The skiff cut silently through the mist as the cliffs of Hotaru's northern edge came into view. The lookout didn't waste time with questions or glances back. She rowed with brutal efficiency, angling the boat toward a half-sunken dock hidden beneath the jagged rocks.
As soon as we reached it, I scrambled onto the slick wood and took off running.
Robin. I just had to get to Robin.
The hidden ruin wasn't far. My mind raced ahead, already picturing her fragile form huddled beneath that frayed cloak, waiting for me, trusting me to come back like I promised.
But the second I rounded the final alley, I felt it.
That presence again.
A hand shot out from the shadows, catching me by the throat, slamming me back into the stone wall so hard my breath exploded from my lungs.
I gasped, struggling, nails clawing at the iron grip.
"No more running," a low voice rasped in my ear.
Another hand grabbed my arm, twisting it behind my back. I kicked, thrashed, bit down on a scream—but the second man was already there, slamming his knee into my stomach, knocking the air out of me.
Pain exploded across my ribs as they shoved me face-first against the wall, twisting my arms behind me and binding my wrists with coarse rope. I tasted blood in my mouth from biting my tongue.
I couldn't lose here. I couldn't.
"Bring her to the docks," the first one barked. "The broker's still waiting."
Panic flared in my chest. Robin. I had to warn her. Had to buy her time.
I thrashed again, dragging my feet until I caught movement out of the corner of my eye—Nyx, slipping from the shadows down the alley, flanked by Tallis and the silver-haired lookout.
Her dark eyes locked onto mine instantly, narrowing as she took in the scene.
I didn't think. I didn't care. I shouted with every shred of breath I had left.
"Nyx—my sister! She's still in the ruins—you promised!"
The ropes bit into my skin as they dragged me backward, my boots scraping against the cobblestones. The cloth slipped for half a breath—just long enough for me to suck in one last desperate breath.
"Don't come after me!" I screamed hoarsely, twisting hard enough to nearly dislocate my shoulder. "You hear me, Nyx? Don't follow! Keep her safe! KEEP MY SISTER SAFE!"
One of the men cursed and drove his fist into my gut, stealing my breath in a white-hot burst of pain.
I collapsed to my knees, choking, but I forced my head up one last time, locking eyes with Nyx across the alley.
Her jaw was clenched so tight I thought her teeth might break. I could see the war playing out behind her dark eyes—see her weighing every risk, every cost.
"Swear it again!" I croaked through the blood in my mouth, tasting iron and salt.
Nyx's fists tightened at her sides, her crew tense and ready to move.
But she didn't take a step. Didn't flinch.
Her face set into a hard mask as she called back—
"I swear."
And just like that…she turned her back on me. Spun on her heel and ran—toward Robin. Toward safety.
I sagged against the ground as the men yanked me back to my feet.
Good. That was good. That was right.
I let the blackness take me, clutching that last image of Robin in my mind—
Safe.
No matter what happened to me… She was safe.
Robin startled awake with a small gasp, heart hammering against her ribs.
For a moment, she didn't know why. The ruin was silent—too silent. No whisper of footsteps. No sign of Raven returning.
She sat up slowly, clutching the worn cloak tighter around her shoulders. The air smelled like damp stone and salt. Her stomach twisted, not from hunger this time—but from fear.
Where is she?
Robin bit her trembling lip, curling her knees tighter to her chest. Maybe Raven had gotten delayed. Maybe she'd gone back for more food. Or maybe—
No. Raven promised she'd come back. Raven always kept her promises.
Didn't she?
The sharp scrape of stone shifting broke through her spiraling thoughts. Robin flinched, shrinking back into the corner, her breath catching in her throat.
Someone was coming.
She scrambled to her feet, eyes darting around the dim chamber, searching for a place to hide—but before she could move, a familiar voice cut through the tension.
"Easy, little shadow," Nyx whispered from the darkness.
Robin froze.
Nyx and two women emerged from the cracked wall—Tallis and the silver-haired lookout—both with weapons drawn, scanning the shadows like they expected someone to jump out at any second.
Robin's voice trembled when she found it. "Where's… where's my sister?"
Nyx flinched—actually flinched—before she swallowed hard and crouched down to Robin's level.
"She sent me," Nyx rasped softly. "She made me swear to get you out. Right now."
Robin's throat clenched. "W-What happened? Where—"
"She's buying you time," Nyx whispered, her voice rough, sharp. "But we have to move."
Robin shook her head, clutching the cloak tighter. "I-I can't leave her! I—"
Nyx reached out, her hand surprisingly gentle as it landed on Robin's shoulder.
"She made me promise," Nyx whispered again, voice nearly breaking. "You have to trust me now. Please."
Robin's breath hitched, her heart tearing itself in two.
Raven wouldn't have trusted anyone. Except maybe… this one.
Robin's small fists trembled, but she nodded, swallowing back the scream threatening to tear out of her throat.
"Okay…" she whispered. "But… you have to find her after."
Nyx's face darkened. "One step at a time, little shadow. First—we run."
The journey back through the tunnels was a blur of hurried steps, muffled breathing, and Robin clutching Nyx's sleeve like it was the only solid thing left in the world.
