When he scaled the lip of the mountain, it would take a moment for his eyes to adjust. The air was dark and heavy with smoke, the taste of fire staining his tongue. The Glen, once so full of life, was completely silent, and as he got to the ground of the crater, he would see that the bright green grass had been trampled by thousands of feet. The world was burning. The cherry blossom trees were charred black, the pink blossoms shriveled and grey in death. The only sound was the crackling of the flames still alight and in the distance, the Tree was dark, the glow from the Enryli absent.
The first body he found was on a young pixie, no older than 8. Her face was peaceful in death, her dark locks vivid against her pale cheeks. She was curled up and a baby blue Enryli streamed from the two stumps on her back where her wings had been.
Most of the bodies he found were younger pixies. They were the ones who were attacked first, it seemed.
When he got to the base of the tree, he would notice that several of the branches above him were in flames. There was no glimmer in the leaves that remained and the trunk seemed dead, its bark black from smoke.
The lift groaned to life and began to lift him to Eden's floor. As he rose, he would see that the carvings on the walls had not escaped the flames, almost illegible from the ruin.
When he got to Eden’s level, the lift shuddered to a stop. Eden’s house on the end was dark and silent. Her honeysuckle and lilac had been trampled by many feet and the door was hanging off its hinges.
Her house had obvious signs of struggle. Bookshelves had been knocked over and the air felt strangely damp. The closet in which he had hidden the day prior was open, and golden Enryli pooled on the floor. A small trail led up the stairs.
The Enryli has been sloppily wiped away with a trembling hand, as if to cover her trail, but the glimmers led him to her. She was curled up next to the window, her back to him and the first thing he would see was that her wings had been hacked off, leaving two jagged stumps.
His voice caught in his throat and he went to his knees beside her, his hand, which was trembling, was on her arm. "Eden? Eden?"
Tears were streaming down her cheeks and she flinched as he touched her, her closed eyes tightening. She was trembling and golden Enryli pooled around her.
At the sensation of his magic, she shuddered and reached out suddenly, hitting him in the chest with the palm of her hand. “Get back! Stay away from me!”
