Chereads / Tides of Dominion / Chapter 3 - Chapter 3: The Road to Uncertainty

Chapter 3 - Chapter 3: The Road to Uncertainty

The sky over Sevryn burns red, smoke curling into the heavens as fires rage across the city. The cries of the wounded and the dying echo in the distance, each one a dagger to Kaien's chest. He stands in the rubble-strewn streets, his breathing ragged, his hands still trembling from the surge of power that coursed through him moments ago.

The body of the mercenary lies crumpled at his feet, motionless. Kaien doesn't look at it for long. His mind races, the events of the last few minutes a chaotic blur. The energy inside him—the cold, ravenous tide that had risen from somewhere deep within—still churns, pulsing like a second heartbeat.

It's too much. Too overwhelming. He can feel it clawing at him, urging him to lash out again, to consume more. But there's no time to wrestle with it now. The city is lost, the invading army moving through Sevryn like a tide of destruction.

Kaien looks up, his gaze darting across the chaos. Flames lick at the edges of rooftops, Essence-infused explosions shattering walls and sending debris raining down into the streets. The acrid scent of burnt wood and charred flesh fills the air.

He doesn't know how long Sevryn can hold out—hours, maybe less. But one thing is certain: he has to leave. Now.

"Hey! You're the one who saved me!"

The voice is small, trembling, but insistent. Kaien turns sharply to see the girl he saved earlier standing a few paces away at an alley, clutching the bundle she had been carrying before. Her face is streaked with dirt, her wide eyes reflecting the flickering light of the fires around them.

"What are you still doing here?" Kaien snaps, the urgency in his voice sharper than he intends.

The girl flinches but doesn't back away. "I—I didn't know where else to go."

Kaien closes his eyes for a moment, running a hand through his hair. He's no savior. He doesn't even know if he can keep himself alive, let alone someone else. But the girl is looking at him with a mix of fear and desperate hope, and the weight of her gaze feels heavier than the Negative Current swirling within him. She's probably another orphan like him.

"What's your name?" he asks, softening his tone.

"Lyra," she whispers.

"All right, Lyra. We can't stay here. Do you understand?"

She nods quickly, clutching the bundle tighter. "Where are we going?"

"Anywhere but here."

Kaien glances around, his mind racing. The city gates to the south are overrun; that much is obvious. The invading army would have moved in from there, cutting off the most direct route out of Sevryn. That leaves the northern path, winding through the cliffs and away from the Sea of Essence.

"Come on," he says, extending a hand. "Stay close to me."

Lyra hesitates for a moment, then takes his hand. Her fingers are small and cold, trembling against his.

They move quickly through the streets, weaving between the wreckage and trying to stay out of sight. Kaien keeps Lyra close, his senses on high alert. Every shadow, every distant noise feels like a threat.

They pass through the Outer Quarter, where the destruction is at its worst. Bodies lie scattered in the streets, some crushed beneath fallen debris, others burned beyond recognition. Kaien keeps his eyes forward, refusing to let the scene sink in. Lyra, however, can't look away.

"Why are they doing this?" she whispers, her voice barely audible over the chaos.

Kaien doesn't have an answer.

Ahead, the road splits. The main street leads directly toward the city center, where the fighting is thickest. The other path veers left, narrower and less obvious. Kaien pulls Lyra toward the smaller road without hesitation.

As they run, the sound of heavy footsteps reaches Kaien's ears. He freezes, pulling Lyra behind him and pressing her against the wall of a nearby building.

A squad of mercenaries marches past, their armor gleaming with Essence-infused protection. They're not as heavily armed as the one Kaien fought earlier, but there are at least five of them. Rank 2: Adepts, from the glow of their weapons. Disciplined and deadly.

Kaien holds his breath, every muscle in his body tense. He can feel Lyra trembling behind him, her small hands clutching the back of his shirt.

The mercenaries pass without noticing them, their voices fading into the distance. Kaien exhales slowly, motioning for Lyra to follow.

"We're almost there," he says, though he's not entirely sure where "there" is.

The northern cliffs rise ahead of them, the jagged rocks bathed in the crimson light of the fires below. Kaien leads Lyra up a narrow path carved into the stone, the wind howling around them. The Sea of Essence glimmers far below, its surface rippling with unnatural currents.

Kaien glances back at Lyra. She's struggling to keep up, her small legs working double-time to match his pace.

"We'll rest soon," he promises, though he doesn't know if it's a promise he can keep.

The path levels out at the top of the cliffs, opening into a sparse forest. Kaien slows, his legs aching, his chest heaving.

"We can stop here," he says, sinking to the ground beneath a gnarled tree.

Lyra collapses beside him, clutching the bundle to her chest. For the first time, Kaien gets a good look at it. It's a small wooden box, bound with leather straps.

"What's in there?" he asks, nodding toward the bundle.

Lyra hesitates, her eyes darting between the box and Kaien. "It's… important."

Kaien raises an eyebrow but doesn't press. Everyone in Sevryn has something they cling to, some piece of their life they refuse to let go of.

The silence stretches between them, broken only by the distant sound of the city's destruction.

"What happened back there?" Lyra asks suddenly, her voice small. "With that man… and you?"

Kaien stiffens. He doesn't know how to explain it—doesn't even fully understand it himself. The Negative Current, the power that had awakened within him, feels foreign and dangerous, like a beast waiting to devour him.

"I don't know," he says finally.

Lyra doesn't press further, though he can feel her gaze lingering on him.

As the night deepens, the fires in the distance begin to fade. The stars emerge one by one, their light faint against the lingering smoke.

Kaien leans back against the tree, his body heavy with exhaustion. Lyra has fallen asleep beside him, her head resting on the wooden box.

For the first time since the attack, Kaien allows himself to think about what's next. Sevryn is gone—there's no going back. And even if he wanted to, the power he unleashed has marked him.

He looks down at his hands, flexing his fingers. The Negative Current stirs within him, cold and relentless. It had saved his life, but at what cost?

Kaien glances at Lyra, her small form curled up in the shadows. He doesn't know why he saved her. Maybe it was instinct, or maybe it was something more.

Either way, she's his responsibility now.

Tomorrow, they'll keep moving—farther from Sevryn, farther from the invading army. But tonight, under the cold light of the stars, Kaien allows himself a moment to rest.

The journey ahead is uncertain, the weight of his newfound power a constant shadow. But one thing is clear: the tides of his life have turned, and there's no going back.