Page 287 of Axis of Fire

“And what's it about?” I asked, briefly glancing at him before returning my attention to the breathtaking monument.

“The fate of a boy named Wood was... complicated.”

Airis's voice grew quieter.

“He was born from decay itself—

A force tied to death.”

“He was given a choice.

Accept his nature...

Or become something he was never meant to be.”

“They told him not to fight who he was.

Not to long for life.

Not to reach for things beyond his nature.”

Airis’s gaze remained fixed on the stone.

“Because his essence was destruction.”

“But Wood refused to become the end of everything.”

“He wanted to bring joy.”

A faint smile touched Airis’s lips.

“And death rarely brings that.”

My eyes drifted back to the monument.

A hollow carved into the rock held something dark and rough.

And at its center—

A faint glow.

It resembled the silhouette of an unborn child.

The next carving showed a young boy surrounded by strange creatures.

His body was covered in soot.

Something beneath his skin glowed like embers refusing to die.

“In the end,” Airis continued,

“he chose to take the risk.”

“And after countless trials, he proved that decay isn't merely destruction.”

“It is the collapse of an old form—

One that can become either death...”