The four remaining slave traders scrambled to their feet, eyes filled with desperation and rage. Their weapons gleamed under the fading sunlight, and without hesitation, they rushed forward, ready to kill.
Zay, Renzo, and Lily stood their ground. Their aura surged, crackling in the air violently.
Lily was the first to move.
With a burst of speed, she channeled aura into her leg, the energy coiling around her foot. Raising her knee, and swung a brutal roundhouse kick straight into a man's jaw.
CRACK.
His head snapped back before his body lifted off the ground, spinning midair before he crashed onto the dirt with a sickening thud. He didn't get back up.
Renzo grinned at the one charging toward him, rolling his shoulders before lunging forward.
The trader barely had time to react before Renzo grabbed him by the collar, hoisting him into the air like a ragdoll. With a loud grunt, Renzo spun on his heel and slammed the man into the ground, dust exploding around them from the impact.
The trader wheezed, coughing violently as he tried to crawl away.
Renzo tilted his head, smirking. "You're still awake?"
Without warning, he lifted his foot and stomped down viciously—right into the man's groin.
The trader's body seized up, his eyes bulging as a strangled scream tore from his throat. "S-STOP!" he gasped, his hands instinctively clutching his shattered pride.
Renzo stepped back, shaking his foot like he was trying to get rid of something disgusting. "Man, that must've hurt."
Lily exhaled, glancing over at Zay—only to find the fight was already over.
The last two traders were already unconscious.
Zay stood over them, shaking off his knuckles, his aura slowly fading. The two men were sprawled across the dirt, their weapons discarded, completely motionless.
Renzo huffed. "Damn, you could've left me another one."
Zay ignored the comment and turned toward the caravan.
The children inside, barely more than skin and bone, huddled together in fear. Their tattered clothes and dirt-streaked faces told a story of suffering they never should've experienced. Around their necks, thick iron collars gleamed under the setting sun—a mark of their captivity.
Zay approached slowly, his voice softer now, careful not to scare them.
He knelt in front of them and lifted his hands, a gentle violet glow forming around his fingertips as his aura surged once more. The moment his hands touched the cold metal, the collars began to crack, then shatter, breaking apart like fragile glass.
One by one, he freed them.
As the last collar fell to the ground, Zay looked at them.
"Do you know where your parents are? Or where you came from?" His voice was steady, yet there was something almost pained beneath it.
The children didn't speak, but they nodded.
Zay exhaled and stood up, his aura finally fading from his hands.
"Then go. Get home."
The children didn't hesitate. They scrambled out of the caravan, their small feet kicking up dirt as they ran into the forest, disappearing beyond the trees.
Zay watched them go, his expression unreadable.
Renzo stretched, cracking his neck. "So, what now?"
Zay turned away from the empty caravan, glancing toward the horizon.
"Now? Now, we leave this damn land, get back in the boat, and make our way to Quivarem—hopefully with no more interruptions."
Zay's voice was firm, leaving no room for argument.
Without hesitation, the three of them turned. Violet aura ignited around Zay as he dashed forward, his speed cutting through the wind like a blade. Behind him, red energy crackled around Renzo as he kept pace, his expression unreadable. Lily followed, her blue aura swirling softly, as she followed behind the two of them.
The dense forests blurred past them as they ran, their boots hammering against the dirt, sending leaves and dust flying in their wake.
The distant hum of insects and the occasional rustling of unseen creatures were the only sounds beyond their rapid breathing.
For four hours, they continued to run.
The sky had begun to darken, the sun dipping toward the horizon, its last golden rays spilling across the vast, endless ocean before them. The waves lapped gently at the shore, a stark contrast to the chaos that had thrown them off course weeks ago.
Renzo let out an exasperated sigh, rolling his shoulders before placing his hands behind his head. "This was such a wasteful trip, honestly."
Lily ran a hand through her damp hair before stepping toward the boat. "Tell me about it." She sighed, shaking her head as she climbed in.
Zay said nothing. He simply walked to the boat, grabbing the oar without hesitation. The sooner they left, the better.
