I hadn't slept at all. It was one day after Estes called me, where he told me it had been days when I had felt only a few hours had passed. I understood why—or at least, I thought I did. Al had discussed dissociation before, finding it intriguing. At the time, I found it odd, but now, facing its grasp, fate proved itself a cruel mistress. The sight of Estes leaving gave me feelings of dread. I felt lonely and afraid, the memories of...

The coping mechanism was simple: dissociate to endure the trauma. My mind, detached from reality, let time slip away unnoticed. Fascinating is not the word I would use to describe this.

Being alone was never a problem for me; in fact, I loved it. But now, I can't stand it. I'm afraid, for myself and for everyone. Vex and the others haven't contacted me, and that feeling of dread is eating me up inside. This was a secret I couldn't share, not even with Estes or Al. A leader must project strength; the weak cannot lead.

A rustle in the bushes caught my attention. I quickly reached for the dagger left behind by Estes for me to protect myself. Was it a wild animal? Cautiously, I scanned my surroundings, dagger poised. Previous patrols had come and gone while I concealed myself in the trees. But now, I'm exposed.

A second went by where nothing happens at all. After one last look around the area, I'm about to sheath my dagger when the flash of someone in my peripheral caused me to turn to their direction. Thinking quickly, I dodged out of the way of a sword.

"Ah shit, you're fast," a masked figure muttered. Their face concealed by black cloth, leaving only eyes visible. They don't look like a soldier.

"Who are you? A bandit?" I asked as I stood ready to defend myself. If push came to shove, I'll burn them. It's my last resort though; I don't want to catch the attention of patrols.

"Eugh, bandit? That's lame," they replied, tilting their head to the side to look me up and down. "You can say I'm a bounty hunter."

"Bounty hunter...?" It clicked in my head. Of course, there was a bounty. But I'm curious, so I asked, "Uh, how much is my bounty exactly?"

The bounty hunter snickered. "If I tell, will you come with me?"

"No?" I wrinkled my nose. The bounty hunter exuded irritating confidence.

"Figures," they laughed. "You're worth a million gold, Mani."

"That's it?" I lowered my dagger in irritation. "Too low; you're being cheated."

"Low?" The bounty hunter laughed again. "Dear me, for an easy target like you, that's plenty."

Easy? Perhaps I can see where they're coming from. I look exhausted, but still.

"I see," I snickered, matching the bounty hunter's amusement. They halted, scrutinizing me.

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"I need you alive though... but it didn't say brand new." The bounty hunter didn’t give me a chance to say anything, and they lunged at me.

One look, and it's easy to tell they're not that great. Sloppy, I should say. Compared to Estes, this bounty hunter was nothing.

I sidestepped their sword, the metal meeting thin air. They were persistent, immediately attempting another swing. The odds were stacked against me, armed only with a dagger against their imposing sword. Dodging another strike, I seized the opportunity to maneuver behind them. A swift kick to the knee sent them off balance, their frustration evident as they struggled to regain composure.

"You... How..." They panted, bewildered by my unexpected agility. Another futile swing of their sword ensued.

"How the hell did you even make it this far?" I inquired, genuine confusion lacing my words.

Growling in response, they charged once more. I sighed, effortlessly deflecting their hefty sword with my dagger. Discarding the dagger, my right hand ignited with flames, intensifying as I grabbed onto their face.

A piercing screech filled the air, causing me to wince, but the sound faded as quickly as it came. The bounty hunter dropped to the ground, and smoke left their burnt face. The acrid stench of burnt flesh reached my nostrils, and I gagged.

"Okay, maybe I shouldn't have done that. So much for the last resort," I mused, turning my right hand around, expecting flesh on my palm. Instead, I didn't find anything. I smiled; it would usually leave residue... I was getting better at that move.

Turning my attention to the corpse on the ground. "A bounty for only one million. Psh."

Hold on, where do I hide this corpse?

I looked around, scratching my head. "Should I just..."

I shrugged and pulled the corpse by their boots. I had to hide it somewhere safe, lest someone found it and reported it to a patrol.

I dragged the corpse for a long time until I reached my destination. A clearing appeared in my view, and I dragged the corpse to the middle. I considered dumping it into the river, but the water would be contaminated, and I wasn't sure how long we'd be staying here once Estes got back.

I had to find a more unorthodox way to get rid of it. Lucky for me, this specific area contained a lovely family of grizzly bears. The mother bear would feed her cubs, and I would get away with murder. It was a win-win situation, in my opinion.

Still, I had to make sure she actually found the damned corpse. I left it in the middle of the clearing before walking into the trees.

Retreating to the cover of shrubs, I patiently waited. After an hour, a rustle signalled the arrival of a massive grizzly. After the grizzly sniffed the corpse, I observed with satisfaction as it dragged the bounty hunter into the forest, likely to feed its cubs.

I waited until I couldn’t hear anything before leaving. My movements were sloppy as I walked back to where I was supposed to wait. Only a few hours of sleep after a few days of no sleep were not the best idea.

I yawned and sat down where I was before being interrupted by the bounty hunter. I wanted to sleep, but the nightmares would keep me awake anyway. Besides, it wasn't safe.

I leaned back on the tree and stared at the leaves as they fell, not able to withstand the breeze of the wind. My eyes drooped, and my exhausted limbs fell still.

"Finally, we're out of the gates. I hate staying cooped up in those walls all day,” Estes’s voice resonated through my earring, snapping me to attention. I thank every god there is that I hasn’t fallen asleep.

A surge of energy pulsed through me. Estes was signalling. I remained motionless, straining to catch any sound. I froze as if any movement would cause me to miss any sounds.

A light laugh followed. "That's true. The air is fresher beyond the walls."

Aerendil? It must be. Estes chuckled, and silence followed.

I peeked out from behind some bushes, into the plains and the direction Estes left in. He said he was out of the gates. Where was he?

A quick scan of the area yielded nothing, and I plopped back behind the bushes. He had done it; I needed to get ready.