The wind howled through the empty streets of the ruined city.
Sa’ir stood at the doorway of the broken house, his small bag resting on his shoulder. Inside it were the sacred book, the journals, and the map—the only treasures he truly owned.
For fifteen years, these streets had been his entire world.
Collapsed buildings leaned against one another like tired giants. Rusted vehicles sat half-buried in dust. Faded signs creaked in the wind.
It was a graveyard of civilization.
Sa’ir tightened the strap of his bag.
“I can’t stay here forever,” he whispered.
The journals had made one thing clear: the path of the faithful was never meant to stand still. Knowledge was meant to be carried forward.
And the map pointed south.
Toward the First House of the Faith.
Sa’ir took one last look at the house that had sheltered him all his life.
Then he stepped into the street.
Leaving the City
The journey through the ruins was quiet but tense.
Sa’ir moved carefully between broken walls and piles of debris. Though most of the city was abandoned, he knew better than to assume it was empty.
Scavengers sometimes wandered these streets.
And not all of them were friendly.
He passed through what had once been a marketplace. The shattered remains of stalls still stood crookedly, their wooden frames blackened by fire.
Sa’ir paused there for a moment.
“So many people must have lived here…”
The thought made the silence even heavier.
Suddenly—
A sharp sound echoed from behind him.
Clink.
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Sa’ir froze.
His heart began to pound.
Slowly, he turned his head.
Nothing.
Just wind moving through a broken alley.
He exhaled.
“Relax,” he muttered. “You’re imagining things.”
Then a voice spoke from the shadows.
“You walk like someone who doesn’t want to live very long.”
Sa’ir nearly jumped out of his skin.
From behind a crumbling wall, a girl stepped into view.
She looked about his age, maybe a little older. Her dark cloak was patched in several places, and a small knife hung from her belt. Her sharp eyes studied him carefully.
Sa’ir blinked.
“I… didn’t see you there.”
“That’s the point,” she replied calmly.
She crossed her arms.
“You’re new outside your little hiding place, aren’t you?”
Sa’ir hesitated.
“Is it that obvious?”
The girl gave a short laugh.
“You’re walking in the middle of open streets with a bag full of supplies and staring at ruins like they’re a museum.”
Sa’ir scratched the back of his head.
“…When you say it like that, it does sound stupid.”
She tilted her head slightly.
“So what’s your plan? Wander south until you starve?”
Sa’ir’s eyes widened.
“How did you know I was going south?”
She pointed to the map sticking slightly out of his bag.
“You’re not very good at hiding things.”
Sa’ir quickly pushed the map deeper into the bag.
The girl smirked.
“Relax. If I wanted to rob you, I would’ve done it already.”
That… was not particularly comforting.
Sa’ir studied her carefully.
“And who are you?”
She shrugged.
“Just a traveler.”
“That’s not really an answer.”
“Neither is wandering through ruins with no survival skills.”
Sa’ir sighed.
“Fair enough.”
After a moment of silence, he spoke again.
“My name is Sa’ir.”
The girl studied him for a moment.
Then she nodded.
“Amina.”
An Uneasy Partnership
They walked together through the broken streets, though neither of them had fully agreed to it.
Amina moved with quiet confidence, stepping carefully around unstable rubble. Sa’ir followed behind, trying not to look completely inexperienced.
“You’ve never traveled before,” she said casually.
“No.”
“Never hunted?”
“No.”
“Never fought?”
Sa’ir hesitated.
“…Not really.”
Amina stopped walking and looked at him.
“You’re planning to cross half the continent like this?”
Sa’ir rubbed the back of his neck.
“I was hoping to learn along the way.”
Amina stared at him for several seconds.
Then she laughed.
“You might actually be the most optimistic person I’ve ever met.”
Sa’ir smiled slightly.
“Is that a bad thing?”
“In this world? Yes.”
They reached the edge of the city as the sun began to sink behind distant mountains.
Beyond the ruins stretched endless plains of dry grass and scattered hills.
The real journey began there.
Amina looked out at the horizon.
“Traveling alone out there is suicide.”
Sa’ir shifted his bag.
“…Are you offering advice or criticism?”
“Both.”
She turned toward him.
“I know these lands. The safe paths, the water sources, the places where bandits hide.”
Sa’ir’s eyes brightened slightly.
“You’re a guide.”
“Don’t get excited,” she said quickly. “Guides don’t work for free.”
Sa’ir frowned.
“I don’t have money.”
Amina smirked.
“Then I guess you’ll have to offer something else.”
Sa’ir thought for a moment.
Then he said something that made her pause.
“I can teach you something.”
Amina raised an eyebrow.
“What could you possibly teach me?”
Sa’ir gently placed his hand on the bag containing the sacred book.
“Something the world forgot.”
For the first time since meeting him…
Amina looked genuinely curious.
“Well,” she said slowly.
“Now I’m interested.”
