Aurelius opened his weary eyes to find himself naked, strapped to a metal chair. The cold stung his skin numb. He jerked his body to no avail.

A door opened with a metallic creak, and two men entered, their eyes sweeping over him. They walked closer until he saw them. A man with a stubble beard and thin graying hair and a youth with smooth cheeks and auburn hair.

Aurelius couldn't make out their eyes until they stood right beside him. One had deep, black eyes with an animalistic glint in the middle, while the other's were silver and intellectual. They circled him as a primal fear built up in Aurelius' chest. He tried to rip himself free. When that didn't work, he inhaled deeply before screaming.

He barely got to make a sound before he was cut off by the man slapping a gloved hand on his mouth. Aurelius kept screaming even while muffled until the youth put a finger on his mouth and shushed him with an intense glare.

"He's coming," the youth whispered.

Aurelius stopped screaming, and the hand lifted off his mouth. "Who?" he whispered. Heavy footsteps echoed, making the air feel thicker. "Who is coming?" The youth ignored him, looking at the obscured entrance. "Please, what did I do? No, I didn't do it."

"Shut it," the man growled. "You called us."

Aurelius gulped and turned to look as well. Gradually a figure was revealed from the darkness. He was the largest man Aurelius had ever seen, with sharp shoulders in his uniform that was made of heavy shadows. He hung his head, atop which there were majestic golden locks of hair. He had a rusty blade in his crimson-gloved hand, and he walked closer.

The youth backed away to make space. Only when the figure was right beside him did Aurelius see his fiery deep blue eyes under his shaded features.

"—you," the figure mumbled.

"What—?" Aurelius said.

The figure slammed the rusty knife against the chair with a sharp clang. "Do you like hurting people weaker than you?" he repeated, dragging the blade with a screech.

"No, nonono, I—" Aurelius shook as the blade neared him. "You have no right to judge me!" he screamed, raising his head.

The man slammed his head right back down. "You are kin." His black eyes smiled down at Aurelius.

"I'm not like you! I'm not like you!" Aurelius kept screaming, ready to tear off his limbs for freedom but ultimately powerless. His eyes locked onto the shadowy figure's knife. "I'm a good person—" Aurelius jerked as the figure slammed the knife into his chest. Aurelius' eyes rolled back so that he could see the youth's wide-eyed smile as the figure dug it out and slammed it down again and again.

They ripped his stomach and forced his jaws open, shoving in something warm, and Aurelius passed out.

***

He woke up, blinded and in pain. Immediately his gag reflex kicked in, and he curled up, vomiting on the ground beside him. He vomited for a minute and kept gagging even when nothing came out. He blinked at his surroundings, unaware of where he was.

It was only when he saw his leather notebook that he remembered what he was doing on a cliff next to the sea. He took the notebook and pen where it read, 'Three weeks of travel has gone by now. Soon we'll be entering Lundkirk territory. My right eye has finally healed, but my sleeping issues aren't getting better. I don't want to sleep anywhere except for the carriage, and my sleep there is terrible. All my dreams are nightmares. I'll try to get some good sleep later during daytime. Hope it helps.'

Then he wrote, "It didn't. It feels like I haven't slept for half a year. At this point, I don't know if I ever will.

I don't know if I can go back to sleeping in a bed anymore. I'm starting to consider options for how I could keep myself from dreaming. It feels like I'm going insane. The nightmares are getting more disturbing. I saw Uzbec this time. When I last saw him in a dream, I was a dog being gelded. My mind is not my own. I can't live like this. I just can't."

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

When he was finished, he threw the notebook aside and buried his head in his arms, pressing his cold fingers on his dark, baggy eyes.

***

Cade had tried to think about their next moves all day, but after their few-hour break on the cliffside, Aurelius had wanted to get back on the move, and the constantly shaking carriage made thinking just a little fucking impossible. Cade considered jumping out and running all the rest of the way but sighed, seeing the shape Aurelius was in. He would probably forget where he was going the second she wasn't there to lead him by hand. He was in an intolerable condition but refused to sleep. At this point, he was just making things worse for himself.

Cade shifted back to thinking about their next steps, recalling what Aurelius had told him earlier. They were looking for a region Kendrick had conquered before Solomonia that had a lot of mountains and fjords. According to the maps Cade had bought on the way and some travelers she'd talked to, there were two main candidates: Noranth and Calipeidos.

