My final fight against Yutith felt anti-climatic. He said nothing when Lifdol paired us together and said nothing when he lost. It lasted long, Yutith's defense almost impeccable. That was his strength, but when his stamina ran out, it was over.

I saved the ten gold pieces that Lifdol gave me for the win, hopefully giving myself something to fall back on, even if it was small.

The next day I went to the shipyard, early enough that the streets were empty. People were already moving about the docks, actions dulled and sluggish from the morning. I stopped the first person that passed close to me, raising a hand in greeting.

"I want to ask about the departing ship schedule this week. Is there someone specific I can ask?"

He grunted in response. "You'd need to ask the harbormaster about the itinerary. He's in the office two buildings down." The man left without waiting for a reply, feet sinking into the early morning mud with every squelching step.

I followed his directions, my hand brushing against the worn wood of the buildings, before I reached the right door and knocked. A muffled "enter" called out, and when I closed the door behind me, the world went silent.

"Haven't seen you here before," a light voice greeted. "What can I do for you?" he continued, chair scratching along the ground as he stood.

"I'd like to know about the ships planning to depart for the Raugan Islands this week," I told him.

"And what for?"

"Passage," I shrugged. "I don't know exactly when I want to leave, however. Is that information available?"

He shuffled some papers, murmuring to himself. "We've got one in two days, the ship now in dock five. One more in four days and one the day after that."

"What time? And what's the cost?"

"All are set to head out around two hours 'fore sunset. Passage that far is six gold."

"Do I need to pay beforehand? Where are the other two ships?" I asked.

"Nah. Get there at least thirty minutes in advance, and pay the captain—he'll let you on. The other two are in docks nine and four."

"Thank you." Now I just had to decide what to do, and I turned to leave.

"You're not thinking of running, are you?" I jerked at the words, turning back around.

"Excuse me?"

The harbormaster grunted. "What?"

"Did you just say something?" I asked.

"Nope," he chuckled, popping the p. "You hearing things, boy?"

"Must be," I murmured, then quickly left, shutting the door quietly behind me. I didn't think I'd imagined the accusation, but now I couldn't remember the tone of the voice that had spoken. Then, my heart pumping too fast, I walked away.

I was running. Two sides would be out for blood if they knew, Lifdol and Olmor, respectively. But I couldn't let that stop me, so I headed straight for dock five.

"Did I imagine it?" I whispered. The pyromaniac laughed at me.

"Aren't you always imagining things?"

I hummed. "Usually I can tell."

Dock five was silent as the grave, but I still lingered a bit away to listen for any movement that could cause unnecessary problems. Then, deciding I'd waited long enough, I quickly located the plank and stepped up to the ship.

I followed the railing to one side of the ship, then searched for the stairs leading to the lower deck. It wasn't easy to locate, but I eventually found an opening on the floor surrounded by a handrail.

Making my way down to the bottom deck, I moved to one corner and pulled out the teleportation ring from my pocket. I crouched, placing the metal on the floor, unsure how this would work. But I followed Theresa's instructions, drawing out a sliver of mana from my core to feed it into the ring.

It seemed to swirl inside the piece of jewelry, filling it until there was no space left. After that, it didn't move. Tentatively, I tried to manipulate it, pulling out a thread and pushing it into the ground. Finally, I felt it go taut, snapping into a solid string connecting the ring to the wood. It seemed to pull on my heart, making my chest feel tight.

After that, the mana seeped into the metal until I could no longer sense it. I would've been skeptical that nothing had happened, but I could now feel a slight ringing from the object—it was almost as if it were alive.

Lifting the ring, I slid it onto my finger. I was hesitant to trust something I didn't understand, but I felt it would be safer to wear it for easier access if I needed to use it immediately.

This was, however, my last resort. I'd try to board one of the other ships, but if anything went wrong, I had this to fall back on. Something told me it'd be impossible to just get on one ship and leave without anyone noticing.

The sun was just starting to warm my face as I returned to Lifdol's building, and my heart only calmed once I was back in my room.

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I spent the next three days in the training room out of habit, but nothing improved; it seemed I'd hit a plateau. There was a lingering feeling in my gut telling me that I hadn't trained enough—hadn't worked hard enough to survive.

The first ship had already left for the Raugan Islands, and I swore the ring was constantly tugging on my finger as it traveled farther away. I hadn't thought to ask if the enchantment's distance had a limit, and a shiver ran down my spine as I wondered what that would mean if I tried to use it anyway.

On the fourth day, late into the night, someone knocked on my door. Standing from the bed, I walked over and leaned against the wood, as I didn't feel the need to open it.

"Tomorrow, same time as now. Two streets south of Theresa's, first building on the right," came a practically silent voice. I didn't recognize it, and the person's steps quickly faded away.

I didn't sleep for the rest of the night; too many possibilities ran through my head. The priest echoed my agitated thoughts, pacing the small space and muttering words that sounded like a prayer.

The next day, I didn't leave the room. Instead, I packed everything of mine into the pack Aleya had given me, strapping my knife and axe to each side of my belt. Then, an hour before the last ship was set to leave, I headed toward freedom.

I made it five steps down the hall before a man called out to me, tone mocking and dark.

"Going somewhere?" Lifdol asked. I turned casually but braced myself to run.

"Headed for the shops," I lied.

"Hmm. For some reason, I don't believe you."

