"Someone's coming through," Nyx whispered.
"Not our problem," Ignia said flatly, turning back to Murn. "We have a bounty to deliver."
But Nyx was already moving toward the barrier, her eyes fixed on the struggling figure. The glow reached a blinding crescendo, and then a body tumbled through, collapsing onto the rocky ground of Vorash.
It was a boy. Young, around their age, with black hair matted with dirt and blood. His clothes were torn, his body covered in cuts and bruises. He clutched a small, blood-stained book to his chest like a lifeline. He wasn't moving.
"Ignia!" Nyx rushed to the boy's side, kneeling beside him. She pressed her fingers to his neck. "He's alive, but barely. His essence is completely drained."
Ignia approached slowly, his expression unreadable. "The Great Divide does that. Strips everything from you when you pass through." He studied the boy with detached curiosity. "He came from Amnar. There have been rumors lately... people crossing over. Hasn't happened this often in centuries." He paused, his golden eyes narrowing slightly. "A normal human would never survive crossing. The barrier would kill them instantly."
"We have to help him."
"We have a bounty to deliver," Ignia repeated. "He's not our responsibility."
Nyx looked up at him, her soft eyes hardening with quiet determination. "Ignia. He's just a boy. He's hurt. He's alone. We're not leaving him here to die."
Ignia met her gaze. For a moment, something flickered behind his golden eyes, annoyance, perhaps, or maybe something softer that he'd never admit to. He sighed, running a hand through his dark hair.
"Fine. But you're carrying him."
Nyx's face broke into a warm smile. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet. If he causes trouble, I'm leaving him on the side of the road."
But even as he said it, Ignia was already hoisting the unconscious lieutenant over one shoulder, making room for Nyx to lift the mysterious boy. Together, they began the journey back toward Nadir, the closest town with a Hunters Association outpost, two hunters, one criminal, and an unconscious stranger from beyond the Great Divide.
Malachi didn't stir. But clutched against his chest, the blood-stained book remained, Kael's final gift, carried into a new land, a new chapter, a new beginning.
NADIR - EVENING
The sun was already dipping below the horizon when they reached the town's outer walls. Nadir was a modest settlement, sturdy stone buildings, lantern-lit streets, and the quiet bustle of merchants closing their stalls for the night. The Hunters Association outpost stood near the center of town, its emblem, a crossed sword and chain, hanging above the entrance.
Ignia shifted the weight of the still-unconscious Murn on his shoulder. "I'll deliver the bounty. Find us an inn for the night, somewhere near the eastern road. We leave for Central Vorash tomorrow. It's a three-day journey, and I'd rather not start it exhausted."
Nyx adjusted her grip on Malachi, who remained limp in her arms, his breathing shallow but steady. "What about him?"
"Take him with you. Get him a bed. If he wakes up, don't tell him anything until I get back."
Ignia glanced at the unconscious boy, his golden eyes briefly lingering on the blood-stained book still clutched to his chest.
Nyx nodded. "Don't take too long."
"It's paperwork, not a battle." Ignia turned and walked toward the outpost, dragging the groaning lieutenant behind him.
Nyx watched him go, then looked down at the boy in her arms. His face was pale, gaunt from what looked like years of hardship. Dirt and dried blood caked his skin, and his clothes were little more than rags. Yet even unconscious, his grip on that little book never loosened.
"What happened to you?" she murmured softly.
She turned and made her way through the lamp lit streets, searching for an inn that looked warm and welcoming. She found one near the eastern road, a cozy two-story building with a wooden sign that read "The Ember Hearth." Fitting, she thought.
The innkeeper, a plump woman with kind eyes, took one look at the unconscious boy and immediately ushered Nyx inside. Within minutes, Malachi was laid out on a soft bed in a warm room, his wounds cleaned and bandaged by Nyx's gentle hands.
She pulled a chair beside the bed and sat, watching his chest rise and fall with each breath.
"Rest now," she whispered. "You're safe."
Outside, the last light of day faded, and Nadir settled into the quiet rhythm of night.
THE HUNTERS ASSOCIATION OUTPOST - NADIR
The outpost was smaller than the one in Central Vorash, but it served its purpose. A few hunters lingered in the main hall, nursing drinks and swapping stories of recent hunts. Wanted posters lined the walls, faces of criminals, sketches of dangerous jide beasts, bounty amounts scrawled in bold ink.
