2026-01-17 05:15:11“Ah, my head,” Kaelan lamented as he opened his eyes. A bitter taste filled his mouth. “Puha.” He spat and got to his feet.
“Where am I?” Kaelan asked, stumbling over the broken stones of what used to be a village. Smoke rose into the sky, and the smell of blood made his stomach turn. The village was destroyed. Houses burned, wooden walls smashed, and strange creatures crawled quietly in the shadows. Their eyes glowed green and they gave an eerie feeling. He gritted his teeth and ran. One of the creatures leapt from the ruins, claws wide. Kaelan didn’t have time to think, his body reacted. He rolled under it, grabbed a piece of wood from the ground, and swung very hard. The creature screeched and fell, twitching. “Careful… or you’ll end up like them.” The voice came in his head. Kaelan froze for a moment then looked around. No one was there, but the voice was clear. “Who’s there?” he asked. No reply came. Kaelan took a step forward, and then he saw something. A small crystal, glowing red, half-buried under the stones. He picked it up, and it felt warm and had a black rope tired to one end. Strange symbols were carved into it, glowing faintly. He squeezed it, and suddenly, memories flashed. A battle, swords clashing, people screaming. He didn’t know if it was real or not. It felt real. He killed two people rushing to him, then a voice made him turn. “Kaelan, don’t leave the weaklings for us.” So familiar yet so distant, he couldn’t remember. Two figures ran past him. Their faces covered by haze. “Leave some tough guys for us.” A soft exhale escaped his mouth. “Kae… Kaelan?” he muttered. “Is that my name?” The ground shook, and rubble fell around him. The creatures attacked again. Kaelan dodged, swung, punched, and kicked, moving almost like he had done this before. He tightened his grip around the crystal. A heavy exhale slipped through his lips. “You are stubborn… I like that.” The voice from before whispered. “Who?” he asked. Again, there was no reply. He wiped sweat from his forehead and looked up. Something lurked in the shadows. Cautious of him and unwilling to step out. Among the rubble around, he found a small, round shield. He picked it, and another memory flashed. A man with a sword and a shield, moving through enemies with skill Kaelan didn’t remember learning. He shook his head, confused. His heartbeat was loud in his ears. As if noticing he was distracted, the creature lurking shot out. Kaelan blocked it with shield. Looked like a snake, but with front limbs and claws. “What are you?” The creature screeched then attacked. Kaelan bashed the shield on its head. A strong wind gushed out the back of the creature’s head. It collapsed, blood gushing out its mouth, tongue out, eye wide open and body twitching. The wind howled, carrying the cries of creatures in the distance. Kaelan stood tall, holding the crystal tightly. He could sense it, the creatures rushing over from all directions. Subtle at first, then strongly the ground vibrated, the cries got loud and they came into sight. Like a flood they pounced his way. He whispered, teeth clenched, “Come, I will survive.” The voice in his head chuckled softly. “Good… let’s see if you can.” The world felt alive and dangerous, and Kaelan knew this was only the beginning.
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Chapter 9
“Ash move!” Kaelan pulled Neritha and Lira into an alley as flame rushed by like a flood. The heat deadly enough to cook them. Stone cracked, the woods turned to ash and people screamed. Ash had a red glow on his body, Neritha had a white glow, Lira’s body was covered in green. While Kaelan? His body burned from the heat. “Why aren’t you using your aura?” Ash asked.“Aura? What…”The ground quaked interrupting Kaelan. A deafening roar tore through the sky. “What… what was that?” Lira’s face turned pale.A monster had descended. It true barely came to light through the smoke. Twice the height of the tallest buildings in the district. Obsidian black scales clothed its body. Each uneven and rough looking. Molten red veins glowed underneath the cracks in its hide, pulsing as it breathes. Wings wide open. Each wider than a city street. It edges tattered and lined with hooked bones. When it flexed them, the force flattened market stalls and sent rocks flying. They were far from graceful.