They emerged into the early morning mist near the cliffs, the first fragile light of dawn barely cresting over the horizon. The waiting skiff bobbed silently in the cove below, the lookout already preparing to push off.
Nyx didn't speak a word as she helped Robin into the boat, settling the girl beside her as they drifted away from the island's jagged shoreline. Robin sat perfectly still, her small fists trembling in her lap, her eyes never leaving the fog-draped cliffs behind them.
She didn't ask again. Not yet.
It wasn't until the skiff pulled into the shadows of a hidden sea cave—quiet, sheltered, far from Hotaru's reach—that Robin finally broke the silence.
She turned slowly, looking up at Nyx with wide, hollow eyes. "Where is she?"
Nyx froze, her jaw tightening like she was biting back something sharp. She glanced away, pulling the skiff onto the rocky shore. Tallis and the lookout didn't speak, giving them space as they started unloading supplies.
Robin stood on shaky legs, balling her fists at her sides. "I'm asking you, Nyx. Where's my sister?"
Nyx finally turned, her face harder than Robin had ever seen it.
"She… she didn't make it out," Nyx rasped quietly, voice rough like gravel. "She got caught. She knew it was coming… she made me swear I'd get you out before they found you."
Robin's face crumpled, her breath hitching in her throat.
"No… no, she wouldn't… she promised—"
"She kept her promise," Nyx snapped, stepping closer, grabbing Robin's shoulders before she could crumble. "She gave herself up so you could live."
Tears welled in Robin's eyes, spilling over as her knees buckled. Nyx caught her, pulling her in close, gripping the back of her head like she could anchor her there through sheer force.
"She knew," Nyx whispered, voice cracking. "And she made me swear not to come after her. To keep you safe. That's what I'm doing."
Robin choked on a sob, clutching Nyx's coat with trembling fingers.
"She's gone… she's really gone…"
Nyx didn't answer. Because she didn't know how to lie about this. She just held Robin tighter as the girl broke in her arms—
—while somewhere in the distance, the rising sun began to burn through the mist, and Hotaru's chains pulled tighter around Raven's throat.
Robin cried until her body gave out. Until her throat ached from the rawness of it. Until she had nothing left but shallow, broken breaths.
Nyx held her through all of it, silent, still. Not offering empty words—just staying there, steady and unmoving, like she knew there wasn't a thing she could say to make the storm inside Robin stop.
When Robin finally stilled, her hands loosened their grip on Nyx's coat. She leaned back just enough to wipe her face with the back of her sleeve, her small frame trembling with every breath.
She didn't meet Nyx's eyes at first. But when she did, the look that stared back was different.
Not hollow.
Not afraid.
But burning.
"I can't… I can't let it end like this," Robin whispered, her voice raw and cracking. "I can't just hide. Not while they have her."
Nyx's jaw tightened, something dark flickering in her eyes. "Robin—"
"You said you knew how to fight," Robin cut in, her small fists curling again. "Teach me. Everything. Teach me how to make them pay."
Nyx stiffened, her face unreadable for a long, heavy moment.
Tallis glanced over from where she was unloading supplies, raising an eyebrow, but she didn't interrupt. No one did.
Robin took a shaky step closer, lifting her chin. "I'm not asking to be protected anymore. I'm asking to fight."
Nyx exhaled slowly, raking a hand through her long black braid as she studied Robin like she was searching for something.
"…If you start down this road," she said lowly, "there's no going back."
Robin swallowed hard, but her voice didn't waver. "Good."
Nyx stared at her for another heartbeat before she let out a slow, sharp breath, almost like she'd been expecting this from the start.
"…Alright, little shadow," Nyx rasped, nodding once. "I'll teach you how to survive."
I came to slowly, my throat raw, my body aching like I'd been dragged through hell.
The air was thick with salt and rot. Chains rattled faintly with every shallow breath I took. My wrists burned, bound high above my head with cold, biting iron that left my shoulders screaming in protest.
I tried to move, only to feel the sharp pull of shackles around my ankles, forcing me to hang half-suspended against a damp stone pillar. Every inch of me felt stretched too tight, bruised and raw.
My vision swam in and out of focus, but when the blurriness finally cleared, I saw where I was.
A cargo hold. No windows. No sunlight. Just rusted lanterns flickering on damp wooden walls and the stench of old blood and sea brine.
I wasn't alone. Cages lined the walls—dozens of them. Cramped metal cells, barely big enough to fit the broken, glass-eyed prisoners curled up inside. Men. Women. Children.
Some cried. Some sat silent. Some didn't move at all.
I clenched my jaw so hard my teeth ached, bile rising in my throat.
A pair of heavy boots approached from the far side of the hold. I didn't need to look to know who it was—the same broker I'd bluffed back in the tunnels. His presence oozed through the air like oil, thick and choking.
"Well… you turned out to be a little more trouble than you were worth," the man rumbled, his voice low and curling with something that made my skin crawl.
I spat blood at the floor without looking at him.
He stopped just short of me, clicking his tongue as he crouched to meet my eye level.
"Oh, don't worry," he said softly. "We're not done with you yet."
His smile stretched like a blade across his face.
"Not even close."