“I had it under control, Aldera!” the blindfolded guy said.

“Like heck you did, Ze!” Aldera, the Therta woman with a spotless officer uniform, retorted. “If it wasn’t for me, you would have been skewered and hogtied now!”

Within seconds of Aldera’s arrival, she had immobilized both of the Therta officers who had been attacking Ze, or the blindfolded guy. It might have had to do with the element of surprise, but it was still impressive nonetheless. Even though Ze was physically larger than Aldera in every aspect—except for the chest area—I couldn’t help but wonder who was stronger between the two of them.

There had been a deafening silence after the one Aldera called ‘Sis’ dropped to the floor. Ze had let Aldera sheath her sword in a dignified manner, while Aldera had let Ze catch his breath. They stayed in the middle of the road, where no traffic was to be seen. Giving them a sense of regalness, despite Ze’s tattered demeanor and Aldera’s lack of elegance. But that all came crumbling down once they addressed each other like bickering toddlers.

“I only did that cause I felt your presence and knew you would protect me.”

“You’re too trusting. You know that?! And too reckless.”

Aldera’s expression became more serious as she peered around at their surroundings. Glancing at me for a second with the same red where the white should-be eyes that all Therta clan members shared. She wasn’t looking at me sinisterly, but it still sent a shiver down my spine. Despite that, I returned her cold gaze. Curiosity overpowered my fear.

She looked eerily similar to her sister, who tried to kill me. A thin face with pompous lips, and an awe-inspiring figure. However, unlike her sister, who tried to kill me, she had her hair down to where it almost reached her elbows. Its silky blackness ran smoothly down her back and over her shoulders. Revealing a stark contrast to her pure white uniform. And as she looked away, I noticed a yellow hue shift across her grey face from the light of the setting sun.

I hadn’t realized myself, until this point, but many other eyes were peeking through windows and doorways from the buildings near us. Yet, none of them dared to venture outside due to the Therta officers’ presence. I looked back at the shop closest to me to see a pair of short eyes with blonde hair peeking past a curtain of a window. Only to disappear a second later from an abrupt tug of an adult hand.

“What is your plan of escape, then?” Aldera asked, bringing my attention back to them.

“I was coming up with it as I was fighting.”

“Oh, really? Then where are we going to hide now? More Therta will come to retrieve you, and now I have revealed that I am assisting you. What you did was beyond stupid!”

They continued this back and forth for a little bit while I stood there watching them. Not sure if moving would provoke them or not. Then, I heard a small groan.

“O… Ly…”

Oh, shoot. Dert had called me, Half-conscious. I had been too immersed in the strange duo arguing with each other about stuff I didn’t understand or have the context to and forgot about him. He was laying on his left side, opposite the arm that had been severed in half. A small puddle of his blood sizzled beneath him, and parts of his clothes were burning up. Tears and sweat dripped from his face.

“Hey!” I dropped to my knees to examine Dert’s condition. It wasn’t great. “Hey, you two!” I called to the mysterious duet. Not caring about how they would react now. “You can continue bickering, but my friend needs help. It seems his blood has already cauterized the wound, but there could still be other issues.”

“His blood has… That doesn’t make sense,” Ze said quizzically. His blindfold scrunched ever-so-slightly up with his nose, suggesting a puzzled look.

“I know, but—”

“Sorry, but we have to go,” Aldera interrupted. “We’ll only cause you more issues if we stay.”

She started walking away to the east, pulling Ze along with her by his wrist. He ‘looked’ back and mouthed something along the lines of “Sorry!” Exhaustion was sketched onto his very being as he didn’t struggle against Aldera’s forceful departure. They continued exchanging words now too faint for me to hear as they left with footsteps somehow barely audible on the gravel.

Everything about them screamed trouble. A man with a blindfold more skilled than a Therta officer, and a woman Therta officer with unprecedented strength that seemed to have defected. Both of them were going to be targeted by Therta from now on, and by extension, the twelve other families. I didn’t know much about the thirteen families, but I did know that getting on their bad side was an easy way to live a short or hellish life. So, why then was I running after them?

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“Wait!” I cried. Ze looked back, but Aldera continued moving. “I know a place not too far from here where we can go and hide for a bit.” They continued walking. “I’ll take you to this place if you help me carry him to the nearby clinic as you’re the ones that caused his arm to be chopped off. Leaving town wouldn’t be smart, right now.” I was continuing my pursuit of them. Periodically looking back to make sure Dert wasn’t sporadically having a seizure. “It is almost night and I’m sure you know more than me about what lurks around in the wilds at night. And…”

“You have no reason to help us.”

Aldera stopped abruptly, causing Ze to run into her back, but she barely moved from the impact. Ze stumbled back slightly but then stiffened in place. He slowly looked at me, tilt his head, which looked a bit silly for his appearance, and then shouted, “Watch out!”

