After the meager but nourishing meal, Morisa finally surrendered to sleep.
Jai, still disguised as Arthur Berne, carefully lifted her onto his back. She felt far too light for a girl her age, a quiet reminder of what she had endured. Her head rested near his shoulder, and her breathing was soft against his neck.
James gathered the rest of their belongings. He slung the heavier canvas travel bag over one shoulder and tucked Jai's lighter satchel beneath the other arm before turning toward him.
"How long do you think it'll take us to reach the center of the kingdom and then the palace?" James asked.
Jai immediately raised a hand.
"Bro, lower your voice. She's sleeping."
James glanced at Morisa and nodded.
Jai adjusted her position slightly.
"From here, it'll probably take us around a full day of steady walking to reach the palace gates. We're still pretty far from the main road."
He looked ahead.
"Once we reach a populated area, we might be able to hire a cart and save some time."
James sighed in relief.
"Finally. My legs are starting to hate me."
They resumed walking at a steady pace.
The last few days had taken a toll on both of them. Running, fighting, hiding, constantly watching for danger—it had all begun to settle into their bodies.
Less than half an hour later, Jai heard the clatter of wheels approaching along the packed road.
A cart.
James smiled.
"That might be our chance."
Then the cart came into view.
His smile disappeared.
Faded green paint.
A rough wooden cage attached near the back.
The same cart.
The one used by the traffickers.
"Down," Jai hissed. "Now."
Both moved immediately.
They slipped off the road and crouched behind a thick patch of thorny shrubs. Jai shielded Morisa with his body, keeping her sleeping form hidden beneath his cloak.
Through the leaves, they watched two men climb down from the cart.
They weren't Vystan and Berlin.
But Jai recognized them.
Two other members of the same trafficking group.
One adjusted the horses' harness while the other stretched and looked around.
Jai's grip tightened around Morisa.
We have to stay focused.
Get her home first.
Then we deal with the Shadow Ledger.
The two men eventually left the road and entered a run-down tavern nearby.
James leaned closer.
"They're going inside."
Jai nodded.
"Then we move."
"Walk?"
"Yes."
James looked toward the cart.
"We could steal it."
Jai gave him a flat look.
"And have every member of their organization searching for their missing cart?"
James paused.
"...Fair point."
They waited another minute before slipping back onto the road.
Their pace increased slightly.
Morisa slept through everything.
Several hours later, they reached a small roadside village crowded with merchants, farmers, and travelers.
Jai's first priority was food.
His second was an artifact.
A healing artifact.
He and James searched through several stalls before entering a small shop that specialized in low-tier magical items.
"The king can't see her like this," Jai murmured as they browsed.
James frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"If King Stonehead sees every injury she suffered, he's going to react immediately."
James nodded slowly.
"Probably declare war."
"Exactly."
Jai kept his voice low.
"And if the Shadow Ledger realizes the royal family is coming after them, they'll panic."
"They'll move the children."
"Or kill witnesses."
James's expression darkened.
Jai continued.
"We need time."
"Find their hideouts."
"Locate the children."
"Figure out who their leader is."
"Then destroy them."
James nodded.
"So we hide how badly she was treated."
"For now."
Jai looked toward Morisa.
"Not because her father doesn't deserve to know. Because the other children need us to think first."
Eventually, they found what they needed.
A Tier 10 Healing Artifact called Verrus.
It was a smooth, palm-sized stone that radiated a faint warmth.
After an exhausting round of bargaining, Jai managed to purchase it for five thousand Zuo.
James stared at him afterward.
"You really enjoy making merchants miserable."
"They enjoy making travelers poor."
"Fair."
They found a quiet alley away from the main road.
Jai examined the Verrus carefully.
The artifact was weak.
Useful, but weak.
Then he made a decision.
He pressed his thumb against the edge of a small blade.
A drop of golden blood appeared.
James immediately looked at him.
"What are you doing?"
"Refining it."
"Can you even do that?"
"I don't know."
James stared.
"That is not a comforting answer."
Jai ignored him.
He allowed the drop of golden blood to touch the artifact and carefully pushed a small amount of his core energy into the stone.
The Verrus trembled.
Its warm glow suddenly brightened.
For several seconds, Jai felt resistance.
Then the energy stabilized.
James stared.
"It actually worked."
Jai exhaled.
"Partially."
He wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"The artifact is still Tier 10. I only strengthened its output a little."
He gently woke Morisa.
"Little one."
Her eyes slowly opened.
"Hmm?"
"I bought something that might help with your injuries."
Morisa blinked sleepily.
Jai pressed the Verrus carefully against one of the deeper cuts on her arm.
Warm light spread across her skin.
Morisa gasped.
Not in pain.
Relief.
The wound slowly closed.
The torn skin knitted together until only faint marks remained.
Jai moved the artifact to several other cuts and abrasions.
It worked well on the surface injuries.
The deeper bruises remained.
James frowned.
"Why didn't those disappear?"
"Because this thing isn't strong enough."
Jai looked at the stone.
"Surface damage is one thing. Deep internal bruising takes more energy."
The Verrus dimmed.
Jai sighed.
"And it's drained now."
"How long before we can use it again?"
"Probably three days."
James looked at the healed cuts.
"Still useful."
"Very."
Jai looked toward Morisa.
At least she no longer looked as though she had recently escaped brutal captivity.
Then James crouched beside her.
"Morisa, we need you to do something for us."
She looked confused.
"What?"
"Don't tell your father about the Shadow Ledger yet."
