03

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After supper that night, Leah walked outside. It was a beautiful and calm evening complemented by the harmonious ambiance from the sounds of the critters of the night. She sat next to the ocean looking at the two moons in the sky. Ever since her father left all those years ago, she repeated this routine. It was tranquil and relaxing, but it also brought up fond memories of her childhood—the laughter and fun that she had with her easy-going father, though the perception of easy-going could have been misread by anybody else. Their love for each other was shown through the countless sparring matches and training that he put her through. It was immeasurable the joy she felt when her father tossed her a staff, whimsically goading her to come at him. As she thought about it, Leah slightly moved her hands and twirled her feet in the sand, echoing the nuances of what he taught her. She loved everything about it and her father knew that she did. She missed those moments, moments that only her and her father understood.

Leah let out a sigh. “I wish all of Auroa was as calm as you two, Ala and Andru,” she said to the moons. She leaned back on the wet sand and let the waves gently caress the bottom of her shoes. 

After reminiscing for a moment longer, she turned her head to witness the end of a daily Oakan ritual. Almost as if it were on cue, Elder Nyago would normally yawn and scratch his bearded chin before slowly getting up from his seat on the pier and heading home after a full day of fishing. It was welcomingly predictable to Leah. That made it all the more concerning this time when she noticed he wasn’t getting ready to leave at all. Instead, he was leaning against the edge of the pier as if he was trying to get a better look at something. Intrigued, Leah began to stand up to make her way toward him, however . . .

“Ouch!” she yelped as a striking heat plunged through the fabric of her shoes and onto her feet. She quickly moved her feet from the water and backed away from it. What was that? She studied the water as it came closer and closer to her with every wave. A dim green hue blended with the shoreline; it was a phenomenon that she had never seen before. As the waves retreated back, they left bright green specks in the wet sand. “What is this?” She leaned in close to one of the specks. She thought about touching it, but then thought it wise not to, as she could get burned again. Instead, she looked back at Elder Nyago, who continued to gaze out at the sea. She made her way toward him.

As she stepped onto the pier, the wood floor creaked. Elder Nyago heard it and turned his head to her. Leah could see that his eyes were full of concern. “What’s wrong, Elder?” she asked as she came closer to him. Once she was there, he moved over so that she could stand beside him. The first thing she noticed was the lack of fish in his basket. It would normally be full to the brim, but there were only three in there. And those three all had those same green specks that she noticed on the sand. 

“Um . . .” she started. “What is this green stuff? It just burned me on the beach.” As she looked up at Elder Nyago, he pointed far out at the sea. Leah followed his finger. On the horizon, she could make out the small silhouette of a far-off object on the water. It appeared to be a ship, but it was such an irregular shape, it was hard to tell. “Is that a ship?” she asked to confirm her assumption.

Elder Nyago’s concerned eyes began to show a sense of vexation and his mouth, which was normally in a constant smile, turned into a frown under his shaggy white beard. Leah had never seen such a look on the lovable Elder.

He turned to Leah with a look that told her to pay close attention to him. Then he began aggressively pointing to the village.

Leah quickly understood. “Go to the village?”

He nodded and pointed back out at the silhouetted ship.

“Let them know what’s out there?”

He nodded again. His hand gripped tighter on the pier’s railing—a sign that showed Leah how serious he was. She understood and quickly started backing away from him. “I’ll let them know, Elder.” Then she rushed off toward the village. 

As she ran, she looked back out at the silhouetted ship. The moons were just bright enough for her to make out a spark of green light coming from the top of it. “What is that?” Leah asked herself, almost stopping in her tracks to figure it out. However, she quickly re-established her priorities and continued to rush toward the center of her village.

As Leah passed by her aunt’s home, Kya was outside, pouring out a pail of water. She noticed Leah rushing by. “Hey!” Kya yelled to her. “What’s the hurry?”

Leah backpedaled as she turned to her cousin. “There’s a ship at sea! Elder Nyago wants me to warn the villagers!” 

