**Sarah's perspective**

The acrid smell of smoke clung to the air, a grim testament to the carnage we’d unleashed. The Valora warriors, led by my brother Alex, had taken Felis. We’d moved like shadows through the night, striking with swift, deadly precision. The king’s commanders were gone, their bodies laying cold in the aftermath of our assault.

But there was a new, unsettling element in the air, something more terrifying than the screams of dying soldiers. It was the smell of burning flesh, a sickening aroma emanating from one of the larger houses. I saw Alex rushing toward it, his face grim.

He emerged a moment later, his usually stoic face etched with something resembling shock. He held a young boy, no older than ten, by the arm. The boy, thin and dirty, was panting, his eyes wide with fear. He held a small knife, the blade gleaming with a crimson stain.

“He attacked me,” Alex said, his voice low and strained. The boy, had slashed at him, not once, but several times. Alex, the greatest warrior I knew, had somehow managed to avoid any vital wounds.

“He’s just a child,” I said, a chill running down my spine. But even as I spoke, I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something unsettling about this boy, something cold and calculated in his eyes.

I looked at him closely. His skin was pale, almost translucent. He was thin, but his movements were quick and precise. He had the look of a wild animal, trapped and desperate. He didn’t look like a normal child.

“Bring him to Ethan,” Alex said, his voice tight. He clearly wasn’t comfortable with this situation, and I understood. It was unusual for a Valora warrior to be attacked, especially by someone so young.

The journey to valora shelter was tense. Joshua sat silent, his gaze fixed on the ground. He seemed almost emotionless, his only reaction a slight shudder when he saw the charred remains of the soldiers still burning in the house.

Ethan sat on his chair in his room, a shadow of his usual ruthless self. He had taken Felis for Elara and us, my dearest friend, who had longed for a peaceful life. She had been a doctor before the war, her talent for healing unmatched. But Ethan had seen a spark of something else in her — a desire for peace and a life where children could play without fear.

“This is Joshua,” Alex said, pushing the boy forward. He looked at Ethan with an almost dismissive air, as if he were already bored with this unexpected turn of events.

Ethan looked at Joshua, his gaze piercing. “The house, the fire. Explain.” His voice was low, a rumble that echoed in the vast hall.

Joshua looked at Ethan, his eyes meeting his directly. “I started the fire,” he said, his voice barely a whisper. “They deserved it.”

The boy's confession sent a shiver down my spine. He spoke with a chilling calm, devoid of remorse. It was a chilling declaration, spoken without a hint of fear or regret.

Ethan’s eyes narrowed. “Are you a Valora?” he asked, his voice laced with suspicion.

“No,” Joshua said, shaking his head. “I am nothing.”

Ethan’s gaze held Joshua captive. It was a silent interrogation, a battle of wills. Finally, he spoke. “Tell me why you did it.”

Joshua’s eyes, small and dark, met Ethan’s. “They were cruel. They deserved to die.” He looked around the hall, taking in the faces of the Valora warriors. “I protect the weak,” he said, his voice barely a whisper.

But his words, delivered with such calmness and conviction, felt like a threat. It was as if he was claiming the right to decide who lived and who died.

Ethan leaned back in his chair, his eyes cold and calculating. “You are an anomaly,”

he said, his voice barely audible. “A child who walks the path of darkness.”

He looked at Elara, who stood by his side, her eyes filled with concern. “We will watch you closely,” he said, his voice a low growl. “And we will decide what fate awaits you.”

The boy, Joshua, stood before him, a shadow of a child, a silent testament to the horrors of war. He was a mystery, a puzzle that Ethan was determined to solve. And I knew, with a certainty that chilled me to the bone, that this encounter was just the beginning. The fire he had started was a spark, a flame that could ignite a new and terrifying chapter in our lives.