Xaidon's eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, and he took in his surroundings. His heart sank as he struggled to his feet, his body aching all over. "No, no, you can't tell me that all that was a dream." he muttered, hope and despair warring within him. He spotted the girl sleeping at the far end of the cave and the boy sitting at the entrance, watching the forest.
The boy's smile lit up his face as he turned to Xaidon. "Don't worry, it isn't a dream. If everything that happened were a dream, you wouldn't be wearing clothes. Or at least pants." Xaidon glanced down at his shirtless body, noticing the herbal leaves treating his wounds. He sighed in relief as he saw that his injuries were already half-healed.
The boy approached him, offering a flask. "This is yours." Xaidon took it gratefully and drank, realizing too late that he was accepting water from a stranger. He cursed under his breath, but the boy's innocent demeanor put him at ease—for now.
The boy approached the girl with a gentle smile and softly tapped her shoulder to wake her up. The girl stirred slightly, her eyes fluttering open as she slowly sat up. Xaidon watched silently, his eyes fixed on the pair as they settled into a circle about five meters apart.
The cave was shrouded in an uncomfortable silence, with none of them speaking a word. The only sound was the faint rustling of leaves outside the cave entrance. The boy broke the silence, his voice barely above a whisper. "My name is Peter." he said, his eyes dropping to the ground.
As he paused, a hint of sadness crept into his voice. "I have no surname…anymore." Peter's gaze lifted, and he forced a smile, trying to lighten the mood. "I stayed in a small village not too far from here. My parents owed the Kin clan some money and couldn't pay, so they took me and brought me here." His expression darkened as he recounted his time in the place, the memories clearly still painful.
The girl listened intently, her eyes studying Peter's face as he spoke. When he finished, she turned to Xaidon, her gaze meeting his. After a moment of silence, she began to speak, her voice calm and measured.
"I am Skylar Dem." she said, glancing at Xaidon. "I was the daughter of a chief of my tribe. We lived close to the sea, but the Kin clan attacked us. They killed everyone and took some of the children, bringing us here." Her gaze dropped, and her voice faltered slightly as she continued. "Once they bring someone here, they break the person, then sell them as a slave. I was there for more than seven months. A girl and I were the last to break... till she also broke, and I had to—" Skylar's words trailed off, and she paused, clearly unwilling to continue.
Xaidon's expression was somber as he pieced together the unspoken part of her story. He knew that Skylar had likely killed the girl to release her from her suffering—a mercy killing that spoke volumes about her strength and compassion. The weight of their shared experiences hung in the air, and the silence that followed was heavy with unspoken understanding.
After a moment, Xaidon took a deep breath, preparing to share his own story. His eyes met Skylar's, then Peter's, as he began to speak, his voice low and measured.
Xaidon's eyes burned with determination as he spoke, his voice low and measured. "My name is Xaidon." He paused, collecting his thoughts before continuing. "I have never had any type of contact with the Kin clan. And when I'm prepared, I'm going to find out why I was captured. And make them pay tenfold." The air around him seemed to grow heavier, charged with the dark rage that simmered beneath his words.
Peter's eyes sparkled with amusement as he studied Xaidon, then he chuckled. "Well, you wouldn't mind if I joined you, right?" His smile grew wider, and he leaned forward, his enthusiasm infectious.
Xaidon turned to him for a while before blinking. "I mean I can't return to my village till those bastards are dealt with."
Then they heard a chuckle and turned. "You two must be mad. The Kin clan is no ordinary clan. They have branches in the whole kingdom. Plus now that the fourth prince or now king is in control of a kingdom you can imagine their influence." Skylar said. "They have warriors powerful enough to clear small-sized cities."
Xaidon kept quiet for a while. She was right. Just a low-level guard and he was already half dead—imagine the entire clan. He could only guess how powerful those people were. Then he remembered Alexander. Alexander was a direct relative of the clan. How powerful was Alexander really? As his thoughts ran wild, a voice spoke out.
"I know a place." Peter said, a little worried. He thought about what he was about to say before sighing. "I know a place where we can get stronger and gain power."
Xaidon and Skylar studied him for a while before signaling him to continue.
"The Dark…Order." Instantly, both Xaidon and Skylar face turn pale at the mention of that name.
The Dark Order was an evil organization stationed in the empire. Even Xaidon, who lived on the very edge of the empire, knew about it. He would even say he knew more than these two. His father hated the organization to the core. Whenever his father encountered the leader and was close to defeating him, the leader would find a way to escape. This annoyed his father every time. The organization was a group of killers who derived pleasure from evil deeds. In their ranks, they had twenty warriors rumored to be on par with fifteen knights. They called them Demons. But Xaidon had learned the truth long ago from his father: maybe the top five were on the level of knights, but not all twenty. In fact, the fifteen knights had killed many of these so-called Demons. Still, it didn't mean they weren't powerful.
Xaidon thought for a while, studying Peter's face. "I know they are dangerous, but you can't tell me our goal of destroying the Kin clan won't put us in trouble. I think with the Dark Order backing us, we shouldn't fear." Peter tried to convince them why this was the better option.
Xaidon considered it. It wasn't a bad suggestion, but he was no longer evil or mindless. At least, not anymore. He couldn't just kill for fun. After a moment of thought, he finally decided. He glanced at Peter. "I will join you, but when the time comes—when I am ready to leave the organization—you have to help me or join me."
Peter smiled and nodded, then turned to Skylar. Skylar just shook her head before sighing. "I swear, if I get killed, I'll be both of your nightmares in hell."
It was decided: they would travel to the Dark Order, gain strength, and then seek revenge on the Kin clan. But they needed to find the organization first.
"There's a small branch near my village. No one there knows about it except the chief and my father, who's an advisor. I managed to see a map leading to the branch, which is surprisingly safe." Peter explained. And so, they began to discuss how to get there—how long they had until Alexander returned. They decided to rest for a day and travel tomorrow.