Chapter 8
Morning arrived quietly. Pale light slipped through the shutters, cutting thin lines across the bare wooden floor. The city beyond the walls of the room stirred awake, footsteps, distant voices, the muted clatter of carts rolling over stone. The upper district woke without panic or fear. They lived as if no danger existed outside. Kaelan lay awake, staring at the ceiling. Sleep had come, but rest hadn’t. His body felt fine, but his thoughts refused to settle. Stars. Rankings. Mind realms. Words that should have meant something, yet floated. Beside him, he heard Lira shift. “You’re awake,” she said. “Didn’t sleep well,” Kaelan replied. “Figures.” A pause, followed by the sound of fabric moving, and a quiet yawn. “Today’s going to be annoying,” Lira said. “I can feel it.” Kaelan sat up. “Because of the assassins?” “No. Because of people.” That earned a faint smirk from him. In the other room, Ash stood by the window, arms crossed, eyes fixed on the street outsi
Chapter 7
“Do not draw that blade.” Kaelan raised a brow at Ash. The atmosphere tense. Ash felt his hand shake. “What?” His instinct told him, if he drew the blade at best he’ll survive with heavy wounds.“What is a fiend?” Kaelan asked.“A demon human or a demon kin. They used to dwell in the demon realm but a few of them live among us,” Neritha’s voice sounded. Kaelan turned and found her and Lira before the hallway. White snow colored hair, and ocean blue eyes. She had pointed ears, though not as long as Lira’s. “He isn’t a fiend Ash, I would have sensed it,” she said. Kaelan frowned at her. ‘What is this?’ he thought. Something pulsed heavily. He held the crystal and felt it. The crystal was calm. He turned to Lira, her blond hair was perfect and her green eyes enticing, however, he didn’t feel anything. His eyes moved and fell on Neritha…“If you say so my lady,” Ash said and released his sword.Neritha turned to Kaelan. “I find it strange though. You seem not to know a lot.”“Because I
Chapter 6
“Can I have a decent meal just once?” Lira groaned as they ran.Kaelan didn’t answer. His focus was forward, on the turns and corners. The streets of the upper district were clean, but crowded. Morning traffic had begun. Merchants were opening shutters and moving goods. Servants crossed streets carrying baskets. A few people turned at the sound of running feet.“Don’t slow down,” the beastfolk said behind them. His breathing was steady, and his movements coordinated. The masked companion stayed close to Lira, light on their feet. They cut left into a narrower street. Kaelan skidded to a stop, raised a hand.“Wait.”Too late.Steel rang.A blade flashed from an alley on their right. Kaelan twisted, catching the wrist and slamming the attacker face first into the stone wall. Bone cracked. The man dropped without a sound.“More,” Kaelan said.As if summoned, three figures stepped out ahead. One an alleyway, and two dropping from a low balcony. No shouting. No threats. Just weapons out an
Chapter 5
At the gate of the upper district.“Here you go, your identity tag,” said the guard. He handed two silver plate to Kaelan and Lira. Each plate had a diamond inscribed on it. “With this you are third class citizens of the upper district.”“What if these gets misplaced?” Kaelan asked. “We just have to check our records to confirm. Don’t worry we upper district citizens are civilized.” Kaelan looked at him, then at the record book. The guard got up. “I’m sure you’ll need a place to stay, will you be renting or buying?” he asked.“Renting,” Kaelan replied. “How much is the rent?” Lira asked. “It depends on the region and the number of rooms. We have the eastern region, central region and the western region. I’ll advise you to avoid the central,” the guard said.“Why?”the guard turned to Kaelan and replied. “It’s too expensive for third class citizens and you’ll get in trouble with the rich folks. They are quite annoying.” He shook his head and continued. “The western region is the c
Chapter 4
Lira suddenly opened her eyes. Dagger held tight, arm stretched out. She placed her dagger before, just beneath a figures neck. “Relax, it’s me,” Kaelan voice sounded. He placed her down gently on the bed. “Didn’t want blood to touch you.”“Blood?” Lira frowned. When she looked she found two corpses. Blood poured out from their slit neck. Kaelan wiped two daggers on his shirt, placed them on the bed and picked up two more. “How come I didn’t…”“You must have been so tired,” Kaelan interrupted and placed the daggers on the bed. “Right, they had these on them.” He pointed to two bags beside her head. Lira turned to them.“These… storage bags,” she said.“We’ll need to change location tomorrow. One of them got away,” Kaelan said.“So many Sarls.” Lira gulped at the Sarls that pour out of one bag. Kaelan watched her count. She looked like a little kid that found a new toy. “Three thousand, we can move into the upper district with this,” she said, as she packed them up. She opened the ot
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