It's been nearly ten years since that day. In 1901, when Ashley was shot, and my world broke into chaos, everything changed.

By the time the Ishvalan Civil War's objective had been met, my mother, my childhood friends, the benevolent priest of our church, my teachers, and my classmates were all dead. I was among the few survivors of the once prosperous land known as Ishval. Most of them were clustered in groups, and they head out on foot to establish the societies that live in the slums today. Others, with no strength remaining, stayed in the ruins and mourned, starving themselves until they could no longer continue. I chose to be alone.

When I left Ishval I was fifteen years old. "Ishvalan" was written across my body in a black felt marker. Lily white hair and golden tanned skin. Piercing red eyes and a plain cotton dress. I walked the blood stained ground with bare, bleeding feet, the stones and glass cutting closer my bone each step I dared take. I passed through familiar streets that were full of life and color, and through my eyes I saw a monotone reality, the damaged bodies left as the only fragment of the shopkeepers' once beautiful lives peeking through the corners of my bloodshot eyes.

Every step I took, I could feel the grainy sand beneath my feet. When gazing forward, the endless pale sky was falling on top of me as I crumbled. I told myself that I was weak. I was selfish. I did nothing for anyone. I did nothing but run. I would clench my fists, my grimy teeth pressing against one another, forcing my tears to fall only when the dirt blew into my eye.

After five days of this persistent weight upon my shoulders, the terrain began to change. I felt soft, lush grass underneath the weight of my bony, marred legs. A glint appeared in my eye as I took a simple look upwards to a bright sun, a light sky, a less heavy air. I once again, just like that day, felt my knees buckle under the weight of my much weaker body, and a tear fell from my right eyelid.

Above me, an oak sign, reading in soft print, "Welcome to Resembool".

And that time, life gave me, at least for a moment, the feeling that I had escaped from those eight years of hell.

Hello everyone~ I apologise for the delay! I haven't been able to write this chapter for a while. Regardless, I hope you enjoyed this one. Please feel free to leave constructive criticism - I'm always looking to improve. I always try to read and respond to every comment or review I receive. Thanks for reading!

~DandereOtaku