Aurelius had been a little out of it lately, but she remembered him talking about Noranth before. However, from what she'd heard, Calipeidos was less populated and not as famous, but far more beautiful of the two. She considered bringing it up when it was a good time.

She glanced out of the window as the path got smoother and found that they'd come to a town. He knocked on the side of the carriage and asked the coachman to stop.

Aurelius was still staring off into space, head tilted up and mouth agape. He was probably unaware of what plane of existence he was on.

Cade woke him promptly and dragged him out.

"Where are we going?" he moaned.

"I saw a tavern," Cade said. "You need to eat. I need to drink."

"Uugh, fine." Aurelius righted himself, putting his hands in his coat pockets.

Seeing that he was more or less functional, Cade decided it was as good of a time as any. "Hey, I was thinking earlier. About Noranth"

"Mm?" Aurelius turned.

"We should search Calipeidos first. It's more deserted, making it a better place to hide in."

"No."

"Huh?" Cade was taken off guard and more so annoyed. "Why?"

Aurelius rubbed his eyes, shaking his head like she was dumb. "Noranth has been in Kendrick's control for longer. Don't assume it's Calipeidos just because it's closer. If we try taking shortcuts, we'll only waste more time."

"Just because it's harder doesn't mean it's the right thing to do."

"Wow, you're really blowing my mind here."

"Hey, I've thought this through. I've let you make all the decisions so far, but you won't even listen to me." Aurelius rolled his eyes. "You know what? Let's fight for it. A duel of companions."

"Come on." Aurelius slumped his shoulders. "Can we just—"

"Ready?" Cade asked.

She didn't wait for a response, smacking him right after. He turned, stumbled, and fell.

"Agh, my head," he groaned.

"Is the verdict clear, or do we need a retrial?" Cade inquired.

Aurelius waved a hand. Satisfied, Cade helped him up. They went to the tavern that seemed relatively busy as night was falling. They sat at a table with a flower and candle on it. Cade got Aurelius some fish and bought a bottle of liquor.

"I heard that alcohol can combat nightmares," Cade said, shrugging. "It's worth testing out." Then he noticed Aurelius's attention was elsewhere again. "Hello?" She followed his gaze to a man at the counter who was talking to a shy woman in a flower dress. She couldn't make out what he was saying, but by the tone, she could tell it wasn't very nice. "Do I want to know what he's saying?"

"No," Aurelius answered. She noticed that the darkness was in his eyes again, and before she knew it, he had gotten up.

"Rey, let me handle... Ah, shit." Cade opened the bottle of liquor and took a swig as she watched Aurelius go grab the guy by the shoulder.

He was a boulder of a man, taller than even Aurelius. He turned aggressively, yelling loud enough to silence the bar. "What?!"

Aurelius stared him down, talking in common, "Get out."

Cade shook her head. Aurelius was barely able to run. A few men had gathered behind the large square-faced fellow.

'This won't be pretty,' Cade thought and took another swig. At least the woman managed to get away.

The fellow spit in Aurelius' face, and without a moment of silence, Aurelius punched him in his jaw. Cade had never known him to throw the first punch. Then again, it had been a long time since he saw him fight. Even though he had barely recovered, Cade was eager to see it.

The fellow stumbled back, dazed. There was a series of gasps, but his friends didn't seem to think much of it and pushed him back at Aurelius. The fellow recovered fast and lashed out with a surprisingly fast and furious punch. Aurelius ducked, hit him in the stomach, and twisted to land an elbow on the same spot he punched. There was a crack, and the man fell.

While Cade stood in shock at his ruthless efficiency that resembled her own, the three friends rushed Aurelius. Aurelius's expression twisted in pain. Cade realized he'd injured himself in the showdown right as he was hit in the face.

Aurelius recovered quickly, though, and dodged two more strikes before delivering counters. One he elbowed and another he smacked. He grabbed a third punch and pulled down on the arm to deliver a knee to the face. When he looked back up, there was a knife in his face.

Cade had seen the glint of the blade early and enhanced before rushing forward. So as Aurelius stared at the knife in front of his eyes, Cade held it still by the man's wrist. She squeezed before the knife fell and slammed the knifeman's head on the counter.

Silence fell. Cade tapped Aurelius on the arm. "Very well handled. Let's get out of here." She went to grab her bottle of liquor and walked out, announcing, "The damages are paid from the pockets of the unconscious."