Three days after Sister Marry passionately shared the scripture with the eager children of the orphanage, the air buzzed with an undeniable sense of curiosity and wonder. The young minds were now filled with more questions than answers; their thoughts swirling like leaves caught in a gentle breeze. The enchantment of the tale lingered, weaving its threads into the very fabric of their daily lives.
In the play area, where the story had taken root, the children gathered once again, eyes gleaming with anticipation. Sister Marry, sensing the lingering curiosity, smiled warmly and addressed the inquisitive minds that surrounded her.
-"Fear not, children, for history unfolds like the petals of a delicate flower. Eldravia still holds many chapters that are yet to be revealed." She reassured them, her voice a soothing melody.
As the children settled into their familiar spots, the ambiance became a canvas upon which the continuation of the story would be painted. Sister Marry, with her angelic aura, prepared to unveil the next part of the celestial narrative that had captured their imaginations.
And so, the small room echoed once again with the eager whispers and hushed excitement of children, hungry for the next chapter of the celestial saga that had taken residence in their hearts. The tale of Eldravia, woven with threads of divine interventions, mortal struggles, and unseen forces, awaited its next revelation.
But two children were missing to the call—Roman and Inoue. The two children were playing hide and seek in the forest behind the church as Roman excitedly counted until 100.
-"96, 97, 98, 99... 100! Ready or not, I'm coming!" Roman joyfully screamed as he started to look for his friend Inoue in the surrounding bushes. Suddenly, he heard rumbling in the foliage in the far distance. Naively, Roman ran there with an excited smile on his face.
Inoue, hidden in the shadows, watched the scene unfold with growing terror, grappling with the decision to intervene or flee.
-"Well, well, what do we have here?" the bandit grinned, revealing a few missing teeth. "Looks like a lost lamb wandering into the wolf's den."
Panicking, Inoue decided it was time to retreat and alert the others. She silently moved away, leaving the forest as fast as her legs could carry her. The bandit, still smirking, grabbed Roman by the arm.
-"You're coming with me kid. You've got a date with my friends." says the bandit
-"No! Let me go! Somebody, help! Inoue!" The poor boy's screams were met by nothing but deafening silence and the sound of the wind.
With Roman in tow, the bandit navigated through the dense foliage until they reached a concealed camp where the rest of the group awaited. The atmosphere was thick with the scent of roasting meat and the sounds of hushed conversations.
-"Ahh, Dross, you're finally back, and it seems you bought a demi-human brat with you. Is he your new boyfriend?" one of them screamed while giggling to himself, proud of his joke.
-"Whatever you say, dude. This so-called brat is gonna make us loads of money if we sell him to the Scara demons over at Cascadia," Dross explained to his friend.
-"Yeah, well, take the kid to Laksh so we can keep an eye on him while the boss gets there. I'm sure he's gonna buy us all booze when he gets back with the others," another one giggled, obviously drunk.
-"Yeah... OK, you alcoholic fucker, I'm gonna bring that kid to Lakch. I will be back," Dross said while dragging Roman by his small arm.
The bandits, recognizing the potential value of their captive, decided to wait for their leader so they could hatch a plan to transport him and the other slaves that their boss was bringing with him to the Continent of Cascadia, located northeast of Veridia, where the demand for slaves was rampant.
Roman suddenly found himself thrown into a crude cage, the metal bars serving as a stark reminder of his predicament.
-"Stay here and shut up. Only talk to me if it's urgent, ya hear me, brat?!!" Lakch yelled while sitting on a table in front of Roman, sharpening the group's weapons.
Two agonizing hours later, Lakch got close to Roman's cage and handed him a plate of food.
-"Eat this. We don't want you starving before we sell you," he said while walking away from the cage.
In the crude cage, Roman endured the torment of uncertainty, the metal bars a cruel boundary between him and the outside world. The bandits' camp, now his reluctant home, echoed with the sounds of muffled conversations and the occasional burst of raucous laughter. Hours turned to days, and Roman's hope waned with each passing moment.
As the second day unfolded, the distant hum of approaching footsteps stirred the camp. The bandits, alerted to the arrival of their leader, hastily gathered. Lakch, the one who had thrown Roman into the cage, stood guard, his eyes fixed on the horizon.
The bandit leader, known as Karuk, emerged from the shadows with an air of authority. His body firm and chiseled with beautiful blonde hair, his eyes cold and calculating, scanned the camp, eventually locking onto Roman's cage.
-"Dross, what have we got here?" Karuk's voice cut through the air.
-"Boss, we found this little brat wandering near our camp. Thought he might fetch a good price in Cascadia since those Scara demons seem to be interested in demi-humans," Dross explained, a grin stretching across his face.
Karuk studied Roman for a moment, his gaze piercing through the metal bars as if assessing the worth of his latest acquisition. He analyzed Roman from his fluffy wolf like ears and brown eyes up to his small tail.
-"Well, well. Looks like you've brought me a potential gem." Karuk chuckled, a sinister undertone in his voice.
On the third day Karuk the imposing bandit leader, approached the crude cage, a malevolent grin stretched across his face. With a sinister glint in his eye, dragging small child who seemed to be an elf and, with a heartless chuckle, threw him into the cage with Roman.
"We got a new friend for you," Karuk sneered, his voice dripping with cruelty. "Hope you two enjoy each other's company."
The child, now huddled beside Roman in the cramped cage, trembled with fear. "W-what's happening? Who is he?" he whispered to Roman.
Roman, trying to maintain a reassuring tone, said, "Just stay quiet. We'll get through this together."
With a swift motion, the bandits started preparing for the journey. Roman's cage was lifted onto a cart, surrounded by others containing the unfortunate souls captured during the bandits' raids. The captives, eyes filled with fear and uncertainty, exchanged silent glances as they were loaded onto the cart.
As the cart creaked into motion, the unsettling whispers of Kelam's fear blended with Roman's words of solidarity, creating a delicate yet defiant harmony against the uncertainty of their shared destiny.
The journey to Cascadia had begun, a harrowing odyssey across unfamiliar lands. Roman, trapped in the midst of despair, clung to the hope that somehow, in the vast expanse of Veridia, someone would come to his aid, that somehow fate might weave a different thread for him.