The smell of burnt wood hung in the air. A house in the distance was ablaze, and the sky glowed an ominous red. Simon stood rigidly beside you, his mask smeared with soot.

"This isn't the first time I've seen something like this," he murmured. His voice was quieter, deeper, as if you were hearing a stranger.

You wanted to say something, but his gaze silenced you. His eyes didn't reflect the fire before you, but something much older, much deeper. Something that had never let go of him.