[ " Corpus frangitur, non finis.
Anni mei in cinerem cadunt.
Dolor accipe, fata differ.
Dum pulsat cor, tempus est. " ]
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I woke up to a pounding in my skull so sharp it felt like my ears were cracking open, bleeding from the inside. The world swam above me, heat pressing my body down, grit clinging to my skin.
I tried to move, but I noticed my legs refusing. When I forced my head downward, the sight made my stomach lurched twisted, broken, useless.
Around me, there were three bodies scattered in the sand. Anny, Victor and Andrew. Victor groaned faintly, blood soaking through the torn fabric of his shoulder. The others were motionless, their faces slack with pain.
Panic surged through me, hot and choking. I dragged my hand across my face, brushing away strands of hair plastered to my skin. My palm scraped against the grains of sand that struck like glue.
A thunderous blast roared from behind, the shockwave rattling though my chest. I twisted as much as my ruined body allowed, and the horizon burned. Military tents collapsing in flames, black smoke clawing upward into the desert sky.
Through the haze of smoke and the fire, I saw her. A figure moving against the fire. Her heels clicking against the sand as if she was walking on a plain surface.
she came towards me, and stopped just inches away.
Half her face hidden beneath that veiled hat. Her green skirt clung to her legs, flaring like a mermaid's tail, and above it a fitted coat framed her torso with sharp lines.
Iriel gave me a little smile as she looked down at my state.
— It looks like Hashur was too kind towards you. Only your legs?
— Why are you here?
— hm, I'm here to help you guys. Look, I even cleared the path for your friends.
She pointed behind her. I stayed silent, observing her.
— Want me to help you? Romie?
…
— I don't need your help.
— Are you sure? It doesn't look like your friends will last any longer if they don't seek immediate help.
— They're not my friends. Get lost.
Iriel grabbed Andrew by the neck, her fingers piercing his skin.
— Then you wouldn't mind if I killed them all before taking you back to Raily. Have you forgotten your contract?
— Is that why you're here…because Raily sent you. I didn't plan on escaping, I was getting sick being stuck there alone.
Iriel dropped Andrew. His body crumpled back into the sand with a dull thud.
before I could process it, her heel pressed down on my shattered leg. A white-hot bolt of pain tore through me, ripping a scream from my throat.
— Don't lie. You had one task, you useless child! It was to keep watch over that bastard!
The fire behind her roared, but all I could hear was my own voice breaking against the desert air.
— FUCK! YOU BITCH! THAT FUCKING HURTS.
— The fucking contract is over! Zack is alive! I don't want Raily's fake promises.
— Seems like you've been brainwashed in just 1 day. If Zack is alive, then where is he? There's only Andrew, Victor and Anny here. Where is Zack?
My eyes darted across the burning camps, then back to the bodies beside me, and for a heartbeat I felt myself outside of it all.
I whispered under my breath. "Zack…he…he was there…"
Iriel bent down with a grin on her face. Her red lipstick matches the fire behind her. "Zack is dead. Hashur killed him."
No…no… he isn't dead. He—he's alive. The bomb exploded in Anny's direction; he was at the back. If Anny's fine…Zack must be too…he wouldn't—
— Looks like Zack survived Jia Wei's attack. He only made it because Sen's men are thralls.
— Romie, Raily told me to give you two choices. One: stay with them, and I'll leave. We won't rescue you, and you'll be cast out forever. Two: come back to us, and in return I'll heal everyone here.
— I get to choose?
Iriel nodded, letting me decide.
The choice seemed obvious, but deep down I craved something else.
I glanced at Anny. She looked my age, yet her life was nothing like mine. Even though she ran away with nothing, she still has people who care. She still has a place to belong. Somewhere she could claim it as hers.
Master Sen once asked me who I looked up to, and I could not say Zack.
This was the first time Zack had noticed me. He saved me. He defended me. He made me tag along.
— Having trouble choosing? Want me to help?
— You've forgotten who you are, Romie. Forgotten where you came from. Do you really think you belong with them? Anny, Victor, Andrew… they tolerate you, but they don't see you and will never see you as one of them. You've seen it yourself— their looks, their silence when you're around.
