Years passed, and Urien was not aging a day. His friends died. His family was no longer close related. The people began to feel distant. They knew who Urien was, but no one really knew him as a person. He was starting to believe his gift was a curse.

He left his abode, planning to return when he was truly forgotten so he could start anew.

Traveling south past the mountains, he came across settlements that had progressed further than his. His first surprise was a walled settlement. The barrier seemed to reach the sky. The second was the guards who asked him for his purpose of entry. After being deemed harmless, he was allowed through the gates. He found a tavern with a vacancy. With a little explanation of his ignorance of the concept of money, the owner allowed him to stay for a few nights if he was going to leave on that last day.

Meanwhile, back in his hometown, a couple, Clive and Gale, wanted to have a date by themselves. They asked their neighbors to watch over their son for a few days as they planned on visiting the northeast forests for their flowers and fruits. Their son insisted on joining. His parents insisted on him staying. They, of course, won the dispute. It wasn't long until their son ran off to play with the other children.

They rented a horse and cart. With a couple of breaks, they arrived at the forest within two days. Gale rushed off the cart to get a better view. Clive dragged their picnic basket off as he tried to slow her down.

Berries were beginning to ripe. Flowers were fully in blossom. The whole scenery was as colourful as they had imagined it would be. Even the brown tree trunks and branches and the dirt of the earth were just as colourful.

Gale plucked a red berry and tossed it into her mouth. Her whole face puckered. It was sour. There was an aftertaste of sweetness. Still, it was unripe. Clive laughed the whole way through only to join right after.

As for Urien, he was eating his last meal. He overheard a group of people talking about a small settlement past some mountains... and were planning to raid it. Urien instinctively knew it was his home that they were mentioning.

Quickly, he took his leave and returned home.

"Everyone evacuate this place now!" He warned his people.

They stopped and stared at him.

"What do you mean?" A woman asked him.

"Please just warn as many people as you can," he panicked. "There are raiders coming here! They will-" He caught her expression. It was fear. She was looking past him. Slowly, he turned to face the raiders. "Impossible," he breathed with disbelief. He thought he was far ahead. He left days earlier than they did.

"Seems like Squeaker was right," the front raider scoffed, referring to one of his men. "We left right you did and tailed you. Your horse must be exhausted."

"Please!" Urien begged. "Leave this place alone."

Screams broke out from all around. People started running. In minutes, blood filled the streets.

Urien tried to stop them, but their greed and malice broke through his words.They reaped everything and everyone.

With a handful of people in his cover, Urien stood between them and the raiders. Only for a second did the front raider halted before jabbing his spear.

"No!" Urien roared as he hugged his people.

Instantaneously, a ring of fire burst out of Urien, scorching all in range. It was so hot that it even exhausted the oxygen, killing itself as it burned. When the heat died, he realized he had killed the people whom he wanted to protect along with the people whom he wanted to repel.

He choked with confusion. The vaccuum he created prevented a sound from escaping him. Only when the winds of dusk blew by were his squeals of pain broke the silence.

Orange painted over the blue sky. Wind whistled. Woods cracked.

Urien sat on his heels. A tear rolled down his face.

"What...? How...?" He uttered. His eyes shifted between his hands that held the ashes. "This-this isn't what I wanted... I-," His hands clenched, and so did his teeth. He was, for certain, the wish he made was turned into a curse.

With nothing but ashes in sight, he returned south in despair.

Still in the forest, Clive and Gale saw a bright light coming from the direction of their town. Several seconds later, a wave of heavy wind brushed by them. It was warm, but it was nowhere near comforting. Shivers crawled along Gale's arms. She watched the light fade. Clive collapsed the tent, beginning to pack their belongings. He knew she wanted to return and check their home.

They rushed back with no breaks, arriving just before daybreak.

Gale became breathless at the sight. Their town, their home, was nothing more than a dead campfire. Her feet shuffled as she forced herself to move. Her mind raced in denial and hope. A cold breeze broke her trance. She ran and called for her son.

Clive stuck close and did the same.

Then, Gale stopped. She fell to her knees as she saw an ashened body. It was her child. He was huddled up like a baby. Her fingers shook as she reached for him. Inches away, she retracted her hand. She was afraid he'd break, but she wanted to touch him, hug him. "Hey baby," she uttered, holding back her tears, "Momma's here. Could you wake up and give me a hug?" Of course, there was no response.

"Gale," Clive said.

"He's just asleep!" Gale roared, turning to Clive. Tears flowed down her face. "It's... it's still dark. He'll wake with the sun."

Clive was at a loss of words. He knew how she felt. But he had to stay strong, at least, for her. He decided to rummage through their home for anything.

Gale reached for her son once more. She pretended to stroke his forehead, keeping distance and care so as not to touch him.

The sunlight crawled across the town. Gale was able to see her son clearly. Suddenly, the wind of daybreak came. Just as she feared, her son began to crumble.

"No!" She cried, lunging forward to grab him, only to make things worse. He instantaneously turned into powder. Gale's body shook with horror. "No, no, no!" She wailed. "This can't be happening! My baby!" Her child slipped through her fingers, and it got carried by the wind. Black ashes stained her clothes and hands.

As she lifted her head to the skies, a white veil floated down, covering her face. It calmed her. She stayed, knelt down, and unbothered by the veil.

Meanwhile, Clive found their house. He sifted through the burnt doors, tables, and chairs. Everything was destroyed, and even Gale's jewelries were melted. He remembered he had a trinket box. He went to search for it. The fire did not spare it; however, that was only on the outside. The content inside was okay. It was an emerald he found in the mountains. He had planned to make a bracelet once he gathered more. It wasn't in too bad of a shape. He pocketed the gem before deciding to return to Gale. As he exited the house rubble, he felt the wind accompanied by Gale's crying.

This broke him.

He dropped his head. Tears rained onto the dry grounds. There was nothing he could do. A part of him blamed him for not letting their child tag along. He blamed himself for not being able to protect their only child. He continued to hate himself before a white flower drew his attention. He took a sniffle before claiming down. "Gale would like this," he breathed. He bent down to pluck the flower. As he touched the flower, his mind went numb. No longer felt the need to cry, grieve, or hate. He simply had to be by Gale's side.

Clive approached Gale, who was still kneeling. He placed his hand of shoulder. "Look a pretty flower," he stated, showing her the flower, "Pretty just like you."

Gale slightly turned her head. "Ah yes, it truly is beautiful." She stood and faced him. He gave a soft smile. She took the flower from him and smelled it. With an exhale, she spoke, "Seems like there is nothing for us here."

A white bird flew above them. It headed towards the forest. Their eyes followed it.

"Home," a voice echoed into their minds.

"Yes," Clive replied. He held out his hand to hold hers. "Let's return home." He smiled into the distance.

Gale nodded, doing the same. "Yes, our home... in the forest."

As they got to their horse, Gale and Clive took one final look at the burnt town.

"Whoever these people were, I hope they are at peace," they both prayed.