After the meager, yet nourishing, meal, the young girl, Morisa

  James

  "How much time do you reckon it'll take us to get to the middle of the kingdom, and then to the palace?" James asked, his voice ringing with a natural, carrying quality.

  Jai winced, his hand instinctively motioning for silence near the girl’s ear. "Bro! First, talk slowly. She’s sleeping," he chastised in a low, conspiratorial whisper. He shifted Morisa to a more comfortable spot. "The thing is, it’ll take us approximately one day

  James nodded, the fatigue of the last few days—the rush, the fighting, the constant vigilance—finally settling deep in his bones. He tightened his grip on the bags and started their walking rhythm, a steady, measured pace designed to conserve energy.

  They hadn't walked for more than half an hour when a sound—the clatter of wheels on packed earth—reached them. Rounding a bend in the dusty road, they saw a cart

  It was the same cart. Distinctive, with faded green paint and a makeshift wooden cage mounted near the back—it was the very cart used by the despicable men, the one they’d rescued Morisa from.

  "Down! Now!" Jai hissed, his low voice a whip.

  In a single, coordinated movement honed by years of surviving together, they slipped off the road and dove behind a thicket of thorny scrub. Jai crouched, shielding Morisa's sleeping form with his body. They were perfectly still, the only sound the ragged inhale and exhale of their own breath.

  Through the leaves, they saw two men emerge from the cart, stretching and adjusting the horses’ harness. It was them—two of the lackeys involved in the kidnapping.

  Jai thought, his grip on Morisa tightening.

  They watched, holding their breath, until the two men finished their work and sauntered off the road, disappearing into a small, dilapidated tavern.

  "They're leaving," James whispered, his eyes glued to the tavern door. "It's safe to walk. Maybe even safer than taking a ride now. We stick to the schedule."

  Waiting until they were absolutely certain the kidnappers were preoccupied, Jai and James resumed their journey, sticking to the edge of the road. Their pace was now a little faster, a subtle urgency replacing their previous measured walk. Morisa remained asleep, a small island of peace in the rising storm of their mission.

  They soon reached a small, roadside village bustling with merchants, farmers, and travelers. Their first stop was a provisioner’s shophealing artifact

  "The Dwarf King," Jai murmured to James as they browsed a stall displaying an assortment of minor magical items, "he can't know the extent of her injuries. If he sees her battered and bruised, he’ll immediately rebel against The Shadow Ledger

  James nodded grimly. "An open war right now would only make the organization fight with each other, true, but it would spill onto the common people. It’d put countless lives in trouble. We can’t have that."

  Their agreed-upon strategy was clear: they had to investigate, find The Shadow Ledger’s main hub, dismantle them from the inside, and rescue everyone—especially the kids

  They finally located a dealer with a legitimate artifact, a Tier 10 Healing Artifact"Verrus."five thousand zuo

  Back in the relative quiet of a secluded alley, Jai took the artifact. It was a smooth, palm-sized stone that pulsed with a faint, warm light. He held it close, his concentration absolute. Using a forbidden, esoteric method, he began to refine the stone’s energy, infusing it with his own unique power—his gold bloodcore essence

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Carefully, Jai woke Morisa. "Little one," he said softly. "I have something to help you."

  She blinked her sleep-heavy eyes. He pressed the to the worst of her lacerations. The warm light flooded her skin, and she gasped softly, not in pain, but in relief. The Tier 10 artifact, even after Jai's refinement, was only capable of healing minor injuries, but it worked miracles on the deep cuts and abrasions. The wounds closed, the skin knitted perfectly, but the bruises

  "The will need time to recover its energy," Jai explained, wiping his brow. "At least three days before it can be used again." He looked at the perfectly mended skin and the deep purple bruises that contrasted starkly with it. "It’s more than good, not good-for-nothing," he muttered, correcting his previous pessimistic thought.

