The sound of muffled explosions in the background seemed insignificant next to the loudness of her own laboured breathing. The world was pitch black, but her steady heartbeat and breathing sounds told her she was alive.
Alive but... where? And how? And who-
Before her thought could finish, she slipped back out of consciousness.
A stern commanding voice snapped her back into the land of the living.
"Survivors! Reveal yourselves! We are allies!"
The woman slowly opened her eyes to a military officer, sifting his way through piles of bodies nearby while barking out the command like a refrain he was quickly tiring of.
The sharpness of the scene made her whince, moreso than the throbbing in her chest that she was suddenly aware of.
Blood, everywhere. Dismembered limbs, broken weapons, and the sky- the sky was gone. In its place was some sort of extreme brightness that didn't feel like true sunlight, but a replica made by someone who had studied it in books but never experienced it. Where was the sun?!
"Hey! Jasper! We got the last one over there."
The officer beckoned at another survivor, clearly not in the state to walk leave alone help someone else do so.
"Move her into the stronghold."
The man called Jasper grimaced in what seemed like pain, but moved towards her anyway, albeit with some hesitation.
"I'm alright," the woman said, with all the warmth she could muster as she propped herself up on one elbow.
"I'll stay here for a little bit, you go ahead."
Jasper quickly glanced at the military man, and when he looked back at her, she recognised fear in his eyes. That had not been a suggestion, but a command.
She begrudgingly held her hand up to Jasper. He gave her a tired smile and clearly braced himself as he pulled at her arm. A look of relief appeared on his face as she came across as lighter than expected. He had no idea it was because she was using all the strength she had.
As they walked with their arms around each other, unsure of who was supporting who more, the woman noted that the path to the stronghold felt longer than expected. Perhaps it was the excruciating pain in her chest, or the relentless brightness that her eyes somehow still couldn't get used to. Or, maybe, it was the view of hundreds of people on the ground that she didn't know - and now, never would. Her eyes stung at the thought.
"I'm Jasper."
Jasper clearly had very little understanding for appropriate timing.
"I'm...."
The woman trailed off, but Jasper helpfully interrupted her increasingly darkening thoughts.
"It's ok. Jasper's not my name either, I made it up just now."
He nodded at the military man.
"He asked me what he could call me, and Jasper was the first thing that popped up."
The woman felt a sinking feeling as she realised the only person who seemed friendly might not have answers for her. The walk would have been nice in different circumstances. The path itself had been clearly hand-laid, with each stone having been set with precision but a little trace of human imperfection - turning it from lifeless path to an artistic experience. But those stones didn’t seem like anything she had ever seen, in fact the texture almost seemed similar to animal bones, but denser and larger. Like a hunter’s winnings, out on display.
"It's a treasure, you know?"
The woman stopped walking and looked up at Jasper, startled.
"My name! The etymology of Jasper in some cultures meant treasure, while I also know it more commonly to refer to a stone. I have no idea how I know that but I don't know my own name, but never mind. Words are fascinating even in times of darkness, ey?"
The woman sighed as they continued their slow descent on the path to a giant wall a few thousand steps away. This was going to be a very long journey. Lulled by the gentle drum of the pace being kept by the officers escorting them, she found herself taking in the details of each stone she stepped on, until her eye was suddenly caught by an old inscription in the cobbled stones that lined parts of the path. It likely had been part of a longer word once as both sides were scratched off, but she felt a sense of belonging to the way the letters formed in her mind.
“Well, Jasper, I guess my name is Eres-”
“Ah, the bringer of chaos! Well, Eris, it’s nice to meet you.”
Eris sighed. That would work, too.