Even from here I could hear the timbers burning, collapsing into each other and falling.

It took a moment, heartbeats framed in a lifetime, to realize how long it had been burning.
The precise moment it changed from a feeble flicker into a raging blaze slipped past unnoticed. I knew the flames had been there, had sensed them all along, but this...

This was a destruction.

My better nature fought against a sense of self preservation.

The latter wanting to run and save would, could be collected, putting out the flames with skin and tears if necessary.
The former sighing that flames serve as a catalyst, making way for the Phoenix.

I watched as the markers of a history and identity added to the flood that marred the sky.