When Keirus came to, he was lying face down, covered in bruises and black stains. He pushed himself up, kneeling on his right knee and supporting his upper body with his right arm. A small fit of coughing burst out of his mouth, sending a sharp pain through his chest that made him cringe. Pulling his scarf up over his nose, he began to observe his surroundings. There was ash<span style="font-style: italic">everywhere</span>. Trails of smoke wafted to the sky from the smouldering remains of the forest, accumulating into a massive black plume. His gaze came to the gnarled trunk of the Spirit Tree. The force of the blast left it in a shape that could no longer be recognized.<br/><span style="font-style: italic">How did I survive this?</span>He wondered.<br/>Keirus rose slowly to his feet, and trudged through the ash. He hobbled along, clenching his jaw tight as pain shot through his chest on every other step. The explosion had slammed him hard into the ground, breaking at least two of his ribs, and possibly causing a few fractures. He decided to head north east, towards the eastern ridge of the Erelian Mountains. He figured that if he got some altitude, it'd be easier to spot any survivors. Besides, there was no longer any reason for him to stay here. As long as he kept moving, there was a chance of making it. Stagnation would only result in death.