Ch. 1: Embers
It was over. His metamorphosis was complete. The once-human boy was crouched in front of the burning house. His still form was illuminated by the crackling flames that ate hungrily away into what remained. There he sat, with wide eyes, watching the only home he'd ever known be reduced to a pile of ash. The boy's expression was distant. Emotionless. With a crackling sigh, the last of the beams keeled over, and the house collapsed in on itself. The wave of heated air blew forward into his face and tousled his hair. He didn't blink. Or move. His father's last words echoed sharply inside his heart. And he knew that this night would stay with him forever.