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Elisha's POV
I couldn't sleep last night. Not that insomnia was new to me, but this one had claws. I rolled from side to side on the stiff bed, staring up at the cracked ceiling beams like they had the answers to why fate hated me so much. My pessimistic side—the part of me that never shuts up—was already busy whispering in my ear:
You're doomed, Elisha. You walked yourself into this. A stupid heart of Mei, a suicidal mission, five Raiders and you—the walking joke.
I groaned and dragged a pillow over my head. "Shut up," I muttered into the fabric, though I was only talking to myself. My pessimistic side cackled like a crow.
Another thought hissed through me: You could run. Tonight. Right now. Slip out, take the back road, disappear into another town. The king will forget you exist.
That one almost tempted me. Almost. But then Lucky's face flickered in my mind, her voice, her ridiculous optimism. She'd done so much for me. If I ran, I'd be leaving her to her fate—a horrible, twisted one that I didn't even want to imagine. I hated owing people. And I owed her far too much.
So I lay there, restless, scolding myself for scolding myself, and eventually forced my hand to scribble letters. One after another. By the time the hundredth was written, sleep finally took me, cruel and reluctant.
---
The sun was already high when I opened my eyes. Eight in the morning. Perfect. At least no one was around to yell at me for oversleeping. I dragged myself out of bed, washed up in lukewarm water, and changed.
Lucky was nowhere in sight. Odd. I asked the head servant, the stiff-faced woman who always acted like she had something sour in her mouth, where Lucky was.
"In her room," she replied, clipped and flat.
I disliked her. Always had. So instead of knocking on Lucky's door, I hesitated and turned away, heading back to the tiny room the inn had shoved me into. My eyes landed on the pile of clothes folded neatly on the chair. Among them, my green cloak. Every stitch of it screamed low-ranked Green Raider. My token lay there too, catching the dim light.
I stared at it. Then scoffed. I wasn't proud of it. Why should I be? The lowest of the low. If Raiders were wolves, then I was the limping dog scavenging scraps. I tossed both cloak and token into my bag, more out of habit than pride.
Instead of the cloak, I pulled on clothes that spelled rogue, outlaw—anything but Raider. A plain black shirt, worn trousers, and boots that had seen better days. My hair was messy, my appearance careless. No one would mistake me for someone important. And that was fine. I didn't feel like a Raider.
I stepped into the hallway and caught sight of the only servant girl I actually tolerated. She was quiet, soft-eyed, and didn't look at me like I was already a corpse. I told her, "I'm heading out. To the tomb."
Her eyes widened. "Is this one of your jokes again?"
"Nope." I slung my bag over my shoulder. "Not a joke this time. You see… my whole life is already one. Fate's playing dice with me, and Mei's laughing from wherever she is. So yeah, I'm going."
She frowned, but I waved her off before she could answer.
Inside, my pessimistic side was already chattering: You're walking into a death trap. Just run. You know it's a bad idea.
"I agree with you," I muttered as I stepped out into the street. "But I can't run. Not now. Not when my conscience will haunt me more than death ever could. So shut it, and let's get this over with."
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The streets of town were alive, buzzing with vendors and clattering carts. The smell of roasted chestnuts and dried fish tangled in the morning air. Children darted past me, their laughter sharp against the backdrop of merchants shouting prices. Everyone had a purpose. Everyone belonged.
Except me.
I adjusted the bag on my shoulder and kept walking, rolling my eyes at how out of place I looked. A rogue, a nobody, about to stand beside Raiders who could crush me with a glance. But hey, fifty million gold was waiting on the other side. That thought was enough to push me forward.
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The woods at the edge of town were already gathering mist when I arrived. And there they were.
The king's carriage—painted in gaudy gold trims, ridiculous and heavy—stood like a fat beast among the trees. Guards lined its side, their armor gleaming dully in the filtered light.
And then the others.
The king himself looked irritated, probably because I was late. Again. I only grinned nonchalantly, like his displeasure was nothing more than a fly buzzing around my ear. What was the point of pretending to respect him? He'd already promised to forgive me, after all.
I strolled forward, adjusting my bag, every step lazy.
Paige spotted me first. Her brown hair caught the morning light, and her blue cloak—high-ranked Blue Raider—fluttered like it owned the air. Her eyes widened in disbelief.
"You—" she began, but I cut her off with a frown.
"Why does someone always act like my older sister around here?" I muttered.
She scowled. "Because you act like a reckless child."