Her expression changed immediately.
"Why?"
James hesitated.
"Because you're a princess, and if people find out you were kidnapped—"
Jai's head turned sharply.
"Stop."
James looked at him.
"What?"
"That isn't the reason."
James frowned.
Jai crouched beside Morisa.
"Listen to me."
His voice became gentle.
"You didn't do anything wrong."
Morisa stared at him.
"What happened to you is not something you should feel ashamed of."
Her expression softened slightly.
"We're asking you to stay quiet for a different reason."
Jai pointed toward the distant road.
"There are other children still trapped by those people."
Morisa's eyes widened.
"If your father learns everything immediately, he may send soldiers everywhere."
She nodded slowly.
"And if the organization realizes they're being hunted..."
"They could move the children," James added.
"Or hurt them," Jai said.
Morisa looked frightened.
Jai placed a hand gently against her shoulder.
"So we need a little time."
"Time to find them."
"Time to rescue everyone."
"And then?"
Jai's expression hardened.
"Then you tell your father everything."
Morisa stared at him for several seconds.
Finally, she nodded.
"Okay, Big Brother Arthur."
Jai smiled faintly.
"Good."
They resumed their journey.
The rest of the day passed quietly.
By evening, the sky had turned orange and purple, and the temperature began to drop.
Jai looked toward Morisa.
Her clothes were still dirty and torn.
"We need somewhere decent to stay tonight."
James nodded.
"An inn?"
"Not a crowded one."
Jai glanced at Morisa.
"She needs a proper bath and some quiet."
They eventually found a modest rental house.
Nothing luxurious.
But clean.
Safe.
Jai paid for three rooms.
As they climbed the stairs, Morisa suddenly grabbed his sleeve.
Jai looked down.
Her expression had changed.
"I don't want to sleep alone."
Jai paused.
Morisa's fingers tightened around the fabric.
"I want to sleep with Big Brother Arthur."
James looked away, clearly trying not to laugh.
Jai ignored him.
The request made sense.
After what she had endured, being alone probably terrified her.
"Okay."
Morisa relaxed immediately.
Jai turned back toward the elderly woman who owned the house and changed the arrangement to two rooms.
The total cost came to three thousand Zuo.
After bathing, James disappeared into his room and fell asleep almost immediately.
Jai wasn't surprised.
Morisa was already lying beneath the blankets when Jai entered their room.
He lay down on the opposite side of the bed, giving her plenty of space.
Almost immediately, Morisa reached for his hand.
She held it tightly.
Then she pressed it against her cheek.
Jai froze for a moment.
Morisa's eyes were already closed.
She wasn't asking for anything.
She simply needed reassurance that someone was still there.
Jai didn't pull his hand away.
He stared at her small face.
How could anyone hurt a child like this?
The anger returned.
Slowly.
Quietly.
But he forced himself to let it pass.
Anger wouldn't help her tonight.
Safety would.
Eventually, Jai closed his eyes.
Sleep came quickly.
Then came the light.
Jai opened his eyes.
The room was gone.
He was standing somewhere completely unfamiliar.
Bright artificial light surrounded him.
The space felt strange.
Too clean.
Too advanced.
Huge glowing screens covered the walls, displaying moving images he couldn't understand.
On every screen, people chased a black-and-white ball across a massive green field.
Music pulsed faintly from somewhere in the room.
Jai stared in complete confusion.
Where am I?
Then he saw the man.
He sat behind a sleek desk covered with papers.
Black hair.
A perfectly fitted black suit.
And eyes...
red.
Unnaturally red.
The stranger calmly signed one document after another.
Then he looked up.
His eyes narrowed.
"Who are you?"
Jai froze.
The man stood.
"How did you get into my room?"
Jai's heart began to race.
Not because of the question.
Because of the language.
He understood it perfectly.
The pronunciation was different, but the structure...
It resembled the language Emperor Dominatrix had used.
Jai opened his mouth.
A thousand questions rushed into his mind.
Where is this place?
Who are you?
What are those screens?
Why do I understand you?
But before he could speak—
Everything vanished.
Jai jolted awake.
His entire body was soaked in sweat.
His heart hammered against his chest.
"Big Brother Arthur?"
Morisa was awake.
She still held his hand.
Her worried face hovered close to his.
"Why are you sweating so much?"
Jai tried to slow his breathing.
"Did you have a scary dream?"
He looked at her.
For a moment, he nearly told her the truth.
Instead, he forced a small smile.
"Yeah."
His voice was rough.
"Just a bad dream."
Morisa frowned.
Jai gently pulled his hand free.
"I'm going to wash my face."
He walked toward the basin and splashed cold water over his skin.
But the image remained.
The screens.
The strange room.
The red-eyed man.
His voice.
That language.
None of it felt like an ordinary dream.
The next morning, Jai joined James and Morisa for breakfast.
They resumed their journey soon afterward.
Jai barely spoke.
The dream replayed in his mind again and again.
James eventually noticed.
"What are you thinking about?"
Jai looked ahead.
"Nothing."
James stared at him.
"You're terrible at lying."
Jai ignored him.
Because it wasn't nothing.
Whatever he had seen felt too real.
A memory?
A vision?
A warning?
He didn't know.
And that uncertainty followed him with every step.
Eventually, the road curved around a stone ridge.
Jai looked up.
In the distance...
the palace gates had finally come into view.
He exhaled slowly.
One more day.
One more day until Morisa was safely home.
Then they could turn their attention toward the real problem.
The Shadow Ledger.