“A ship?” Kya repeated. Then she gasped and dropped her pail. “Could it be your father’s ship? They may be finally coming home! They’ve been gone for—” 

Kya stopped in midsentence as she began to hear a distant hum. Leah also stopped in her tracks to listen better. The hum was mixed with the sound of splashing seawater. Leah and Kya glanced at each other and then quickly looked out at the sea in the direction the sounds were coming from. Under the bright blue lights of the moons, Leah and Kya could see two hastily approaching metal contraptions rushing toward their village. The speed was like nothing they had ever seen on the water. Leah looked back at Kya. They both had fear in their eyes. “Go!” Kya told her. Leah quickly turned back around and sprinted toward the village.

Leah ran as fast as she could, hoping to get to the village before those two contraptions. That wasn’t going to happen. They were moving far too fast. As she made it to the top of the stone cliff that secluded her family’s homestead, she looked down at the rest of the village. The two contraptions finally came to a halt onshore and the intrigued villagers began to slowly make their way toward it. From her vantage point, Leah could see that the two metal contraptions were some form of water vessels. They lacked a top deck, so they weren’t quite ships—or at least any that she as an islander had known to exist. They also had an oval shape to them, and their metal coating was marked with geometric symbols that she had never seen before. Leah looked back at the silhouetted ship on the horizon. It was much bigger than these two, and green sparks continued to flicker from the top of it. After gazing at these strange new contraptions on her village shores, Leah hopped off the ledge and made her way down the sandy incline to join her fellow villagers.

On the shore, the villagers slowly began to gather around the foreign water vessels, but they continued to keep a wary distance from them. The village Auroites stood in front. Their posture showed bravery, but their eyes had a sense of fear in them. “Stand back!” one of them told the villagers as he held a pike horizontal to push the crowd backwards. 

The Auroite that was hunting Leah let out a small gulp as he stood on the edge of the beach in front of one of the vessels. His hand gripped his sword tighter. After gazing up at the vessel for a while, he finally worked up the nerve to tell whoever was in it to come out, but before he could, he jolted his leg up and backed out of the water.

“Sir?” one of his fellow Auroites asked.

“I’m fine. I just got burned or stung by something.” He looked down at the water and noticed the green specks plastering the sand. Just as he was about to kneel down to get a better look at it, the vessels creaked loudly as their large side doors began to open. The Auroites and the villagers quickly stepped back in unison, nervously anticipating what was going to be revealed to them.

After the doors finally opened, out stepped a couple dozen men. All of them were stout with tattoos plastered across their bodies. Most of them were shirtless and rugged, yet they had a strange sense of class about them with their slicked-back hair and lean bodies. They hopped off the vessels and treaded their way out of the knee-deep water onto the sands of Oaka’s shore. As they scanned the lay of the land, they appeared to disregard the wary villagers and Auroites that stood before them. They stood quietly as they just looked around.

After taking in the sight of these strange foreigners, the lead Auroite ended the silence. “Who are you and what are you doing here?” There was a slight tremble in his voice that shattered his facade of bravery.

One of the foreign men looked at him and then chuckled. “Aren’t you an Auroite?” There was a slight accent that made it sound like Aren’t vu ein Auroite. “You are an Auroite, yet you do not know who we are?” He chuckled again.

Leah slowly began to push her way through the crowd to see these strange foreigners. Once she made it to the front, she looked in wonder at the strange, tattooed men with their metal water vessels behind them.

“What do you want?” the Auroite said again.

The same foreign man walked closer to the Auroites and villagers. The other foreign men followed in his footsteps as they moved onto the shore. “There is a thief among you,” the leader said.

Leah quickly blended back into the crowd once she heard that. 

The Auroite responded. “Yes, we are well aware of that. We have been searching for her. Has she stolen from you as well?”

“She?” the foreign man echoed. “So the thief is female?” He chuckled again. Then he pointed at the lead Auroite. “You will lead me to this thief . . . will you not?” Even though it was a question, the foreign man said it in a very commanding way.

Leah continued to back out of the crowd. She knew they were looking for Raal, but the Auroites still believed that she was the actual thief. And there was something about these strange men that made her feel as if it would not bode well for her if she was caught.

As she continued to back away, a hand grabbed her by her arm. She quickly turned to see Elder Nyago shaking his head to keep her quiet. In his other hand was her double-ended glaive. He kept it low beneath the crowd so that no one would see it.