"I can't imagine why."

Lifdol stepped closer, and I heard the casual swing of metal slicing through the air. "Something tells me I won't be seeing you again!" I backed up, unhitching my axe, uncaring of breaking the ruse now that his intentions seemed clear.

"That seems like something you should be happy about," I reasoned, hand clenching tight around my weapon.

"If the outcome was in my favor, yes. But you'd be leaving behind unfinished business," the man claimed. The walls around us seemed to shrink, pressing down around me until Lifdol filled the entire hallway. "You still owe me quite a bit."

"That price seems arbitrary to me. What did you lose from Grathskin healing me?" I asked.

Lifdol laughed, and it echoed through the space like a thousand drums. "You're right that it's arbitrary—doesn't mean you have any say in the matter."

"It looks like that's not up to you."

His weapon shattered through the space, the clear ringing now only a foot away. "You're still right about one thing—I will be happy once you're gone, you cheating bitch," he hissed, and that was the end of our enlightening talk.

He made not a sound as he swung for me, and my arms twisted as I flung my axe up to meet his sword. It landed with the weight of the sun, my weapon screeching against his, only to fly back down and rebound off the floorboards.

I heard the wood crack as he sliced for me again, sword aiming to take my head with it. But before it could, I ducked, and Lifdol growled as his sword got stuck in the wall at the end of his swing.

"Look what you're doing to my property! That's more additions to your bill." He yanked his blade out, stalking me.

Breathing in, I continued to retreat. "It doesn't seem like you're willing to let me pay it off."

"Oh you'll pay for it, one way or another."

This time, I moved first, leaning all my strength into a sideways chop. Lifdol deflected it, but I used the momentum to try again, activating [Silent Blade] to boost my speed just a bit more.

It grazed the flesh of Lifdol's shoulder for only a second before he moved, and I had a tiny moment to breathe in as his fist exploded against my vulnerable left side, sending ripples of pain up my torso.

I heaved and pulled back, but the man didn't let me get far. His sword was filled with fury but exuded precision with every high-speed stroke. The clanging of metal filled the corridor, making my head ring with every strike.

I felt suffocated, every movement of mine restricted by the small space. There was no way to get around Lifdol—I could only move backward. My options to dodge were dangerously minuscule, and my shoulders frequently collided with the walls when I stepped to each side.

[Silent Blade] was once again my crutch, keeping my axe light and fast, even as Lifdol threatened to push me down every time he tried to cut me.

I hissed as his sword sliced down my forearm, blood flowing out and making my hand slip on the axe's handle. Lifdol had yet to use any skills as far as I had observed, and it felt like he was leisurely waiting for me to run out of steam.

Swinging my axe to meet his next strike, he feinted, bending his sword impossibly through the air. Not daring to breathe, I jerked my head back as that deadly metal cut a thin line just below my Adam's apple, making my pulse pound in my mouth, so heady I could taste the ash.

I knew I couldn't not go all out, so I summoned my flames. My mana roared through my skin like a broken dam until heat burst from my hands and traveled up my axe to cover my blade in fire.

"Fancy trick," Lifdol commented, his words unlabored and easy. "It won't make any difference."

Still, I swung, leaving a blazing trail through the blackness. This time, Lifdol's blade seemed to falter, the heat making metal sizzle and pop. I kept coming, filled with the encompassing desire to sever his spine and feel his heart burst at the end of my blade.

But suddenly, everything went quiet.

My ears popped, and I couldn't even hear my own breath. Lifdol took one step, and it shattered the silence, the world imploding at that bursting sound. My flames died without warning, and I was frozen.

The tip of Lifdol's blade pressed against my chest, digging in until it met my sternum with an icy force. I could feel it begin to crack, fracturing under the pressure.

"Too easy," he murmured. "I've never seen anyone as desperate as you. You should've stayed where you belonged, at the level of dirt and blind to any hope."

I smiled, tasting the blood between my teeth. "Even dirt is hard to get rid of."

With a beat of my heart, I let my mana free, pulling it down to the ring in my hand. I wouldn't make it to the ship—whatever skill Lifdol had utilized tensed up my muscles until my bones screamed under the strain.

But I could still use this wilful magic, as it would never bend to the pressure. I'd put my life into the hands of this insignificant piece of metal and hope that it would take me away from death. Right now, I didn't have the ability to do it myself.

With a tug of my stomach, the ring seared into the skin of my finger. Then I was weightless, Lifdol's sword no longer searching for my heart.

My insides twisted into knots, mixing and moving to places they had no business being. A pressure turned my brain in circles, thumping it against my skull.

It was only when I sucked in the stale air of a ship did I realize I had stopped breathing. That triggered an uncontrollable heave, and I threw up the minimal contents of my stomach. It repeated maybe five times until I could finally draw a normal breath.

I listened, hearing the clattering of footsteps above me, and ran my hand over the splintered wood of the wall. Metal fractured around my finger, unnaturally contracting until pieces of the broken ring bounced dully against the ground.

Rubbing the still-burning skin, I felt a raised line of heat where the ring had previously been. I huffed, hoping I wasn't imagining this and was actually dying to the point of Lifdol's sword.

This seemed like reality, no matter how strange it had gotten.

I let out another stuttered laugh, imagining Lifdol's face while he watched me disappear. But, like always, it was only a foggy blur.