A cold, murky darkness is what greeted him. It moved and quaked, shivering as if walking in the middle of a winter storm. Sometimes, it seemed to pulse, with slow ripples passing through it. The dull lights in the distance seemed blue, circling him as if in orbit.


    He waved his hands in front of his face before slapping it once, twice, three times. Nothing happened.


    Is this a dream?


    He turned around, noticing how the darkness seemed to churn with him like water.


    A faint buzzing sound could be heard in the distance.


    "Hello? Is anybody there?" He called out, his voice echoing throughout the dark space.


    The buzzing sound, sounding more metal, grew louder. Grinding through the darkness.


    "H-Help! Somebody!" He screamed, waving his hands uselessly. Nothing responded to his plight. Instead, the buzzing turned into a discordant grinding, roaring through the darkness like some wild beast.


    <hr>


    Eujal''s eyes snapped open. For a moment, he thought he was still in the dream, the roaring morphing into the pounding of his blood in his ears. But then he saw the blur of the moonlit landscape rushing past, felt the jarring gait of Caladeus''s stride as the man sprinted along the main road which was suddenly devoid of people. His shoulder throbbed with a dull ache.


    "H-huh?" he stammered, blinking against the wind that whipped at his face. "What...?"


    "Stay awake!" Caladeus grunted, his voice strained. He adjusted his grip on Eujal, the movement sending another jolt of pain through the boy''s shoulder. "Just hold on!"


    "Where''s...?" Eujal started to ask, but then he saw him. Hillel, face pale, was clutched in Caladeus''s other arm. The boy''s eyes were squeezed shut, his face contorted in a grimace, and he was retching violently, the contents of his stomach splattering against the path.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    "Damn it!" Caladeus yelled, pumping his legs even harder now.


    Eujal winced, feeling a surge of sympathy for Hillel. He remembered the nausea he''d felt during Ezra''s teleportation, and Hillel had been through far worse.


    "Where''s Ezra?" Eujal asked, his voice a whisper.


    Caladeus''s jaw tightened. "Fighting them," he grunted, his eyes fixed on the path ahead. "He''s buying us time. Don''t worry though, he''ll join us soon. We just have to make it inside the city."


    They burst from the narrow road, the mountains seeming to exhale them onto a plateau overlooking the city. Scissia. Even in the moonlight, it was a breathtaking sight. The city nestled within a hidden valley, its buildings built along the rising and falling slopes like a cascade of timber and stone. A massive wall, built from grey brick and towering several stories high, encircled the city.


    Eujal, still dazed from the abrupt awakening and the frantic run, could only stare in awe. His hometown, Khardouth, wasn''t nearly as big as this.


    "Amazing..." he breathed, forgetting his exhaustion for a moment.


    Caladeus grunted, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "Alright. Finally!"


    He shifted Hillel in his arms, the boy''s pale face illuminated by the moon. Hillel, though still weak and nauseous, seemed to have regained some awareness. His eyes fluttered open, and he looked around with a dazed expression.


    "Where...?" he mumbled, his voice hoarse from the puking he was doing earlier.


    "Scissia," Eujal said. "We made it."


    Hillel''s gaze flickered toward the city, pondering the vastness of the world before him. He bore a slight look of wonder.


    “Eujal…” he mumbled, his tone full of concern. “Your shoulder…javelin wound… where is it?”


    Eujal looked down at himself, the memory of the javelin’s pain coursing through him, and touched the wound gingerly, surprised it was dry. Well, at least some of it has dried up. Caladeus probably healed some of it with his spark.


    “It’s okay,” he managed a smile. “It feels better than before.”


    Caladeus, his breaths heavy, nodded. “All right, rides are done. You lot will walk behind me into the city.”


    He started moving towards the city, albeit at a slower pace. Eujal and Hillel fell into step after him, their eyes fixated on the mighty Scissia Gates.


    The faint sounds of activity drifted from within. But as they drew closer, a new wave of tension washed over them.


    The gate was heavily fortified, with Asir soldiers patrolling the battlements and archers positioned on the towers. A long line of travelers snaked its way towards the entrance. Eujal''s heart pounded in his chest. Would they be able to get through? Would they be recognized?