“Elder,” Leah whispered. “They think it’s me. I didn’t . . .” But before she continued, Elder Nyago shook his head again. With a low grunt, he placed the glaive in her hand and made a gesture with his head toward the forest behind them. Leah looked past the crowd and the village huts toward the trees. Standing there motioning to her to come to him was none other than Raal.

Leah looked back at Elder Nyago as he nudged her in Raal’s direction. Did he know that she was with Raal the entire time? She was shocked by everything that was happening in the moment, however Elder Nyago’s eyes raised her concern. There was both fear and determination in them that made Leah immediately obey his commands. She nodded to him and then made her way toward Raal.

Once she made it to him, Raal quickly pulled her behind the trees and out of sight. Then he gave one last look at Elder Nyago. They stared at each other for a moment and nodded. Then Raal grabbed Leah by the hand and they both ran deeper into the jungle.

Leah felt like she was barely touching the ground as her feet steadily tripped behind Raal. He continued to drag her through the sticks and leaves while he continued to sprint. “Raal . . .” Leah stuttered trying to keep composure. “Raal . . . I can’t . . .” Then she quickly jerked her hand out of his. They both came to a stop as Raal looked back at her. 

“We need to move,” he said.

“Raal,” Leah said, out of breath. She began regaining her composure as she looked up at him with fear in her eyes. “What is happening? How does Elder Nyago know you? Who were those men?”

“We don’t have time for this.” He reached out to grab her hand again, but she jerked it away.

“They’re after you,” she said with anger in her voice. “They’re not after me. Who are they?”

Raal could see the determination in her eyes. She wasn’t going to take one more step until she received answers. Raal sighed as he looked down and then back up at her. “Atlohs.”

“Atlohs?” Leah echoed. She unintentionally took a step back. Leah had heard stories of these people. The entire world knew of Atlohs, the notorious enemies of Auroa’s global doctrine and civility. Their very existence kept the world from peace and instead allowed an everlasting and unspoken war to dictate life. Leah never thought a ligament of that war would ever reach her tranquil shores. “Why are Atlohs here? Why are they after you?”

“The gleddies that I had were from Atlohs,” Raal answered. “But they were just gleddies. I don’t know why’d they track me here.”

Leah ran up and pushed him. “You stole from Atlohs! It doesn’t matter how or why they’d track you!”

“No, you don’t understand . . .” Raal stuttered. “They wouldn’t come here for this. I’m not . . .” He quickly silenced himself and looked around.

“You’re not what?” Leah demanded more answers. She started to shout again, but Raal covered her mouth with his hand as he put one finger to his lips in a shushing gesture. Leah looked at him in dismay as she was muted.

Suddenly, they heard two men creeping along on the leaves and gravel. “Aja,” one of the men harshly said. “Toei le kido ne.”

Leah’s eyes widened as she and Raal listened to the voice from behind the tree. The foreign language sounded exactly as Leah imagined it would.

“Todo je,” the voice continued. It was a little closer to Raal and Leah now. “Gojo ni-tai.”

“Go’ra!” the other man shouted.

“Noto nai!” The first man slowly crept closer and closer to Raal and Leah’s tree. He was so close now that Leah could smell a distinct odor of something burnt and metal. Without Raal’s help, she shoved herself harder against the tree, bringing Raal closer to her so they wouldn’t be seen. 

The Atloh took one step next to the tree where they were hiding and stopped. The metal rifle was the only thing of his they could see. It gleamed in the moonlight. Leah was mesmerized by its uniqueness. She had never seen a weapon like that in her life.

The Atloh stood there for a while until his partner called from afar, “Go’ra!”

“Noto nai, hitte!” He turned around and ran off to the company of the other Atloh.

With that, Raal let go of Leah as they both breathed a sigh of relief. Leah was shocked by what she just witnessed. “Atlohs . . .” she stuttered, trying to come to terms with it. “Atlohs are on Oaka?” She turned to Raal to see him peeking around the tree and checking if there were any others.

“When did they get this deep into the island?” he said. He turned to Leah. “Those two cruisers onshore were the only ones, right?”

Assuming cruisers were the names of the two vessels that arrived onshore, Leah nodded. “Ah, wait . . . no.”

“No?”