Renzo followed, plopping down onto the wooden bench. He grabbed the second oar, and without another word, they pushed off the shore, their boat slicing through the gentle waves as they began their long journey once more.
The first few days passed in silence, the rhythm of their paddles steady against the water. The sea stretched beyond the eye in all directions, a massive, shifting canvas of deep blues and silvers, reflecting the moonlight at night and shimmering beneath the sun during the day.
The salty breeze was cool against their skin, a welcome contrast to the blazing heat that bore down on them during the afternoons.
At night, the temperature dropped, and they huddled under what little cloth they had, staring up at the vast, star-filled sky, where constellations danced in an eternal waltz.
Food was scarce, but they managed.
Zay and Renzo took turns catching fish, using simple hooks that Zay had already prepared on the boat and thin lines crafted from strips of their belts.
Lily, though she didn't complain, looked at every meal of raw fish with mild disgust, but hunger was a powerful motivator.
Renzo groaned one evening, holding up yet another flopping fish in his hands. "I swear, if I have to eat one more of these slimy bastards, I'm throwing myself overboard."
Lily raised an eyebrow, taking a slow bite. "Then starve."
Renzo scowled before sighing and begrudgingly tearing into his meal. "I'm just saying, man, we've been at this for years. How much farther is this damn place?"
Zay chuckled, resting against the side of the boat, letting the cool sea air brush against his face.
"We should only be about a week or so… give or take."
Renzo groaned, throwing his head back. "A week?! Damn, I thought we were almost there!"
Zay smirked, watching the waves ripple out endlessly. He chuckled slightly to himself as waves crashed into each other in the distance.
After two long weeks at sea, the ocean stretched endlessly behind them, a vast expanse of churning waters that had carried them through storms, hunger, and exhaustion. Now, at long last, their journey across the sea had ended.
Their small rowboat scraped against the jagged rocks of Quivarem's coastline. There was no welcoming harbor, no guiding light—only the unforgiving cliffs and the sound of the waves slamming violently against stone, as if the land itself rejected their arrival.
Zay leapt out first, his boots landing on the uneven, wet rocks, his grip tightening around the boat as he steadied it for the others.
"We're here." His voice was quiet, but there was an edge to it.
Renzo groaned as he stretched his limbs. "Finally, I was starting to think we'd be stuck out in the open seas forever."
Lily climbed out last, pulling her robe back down until it fit over her body perfectly, she glanced toward the towering cliffs ahead. "So, we're not taking the main entrance?"
Zay shook his head. "No. Too risky. Ports here are crawling with people looking for easy targets. Smugglers, slavers, bounty hunters. If we go in from the front, we'll stand out immediately." He pointed toward the cliffside. "We go up."
Renzo stared up the sheer, jagged rocks, his expression deadpan. "That's a hell of a welcome."
Zay simply smirked.
Lily began climbing first, Zay followed behind her and Renzo gulped slightly before following Zay up. The climb was brutal on all three of them. The rocks were sharp, cutting into their hands as they climbed. The air was thick with salt, the wind whipping against them as they ascended higher, leaving behind the raging ocean below. Every grip was a risk, every ledge a test of endurance.
Lily moved with efficiency, her light frame and precise movements making the climb easier for her than the others. Zay followed just behind, his grip unshaken, his breath steady.
Renzo, on the other hand, grumbled the entire way up.
"If I slip and die, I swear, I'm haunting both of you."
Zay chuckled. "You'd have to die first."
Renzo rolled his eyes and continued climbing.
After a few hours of climbing, they reached the top. Their arms burned, their muscles aching from the climb. But there was no time to rest.
Ahead of them, nestled between the jagged peaks, was a small mountain path leading deeper into Quivarem's wilderness. The wind howled between the rocks, carrying the distant sounds of life—distant voices, the faint ring of metal, the occasional gunshot echoing in the far-off valley below.
Lily wiped sweat from her brow, her eyes scanning the dark landscape ahead. "This place felt different on the way up, but it feels really weird being on land."
Zay exhaled slowly, his amethyst eyes narrowing as he took in the land before them.
"Welcome to Quivarem."