I smirked. "Then you must love babysitting."
Before she could retort, my gaze shifted to the black-haired girl—Darcelle. The Red Raider. She looked at me, cool and sharp, eyes like blades.
"I thought you weren't foolish enough to chase the Heart," I said with a raised brow.
Her reply came quick, a glare etched into her features. "Who said only fools chase death? Aren't you here too?"
"Touché," I grinned. "Guess aside from Mei, the king also has the power to rewrite fate."
"No," she snapped, her tone as cutting as her stare. "He doesn't. You've walked straight into his trap, stupid."
I chuckled and shrugged. "Boring," I muttered, turning my eyes away.
That's when a familiar voice called out. "Elisha!"
I turned. Xavier. Blond hair, blue cloak, face far too pretty for his own good. He looked like a pampered child dressed up for war. A high-ranked Blue Raider, yes, but to me? Still a spoiled brat.
"Ah, Xavier," I grinned. "You came to chase death too?"
He rubbed the back of his head, smiling sheepishly. "Didn't really have a choice."
"Of course you did. You could've refused. Get kicked out like that poor Green Raider."
"Then I'd be on the streets," he laughed lightly. "I've never lived without comfort."
I grinned wider. "You could always come live with me."
He chuckled, shaking his head. "Then I'd still follow you here anyway."
"Funny," I tilted my head, smirking.
---
But then my grin slipped into something sharper. My voice rose deliberately.
"There's one more. That arrogant Black Raider. I thought he'd come. Guess he's just a mouthy coward after all."
Darcelle didn't even hesitate. "You're wrong. He's here. Pompous as always, like he owns everything that breathes."
And then I saw him. Nathan.
Walking with the kind of arrogance that made the air bend. His dark cloak trailed like shadow, his steps slow, deliberate, dripping with superiority. His gaze flicked to me, cold, disdainful.
I couldn't help it. My lips split into a wide, mocking grin.
Priceless. Absolutely priceless. His eyes narrowed, fury flashing beneath his mask. And when he smirked back—cold, cruel, dismissive—I almost laughed aloud. This was going to be fun.
---
The king cleared his throat, drawing attention back to himself. His voice boomed, heavy with forced authority.
"You five stand before me as chosen Raiders. Ahead lies the Tomb of Mei. Within it, the Heart itself. It is a place of death, of legend, of trials no man has yet overcome. Yet I send you, because destiny demands it. You will retrieve the Heart and bring it to me. Do this, and your names will be carved into history. Fail… and you will be forgotten among bones."
Dramatic. Over-rehearsed. I almost yawned.
He continued, droning about duty and honor and the importance of unity. Paige listened with sharp attention, nodding occasionally. Xavier shifted nervously but tried to look serious. Darcelle's face stayed unreadable, like she was weighing every word. Nathan, of course, stood as though the king's words were beneath him, his chin high, eyes sharp.
Me? I got bored. Fast.
"Hey, old man," I finally called, interrupting.
The king froze mid-sentence. Slowly, his gaze turned to me.
"We're not going on some blueberry-picking excursion," I said lazily. "You keep talking like we're about to make a debut in front of screaming fans. It's a death trap, not a parade. Enough with the lecture."
The air dropped into silence. Paige's eyes widened. Xavier's jaw slackened. Darcelle's lips twitched like she was suppressing something—anger or amusement, I couldn't tell.
"Insolent!" the king thundered, his face hardening.
"Yeah, yeah. Fuck off," I muttered, waving a hand. "You're boring me."
The collective gasp around me was so loud you'd think I had just burned down the palace.
Paige hissed under her breath, "You've gone too far."
Xavier whispered, "Why would you—?"
Nathan's lips curled into a smirk, cold and predatory, like he was enjoying watching me dig my own grave.
I ignored all of them. Nonchalantly, I strolled past, leaned against a tree, and folded my arms. The king looked like he regretted ever being alive as he muttered a few more lines and finally dismissed himself, retreating to his carriage with stiff dignity.
Good riddance.
---
That left the five of us.
Paige—the overly strict big sister type, already glaring like she'd ground me into dust if she could.
Darcelle—the secretive one, sharp and dangerous, her silence heavy.
Xavier—the pampered child, generous, smiling even when he shouldn't.
Nathan—the arrogant bastard, strutting like he already owned the victory.
And me—the rogue, the joke, the low-ranked Green Raider who had no business being here.
I looked at them, grinned wide, and thought: If I die, I'm dragging at least one of you bastards down with me.
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