“There was a ship or something on the horizon line. It had to be huge because Elder Nyago and I could see it from the pier.”

Raal widened his eyes. “Damn it!” He unsheathed his sword. “Come on. We have to hurry.” Then he started to sprint in the direction of the rural village. Leah followed close behind as she held tight onto her glaive.

As they came closer to the rural village, the same distinct smell of heat and metal filled the air, along with the smell of burning wood. They could see smoke filling the night sky through the trees and flickering green light from where the village stood.

Once they reached the pillar, Leah realized that the green light and smoke were from green flames which spread across the whole area. The old stone buildings were broken down. There wasn’t a single person in sight. Just the remnants of destroyed homes. 

Raal and Leah walked into the destruction and looked around. Leah looked on with fear and Raal kept a face of confusion. “This isn’t for gleddies,” he stated. “I don’t understand.”

Leah touched a burnt shirt hanging from a wire, but as soon as she touched it, parts of it fell apart in her hands. “Raal, if they’re doing this here . . .” She looked at him. “Are they going to do the same to my village?” 

Raal turned to her. He didn’t even have to speak. She already knew the answer. “I have to go! My mother is there!”

“Leah, wait!” Raal began to say as she was about to run toward the trees and her home, but suddenly a streak of green light flashed between them. It hit the stone hut behind them, leaving a smoking hole in the wall. Raal and Leah looked at it and then turned their heads to where it came from. In front of them walked a dozen Atlohs, all of them pointing their weapons toward them.

“You vill stay wherrre you arrre,” one of them said, his accent piercing through his words. “Kodo nai vis matin,” he told his comrades as they began to move closer to Raal and Leah.

Raal glanced behind him. A broken window was just at Leah’s waist level.

“Hoi! Eyes frrront! And both of you put yourrr hands up!” the Atloh demanded. Raal and Leah did as they were told.

“We’re not looking for trouble,” Raal began to say. “We only came here to see what was going on.” As he talked, he inched closer to Leah.

“I said don’t move!”

Raal shoved his body into Leah, knocking her through the window and into the hut. The Atlohs fired at them. Raal quickly brought down his sword, deflecting the speeding projectiles. As he did, he leaped backwards through the window and joined Leah as they took cover beneath it. The Atlohs did not cease firing. The projectiles shattered everything in the hut.

Leah kept her head covered as Raal looked around the room. On the opposite side was an open entryway. He patted Leah on her back. “Hey!” he yelled at her under the sound of the firing projectiles and impact. “We can’t stay here! We need to move!” Raal pointed at the entryway. “You run out that way and I’ll keep them occupied!”

Leah said nothing. She didn’t hear a single word Raal said. She just kept her head down as she listened to the whistling projectiles fly above her. 

“Hey! Heeey!” Raal shoved her hard enough that it knocked her to the floor. As she looked up at him with tears in her eyes, he put his hand on her shoulder. At that moment, the firing finally stopped.

“Come out of there, bhujia,” the Atlohs said, toying with them as they crept toward the tattered hut.

Raal kept his hand on Leah’s shoulder. “Leah, listen to me,” he whispered to her. Leah slowly removed her trembling hands from her ears as he continued. “You are far more dangerous than these scum. Believe me, I know. Not only have I fought them before, but I’ve seen your skills.” Leah shook her head, but Raal quickly refuted it. “You are,” he stated. “They are not prepared for you.  Atlohs have no sheer close-quarter combat skills. They rely on their long-range weapons far too much to have any natural talent.” Leah began to attentively listen. “There’s only one way to attack with those weapons,” Raal told Leah. “They first have to aim at you and then they pull on a little trigger which fires those projectiles.”

As she gazed into Raal’s eyes, Leah slowly started to regain her composure. “O . . . Okay . . . Don’t get targeted.”

“Right, but if you do find yourself targeted, remember that they only fire in one direction, and that’s straight. If you can’t avoid it, use your weapon as a shield. Put it between you and their aim. It takes skill, and you do have that skill. You’re quick and precise, a combination that Atlohs can’t quite handle.”

A warning projectile fired through the open window, causing Raal and Leah to duck. The Atloh yelled from outside, “Final warning! Come out, now!”

