Alec sat curled up against the base of a tree, sinking deeper into the pit of his own mind, unable to accept all that had happened. The look on his mother's face as she watched him run with Zoe haunted him — the hope and fear mingled with pain, knowing she had made a promise she could never keep.
He and Zoe had found an abandoned wooden shack deep in the forest — an old logging cabin, judging by the rusted tools on the shelves and hanging from the walls.
They sat before the small campfire Zoe had managed to start half an hour ago. She watched Alec with concern etched into her face. She knew that running like they had was eating him alive. For all his boasting and bravado, Alec was kind, forgiving — sometimes even naïve. But that was part of why she liked him.
Zoe's hand on his shoulder broke through his stupor. Both of them knew they needed rest; there was still a long road ahead.
"Yeah?" was all Alec could manage, his voice nearly breaking from the effort.
"We should get some rest. Long day tomorrow." Zoe's face was illuminated by the flickering firelight — her sharp, strong features only enhanced by the shadows of the forest surrounding them.
Nodding, Alec lay down on the damp ground beside the fire, closing his eyes in the vain hope of finding sleep.
The barking of dogs tore through the morning stillness, dragging them both from uneasy dreams. The first rays of sunlight cut through the trees as guttural voices echoed through the forest — shouting to one another that they had found survivors.
Panicked, Alec shot to his feet, ignoring the rush of blood to his head. Zoe was already moving, stamping out the fire's embers before grabbing what little they owned. With a quick nod to each other, they vanished into the underbrush, trying to hide their footprints from the demons' hounds.
They ran for all they were worth — ducking under branches, leaping over roots, hearts hammering in their chests. But Alec's injuries slowed him down; he barely managed to keep pace with Zoe.
"Crap! That was faster than I thought!" Zoe shouted over the wind.
"They've got dogs! What'd you expect—Cliff!" Alec yelled, but it was too late.
Zoe's foot slipped, and she tumbled over the edge. Without thinking, Alec dove after her — full bore, like a hawk after a pigeon — wrapping his arms around her as they fell. He used his body to shield her from the impact as they crashed into the raging river below.
Gasping for air, they fought the current, trying desperately to find something to cling to. The roar of water grew louder — a waterfall. Alec cursed under his breath and held Zoe tighter as they went over, both screaming as the world vanished in white spray.
When they finally dragged themselves onto the riverbank below, soaked and shivering, they collapsed, gasping for breath. Then, slowly, laughter bubbled up between them — wild, exhausted, victorious.
"Never again!" Zoe panted, laughing despite herself.
"You can say that again," Alec replied, grinning as he pumped his fist weakly into the air before letting it fall to his side.
Closing his eyes, Alec took a deep breath, momentarily forgetting the pain throbbing through his body. A shadow fell across his face. Assuming it was Zoe, he mumbled that he wasn't asleep — but when he opened his eyes, it wasn't her.
Standing above him was a tall young woman, no older than himself. Her skin was the color of bark, glowing faintly in the morning sun. She wore simple hunting leathers and carried a bow at her side. Her accent was heavy when she spoke, unused to the tones of western tongues.
"Are you two all right?" she asked.
Alec and Zoe sat up, weary but alert. After brief introductions, the woman introduced herself as Zua, a hunter from a nearby village.
Zua offered to take them there, and they gratefully accepted. But when they arrived, her village was nothing but ash and ruin — burned to the ground, as theirs had been. Zua knelt before a shrine at the edge of what had once been the village square, murmuring prayers to those who had fallen.
Not wanting to intrude, Alec looked around with Zua's quiet permission. "Take what you need," she had said. "They will have no need of it in the embrace of Masauwu."
Alec didn't know who Masauwu was, but he nodded respectfully before stepping into what must have been the chieftain's home. Inside, he found an ornate dagger — its blade black as coal yet gleaming with a strange light. It felt stronger than steel, sharp as obsidian.
He was giving the dagger a few awkward test swings when Zua entered. She smiled faintly as he fumbled to sheathe it.
"He would have liked to see you doing that," she said quietly. "My father always said that dagger should be in a man's hands. It is a weapon of war, not of hunting. Women do not fight in war." Her voice softened with grief as she looked around the room. "Come. We should not linger."
"If you don't mind me asking," Alec began carefully. At her nod, he continued, "What happened here? To your village?"
"My village was attacked before dawn. A demon raid." Her voice was calm, steady — too calm. She had already wept her tears. "I wasn't here when it began, but I was when my father died. He told me to leave and find my place in the world. Perhaps I will understand what he meant... someday."
She looked to the horizon, her face unreadable.
"If you don't have anywhere to go," Zoe said hesitantly, "we're heading to the capital. You could come with us — for company."
Zua looked surprised but nodded slowly. And so, the three of them set off together.
Their journey to the capital took weeks. Along the way, they passed village after village reduced to ash and bone — reminders of what they had all lost. Each sight twisted Alec's heart tighter with grief for the friends and family he'd left behind.
When at last they crested a ridge and saw the capital, the sight stole their breath. The city was enormous, its towering walls stretching for miles — visible even from hundreds of kilometers away. The midday sun glinted off stone and steel, turning the skyline into a shimmering mirage.
But their moment of awe was their mistake.
Before they could react, shadows emerged from the rocks around them — bandits, a dozen at least.
"Hand over the coin and the women, boy," the leader sneered, brandishing a rusted blade. "Do that, and maybe we'll make your death quick."
Alec cursed under his breath. "Damn it," he muttered. Once again, luck was not on his side.
Zoe's eyes darted around, assessing the situation with that razor-sharp instinct Alec had come to trust. They were boxed in — five to the front, four behind, and three perched on the rocks above with bows trained on them. The bandits' leader stood out easily enough: a hulking man with a scar running from his temple to his jaw, eyes like muddy water and a grin full of broken teeth.
