The known world is divided in two by the great ocean known as the End Sea. To the West of it are the lands governed by the Empire, whose empress has the duty to follow the Law of the Firmament, a set of rules sent by a higher power to order the chaos of the world. For the citizens of the Empire, the weight of choice is alleviated as the Law decides for you. Just follow the designated path and everything will be fine. However, not everyone agrees with the imposed rules. For the dissatisfied who rebel, there are two options: to live in fear or to try your luck on the other side of the sea.
The lands to the east are known as the New World and there the Empire does not dictate the rules. In the New World is the chance for a new life. A fresh start. Even so, few used to cross the sea that divides the world on their own, the majority of those sent there are criminals or exiles. Sometimes there are exceptions. Sometimes there are those who are willing to write their own destiny.
....
The ship swayed as the waves hit it. The hold was packed with people and cargo. They had been there for days. The food had become a distant memory and the water would run out soon. But not for Ezro, who had been careful in rationing his provisions, unlike the others. He was the only one not chained or locked up and this had caused strange looks in his direction. But the strangeness was a thing of the past, the days of lively conversation were behind them. They were trapped there without receiving a visit from the ship's crew for a good while, and this was affecting the morale of the others.
"Hey, you, hey boy, let me go. I'm going up to see what's going on," someone said.
"He's going to steal your food, watch out," another yelled.
"Shut up! If you keep this up, we'll all die in here."
"We're already dead, you just haven't accepted it yet."
"To hell with the food, and those women chained up alone, without any affection for so many days. Hey kid, let me go so I can talk to them."
They just wouldn't stop talking. It had been like this for days. But now they were more irritable and were starting to argue over minor things. Ezro ignored them as always, but one of them had caught his attention. A lone boy who was right in front of him, on the other side of the hold. Chained and shackles on his arms hanging above his head. He never said anything, always had his head down and seemed to have given up a long time ago.
While the others continued talking, Sphyr slept peacefully on Ezro's lap. The lemire spent most of her time this way, unaware of the tense environment around her. She was not an ordinary animal, partly because she was not an animal, but a spiritual creature. But most would never know this thanks to the camouflage her fur provided in that dimly lit environment. Only Ezro was able to see her and perhaps the downcast boy on the other side. This was the doubt that Ezro had. If on the first day the boy had seen Sphyr too, but if he had, he had shown no interest and this was not normal. But what was normal in that situation?
Ezro rubbed his hand on Sphyr's head and petted her while some prisoners were discussing whose fault it was for the sailors' disappearance.
"I'm tired," Ezro said as he stood up and placed Sphyr on his right shoulder. He then walked towards the downcast boy.
As he moved through the hold, the others fell silent. A tense quietness formed in the air as the prisoners tried to understand what was happening.
"Hey, look at me," Ezro said when he stopped in front of the boy with the shackles on his arms.
The boy slowly raised his eyes and Ezro realized that he was tired and scared. Those were not the eyes of a fighter.
"Hey, do you see her over here?"
Ezro pointed to Sphyr over his shoulder, and the other boy agreed without energy.
"What's your name?" Ezro asked the boy.
"As-asmo. I don't want any trouble..."
"Too late for that," Ezro replied as he advanced on the other and grabbed the chains that bound him with both hands.
Ezro grimaced with effort and the chains snapped, allowing Asmo's arms to fall close to his body.
The boy was speechless, unlike the other prisoners, who began to speak at the same time.
"Hey brother, don't forget about me."
"What's that? We have a miracle. Our savior was among us the whole time!"
"Hey magic fingers, touch my chain, too."
And they started talking and asking for help, but Ezro completely ignored them and turned to the ladder that gave access to the deck of the ship.
...
Ezro walked towards the door and stopped in front of it. He knocked on it with force and waited in vain. No sign of life from the other side. Then he raised his leg and kicked violently against the wood, which broke apart with the blow. Splinters flew in all directions as a dark wall appeared before his eyes. It was the mist that divided the world.
He knew the legend of the fog that covered the End Sea. For a long time, the Empire's ships were unable to cross it. Many tried and few remained to tell the story until Augus, the legendary explorer, discovered a route through the mist and for the first time someone reached the New World. However, how he achieved this feat remained a secret to most people.
Ezro was not intimidated by the mist that prevented him from seeing a foot ahead. And he advanced. He wandered the deck and found no one nearby, no sign of the crew or the captain. The ship seemed adrift.
"Is anyone here?" He shouted with all the power of his lungs.
No answer.
Ezro advanced to the bow of the ship, where he noticed something strange. Something that was not there when he boarded. However, the fog prevented him from discerning what it was. He then crouched and saw the strange object in front of him. It was a pyre, but not an ordinary one. He approached even more until he could see the details. He glimpsed runes carved in a silver metal alloy. He recognized that writing style.
An idea came to his mind, a risky idea that would have been swept as absurd if he were still in the Empire. But in that situation, he should risk.
Without hesitation, he removed the bandage that covered his left arm. The white marks that covered his wrists reminded him of the runes on the pyre. They sparkled as his power flowed through his skin.
An ember appeared and then white flames like snow drove away the mist around him, and slowly the entire deck was free of smoke.
Ezro confirmed that there was no one else there. The crew had disappeared completely.
But that quickly became secondary as the fog receded and something that shouldn't exist, existed. Dark clouds like the night danced over the air like streams cutting through the land. Among them, red and purple lights appeared like silent lightning. They took over the horizon ahead of him.
Ezro's legs trembled at the absurdity of that immensity. He didn't know what to do or think. As the ship headed towards them, swallowed by that abyss that divided the world in two. Upon seeing that, Ezro understood that he had reached the end and now everything was just a dream.
So he petted Sphyr and stopped worrying.
...
Regrets are part of life,
A weight we all must bear,
But living with them is our plight,
And learning to control them, true care.
I want to know myself,
Why I was born and why I love,
Why I hate and why I cry,
Why I believe and what I'm made of.
I want more, not less,
To touch, feel, smell, and see,
The things I've yet to imagine,
And the freedom to be me.
I want what once was denied,
To decide for myself if it's right,
I want to be what I once dreamed,
Not what others said was my plight.
I want to overcome fear,
To be reborn and see the world,
To acquire new fears and new desires,
And to leave the old behind unfurled.
I want to cross the sea,
To the new world on the other side,
To start over and to be free,
And to let my fears and regrets subside.