in his hands. This man whoever he truly was, had just killed a mountain bear like it was nothing.
"How did you do that?" Ash exclaimed filled with a mix of fear and respect for his new friend.
"It was nothing, just instinct."
"But you're bleeding, I need to help.."
"I'm fine Ash, keep your worries about yourself." Vael's chest bleeding profusely, calm as ever he wrapped it with a piece of his robe.