Arlin's large spread has led to some areas of their new territory to be less controlled than others. In areas where there is little presence of Arlinian forces, freedom fighter groups are more likely to coalesce.

***

I ran as fast as my legs could possibly carry me through the camp in the direction of her voice. Whatever it was, I knew that it was bad judging from the bloodcurdling scream that Sera had let out. When I found her a short distance from the guard’s tent, my fears were confirmed.

I could only make out the outline of Sera’s body, but something was very clearly wrong. Her breathing was erratic as she looked at me. I ran off to the side to pick up a small lantern and bring it close, and it only became worse. Sera’s body was beaten and bruised, her eyes nearly closed shut due to swelling. But the worst part was her left leg.

Calling it a leg was almost a stretch. It was shattered in multiple places, most likely by the usage of the batons that the guards carried from their hips. It looked like a lump of flesh that only gave the general outline of a leg. The hits were clearly done with purpose, intending to make sure that the leg would be as mangled as possible. I turned to find Elric running to my side only to give a similar reaction towards Sera’s state.

“I- I’ll get some wood to make a splint.” Elric stammered, struggling to voice his thoughts. I watched as he ran off into the night, searching for tools to make something to piece together her broken leg. I crouched down to get closer to her, but she flinched away from me. What happened was clear. I looked up at the tent to find the guards still laughing and singing in merriment. None of them were thinking about the horrors they had just inflicted.

“Hey… sorry about this.” Sera spoke in hushed tones, her voice interrupted with cracks as she winced at the pain. I could see her attempting to smile at me, but was faltering.

“No, this isn’t your fault. It’s theirs. They did this to you. Maybe we can-”

“Just, don’t. You know how it works. This isn’t going to heal in sixty days.” Her eyes looked directly at me, tears streaming down her cheeks. She was right. If it didn’t heal in sixty days and she wasn’t able to work, she’d be dead. A break as thorough as this was impossible to fix in such a short time, and attempting to work with it would only make it worse.

I had to do something. I at least had to try. I reached down and placed my left palm over her leg. Without thought, the soft light appeared from it again and flowed over her leg. I prayed harder than I had before, hoping that some instinctual part of my body would understand how to heal her. She stared at it, bewildered.

“North, how?”

Before I could respond, I felt a hand grab onto my wrist, and the light immediately dissipated. Elm looked down at me, his face now filled with a growing rage.

“What the fuck did I tell you? Are you this adamant on getting yourself killed?”

“But you said light attunement was good at healing? Maybe I could someho-”

“What, heal her? You don’t even have any idea how to do that. And even if you did, do you think the guards are going to see her walking around like normal and not ask any questions? It’s suicide for you and her!”

Hearing him raise his voice to such a degree felt unnatural, but I knew that I needed to stand my ground. I lifted myself up to meet him face to face, even though he was taller than me.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“No. I’m going to save her. I can’t just let this happen. I’ve been here for too damn long doing nothing and just wasting away, and one of the only things keeping me going is her. You said you were sorry, right?”

I was raising my voice at this point, unable to care who or what heard me. Sera stared at me, stuck in shock while Elm stood his ground.

“Do you know how many survivors were left after the attack on Marlisle village? Two. We were just an example to be made. The only reason Sera and I aren’t dead is because the magore doesn’t kill us. Marlisle doesn’t exist anymore. It’s an empty spot on the empire’s maps. We’re all that’s left. A candlemaker’s son and the daughter of a village elder.”

I could feel a tear start to run down my cheek.

“I refuse to be the only one left to tell our story. I don’t care what happens, I just can’t be the only one. If it gets me killed, so be it. I can’t carry the burden of Marlisle alone, and neither can she. So if you’re truly sorry, if you truly need forgiveness for something, then help me. You’re the one who said I can’t do it alone.”

“North, do you even have a plan?”

Sera looked up at me, her body still sprawled out across the ground. She was still crying, but her mind was no longer focused on the pain. She clearly had a much larger worry now.

“Sera, since when have I been good at planning stuff?” I forced a smile on my face before turning back to Elm. Before he could respond, Elric came back carrying broken pickaxe handles and string.

“I can make the splint, Help me get her to the bunk so I can start.”

***

As I laid down Sera on her bunk I gave her a faint smile before walking back outside of the bunks where Elm was waiting for me. He looked me up and down, studying my body.

“You really think you can escape? The cuffs prevent us from using magic, and the guards all have weapons powered by magore. That’s not even including these things.” He reached to tap the back of his neck, where a clear brand mark was in place. It was shared by all of us, a mark that defined us all as sub-human.

“I don’t have a choice. Plus, who said anything about running away?”

“No… you’re already killing yourself thinking about running. You really think you can do a fucking full scale revolt?”

“It’d feel wrong if it was just three of us. Well, four if Elric decides to join in, but he doesn’t really have the best opinion of you.” I mused, taking some time to study the night sky. “And I’m not the only one who carries a story with them.”

Although not many were willing to share, several others here were orphaned during invasions before being brought here. Family was a luxury that a rare few could claim they knew were still alive. The wars of the Empire were a furtive breeding ground for human capital, and although some of those who weren’t gifted were allowed to live, many areas were slaughtered like Marlisle. Citizenship in the Arlin empire was a fickle thing, though I could never attain it.

“Well, not like I can stop you if you’ve made up your mind. You don’t have a plan, and you don’t have any connections, so at least I can help with that. This is probably going to get me killed.”

Elm let out a soft chuckle before returning his gaze up to the stars.

“Who in the hell am I kidding? I’ve been dead for years.”

I had never heard Elm laugh before.

“North, I want to hear you say it. What do you want to do?”

I finally looked away from the stars and let my eyes wander around my surroundings. I had never really been able to take in how disgusting this place was. It was a blemish on what was originally a beautiful landscape.

“I’m going to tear this entire camp down to the ground.”

For the first time in years, I could finally hear my own thoughts inside my head. They had always been drowned out by the monotonous sound of shattering rock.

I’m going to tear it all down.