Just as Levi had commanded, I continued walking forward without looking back. I moved through the forest first, and soon the trees thinned with each step until I was climbing uphill.
The pain in my ribs pinched at me gruesomely, but I endured it, pressing one hand against my side as I pushed forward.
The pale light of the moon cascaded down in a flood of silver now. The night, if it could even be called that, was unnervingly bright — almost as if dawn was approaching. Or was it? I wouldn't know since I'd been stuck in a cave all the while.
As I climbed toward the hill's crest, the ocean revealed itself beyond the cliff's edge. It was endless, spanning across the entire seascape to meet the grey horizon far away.
This was the Aetheris Kingdom's great port, a hub of foreign trade… and most likely my ticket out of all this mess.
