Ashes of the battle

Aiden walked among the debris, each step heavier than the last. The fury of battle had dissipated, giving way to a strange mixture of mental clarity and energy, thanks to the blood he had just drunk. No trace of remorse tainted this new vigor. On the contrary, a slight smile, subtle but present, floated on his lips.

Around him, the refuge was nothing more than smoking ruins. The once proud and solid buildings were now nothing but gutted carcasses, skeletons of wood and stone blackened by flames. The acrid smell of smoke and blood permeated the air, making him nauseous. Not because of the act he had just committed, but because of this brutal and unjustified attack by the trio.

"What would have happened if Ethan and I hadn't been here?" Aiden wondered, his mind wandering to dark hypotheses. "Would the three warriors have massacred the group of survivors? Why so much violence?"

These questions looped in his head, tormenting him as much as the grief that gripped his heart at the thought of Sarah. Her sacrifice, her smile, haunted Aiden's every thought, like an indelible mark seared into his mind.

When he finally rejoined the group, a heavy silence reigned. The two other enemy warriors were dead, their disjointed bodies testifying to the ferocity of the battles. But apart from Sarah, no one from the refuge had lost their life. Meager consolation that tasted like ashes.

All eyes turned to Aiden as he approached. He could read a mixture of relief and apprehension in them. They hadn't seen his transformation, but they had seen rage invading him.

Ethan was the first to step forward, placing a hesitant hand on Aiden's shoulder.

"You okay, man?" he asked, his voice hoarse with emotion.

Aiden nodded, unable to find the words. Was he okay? Physically, yes. His wounds were already healing, the blood of the enemy leader flowing through his veins like an elixir of life. But mentally, emotionally... That was a whole other story.

Max approached in turn, his weathered face marked by grief and weariness.

"You did what had to be done, Aiden," he said softly. "Without you, we'd all be dead. You saved us."

These words, intended to comfort him, only increased Aiden's unease. He didn't feel like a hero, just a broken man who had let the monster inside him take over.

And yet, a part of him, that dark part he had always repressed, reveled in this newly revealed power. The taste of blood on his tongue, the heady feeling of holding a life in his hands... It was intoxicating, frightening, before sadness overtook him again.

"Sarah..." he whispered, his throat tight. "I couldn't... I didn't know how..."

His voice broke. The tears he had been holding back until now threatened to overflow, burning and bitter.

"It's not your fault," Maggie softly intervened. "Sarah knew the risks. We all know them. But we fight anyway, because that's what needs to be done. For us, for those we love."

Aiden nodded, recognizing the wisdom of those words. But it did nothing to appease the storm raging within him.

For beyond the grief, beyond the survivor's guilt, there was this troubling realization: he had not felt great sadness at the idea of having killed a man. The enemy leader was certainly a monster, but a human nonetheless. And yet, thinking back to that fateful moment when his claws had closed around his throat, Aiden only felt cold satisfaction, that heady sensation of holding a life in his hands for a few seconds.

"Is this the effect of blood?" he silently questioned. "This gradual desensitization, this erosion of my humanity? Am I becoming a monster?" He had been devastated by Sarah's death, proof that his emotions were still there. But he couldn't deny this subtle change in his relationship to violence, to death.

Perhaps that was the price to pay to survive in this ruthless world. Perhaps he had to accept this shadow within him, this dhampir nature, to be able to protect those dear to him.

For deep down, wasn't that what he was fighting for? To preserve this fragile island of humanity amid the chaos, this kindness he had found against all odds?

If he had to become a monster to save them, then so be it. He would carry this burden, however heavy it may be.

Aiden inhaled deeply, straightening his shoulders as if to shed an invisible weight. Then he turned to his companions, a new determination shining in his gaze.

"We must rebuild," he said in a firm voice. "Honor the memory of Sarah, and all those who have fallen. Continue to fight, to survive. Together."

There was a murmur of approval, punctuated by resolute nods. Despite the grief, despite the losses, they remained united. The battle had forged them, bonded them more solidly than ever.

"Yes, but we'll do all that tomorrow," Max interjected. "For now, each of us needs a break. Let's let the night pass, and tomorrow we'll have many things to address."

As the group slowly dispersed, seeking a bit of respite after this night of horror, Aiden remained motionless for a moment, his gaze lost in the dying embers.

He could feel the change taking place within him, like a chrysalis cracking to let a new creature emerge. He was no longer the same man as yesterday, and would never be the same again.

But perhaps that was how one grew, how one adapted to this new world. By embracing change, however frightening it may be. By finding strength in adversity, light in darkness.

With a final glance at the stars, like a silent promise to Sarah and to himself, Aiden turned away and went in search of a little peace, however fleeting, in Morpheus' arms.

-----

Aide's first battle seems to have broken something in him. And after that night's sleep, the next day's announcement won't help...