[CONTENTID1]01[/CONTENTID1]

11 years after the grand fall 

The bed of the Forestia Inn was rather uncomfortable, but even so, Seoyeon slept soundly. That was until evening neared the docks of south-west Silva, and the girl woke up with a jolt. 

”.” She cursed, looking outside the window for guidance, only to feel her heart drop. The passenger ships were preparing for leave, and she had to take one that led her to Ventium. In a few minutes she had managed to pack her things and only stopped for a few seconds to analyze her complexion in the dirty mirror. Her dress fit nicely, and her make up made her look more doll-esque and innocent. Seoyeon nodded to herself and sprinted out of the door. Perfect. 

Silva was a relatively calm city. Its exports were big on wheat and rice, and the city was clothed in a thin veil of nature. Not too much forests, but enough for its population to profit from it. 

Seoyeon’s steps quickened, and she almost broke out in a desperate sprint at the sight of the bridges that linked the boats to solid ground being heaved up. 

”Wait!” She called out, waving her hand frantically, hoping a sailor would catch sight of her and let her jump in. But to no avail, the girl stopped once she realised that she had been too late and was going to miss the ride to the ports of Ventium. Seoyeon stood still for a couple of minutes, catching her breath and looking around. As if on cue, her eyes spotted a smaller boat by the sidelines. A few men were transporting goods from it, but it was too small to be a traveler boat. It wasn’t too far away, and if she speed-walked, she would surely make it in time. 

It was an incredibly stupid idea, she was well aware of that. And yet Seoyeon still found herself clearing when she arrived at the boat, in an attempt to get the men’s attention. One of them, tall and grumpy turned around to face her. 

He frowned. ”May I help you?”

She hesitated a few seconds before squeaking, ”I was wondering, gentlemen, where you were headed? You see, all the traveler boats here have already left and I didn’t make it in time.”

The man looked between his comrades, first in irritation, then confusion, like they were having a shared mental debate of sorts. He then turned around to face her with a smug smile. 

”We’re headed to Ventium, but our boat isn’t a guest house. You can’t just come and leave like that.”

Seoyeon fidgeted with her hair, looking nervously down. ”That’s where I’m headed.” The girl then perked up shyly. ”I’ll, uh, pay you how much you like!” 

The man and his comrades seemed to like the prospect of that, because they chuckled and gestured for the girl to come aboard. Something in their looks told her that their idea of ”pay” was very different from hers, and she did not like it one bit. Nonetheless, she flashed a grateful smile and climbed onboard. ”How kind of you, gentlemen.” 

*********

Seoyeon stood by the railing of the main deck in silence, admiring the transition of the sky from sunset to the swallowing darkness of night. Looking sideways and reassuring herself that no one was near her, the girl quietly rolled up the sleeve of her dress, scrutinising the ancient writing that extended from her wrist all the way up to the elbow. It was in an ancient language she could not make out. Not until she discovered that by running her power-activated hand on the writing, the letters would transition into the alphabet she knew. 

The writing on her arm only appeared a few weeks back, out of nowhere. She had been resting the night in an Inn in the wasteland landscape of Montia, when they carved themselves onto her skin. It read in tiny golden letters a polite salute, and then that it knew the origins of her powers and what had happened the night of the grand fall. All she needed to do to find out was to head to the place of its origins, on the other side was scribbled right beside it. Place of origins, on the other side. On the other side of what? She could make out that the ”origins'' part was the ruins of Eriros, but that posed multiple questions. Whoever left her a letter like that on her arm had probably used a spell, and she could feel that it was with her same magic. First of all, who had the same powers as her? And how did that person know about her? The only ones who had ever known about her powers were her brother, Kyungsoo and the royal pair. And they were all dead. Unless they weren’t, of course. But that gave Seoyeon a sliver of hope she soon forced down. 

Other than the passage of Nevenia and Navera, access to Eriros was almost impossible. Nobody lived there permanently anymore. After the capital had practically split in half, there was no way to. No soil to grow, no goods to live off, no stable ground to build a house on, there was nothing but ruins. The only way there safely was by sea, from the ports of Ventium. The city had the luck of being placed in a coastal area, giving it access to great wind, which eventually made it develop and adapt into a port city. Port cities meant lots, and lots of boats and trade. And lots of boats meant lots of illegal trades and businesses. While no one settled down in the ruins of Eriros, it was used as a hiding or reference point for criminals and gangs that wanted to pass under the radar. And Seoyeon was going to board a ship that would take her there, to meet the answer of the questions she had posed herself continuously for years. Whether or not it was a trap and that it could end with her possible death, she couldn't care less about. There was nothing, nothing in this world Seoyeon had to lose, and she had no one who would ever mourn her death. The world wasn’t peaceful and colorful anymore. It was dangerous, unpredictable, and gloomy. Every city had its own mayor or controlling state, everyone was for themselves. No unity, no care for others, nothing. 

”Is that a tattoo?” She heard a voice behind her slur, and the girl gasped, covering the writing with her sleeve. Turning around, she was met with not one, but all three of them staring at her with curiosity. She gulped. 

”Why do you have a tattoo on your arm? And here I thought you were a good, innocent girl.”  One of them mocked, putting emphasis on the last words of his sentence. 

”I-It’s nothing.” She stammered, knuckles turning white at the harsh grasp she was giving the railing behind her. 

The man who had pointed out her ’tattoo’ chuckled lowly, before his smile dissipated completely. ”Who do you think you're fooling little girl? You really think we’re going to believe that all you want is a ride to Ventium? I mean come on, which young, beautiful girl as such asks for a ride in the middle of the evening when she can just take the traveler ship in the morning?” 

”I don’t know what ideas you have made up in your head, but I’m really just trying to reach Ventium. Please, gentlemen, have mercy.” She pleaded. 

”If I remember correctly, you said you’d pay how much we’d like. Well, we want to get paid. What services do you offer?” The one on the left smirked. A nauseating feeling crept its way from her stomach to . 

”Services?” Seoyeon barely choked out, secretly feeling the familiar spark rage between fingers. ”Y-you guys are disgusting.” She tried backing away a few steps, but Soeyeon was only met with dread when her back hit the railing of the deck. 

The man in front of her took a step forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. She shuddered, yet waited for the right moment to strike. ”I’m not a fool—what the hell is that?!” He flinched back after he had pulled down part of her dress, revealing her left shoulder and the little gem nestled in her chest. The ’innocent girl’ play was