Another tremor shook the harbor of Isulon.

But Kawao was undeterred. He felt as if he knew where he needed to run.

,To the north of the city!´ he kept telling himself.

Soon, he could see a large wall protecting the harbor to the north. Some people armed with bows were making their way to the top of the wall.

"Hey, you! Stop right there!" someone suddenly shouted at him.

He stopped abruptly.

In front of him stood a short man in a fiery red uniform. Kawao recognized it immediately. It was the same uniform worn by the man who had commanded the attack on his village.

"Who are you? Where did you get that uniform?" he asked angrily.

But the man only replied, "That's none of your damn business! Get lost! We don't need civilians here!"

"Hey, hey! I'm not a civilian! And stop ignoring my question!"

"I don't care who you are! We're being attacked by pirates here! PIRATES! So leave us alone and let us do our job..."

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Suddenly, a huge rock broke through the wall and buried Kawao and the man under the rubble.

After a moment, Kawao freed himself with little effort. He shuddered.

The part of the wall that had stood before him was now demolished. A rock had lodged in the house behind him, with blood dripping from its underside. Some of the soldiers lay unconscious or clearly dead on the ground.

,What happened to that guy from before?´

He searched through the rubble and quickly found him, also unconscious.

He used this chance to examine the man's uniform more closely. To his shock, he realized it was indeed the same as the one worn during the attack on his village.

But before he could think further, loud laughter echoed through the hole in the wall.

He carefully laid the man at the edge of the debris and made his way forward.

He cautiously climbed through the hole, and just before he reached the other side, he saw it.

A small army of pirates was storming the harbor from a nearby forest, being cut down piece by piece by the soldiers on the wall. It was a horrifying sight. It reminded him of what it must have been like when his village, his family, was subjected to such slaughter.

Again, he heard the laughter echoing across the battlefield.

On a small hill in the midst of the grassy, blood-soaked plain stood a man in a long green coat. He looked young. He must have been around Kawao's age.

The man took a deep breath and began to shout: "PEOPLE OF ISULON! THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE! SURRENDER OR WATCH YOUR CITY BURN!"

,Burn! He wants to burn the city! Just like mine!´

At these words, Kawao's anger exploded.

He quickly gathered more energy in his legs and, with breathtaking speed, leaped towards the man and punched him as hard as he could.

Without hesitation, the man was hurled directly into one of the nearby trees, which fell upon impact.