Life is suffering;

[Castile]

and underneath the layers, I find myself asking what's left
a hollowed out form, the skeleton of a ghost, the pitiful echo of what once was

There's no reason to be back, to return to a world he long left behind in a cloud of ash and smoke. Soot lied in his wake when he launched himself into the open sky one last time.


A thunderous roar.
A stream of fire.
And then he was gone.

There is a life beyond this, beyond this island, and yet underneath his armored skin and iron-encased heart lies a spark of curiosity to taste familiarity again. This is where he was conceived, where he took his first breath. It's where he has filled and broken so many hearts, wrecked vows, and destroyed lives. But it is also the place where he experienced love and fatherhood, power and fortitude, friendship and so many mistakes.

He doesn't expect to see anyone from that life, not even his own children. Many years have passed, but he is truthfully unaware of exactly how many. He quickly lost count after fading beyond Beqanna's horizon. Each rhythmic beat of his wings carried him further away from everything he built - and destroyed.

Curiosity killed the cat, but what, exactly, does it do to a dragon?

A plume of smoke coils from his nostrils as he stands beneath an ancient oak. Patches of missing bark grab his attention, albeit briefly, before he takes heed to the noises surrounding him. Voices, laughter. His brows furrow as he notes the spectrum of conversations, eavesdropping haphazardly. As one would expect, he does not make a display of his presence. Not a word or noise slips past his pursed lips that would betray his unexpected return (because deep within him, he questions the permanence of his decision).

Instead, Castile keeps mutely to himself beneath the oak tree as sunlight dapples across his skin. Scars still web across his coat and age him, as do the stories in his eyes, despite immortality's sweet kiss. A deep pull of air, and then a sigh. He cannot help to toy with himself as to what, exactly, drew him back to the confines of Beqanna

castile

Uhh not really back, per say, I guess?

Just a lot going on in life and felt like writing a little, even if it's giving me anxiety. If anyone even responds - which is quite unlikely - I would at least try to keep the thread going and not intentionally ghost anyone.