Leah trembled as she looked up at Raal. “I . . . I don’t know. How do you know? All I did was just get the upper hand on you.”

Raal coyly smirked. He shrugged and said, “Let’s just say not many have ever been able to do that, and certainly not an Atloh.”

Raal’s calmness eased Leah’s fear. She stopped trembling as she stared into Raal’s eyes. He was telling the truth. He truly believed in her. Leah’s breath slowed down. “Okay,” she said. 

Raal nodded. “Now, we have to get out of here. They’ll route us before long.” He pointed at the entry. “You run out that way and I’ll keep them occupied.”

Leah gasped. “No . . . no. We stick together.”

“Trust yourself, Leah,” he demanded of her as he kept an eye on the distance the Atlohs were from them. “You can do this.”

Leah’s heart started beating fast again. She stayed hidden as she listened to the angry shouts in the foreign language outside. “Raal, I. . .”

Before she could get her word out, Raal leaped out of the window. All eyes and rifles were on him. “Shotei!”  Suddenly, a barrage of green projectiles flew his way from all directions. Leah widened her eyes as she watched Raal. He dodged the bullets and deflected them with flawless ease. He ducked and dodged his way to different covering spots. After that, he would quickly move again, slicing through an Atloh that ventured too close to him. The whole scene was like a dance. This bandit was more than just skilled.

Seeing his bravery and skill buoyed Leah to stand up. Then she rushed out of the hut. As soon as she was out, she turned around to see an Atloh pointing his rifle at her from afar. Stay out of their aim, she remembered. With that, she quickly kneeled and covered her head with her arms. As she did, she heard the whistle of the green projectile pass above her. It hit a tree. Leah felt as if time slowed down when it happened as she realized what had just taken place. I dodged it! She quickly moved to the nearest object, a large stone, for cover. 

Holding her glaive tight in her hand, she replayed the phenomena in her head. Raal was right. Stay out of their aim and she would be all right. That put a new vigor in her. She looked over and noticed Raal taking on the group of them. He was cutting through them and dodging the green projectiles left and right. 

I have that kind of potential? Leah asked herself. She had no more time to ponder as she realized her opponent was running toward her hiding place. There’s only one way to find out. She leaped over the stone, which startled the incoming Atloh. His reaction time was slow as he lifted his rifle. Leah took no time to take advantage and drove her glaive through his chest. 

“Ack!” was the only sound that he could make as Leah’s blade passed through his innards. He fell to his knees as she pulled her weapon out of him. His blood trickled down her blade. That was the last moment the Atloh would ever experience.

Leah watched as he fell flat onto his face. She looked on in horror. I . . . I just . . . She backed away from the body. Her emotions flared as she realized what she had done; however, the sound of the rifles firing and men yelling caused her to disregard herself and rush to aid Raal.

As she made her way toward him, she noticed that all the Atlohs were already down. The only one left was the one Raal was in front of.

“Aja!” the Atloh yelled out. “Mada-ya toei ena me’la no’va!” He pulled out a smaller weapon and fired it at Raal, but Raal easily dodged it and then sliced through the Atloh. The Atloh fell to his knees and then flat onto his face.

As Raal whipped his sword to quickly clean his bloody blade, he turned to Leah. “Are you okay?”

Leah walked to Raal as she looked around at what he had done. All of these men were alive mere moments ago. Now, they were lifeless in puddles of their own blood. She turned back around to her victim. She replayed her blade going through his body over and over in her head.

“Leah,” Raal said again, grabbing her attention. “We have to go.”

Leah squeezed her glaive. “Right! My village!” The very danger that she was just in was the same danger that Kya, Kyala, Elder Nyago, and her mother faced. With that thought in mind, she and Raal sprinted toward the trees and her village on the shore.

As they ran, they could hear the distant shooting and screams coming from the shore. Out of fear, Leah began to run faster, and Raal followed close behind. As they came upon the edge of the forest, they quickly hid behind a rock and looked out to assess the situation.

Leah watched with horror as her village burned, lighting the night sky with a green hue. The village Auroites were fighting bravely as they used their shields to block the Atloh projectiles, but their speed and skill were far below Raal’s and Leah’s. That wasn’t the case for one familiar face. Leah looked in awe as Elder Nyago deflected the projectiles with his fishing spear. He wasn’t quick, but his movements were precise. Leah never knew this peaceful fisherman had such skill.

