The road stretched onward under the pale light of dawn. Kain walked with measured steps, his eyes scanning the empty horizon. Behind him, Sera trailed quietly, the events of the previous day still weighing heavily on her small shoulders. The prisoner they had saved had disappeared into the wilderness before dawn, too afraid of Syndicate retribution to stay in the town.
Kain understood the man's fear. He didn't blame him. But what troubled him more was the tension in Norhold after the incident. The looks they'd received from the townsfolk weren't just wary—they were resentful. Fear of the Syndicate had long since bled into the marrow of this world, turning people into silent bystanders, willing to let justice rot as long as it didn't claim their lives.
That was the real enemy, Kain thought. Fear. And the Syndicate had built their entire empire on it.
The image of the officer from the previous day loomed in Kain's mind as they walked. The way he had spoken, the cold calculation in his tone—it was clear he believed every word he'd said. The Syndicate wasn't just enforcing order; they saw themselves as the last line between chaos and survival. Kain had faced people like that before: unshakable in their conviction, willing to sacrifice lives for the sake of control.
But they were wrong. Kain clenched his fists at his sides. Control isn't the same as peace.
"Where are we going now?" Sera asked, breaking the silence.
Kain glanced back at her, his expression softening. "There's a place a few miles north of here. A bigger town called Reynes. We'll stop there, rest, and see if we can find some work."
Sera frowned, her small feet kicking up dust as she walked. "Work?"
"Food costs money," Kain said with a faint smile. "Even for people like us."
She hesitated before asking, "Do you think the Syndicate will find us there?"
"They might," Kain admitted, his voice calm but firm. "But we'll deal with it if they do."
Sera didn't respond, her gaze dropping to the dirt road. Kain could see the unease in her movements, the way her fingers twitched nervously at her sides. She was still thinking about the officers, about the crowd in Norhold, about what could have happened if things had gone differently.
"You did well yesterday," Kain said after a moment.
Sera looked up, startled. "I didn't do anything."
"You kept calm," he said simply. "That's harder than you think when you're scared. Most people panic. You didn't."
Sera's cheeks flushed, and she quickly looked away. "I was still scared."
Kain smiled faintly. "Being scared doesn't mean you failed. It means you're human."
They reached Reynes by midday, the bustling streets a sharp contrast to the quiet isolation of the road. Reynes was larger than Norhold, with tall wooden buildings stacked against one another like a patchwork quilt. Merchants called out to passersby from colorful stalls, their wares gleaming in the sunlight. Children darted between the crowds, laughing as they played a game involving a worn leather ball.
Kain and Sera moved carefully through the chaos, their heads low to avoid attention. The Syndicate's presence here was more subtle—no officers or enforcers in sight—but Kain knew better than to assume they were safe. In a town this size, the Syndicate's influence was woven into the fabric of daily life.
They stopped at a small food stand, where Kain handed over the last of his coins for two apples. He gave one to Sera, who bit into it eagerly, and tucked the other into his pack for later.
As they walked away, a voice called out to them. "Hey, you there!"
Kain tensed, his hand instinctively twitching toward his side, but when he turned, he saw a wiry man in a faded jacket waving at them. The man's face was lined with age and exhaustion, but his eyes were sharp, scanning Kain with a mix of curiosity and suspicion.
"You new in town?" the man asked, his voice low enough to suggest he didn't want to draw attention.
Kain hesitated before nodding. "Just passing through."
The man's gaze flicked to Sera, then back to Kain. "You don't look like the usual sort who comes through here. I saw you bought food, but you didn't haggle. People who don't haggle are either Syndicate, desperate, or trying to keep a low profile. Which is it?"
Kain met the man's gaze evenly. "Does it matter?"
The man smirked. "Not to me. But it might matter to the wrong people." He glanced over his shoulder, his expression growing more serious. "You might want to be careful where you step. Reynes isn't as quiet as it looks."
Before Kain could respond, the man walked away, disappearing into the crowd.
"Who was that?" Sera asked, her voice low.
"I don't know," Kain admitted. "But I think we just got our first warning."
As the sun dipped lower in the sky, Kain and Sera found a quiet spot on the edge of town to rest. A crumbling stone wall provided some shelter, and the sound of the nearby river added a soothing backdrop to their uneasy thoughts.
Kain's mind lingered on the man from earlier. There had been something in his tone—something that hinted at a deeper layer to Reynes. The way he'd warned them, almost as if he knew something Kain didn't.
"We should keep moving," Kain said finally, breaking the silence.
Sera looked up from where she was sitting, her brow furrowing. "But you said we'd rest here."
"We will," Kain said, glancing toward the town. "But not for long. Something about this place feels… off."
Before Sera could respond, a faint sound reached Kain's ears. Footsteps. He turned sharply, his hand hovering near his side, ready to summon his Eidon if necessary.
A figure stepped out from behind the wall. It was the man from earlier.
"I told you to be careful," the man said, his voice calm but firm.
Kain's eyes narrowed. "What do you want?"
The man held up his hands in a gesture of peace. "Relax. I'm not here to start trouble. I just thought you should know—you're not the only one here who doesn't trust the Syndicate."
Kain's stance relaxed slightly, but he didn't let his guard down. "What are you talking about?"
The man glanced around, as if checking to make sure they weren't being watched, then stepped closer. "There's a group here in Reynes. People like you. People who've been hurt by the Syndicate, who want to fight back. We keep to the shadows, but we're growing."
Kain frowned. "And what do you want with me?"
"I saw what you did in Norhold," the man said. "Word travels fast. You stood up to an officer and walked away alive. That's not something most people can do."
"It wasn't about fighting back," Kain said evenly. "It was about saving someone who didn't deserve to die."
The man smirked. "Call it what you want. But people like you? People who aren't afraid to stand up to them? We need more of that."
Kain hesitated. The weight of the man's words settled over him, heavy and undeniable. He had wanted to make a difference, to prove that power didn't have to destroy. But was this the way?
"What's your name?" Kain asked finally.
The man smiled faintly. "Galen."
"Galen," Kain repeated, nodding slowly. "I'll think about it."
"That's all I ask," Galen said. He turned to leave, then glanced back. "But don't wait too long. If you want to change the world, it starts here."
As Galen disappeared into the shadows, Kain sat back against the wall, his thoughts racing.
Sera watched him quietly for a moment before speaking. "Are you going to join them?"
"I don't know," Kain said honestly.
But as he looked out at the faint lights of Reynes, the thought lingered in his mind.
If the world was going to change, maybe it was time to take the first step