“Huh?”

A humongous shadow appeared over me. Its figure holding a long sword shape loading up to slice my head off. Aldera was in the process of unsheathing her sword, but it would be too late for me once she does. I ducked in hopes that it would be enough to avoid my attacker, and surprisingly, it was. Their foot caught my shoulder, causing them to roll over me and crash into the ground.

I immediately stood up to look at the one who attacked me. It was the male Therta officer that Aldera had pummeled before. I couldn’t imagine anyone waking up soon after that, but it was evident from his unnaturally crooked chin and disheveled hair. The red of his eyes was clearly exposed, but he did not get back up. His body lay limb on the floor with blood drizzling out from his mouth. The sword lay in his open palm, or at least, what was left of the sword. Only half of the blade still remained, and a grey liquid was dripping from the shaved tip.

“Is his sword melting?” Aldera asked with slight bewilderment.

“I think it was my friend’s blood,” I quickly pieced together. “I knew it was absurdly hot, but even this is surprising to me.”

“Oh,” the pair both replied, apparently satisfied with my explanation. Then, without skipping a beat, Aldera grabbed Ze’s wrist and started walking away again.

“Wait! Don’t go,” I said.

My mind raced with a way to make them stop. I was worried about Dert, but even more so, I was afraid to let this chance slip by. At first, I thought they were nothing but trouble, and would assassinate my hopes of ever achieving my dreams. Though, now I realize it was the exact opposite. They were my ticket to leaving Xerra.

Their backs were facing toward me right now because they don’t trust me or see me as someone who is reliable. And why should they? To them, I am just a pathetic city worker. I need to do something in the next few seconds to get them to turn toward me. If only for a moment, so I can show them my resolve.

Without thinking past that, I sputtered, “Come with me to Aqueden!”

Both Aldera and Ze stopped abruptly, but they didn’t look back.

“I mean. You guys want to leave Xerra too, right? Or, you know,” Panic made me start to ramble without cause. Suddenly, I was just spewing words in hopes that something would make them change their minds and follow me.

“Fine,” Aldera said, shutting me up. “We’ll come with you for now, but I’ll kill you if you try anything.”

A wave of relief fell over me as the two powerhouses turned to face me. Ze wore a friendly grin as he approached me for a handshake, while Aldera maintained her stoic expression with her arms crossed.

“Don’t worry,” I smiled as I grabbed Ze’s hand. “I don’t want to die yet.”

“Hmph. You’re an interesting guy.” He let go of my hand after a quick shake. “Sorry for holding you hostage back there. I’ll admit, I got a little desperate.”

Now that I had time to listen, Ze’s voice was surprisingly gentle, and without a deep rasp that you might expect from a guy his size. That alone put me more at ease. I started walking towards Dert, ushering them to follow me. Ze walked one stride behind, while Aldera was a few.

“It’s no worries. You ended up protecting me in the end. Ze, right?”

“That’s right. Ze is short for Zellupharo. It’s easier just to call me Ze. What’s your name?”

“O’Leenarus.”

“Nice to meet you. The ice queen back there is Aldera.”

“Who do you think I had to hide my emotions for, dimwit?! You should be thankful for my ability to hide my true intentions!”

“Sometimes that ice cracks as you can see.”

We got to where Dert was laying down. Thankfully he was breathing regularly, despite his severed arm and lack of clothing due to it being burned off.

“Also, who shot that dart?” I recalled. “They might need to come with us as well.”

Aldera quickly dismissed my proposal, “Don’t worry about him. He owed me a favor, that’s all. And he already left a while ago.”

“Oh okay. Let’s get moving then as well.”

I bent down and positioned Dert’s remaining upper half of his right arm on his chest. And after a short deliberation, I grabbed Dert’s legs while Aldera grabbed his shoulders, and Ze grabbed his midsection. We all lifted my unconscious friend at once, doing our best to make it as comfortable as possible, but his round face still grimaced slightly with every move. His body also was uncomfortably warm, which I believe was a good sign for him. All I could hope for was that he could recover quickly. He was one of the first people that I felt comfortable talking to. I was hoping to eventually convince him to join me on my journey across the sea. His jolliness and good nature would have been a great asset. It's unfortunate that things turned out this way.

Though, I glanced around at the buildings that made up this nearly-forgotten part of town as I lumbered backward on the sidewalk. Rust clung to the metal frames of the window seals that some people were using to disguise their gaze through. The wood posts and walls were frayed and dull in color. The roads were deserted and unkempt. It was odd that there were lampposts here at all. Plus, this was the first time Dert and I were ever stationed here. I didn’t necessarily believe in fate, but whatever had just happened, felt like it was supposed to.