“He won’t last long,” Raal said to Leah as he prepared to go aid the Elder.

Leah nodded as she continued to gaze at the battle. She then noticed Kya. Tears were in Kya’s eyes as she knelt over a wounded village Auroite. She was chanting a phrase as she held her palms over him.

Raal noticed her too. “Libretti of healing?” he gasped. “Do you know any as well?”

Leah shook her head. At this moment, she regretted not taking those lessons seriously when her aunt tried to teach her. She knew that skill would be a tremendous help. “I don’t,” Leah answered Raal. 

Suddenly, an Atloh ran behind Kya and grabbed her. Kya screamed in fear.

“Kya!” Leah yelled as she jumped from behind the rock and ran toward her cousin. “Let her go!” 

The surprised Atloh released Kya and pointed his weapon at Leah. He fired. Instinctively, Leah jumped from side to side, dodging the incoming projectiles, and as soon as she reached him, she brought her blade down on the Atloh’s weapon hand, cutting it clean off. He howled in pain as he rolled in the sand, holding his severed arm.

The scene caught the attention of other nearby Atlohs, and they turned their weapons to Leah. However, they weren’t aware of Raal. He sped in between them and Leah and deflected the projectiles. Then he raced toward them, taking them all on at once. Like before, he cut through them with ease.

Leah turned her attention to Kya. “Where’s Mom and Aunt Kyara?”

Kya continued to cry. “Leah,” she sobbed. “They forced my mother onto their ship.” Kya pointed at the Atloh cruisers backdropping the ensuing battle. Leah watched as the Atlohs grabbed women and children and forced them onto the vessels. The village Auroites were powerless to stop them. 

“No!” Leah cried as she gripped her glaive and began to run toward the cruisers, but as she did, a silver ball fell to the ground next to her and Kya.

“Move!” Raal yelled to them from afar.

Leah’s reflexes were quick as she jumped away. Kya’s weren’t. The ball exploded, spreading green fire and causing a shockwave that lifted Leah high off the ground. She landed hard on the sand. Leah grunted as she tried to lift her head up. Her ears were ringing and her vision was fuzzy, but she was still able to make out the motionless body that was caught in the blast. “Kya!” Leah cried as she slowly got up. Before she made it to her, an Atloh quickly picked Kya up, put her over his shoulders, and began to run off with her toward the vessels. 

As Leah limped after them, another Atloh turned to her and pointed his rifle at her. “Mada tei kido,” he muttered as he pulled the trigger. Leah watched as the small green flame blasted out of the weapon and soared straight toward her face. She was too hurt to dodge it, and her glaive had fallen out of her hand. She nearly closed her eyes to accept her demise, but suddenly, a spear plunged into the sand in front of her, deflecting the projectile. Leah turned to see her protector. “Elder Nyago!”

The Elder glared at the Atloh as he prepared to fire again. That was not going to happen. Raal’s blade quickly came from behind him and through his stomach. The Atloh gagged and fell to the sand as Raal yanked his sword out of him. Elder Nyago nodded to Raal and then turned to Leah. He had her glaive in his other hand. 

“Elder . . .” Leah said. Seeing his caring, parental face in the midst of the turmoil around her caused tears to build in her eyes.

Elder Nyago forcefully placed the glaive in her hand. “No,” he mustered out. “Do not cry. Fight.”

Leah’s eyes widened as she held the glaive in her hand. This was the first time in her entire life that she heard Elder Nyago speak. Her shock was quickly outweighed by the approaching Atlohs with their weapons aimed at them. Elder Nyago stepped in front of Leah. He turned his head to her. “Your ma,” he said with difficulty. “She was . . . at . . . her home.” Then he looked back at the approaching Atlohs. He got into a fighting stance and then ran toward them, deflecting the projectiles.

“Go find your mother,” Raal said as he ran up to Leah. “I’ll help the Elder.”

Leah knew she couldn’t fight with the injury she sustained in the blast. She nodded. Raal patted her back and then rushed toward Elder Nyago to fight the Atlohs. As he did, Leah limped toward her home.

