Shalyn's world spun as she lay on the cold, unforgiving ground, pain radiating from every corner of her body. Her vision blurred, and she could barely make out the twisted figure of Lazare standing before the portal, dark tendrils snaking out from beneath her robes and weaving ominously through the air. The serene garden, once a place of solace, was now tainted by the creeping shadows, the vivid flowers withering under the malevolent presence that Lazare exuded.

- Sylleth... - Shalyn managed to choke out, struggling to lift herself off the ground. Lazare turned towards her, her eyes as black as coal.

- Still conscious, are you? - Her voice was a distorted echo, layered and dripping with irritation. Shalyn summoned every ounce of strength to stand, but when her knees buckled and she collapsed again, coughing up blood, she began to drag herself toward Sylleth. - Hm? - Lazare glanced at the boy lying on the ground beside her. She walked over to him and, with a flick of her hand, used her magic to fling him toward Shalyn.

His body hit the ground with a thud, landing in a crumpled heap, and a moment later, he began to cough up blood.

- Sylleth! - Shalyn cried out, rushing to his side and cradling him desperately. She looked up at the woman standing a few meters away. - Why...

- Just shut up already. - Lazare snapped, turning her back to them as she refocused on the portal. - You were nothing more than tools to me.

Tears streamed down Shalyn’s cheeks as the cold sting of betrayal finally hit her. Summoning the last of her strength, she struggled to her feet and reached out a trembling hand toward Lazare.

- Still on your feet? - Lazare’s voice grew sharper, laced with fury and irritation.

Suddenly, in a desperate act of defiance, mana began to flow from Shalyn's hand once more. However, this time the streams were thinner, their light dim and fading.

- Well, isn't that interesting. - the woman remarked with a sly smile. With a mere flick of her wrist, she sent Shalyn crashing back into the ground. - It seems you're worth far more than what I am going to get for you.

Before Shalyn could even question the woman's intentions, she felt something—no, someone—grasp her hand.

- S...Shalyn? - A familiar, fragile voice... Sylleth's voice whispered urgently in her ears.

In a flash, despite the agony wracking her body, she twisted around to find Sylleth kneeling before her, his bandaged hand gently clasping hers. Blood dripped steadily from his lips, a dark bruise bloomed beneath his left eye, and his face was ashen, yet his gaze remained sharp and unwavering.

- You're awake... you're alive! - Shalyn's voice trembled with emotion as she squeezed his hand tightly, tears welling up in her eyes.

Lazare started laughing, it was a mocking snarl, twisted with sinister glee, as if she found twisted joy in their suffering.

- Of course he's alive. How else could I feed you with his mana? - the woman sneered, a cold laugh escaping her lips.

- F-Feed me? - Shalyn stammered, her voice trembling with exhaustion.

- My m-mana? - Sylleth echoed, his voice strained as he slowly pushed himself to his feet.

With another flick of her wrist, Lazare sent the boy crashing to his knees once more.

- W-What kind of spell is this?! I can't stand... - Sylleth's thoughts raced as he struggled to rise, but his attempts to resist Lazare were futile.

- Sit down. Unfortunately, I have to keep you here until they return... - Lazare turned toward the portal, through which a breathtaking landscape was visible—a vast coniferous forest bathed in orange hues, with towering marble walls and the spires of a colossal city rising in its midst and a giant mountain range at the back. - ...And I so desperately want to see it already. - Lazare's voice shifted into a maniacal whisper.

Sylleth and Shalyn stared at the woman, their minds racing to piece everything together, when Shalyn turned back to the boy.

- What about your arm? - she asked in a faint voice.

- Nothing I can't handle, don't worry. - Sylleth replied with a slight smile, trying to reassure her. He then shifted his gaze toward the woman before them. - Who’s supposed to come back here?

- Someone who would pay every amount for an elf and a demi-human... - +Lazare smiled wickedly as the tendrils emerging from beneath her robe began to writhe slowly. - Ah, speak of the devil.

The rustling of leaves and whispered voices filled the air as a man suddenly emerged from the bushes. He was dressed in leather pants and an open coat, holding what appeared to be a two-handed sword. The man looked young, with a scar over his right eye and what seemed like burn marks on his neck.

- Damn, getting through your barriers was a real nightmare. - The man muttered as he strolled toward Lazare, casually brushing off the leaves clinging to his clothes. - Do me a favor and disable them. I have no interest in fighting my way through twice.

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- They’ll shut down on their own once I reach the capital. - Lazare replied coolly.

Sylleth stared at the man, trying to make sense of who he was and what was happening. But Shalyn already knew.

- You... - Despite the pain wracking her body and the overwhelming nausea, she forced herself to stand once more.

- Shalyn? What's going on? - Sylleth asked, still gripping her hand tightly.

- He... he killed my brother. - Her voice was cold, filled with a deadly resolve as she locked eyes with the man. Her hunger for vengeance was unmistakable.

The man turned toward the pair, completely disregarding Shalyn's stance.

- These are the ones? Honestly, I thought you were trying to double-cross us. - He smirked at the prospect of his new prey.

- Shalyn, please calm down— Sylleth began, trying to soothe his companion, but she cut him off with a scream.

- You killed him! - she shouted, tears streaming down her face.

Lazare once again used her power to slam the girl into the ground.

- For the love of everything, shut up. - Lazare growled, pressing Shalyn deeper into the earth with her magic.

- Shalyn! - Sylleth rushed to her aid, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t lift her.