  James knelt beside Morisa, his gaze earnest. "Morisa, please," he said, holding her small, recovered hand. "Don't tell your father or your brother about the organization yet. About The Shadow Ledger."

  Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Why, Big Brother? Is it not a good thing that I was kidnapped by them? Isn't it important?"

  "Yes, because you’re a royal," James started, his logic too cold, too political. "And everyone thinks you're a noble, precious person. If they know you were taken—and how you were taken—everyone will think little of you. They'll question your security, your importance—"

  "Don’t talk nonsense," Jai interrupted, his voice sharp with sudden, protective anger. He gently turned Morisa toward him, placing a hand on her cheek. "Morisa, listen to me. James is worried about politics. I am worried about people. I want to rescue all the kids, and I need to make sure no one else gets hurt by them. I’m going to personally catch the ones responsible, and then we’ll rescue all the children. We can’t start a huge war over your bruises, Morisa. We have to be smart."

  She looked at him, her wide, intelligent eyes searching his. He had given her a mission, a reason for her silence. She nodded, her small face serious. "Okay, Big Brother ArthurHealed, fed, and with a shared secret now binding them, Jai and James resumed their journey. The day passed in quiet companionship, the hours marked by the rhythmic of their boots on the road.

  As the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in violent streaks of orange and purple, the chill of night began to set in.

  "It's best to take a room for ourselves," Jai announced, looking at Morisa's dirt-caked face and ripped clothing. "Morisa also needs a good bath. A traveler's inn won't do."

  He soon spotted a rental housethree rooms

  But as they ascended the worn staircase, Morisa gripped Jai's sleeve. "I don't want to be alone," she whispered, her eyes wide with a residual fear the couldn't cure. "I'm going to sleep with Big Brother Arthur."

  Jai felt a sudden, unexpected fluttertwo roomsthree thousand zuo

  After much-needed baths, they settled into their respective rooms. James, predictably, was asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

  In the second room, Morisa was already tucked into the generous bed. As Jai lay down, she immediately reached out and took his hand, holding it very tightlyHow could anyone torture this cute girl? he thought, his anger a hot, silent fire. He stared at the ceiling until the feeling subsided, and then, finally, he too fell into the deepest of sleeps.

  He woke instantly, not to a sound, but to an overwhelming, unnatural sensation: light

  When he opened his eyes, he wasn't in the dingy rental room. He was in a space filled with an oppressive, high-tech glow. His surroundings were saturated with screensmusic

  Before him sat a man. His hair was a stark, unnatural blackredblack suitfootball

  Jai, completely disoriented, could only stare. The man looked up, his red eyes narrowing in suspicion.

  "Who are you? How did you come to my room?" the black-suited man asked.

  The language struck Jai with a cold shock of familiarity. It was the same, precise, slightly archaic dialect that Emperor DominatrixWhat is this place? What is football? Who are you?

  But before a sound could pass his lips, he was violently yanked back to reality.

  He woke up with a gasp, his body drenched in sweat

  "Big Brother Arthur," Morisa's sweet voice whispered, her hand still holding his, her face hovering inches from his own. "Why are you drenched in sweat? Did you have a scary dream?"

  Jai fought to control his breathing. His first instinct was to panic, but he immediately checked himself. He couldn't alarm her.

  "Yes," he lied, his voice rough. "It was just a bad dream." He gently untangled his hand and swung his legs out of the bed. "I need to wash my face."

  After splashing cold water on his face in the wash basin, he rejoined James and Morisa for a quick, somber breakfast. They resumed their journey, the sun already high.

  Jai walked in a daze, the bizarre images of the screens, the red-eyed man, and the futuristic room replaying in his mind.

  "What are you thinking about?" James asked, noticing his friend's unusual silence.

  "Nothing," Jai replied, the word a flat, low-voiced dismissal.

  But the dream was not . It was a dark, persistent seed planted in his subconscious. It was a memory—or a prophecy—that always chased him

  He shook his head and focused on the palace gates in the distance. he thought.