Sol's heart pounded in his chest as he crouched behind the overturned cargo container. The tension in the air was intense, like electricity before a storm. He knew something was about to happen, something that would change Zenora forever. But escape seemed impossible with Grak's subordinates prowling nearby and that mysterious ship looming on the horizon.
Fear gripped him, rooting him to the spot. Then, a booming voice shattered the eerie silence.
"Where the are you, you little rat?" Grak's voice was as brutal as the man himself, echoing across the wasteland.
Heads snapped towards the sound. Grak's goons, who has hesitated under the oppressive weight of the ship's presence, now shook off their uncertainty. They resumed their search with sharp, frantic movements, but their eyes kept flicking back to the sleek vessel, as if unsure which was more dangerous - Grak or whatever was inside that ship.
Sol pressed himself further into the shadows, willing himself to disappear. Grak's massive form came into view, stomping through the debris, the ground trembling beneath his boots. Sol could feel the power radiating from him, but what chilled him most was the creeping smile across Grak's scarred face.
At first, Grak's eyes scanned the horizon with a look of mild disdain, his attention briefly shifting from the boy he's hunting to the ship looming in the distance. From afar, it seemed like a normal oversized military vessel - cold and functional. But something changed in Grak's expression as he kept staring, a flicker of something deeper, more primal.
"No.....that's no ordinary ship", as he muttered under his breath. "It looked like a warship at first, but....". His eyes narrowed, and he could sense it now - an aura, something pulsing from that vessel, something powerful.
Grak's focus shifted entirely to the sleek silhouette of the ship. His lips curled into a twisted grin, yellow teeth flashing in the dim light. "It's been too long since I've felt an aura like that", Grak murmured , almost to himself, his gaze locked on the distant vessel. "Wonder who's come to play...and how much they've brought with them..."
Sol's heart skipped a beat. While everyone else on Zenora cowered in fear of the ship, Grak - Grak was excited.
A nervous voice piped up from one of his men, barely audible against the strange silence. "Boss, uh... you're not worried? A-About the ship, I mean?"
Grak slowly turned, eyes narrowing, his smile vanishing in an instant. "Worried?" he growled, taking a menacing step toward the man. His voice dripped with disdain. "You think I'd be scared of some ship?" He sneered, his gaze cutting through his subordinate like a blade. "Do you even know who you're talking to?"
He straighten his back, chest puffing out as if reliving his former glory."I was a warrior of the great lands, part of something you idiots can't even begin to imagine it." His words oozed with arrogance, the weight of his past hanging heavy in the air. "I've fought in battles that would tear your minds apart. I've stood at the center of power while men twice your strength bowed at my feet."
He paused, letting the silence stretch before his voice dropped to a cold, bitter tone.
"The world may have abandoned me, left me to rot on this forsaken rock, but don't ever think I've forgotten what I am."
Sol's eyes widened. He'd always known Grak was dangerous, but this? This was something else entirely. The island's self-proclaimed lord wasn't just a brute - he was something far worse, something from a world beyond Zenora.
"The world's bigger than I ever thought." Sol realized. A world beyond Zenora, filled with dangers and power that made the island look small and insignificant.
He glanced towards the vessel looming in the distance, sleek and otherworldly, a dark omen that had stirred something primal in Grak. Whatever is coming, it would tear Zenora apart. But maybe, just maybe, in the chaos to come, Sol could find a way out.
If he played it right, kept his head low, and moved fast enough, perhaps the vessel, that threatened the island could be his escape.
This might be my only chance. he thought, swallowing the fear that clawed at his throat. He couldn't stay here and wait to die. As the strange ship loomed closer, one thing became painfully clear to Sol: Zenora is doomed. But maybe he didn't have to be.