“Mama,” she muttered as tears flowed down her cheeks. She used her glaive to help keep her balance as she crossed the paths of the battle-torn village. As she walked, her heart sank with every sight. Bodies were scattered across the sand and some were carried out to sea by the waves. Every hut was set ablaze. The small playground that she loved as a child was turned to rubble. As she continued, she noticed a person trembling under a bench. It was Nabo, the strong hunter that Kya liked. The sight of him caused Leah to think about her cousin being taken by those Atlohs. Was she even alive after that blast? She continued to think about it all the way to her home.

“Mother!” Leah cried as a burst of adrenaline allowed her to run toward her wrecked hut. “Mother, where are you?” 

“Leah?” the familiar voice cried out from over the ledge of her secluded home. “Leah, don’t come this way!”

Leah disregarded her mother’s warning and ran to the ledge. There, floating on the rushing seawater, was a third Atloh cruiser. Her mother and other villagers stood in the vessel’s entryway with their hands tied as the door slowly began to shut on them. “Mother!” Disregarding the height and steepness, Leah leaped off the rocky ledge. She tumbled all the way down, banging her already injured body against the rocks until she splashed hard into the water. As Leah came up, blood trickled down her face from the scratches on her head, but she continued to swim toward the vessel.

“Leah, no!” her mother cried at the sight of her desperate daughter. The door continued to close.

Leah swam as fast as she could. The waves steadily pushed her back, but she continued on. “No,” she said, as she watched the opening of the door becoming smaller and smaller. She and her mother locked eyes for the final time with fear and tears in them.  Right before the door shut, Leah watched as her mother mouthed the words, “I love you.” Then the door completely closed. 

“No!” Leah cried.

Suddenly, the cruiser began to make that same humming noise that she heard when they first arrived. Then it started moving out to sea. Leah continued to swim, even though she knew there was no way to get to her captured mother. Her body refused to give up until the vessel broke the ocean shore zone.

Leah treaded water as she watched the vessel venture further and further way. It was as if it symbolized her reality. The further away it became, the more she started to come to terms with what had just transpired. Her home, the only place she had ever known, was no more. Completely defeated, she stuck her head under the water and screamed at the top of her lungs.

As the village burned, Raal cut through more Atlohs. He noticed that they were quickly grabbing as many people as they could as they all gradually returned to their cruisers. They were trying to depart. It didn’t take long for him to see why. 

Out on the horizon and west of the silhouetted Atloh ship, Raal could see new massive ships approaching. He let out a sigh of relief. Even from that distance, there was no mistaking that familiar diamond symbol that appeared to gleam with glory from the light of the moons. “The Auroites,” Raal muttered. He never felt such joy to see that symbol. Then he turned to the village Auroites and raised his sword. “The legion is here! Don’t let these lowlifes escape!” The village Auroites noticed the ships as well, and they let out a shout of jubilation. With this boost in morale, they began to rush the fleeing Atlohs, using their shields to block the projectiles and freeing some of the captives that had still not boarded the vessels.

The approaching Auroite fleet and this newfound vigor in the village Auroites caused the Atlohs to disregard adding more captives to their inventory and flee with what they already had. “Mada tei! Kizo no Auroites!” one of the Atlohs yelled as he ushered the last of the Atlohs onshore into their vessels. The humming started as the doors began to close.

One of the Atlohs tried to run past Raal, but Raal quickly tripped him. The Atloh fell to the sand, and before he could get up, Raal’s sword was at his neck. “You’re not going anywhere,” he told him.

Finally, the vessels’ doors closed and the Atlohs sped away. They didn’t care about the multiple Atlohs who were still onshore and held at sword point by the village Auroites. It didn’t take long for the cruisers to get pass the breaking waves as they headed for the horizon. The silhouetted ship started to back away as well.

After making sure the battle was over, Raal forced his captive up and shoved him into the hands of the exhausted village Auroites. They, too, had their own captives and kept them all tied up as they awaited the incoming Auroite legion ships. Along with the ships came a hint of the morning sunlight—a testament to how long this terror lasted. It was almost as if the Auroites brought the daylight to this nightmare upon Oaka. As Raal looked at his surroundings, he noticed the body of an ally lying on the sand, his spear still gripped in his hand. Raal quickly made his way over to him.

