"Lia…"
"Lia…"
The voice came, soft and gentle from a distance, until it got closer and closer
Her eyes fluttered open.
The world was blurry. The air thick and dry. Her body felt heavy, her limbs stiff. She tried to move her hands, nothing. Her legs tied. Panic shot through her chest.
"Lia!" the voice came again, full of breathless relief.
She turned her head and saw Anna. Tears in her eyes. Dirt on her face. She was alive
"Thank God… you're awake" Anna whispered, her voice shaking.
Lia blinked, still dazed.
Her vision cleared slowly. Her arms were bound behind her back, her ankles tied together. The chains were tight, cutting into her skin.
Every inch of her body ached. Her face stung, especially where the metal had hit her. She could barely breathe.
"Anna… what's going on?" she gasped. "Why are we in chains?"
"We don't know" Anna said softly. "We all woke up like this."
Lia's chest tightened as she looked around the room. They were in a large, stone-walled hall—dim, silent, with no windows.
Around her, others were chained too. About twenty people, maybe less. Their clothes were torn, their skin bruised and bloodied. Everyone looked just as lost as she was.
"Tomie?" she whispered.
"Here" he called from just behind her.
She twisted until she saw him. His shirt was ripped. Blood soaked his shoulder where a deep gash glistened. His face was pale with pain.
"And Roy?" she asked.
Tomie went quiet.
She turned to Anna quickly. "Anna where's Roy?"
Anna shook her head quietly.
"She didn't make it…"
Lia stopped breathing. Her world slowed.
"No…" Her voice cracked. "No, no, no…"
"She drowned" Anna whispered. "Along with the others."
Lia's body shook. Her chest splintered. She couldn't hold it in. The pain burst out of her throat in a choked sob. Anna cried too.
"I'm so sorry" she whispered.
Her ankle, the chain, the bruise on her face where the iron had hit her earlier… they all hurt. But none of it compared to the pain in her chest. Losing Roy was a different kind of pain. The kind that didn't heal.
"It's not fair" someone across the room cried. "We lost everyone… and they still chained us up like animals!"
Tomie's voice broke through, hoarse and broken. "I'm sorry… I tried. I searched the cabins. I looked for her everywhere. I swear, I did."
"It's not your fault Tomie" Anna said through tears. "You did all you could."
Lia couldn't speak. Her throat was too tight. Her eyes burned, but the tears didn't stop.
A voice from the far end of the room spoke up, wary. "Who brought us here?"
"Does anyone remember anything?"
"They must've knocked us out" another person whispered. "No one saw their faces?"
Silence fell. No one remembered. Lia's heart pounded. She could feel it, something worse was coming.
She looked around again. Less than twenty survivors. Out of over two hundred passengers.
Then, the door creaked open. A loud crack of metal.
Lia's heart dropped. Her stomach twisted in fear, and she started moving back. Not just her, everyone else too, as the men stormed in.
Weapons in their hands. Hair and beards unshaved. They wore sack trousers, old shirts, and beads wrapped around their wrists and necks. Their faces carried tribal tattoos, not the neat kind, but deep scars carved into their skin like razor wounds.
They didn't speak at first. They walked through the room like wolves picking meat.
Then suddenly, with force they grabbed seven people.
One of the men stared directly at Lia. Her stomach flipped. He was about to point at her when another man stopped him.
"We'll go with these seven first" the second man said.
They dragged the screaming victims out. The door slammed behind them.
Gasps filled the room.
"Where are they taking them?" someone cried.
"Who are these people?!"
"What do they want with us?!"
Panic spread. Anna broke down again, her sobs loud and helpless. Lia trembled from head to toe. She couldn't stop. Her body felt cold, like she'd been thrown into ice.
They barely had time to process when the same group of men returned.
This time, one of the men gripped Anna roughly, pulling her up like she was nothing. Anna screamed.
"Anna!!" Lia cried out.
Suddenly, a strong hand grabbed her too, pulling her up to her feet. As soon as her broken ankle kissed the floor, pain shot through her. She winced bitterly.
"Who are you?! Let me go!!" Anna yelled, struggling, but it was useless.
Tomie was grabbed next. He struggled until a heavy fist smashed into his face, sending him crumpling to the ground. Blood gushed from his mouth.
The men didn't care.
These men weren't just strong. They were monsters.
They dragged them out of the room. As the door opened, light exploded in Lia's face.
Lia blinked fast.
What she saw outside didn't look like anything she knew.
The buildings were tall and sharp, made of stone and sand. No glass. No steel. No cars. Just donkeys, carts, and horses.
People stood at a distance, watching them. Most wore sack clothes, some ripped and dirty. Only a few wore silk garments, with gold necklaces and shining beads, their eyes full of power and amusement.
"What is this place?" Tomie muttered beside her.
No one answered.
Lia barely had time to think when one of the men shoved her forward.
"Move it!" he barked, shoving.
She limped as fast as she could. The sharp sand burned her feet. The chains dug into her legs. Every step felt like her ankle would snap off.
People stared at them as they walked past. Some curious, others amused, some even smiling.
It felt like a parade of suffering.
The men led them into a crowd. They wore silk clothes. They didn't look unkept, or dirty like others. Even their clothes and chains glittered.
Lia stared at them, too shocked for tears.
Then her eyes found him.
He was sitting just at the far end. Alone. neatly shaved beards, hair perfectly in order. Not a single stain on his garment. His wristlet sparkled.
But there was something about his look.
Not kindness.
Danger. Cruel.
"Sit!!" A man's voice came thundering behind her.