Ignia approached the front desk, where a tired-looking clerk sat behind a stack of papers. He dropped Gravel Murn unceremoniously onto the floor, drawing a few glances from nearby hunters.
"Delivery," Ignia said flatly.
The clerk peered over the desk at the unconscious lieutenant, then back at Ignia. His eyes widened slightly. "You brought in Gravel Murn? The Black Sand Raiders' lieutenant?"
"That's what I said."
The clerk studied Ignia more closely, the youthful face, the calm demeanor, the complete lack of visible injury despite having captured one of the region's most wanted criminals. A slow realization dawned on his face.
"You're no ordinary hunter, are you?" The clerk leaned back in his chair, a hint of respect creeping into his voice. "A jiden. And quite powerful for your age, I'd wager. Most hunters twice your age wouldn't dare go after Murn alone."
"I wasn't alone," Ignia replied, his tone unchanged. "Identification?"
The clerk shook off his surprise and returned to business. Ignia pulled a small metal token from his pocket, a circular badge engraved with the Association's emblem and a unique serial number. His hunter's token. The clerk examined it, nodded, and began shuffling through paperwork.
"Gravel Murn. Lieutenant of the Black Sand Raiders. Bounty: twelve thousand coins." The clerk stamped a form and slid it across the desk. "Sign here."
Ignia signed without a word.
The clerk counted out the coins and pushed them toward him. "Pleasure doing business. The holding cells will take him from here."
Ignia pocketed the payment, but didn't leave. "Any active hunts along the road to Central Vorash? Kill contracts only."
The clerk raised an eyebrow but pulled out a thick ledger, flipping through pages. "Let's see... escort job, no... retrieval, alive... ah, here we go." He tapped a page. "Jide beast. A Stoneback Wyrm has been terrorizing merchant caravans about a day's travel from here, along the main road to the capital. The Association wants its core retrieved. It's a nasty one, thick armored hide, venomous tail, burrows underground to ambush prey." He looked up at Ignia. "Bounty is eight thousand coins for the core. Interested?"
"We'll take it."
The clerk noted it down. "I'll mark you and your partner as assigned. Good luck. Two other hunters already tried and came back empty-handed. One didn't come back at all."
Ignia took the contract details and tucked them into his coat. "They weren't us."
He turned and walked out into the night, his mind already calculating the best approach for the hunt. A Stoneback Wyrm would be a challenge, but challenges kept things interesting.
Besides, eight thousand coins would cover their expenses for weeks. And if the mysterious boy from the Great Divide turned out to be trouble, they'd need every coin they could get.
The cool night air greeted him as he stepped outside. He'd barely taken three steps when a voice called out from the shadows.
"Hey, kid."
Three men emerged from the alley beside the outpost. Hunters, by the look of their gear, but their flushed faces and unsteady gait marked them as drunk. The largest of the three, a bearded man with a crooked nose, stepped forward with a lopsided grin.
"We saw you walk in with that bounty," the man slurred. "Twelve thousand coins is a lot of money for a little boy to carry around. Why don't you hand it over, and we'll let you run back to your mommy?"
His companions laughed, flanking Ignia on either side.
Ignia's expression didn't change. His golden eyes regarded them with the same disinterest one might show an insect.
"Walk away," he said calmly.
The bearded man's grin widened. "Or what?"
Ignia sighed.
He stomped once on the ground.
Yellow lightning exploded outward from the point of impact, snaking across the cobblestones in crackling tendrils. The electricity surged through all three men simultaneously. Their bodies convulsed, eyes rolling back, strangled yelps escaping their throats before they collapsed to the ground in a heap, twitching and groaning.
Ignia stepped over them without a second glance.
"I warned you."
He continued down the lamp lit street toward the eastern road, scanning the inn signs as he walked. It didn't take long, a cozy two-story building with a wooden sign reading "The Ember Hearth" stood near the road's edge, warm light spilling from its windows. He pushed open the door and stepped inside.
The innkeeper pointed him toward the room Nyx had taken. Ignia climbed the stairs, his footsteps quiet on the wooden boards. He reached the door and pushed it open.