"Coin first," the man growled, his voice carrying the lazy confidence of someone used to killing. "Then the women."
Zua's hand had already gone to her bow, but Alec gave a tiny shake of his head. Not yet.
He stepped forward instead, raising his hands in mock surrender. "You really think this is how it's gonna go?" His voice wavered slightly — not from fear, but from exhaustion. "We just crawled out of a river and fought off worse things than you."
The leader chuckled, a harsh, grating sound. "Big words for a drowned rat. You're welcome to prove 'em, boy."
Zoe leaned close enough that only Alec could hear her whisper. "We're not making it out of this talking. I'll take the archers when you make a move."
He gave a slight nod, his pulse quickening. It wasn't much of a plan — but it was a plan.
The leader took another step forward. "I'll count to three," he said, drawing a jagged blade from his belt. "One..."
Zua moved before he reached two. Her bow sang — a sharp twang that broke the air like a whip — and one of the archers above them toppled backward with an arrow through his throat.
Chaos erupted.
Zoe lunged low, sweeping her leg under the nearest bandit and slamming the edge of her knife into his ribs before he hit the ground. Alec drew the black dagger Zua's father had forged and slashed upward, deflecting a blow that would have split his skull. Sparks flew where the two blades met. The dagger felt alive in his grip, humming faintly, almost vibrating with each strike.
Zua fired again and again, every arrow finding its mark until a bandit closed the distance and smashed her bow aside. She swung the bow like a club, cracking him across the jaw before drawing a knife from her boot.
The fight became a blur of shouting and steel. Alec ducked a wild swing, countering with a desperate slash that caught his attacker across the arm. The man screamed, but Alec didn't stop — he drove forward, tackling him into the dirt.
Zoe was fighting like someone possessed. Every move was efficient, brutal — she fought to end, not to scare. But even she was tiring; there were too many of them.
Zua, meanwhile, was holding her ground at Alec's side, her movements steady and precise despite the chaos. She fought differently from Zoe — calmer, more methodical, almost ceremonial.
Alec parried another blow and shouted, "Zoe, right side!"
She turned just in time to block a strike that would've taken Alec's head clean off. "You owe me one!" she yelled over the din.
"Add it to the list!" he shot back, panting.
They fell into a rhythm — one blocking, one striking, Zua covering from behind. For a brief moment, it almost felt like they could win.
Then the bandit leader charged.
He was fast — far faster than a man his size had any right to be. Alec barely had time to bring up his dagger before the man's sword came down, the force rattling his arms to the bone. The black blade held, though, ringing like a bell as it met the steel.
"Pretty toy you've got there," the bandit sneered. "Shame I'll be taking it off your corpse."
"Come try," Alec spat.
The man did — with a roar that made the trees tremble. Their blades clashed again, and again, the sound of it echoing through the clearing. Alec was pushed back step by step, until his heel caught on a rock and he stumbled.
The leader grinned triumphantly and raised his sword for the killing blow.
Then Zua was there — a blur of motion — driving her knife deep into the man's side. His eyes went wide with shock as he turned, backhanding her with enough force to send her sprawling.
That was his mistake.
Alec lunged upward with everything he had, driving the dagger straight through the bandit's throat. The man gurgled, blood spilling over his chin, and crumpled to the ground.
For a long moment, only the crackle of distant fire and the laboured breathing of the survivors filled the air. The few remaining bandits, seeing their leader fall, turned and fled into the woods.
Alec stayed crouched where he was, the dagger still buried in the man's neck, his chest heaving. His arms trembled with exhaustion, and his vision swam.
Zoe limped over, clutching her side. "Well," she said, her voice hoarse, "that could've gone worse."
Zua, wincing but upright, retrieved her bow and glanced around warily. "They'll be back. Bandits like these don't lose face easily."
Alec yanked his dagger free, wiping it on the dead man's tunic. "Then we'd better not be here when they do."
Zoe nodded. "Agreed. Capital's not far — we push through, rest when we're inside the walls."
They gathered what they could from the fallen — a few coins, some bread, a half-full waterskin. Zoe tossed one of the stolen swords into the river. "No use leaving them weapons."
As they started walking, the adrenaline began to fade, leaving only pain and exhaustion. Alec looked down at the dagger in his hand. The black blade caught the light strangely, almost drinking it in.
"What is that thing?" he asked Zua quietly.
She hesitated before answering. "My father called it the Svnoyi. Said it was made from a dragon's fang. I always figured it was a.. how do I say?"
"Fairytale?" Alec supplied when Zua couldn't come up with anything
"Yes! That, a fairy.. Pah Lun, a Dongen! A Fairytale" Zua seemed a little upset she couldn't work out the word sooner, pouting slightly.
But as the forest began to thin as the great city walls loomed closer. Columns of smoke rose in the distance — not from destruction this time, but from hearths and chimneys. The sound of civilization reached them faintly: carts creaking, voices calling, the rhythm of hammers striking metal.
For the first time in weeks, hope didn't feel like a lie.
Zua looked up at the massive gates ahead and whispered, "Maybe this is where we start again."
Alec managed a tired smile. "Let's hope the city's kinder than the road."
Zoe smirked, brushing blood and dirt from her cheek. "After all that? Nothing could be worse."
They didn't see the watchtower figure tracking them from above — a silhouette against the sun, lowering a spyglass with a slow smile.
"Survivors," the figure muttered. "The king will want to know about this."
And as Alec, Zoe, and Zua stepped onto the long road leading to the capital gates, none of them realized that their fight for survival was only just beginning.