Half an hour passed before the Auroite ships made it to the burnt and tattered shore of Oaka Village. The ships anchored offshore and multiple rafts filled with silver-armored soldiers made their way to land. Their bright silver armor gleamed as they reflected the light of the dawn that crept up on the night. On their helmets and breastplates, a red diamond relief glowed a ruby color because of the early morning sunlight hitting it. As the rafts shored, the Auroites got out and walked onto the land. All of them moved at a quick pace, yet in a very structured manner as they started to scan the mutilated village. Raal paid no mind to them as he stood in pain and wonder over the lifeless body of Elder Nyago.

After speaking with the village Auroites, the commander of these new legion Auroites walked toward Raal. “Raal, the God of Thieves,” he said. This one’s armor had more decorations on his helmet and shoulders than the rest, and he also had a long red cape that had the diamond-shaped Auroite symbol sewn onto it. It was quite clear that he was the commander of the fleet. The Auroite stopped once he noticed who Raal was looking at. Then, with a melancholy face, he continued toward him.

Raal didn’t even look up as he said, “This old man fought like a wild animal.”

“We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for this ‘old man’,” the Auroite said as he joined Raal in paying respects. “This is Commander Nyago, a retired legionnaire who fought along Grand General Hartrok during the Great War.”

“That explains it,” Raal said as he continued to pay his respects. “I could see that warrior spirit in his eyes when I first met him. I thought I was stealthy, but he knew I was here the whole time.”

The Auroite nodded. “Commander Nyago was no fool. He was the strategist for a lot of the old Mili missions during his time. And he lost his tongue in the Great War as well. We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the Coyli bird he sent us hours ago.” 

The Auroite stooped down and pried the spear out of Nyago’s tight grip. Then he placed it beside his body. “It’s a shame he was taken out by Atlohs of all people. Their weapons are for cowards. It goes to show that age can defeat the best of us.”

“He wasn’t killed by those weapons,” Raal said. He pointed at Elder Nyago’s battle-scarred body. “Those are blade marks.”

 The Auroite studied Elder Nyago’s body and, sure enough, blade marks covered it. He looked at it for a while longer, then he stood up and shook his head. “This was a battle,” he said. “There’s no telling what could have happened. People will use anything to survive, and the Atlohs are no different.”

Raal continued to stare at Elder Nyago. Then he sighed and began to walk away.

“Not so fast, God of Thieves,” the Auroite said to him before he got too far. With an irritated look, Raal turned to him as the Auroite continued. “I’m not through with you yet. Why is it that whenever there’s trouble in Mili Region, you and that scum of a seafarer are always in the middle? From rogues to pirates, and now Atlohs.”  

Raal shrugged. ”Good question. Why are you always late to the party?”

The Auroite looked at Raal sternly. Then he asked, “Did you have anything to do with what happened here?”

Before Raal could answer, one of the village Auroites vouched for him. “None of us would be here if it wasn’t for this guy,” the village Auroite said in gratitude to Raal. “He saved a lot of us from the Atlohs. We’re deeply grateful.”

The commander looked back at Raal, glared at him, and then sighed. “Fine,” he said. “It appears I misjudged you.”

“Again,” Raal added.

“No need for wit, vagabond. However, I’m curious as to why the Atlohs would come to this small island of all places. Perhaps you could help me with this curiosity, seeing that you, I presume for some malicious reason, were here as well.”

“Perhaps,” Raal said as he turned around and began to walk away. “But as you can see, I’ve been verbally excused from your ‘oh so glorious’ interrogations, so I’ll let you have the fun of trying to figure that out by yourself.”

“Don’t think we’re done with you, Raal,” the Auroite said from behind him. “There’s too much history between you and the Legion. We’re not done.”

“Today, we are,” Raal replied as he mockingly waved goodbye to the Auroite. 

Raal continued to walk, ignoring the dirty looks that the rest of the Legion Auroite troops were giving him. Even though he helped protect the village, that Auroite was right. There was a lot of history between him and the Legion. He kept his cool posture for the longest time until it slowly turned into a sulk as he started to think about Leah. He looked toward the direction of her home and then slowly made his way there.