— On the way to Hashur, did you walk beside them? No. You trailed behind, watching from a distance. That's all they'll ever let you do.
— Doesn't that sting? Doesn't that hurt to know you'll never be one of them?
— And Zack? He doesn't care for you more than we do. More than Raily does.
— Raily saved you. She pulled you out of your father's misery. She freed you from Sen's grip. She gave your life meaning when no one else would.
— And now you hesitate? After everything she's done? Is this how you repay her—by betraying her for people who don't even want you?
— Think, Romie. We're not the bad ones. We're the ones who love you for who you are. We're the ones who give you power, purpose, a place to belong.
— A place to call home.
Iriel's cold hands cupped my face, forcing me to meet her eyes.
— So tell me, what's your choice?
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[ Camp-Rose ]
[ 5 days later…]
We sat on a weathered bench, its wood darkened by years of rain and sun. Beside us, a broad rock pressed against the riverbank, half-buried in soil and moss. The river moved steadily, carrying a dull shimmer across its surface.
In the distance, a steel bridge stretched across the water, its beams rigid and heavy. Trains passed overhead from time to time, their rumbles echoing through the air and sending faint vibrations across the river's skin.
— I appreciate your help, sir. If there's any way I can repay you. Please let me know.
The officer let out a light chuckle as he sipped the tea. "Don't take it like that! I'm just doing my job, just doing what a normal person would do."
— Once I get to Victoria, I'll make sure to fill a report on those thugs so that they never lay their fingers on you.
"—And my brother…" I kept running my thumb around the rim of the mug. My face probably said it all. I was still worried, no matter how much I tried to remain calm.
The officer stood up, his fingers pulling his glasses back. "Ah right! I'll find him, do not worry miss. Once I get to Victoria, there is someone who's waiting for me there after meeting her, I'll fill in a report!"
— Are you also in search of someone?
His eyes shifted towards me, and I caught myself holding back. "You… could put it like that. Before I rescued you, we were on our way to Victoria Kingdom. She and I were climbing along the edges of a cliff when suddenly she… um… she tripped. I reached out, but it was already too late— she fell. Thankfully, the river caught her. She told me she was fine, ordered me to keep walking, and said she'd cross the river and meet me at Victoria.
That night, I kept walking, crying to myself. Then I spotted a fire. I wanted to seek refuge… and that's when I saw you. And those thugs."
I stayed silent for a moment, then a thought struck me.
— The train will come in two days…but I know how to sneak you into Victoria if you want to get there quickly.
The officer's eyes lit up. "I do! I need to get there as fast as I can. The quee— I mean, she could be in danger at any moment. I must be there to protect her!
I stood, brushing the dust from my skirt. " The crew! They've got a ship!"
- - -
I knew their boat wasn't exactly built for travel. It was small, maybe enough for ten people if everyone squeezed in together. The crew never cared about that— they were boxers and wrestlers, not sailors. The deck looked more like a gym than a ship, with punching bags swinging from chains and mats rolled up in the corners.
The outside was covered in graffiti, names and slogans sprayed in bright colors.
It wasn't built for long trips, but more so on touring trips. The only thing I cared about was that this boat had permission to cross over to Victoria.
I stepped up to the wheel, fingers tightening around it. The boat gave a low groan as the engine sputtered to life, and the officer stood there, staring at me like I had grown a second head.
"Do you…know how to drive this?" He asked, half-shouting over the wind.
I grinned, eyes fixed on the horizon. 'No. Do you?", he shook his head quickly.
— Guess we'll figure it out.
The boat lurched forward, drifting into the open water. The wind whipped strong against us, the pale blue sky stretching wide above. My mouth hung open, joy spilling across my face as the spray hit my cheeks.
He grabbed onto the metal bar beside me, knuckles white, but his voice carried loud and clear. "I've never really introduced myself! I'M CODY!"
I laughed, shouting back over the roar of the waves.
— AND I AM MARIA!
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[ ? ? ? ]
The silence pressed in, heavy and strange. I couldn't tell if I was lying down or standing, if there were walls or just empty space. All I knew was that I wasn't alone.
Then, from somewhere in the dark, a voice whispered,
[ You're finally awake. ]