Kalem woke to the sting of cold, stagnant water seeping into his clothes, sticking to his skin like tar. His head felt like it was split in two, the constant thrum of pain pounding in his skull. He groaned, the sour taste of sewage heavy on his tongue. As his senses slowly returned, he realized that the world around him was darker than it should have been. The light he had seen before? Gone.
And then he heard them.
Voices.
Low, gruff murmurs, accompanied by the faint sound of boots sloshing through water.
"Found 'im in the muck, eh? Poor bastard's just waitin' for us to finish him off."
Kalem's heart skipped a beat, panic clawing at his chest. His hand instinctively reached for his dagger—the one thing that had kept him alive this long—but his fingers brushed only wet fabric. Empty.
No.
His pulse quickened as he struggled to sit up, the fetid water sloshing around him. His vision swam as he fought the dizziness, but all he could focus on was the hollow spot at his side. The dagger was gone.
"Could still be breathin'," a second voice said. "Let's make sure."
Kalem's blood ran cold. The men were coming closer, their boots slapping the water with each step. He forced his eyes open, the shadows around him clearing just enough to make out two figures—a pair of filthy, weathered men, both carrying knives at their sides. They were grinning, their faces etched with hunger and malice.
The first man crouched down beside him, chuckling. "Look what we got here, lads. A little rat, all covered in shit. Must've thought he could run from the Devourer and make it out alive." His fingers brushed against Kalem's shirt, feeling for anything valuable.
Kalem's breath hitched.
They're going to take everything.
He couldn't let them.
With the last of his strength, Kalem surged forward, pushing against the muck beneath him and driving his shoulder into the first man's chest. The man grunted and staggered back, momentarily off balance. Kalem's vision swam, but he managed to scramble to his feet, his hands shaking as he looked around for anything he could use as a weapon.
The second man lunged forward, grabbing Kalem's arm and twisting it behind his back. The pain flared, but Kalem gritted his teeth, refusing to cry out.
"You think you're some kinda hero, kid?" the second man growled. "You ain't gonna save yourself. Not here. Not like this."
Kalem's mind raced. He couldn't let them take him. He couldn't—
In a burst of adrenaline, he dropped low, using his body's momentum to throw the second man off balance. The thug stumbled forward, and Kalem kicked him hard in the knee. The man howled, falling into the filth.
But the first man recovered quickly, grabbing Kalem by the collar and lifting him off the ground.
"Stupid kid," he sneered. "This is where you die. Ain't nobody gonna care."
Kalem's heart hammered in his chest. The world around him was spinning, and his vision was blurring again, but through the haze, he noticed something that made his stomach turn: a glint of metal in the man's hand.
The dagger.
The thief had it.
A cold rage surged through Kalem's veins.
"You…" His voice cracked, hoarse and weak, but there was enough fury in it to cut through the fear. He lashed out, his fist connecting with the man's jaw, making him loosen his grip. Kalem didn't waste a second. He reached for the dagger, grabbing it from the thug's hand with desperation.
But before he could do anything more, a sharp pain sliced across his side.
The first man's blade.
Kalem gasped as the world tilted again. His vision darkened, but he wasn't done. Not yet. He drove the dagger into the man's side, twisting it as deep as he could manage. The thug let out a strangled scream and dropped to the ground.
Kalem staggered back, panting, blood dripping down his shirt. His fingers clenched the dagger so tight his knuckles went white.
But as the second man rose from the muck, his knife drawn and his eyes burning with hate, Kalem knew he couldn't keep fighting. Not like this.
The second man smirked, ready to finish the job. But then, a rumble. A distant thud that shook the air. The ground beneath them trembled.
The Devourer.
Kalem's heart skipped a beat, and for the briefest moment, he thought he might be saved—if only by the monster that had nearly killed him earlier. He tried to move, but his body betrayed him. His vision flickered again, and as the second man lunged, everything went dark.