- Hey, hey, careful there. What if you break her? I’m not waiting around to sell her until she heals. The other one’s already in terrible shape. - A man interjected, grabbing Lazare by the arm.

Irritated, the woman swatted his hand away and withdrew her own under her cloak, releasing Shalyn from her magic.

- Take them and get out of here before the portal closes on me. - Lazare said, striding toward the gateway.

- Yeah, yeah... nagging as usual. - The man muttered under his breath as he approached the characters. - Now, be nice and make my job easier by not putting up a fight, will you?

- You must be kidding. - The weakened Sylleth replied, positioning himself protectively in front of Shalyn.

- Well, that’s a shame... - The man glanced toward Lazare, but she had already crossed to the other side. - ...Are you going to help me with him?! - He shouted after her.

Even though the woman had her back turned to him, the irritation radiating from her was palpable. Still, she nodded in acknowledgment. In that instant, Sylleth felt as if his very soul was being torn from his body. His vision blurred, and his hearing faded away. Moments later, he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

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The world around them faded into darkness, the last echoes of Sylleth's heartbeat pounding in his ears before everything went silent. Time slipped away unnoticed, lost in a void of unconsciousness. The stillness was oppressive, and the once sharp edges of reality softened into a hazy blur.

Then, slowly, a distant sound began to pierce through the fog. It was faint at first, just a muffled murmur, but it grew louder with each passing moment. Light filtered through closed eyelids, a dim glow that gradually brightened, pulling him back to the surface of awareness. Sylleth stirred first, the cold, hard ground beneath him bringing an uncomfortable clarity. He blinked, his eyes struggling to adjust as he tried to piece together where they were.

Sylleth’s head moved sluggishly as he took in his surroundings. To his right, he saw Shalyn, chained up lying unconscious. His gaze then settled on a figure sitting on a chair.

- Finally awake, I see. - the man remarked, casually munching on an apple.

- Where... where are we? - Sylleth inquired, trying to lift himself, but the chains around his wrists, ankles, and neck kept him firmly restrained.

- We’re heading to Naora. - the man said, casually tossing the apple out of the window.

- Naora? The port city? - Sylleth struggled against his chains, trying to make sense of the situation.

- Whoa, calm down. - the man said, standing up. - Those chains were quite pricey.

- Where are you taking us?! - Sylleth pressed, his eyes locked on the man, desperate for answers.

The man let out an exasperated sigh and took his seat again, clearly annoyed by the repeated question.

- We’re heading to Naora to sell our cargo, as I’ve already mentioned. - the man said, casually propping his sword against his shoulder. - And let me give you a piece of advice: watch your tone. If you keep it up, you might just end up as dinner for our Arcathors. - He grinned menacingly.

The man got up and moved to a door on the left that Sylleth had previously overlooked. When he opened it, the view revealed a vast expanse of lush, sprawling forests, indicating they were in a moving carriage. The man leaped out of the carriage and slammed the door shut behind him. Sylleth made a desperate attempt to break free from his chains, but when his efforts yielded no results, he slumped back onto the floor in frustration. Moments later, which felt like an eternity to him, Shalyn began to stir, gradually coming to her senses

- Hmm... - Shalyn murmured, her voice barely a whisper.

- Shalyn... are you okay? - Sylleth asked, turning his head to face her with a worried expression.

- Where... are we? - Shalyn’s voice was weak and filled with fatigue.

- We’re supposed to be on our way to Naora. - Sylleth said, trying to sit up despite the chains.

- Naora? - Shalyn asked, her eyes scanning their surroundings with confusion.

- It’s a port city down south. - Sylleth replied, pushing himself upright.

- I see... What happened to us? - Shalyn’s gaze settled on Sylleth, and then her eyes widened. - Your arm...

Sylleth’s left arm appeared to have mostly healed, though a large, dark scar stretched from his hand up to his forearm.

- I didn’t notice it before... but don’t worry, it’s not painful. - Sylleth said with a reassuring smile, trying to soothe Shalyn, who had enveloped him in a tight hug.

- I was terrified you were going to die... - Shalyn’s voice trembled, and she started to cry softly.

- That’s just silly... I’ve got centuries ahead of me. I’m not going to let something like this take me down, - He joked, gently patting her back.

- I guess you’re right... - Shalyn managed a tearful laugh. - What happens now? - She asked, slowly pulling back from the embrace.

- It looks like we’re going to be sold... - Sylleth said, his voice heavy with resignation.

Shalyn wiped her tears with the edge of her leather blouse, then replied with a determined edge in her voice.

- Well, we need to find a way out of here, don’t we?

- Or we could just hope for a stroke of luck... - A disembodied voice chimed in from behind the wooden wall, dripping with indifference.

After a moment of silence, Shalyn's curiosity got the better of her.

- What?

- What I said stands—if we create a diversion, the guards will definitely lose their focus for a moment, and that’s our chance to escape! - The mysterious figure shouted, her voice revealing that she was a girl around Shalyn’s age.

- And what about the chains? - Sylleth asked, getting to his feet and approaching the wall, which was topped with wooden bars. - How do you plan to get rid of them?

The boy peered through the bars and saw a young girl with dark skin . Her amber eyes gleamed with intelligence, and her sleek, tawny hair resembling the coat of a cheetah fell around her shoulders. Her pointed ears were twitching slightly, and her long, slender tail, adorned with dark spots, flicked playfully behind her.

The girl turned towards him, her sharp fangs visible as she flashed a confident grin. With nimble, clawed hands, she began working on the chains.

- I’ll figure these out. - She chuckled, her voice carrying a mix of determination and amusement.