He bounded to her, noting the group of girls that whimpered as he neared them. Yet, he only had eyes for one, cutting the ropes that nailed her to the ground, pulling her into his arms.

“Mera,” he whispered, the gentleness in his voice juxtaposing the death around them. “It’s me.”

“Mera,” he said again, as she didn’t answer. Kai looked into her eyes and noticed their listlessness. He noticed the fact that she hadn’t moved since he’d seen her and more likely than not, hadn’t moved since she’d been chained down for the night.

“Please, Mera,” he pleaded, tears coming to his eyes. “Answer me.”

“It’s useless,” a voice said from his right.

He looked up and saw one of the girls that was still chained down, the only one of the group that seemed remotely lucid, with eyes shining with blue fire, looking at him.

“What did you say?” Kai asked, tear filled eyes staring at her.

“I said it’s useless. She’s been gone for a while.”

And then she gave him a look of sympathy, one that seemed so out of place on someone who’d lived through just as much, no, even more torture than Kai, that he almost stepped back in surprise.

“You’re Mordekai, aren’t you?” The girl asked him. “She would talk about you all the time back before, at least before she became like this.”

Mordekai looked away from her and then looked back down to the only girl he’d ever loved.

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this,” he sobbed. “We were supposed to Cultivate together and then live together and grow old together.”

The only sounds that rang out across the forest for a few minutes were the sounds of his sobs.

“Most of us girls, the ones who these filthy animals choose to keep rather than sell pure in Nejena, take a few months of abuse to break. Many of the girls go insane like the ones behind us. Others, like her, flee inside their own heads, using it as a buffer for the pain and humiliation.”

“But when the pain lasts this long, some fade away, and their Souls forget how to break out of the shell they created. And once this happens, they’re gone forever,” Kai finished for the girl.

Hunter had taught him about lost Souls, ones who’d decided that the pain of their bodies was too much and left them behind for the Beyond. By this point, they were as good as dead.

A scream of pure heartbreak rang out across the forest as Kai buried his head into Mera’s chest and cried, trying to wash away his agony with tears.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“You must do what needs to be done,” the girl’s voice cut into his sobs. “The longer you wait…”

The more chance there is that I choose to meet the same fate, he finished in his mind.

He pulled himself together, pulling his head away from Mera. Standing up, and slowly laying her on the ground, he stood and grabbed his sword.

He looked at the girl then and said, “Thank you.”

“This doesn’t stop here for you then, does it?” The girl asked him.

“No, there are those that set this in motion, those that deserve to die so that they may never do this to another.”

“Good,” she simply said. “Kill them all and burn their damned Houses to the ground.”

Kai stood there then for a few minutes, letting this moment burn itself into his memory.

“She told us about you. You were always her kind savior.”

“I am no longer kind, nor anybody’s savior,” Kai said.

“Yet, in this moment, I would still like to ask you to be. Please give us the same mercy of freedom you are about to give her. We would also like to die on our own terms.”

Kai head snapped to her at the word “we”. “You aren’t broken nor lost. Why ask me to do such a thing?”

“You’re wrong kind savior. I am the most broken of these girls, including the one which you just held.”

Kai nodded then simply, seeing the pleading in her eyes, and knowing that only he had the strength to do this.

“What is your name?”

“Thyer, savior Mordekai. My name is Thyer.”

Kai nodded. “A beautiful name, Thyer. I will remember it.”

“Thank you, savior.”

And then, he did what needed to be done

***

“Look at what you’ve created,” Death’s voice said from the banks of the River.

“I only gave him a chance, one he deserved,” a voice said from the smoky shadows.

“Jas-, Chaos. You know what he’s done. He’s deprived two Souls from the Gates, something not even the gods ever dared to do.”

“Trust me,” the being known as Chaos said. “If those fools could somehow visit here without any backlash, they would do the same to any Soul that crossed them.”

“And don’t forget, old friend,” he continued before Death could say anything. “You also agreed to this.”

That made the wraithlike figure sag just a bit. “I know, old friend. I am just afraid of what he might bring.”

“That’s the beauty of it. You’re afraid and both of us are playing for his side. Just imagine one day, when he’s powerful enough, just how much fear he will bring to those delusional fools. I know he brings change, but it’s too late to stop. We can only ride along and hope he doesn’t tear the worlds apart in his rage and agony.”

***

A fire burned in the Kigara forest. A large fire that seemed to be out of place in the otherwise peaceful night. It burned unnaturally however, as if it refused to go past a certain point, as if it was only built to burn certain things, certain memories.

One day, they would find the ashes and piece together through energy trails, just what had occurred at this place that fateful day. But not today.

Today, this fire burned to erase the evidence of a fight, one that had already broken the peace of the night.

And out from the fire walked Mordekai Eritos.

A grim look was painted across his blood and dirt stained face, the rags that covered him showing just what he’d gone through.

He found the edge of the clearing, but just before he made his way into the forest, he heard a rustle above him.

He snapped his head around and lashed out, letting his blade sing through the air once again.

But, when he saw what had startled him, he gave quick sigh of dismissal and walked into the darkness.

And as his footsteps faded away, the body of a baby bird glided to the ground.

And if he’d taken a closer look, he would’ve seen the body of a baby eagle, wingless from birth, fall to the ground broken and bloody, finally free from its eternal misery.