The ship soon arrived in a city called Solvenya, also know as the city of light. The ship stopped at another wall just like the walls of Velmira, Bayu stood up wanting to be sick when he seen them but held back.
As everyone came down from the deck, Bayu looked back once more —
One final glance at the smoke behind them. One more look before he locked the memories of Velmira deep inside.
Buried them.
Not forgotten — just sealed.
So no one could reach them.
So no one could reach him.
He promised himself to make new memories now.
Not happy ones. Not safe ones.
Just sharp enough to keep him focused.
And quiet enough to keep others out of his way.
In Solvenya, Bayu wasn't the broken boy from Velmira.
He was a survivor.
A shadow in training.
And no one — not the soldiers, not the city, not even fate — would stop him from reaching his goal.
He walked along with other survivors from Velmira until he was given a card to choose between the 'Saviour or Saved'or that was what it looked like to Bayu but the actual options was to either live in peace or to fight outside the walls to keep others safe. Bayu without hesitation picked the latter and soon walked away with a key in his hand to the dorms of the 'Reclaimers' the ones who reclaim lost land.
"BAYU!" a voice shouted from outside the room. The door slammed open, rattling the worn frame.
Lele stood there, breathless, eyes wide with urgency. Her hair was a wild mess, her uniform half on, a pair of goggles hanging from her neck. "Get up, you idiot! There's a mission — they're waiting for us!"
A siren began to scream.
Not again.
Bayu's body jolted upright, his mind instantly alert. For a moment, it felt like he was back in Velmira — the panic, the noise, the cold fear of something terrible coming.
But no.
This wasn't Velmira. This. Was. Solvenya.
Bayu blinked, his pulse still racing. "Already?"
Lele didn't answer. She turned and rushed out of the room, shouting over her shoulder, "Get your ass moving, we don't have time to waste!"
He threw himself out of bed, his heart still pounding from the nightmare, the past, the loss. He pulled on his gear, his fingers working on autopilot as memories from those early years in Solvenya flickered at the edges of his thoughts.
The Corps. The training. The endless nights, the weight of the past buried beneath his focus.
Today was his first real mission. He was ready. At least, that's what he told himself.
Bayu stepped outside fully geared, along with 235 other 'reclaimers.' The heavy scent of saltwater filled the air as the sun started to rise, casting an amber glow over the sea. The sound of the waves crashing against the docks was drowned out by the hum of excitement and nervous energy from the gathered group.
At the front of the crowd stood Captain Halon, his back straight and commanding, atop a makeshift wooden stage. His voice boomed over the assembled reclaimers, sending a wave of anticipation through the ranks.
"Today, we fight for the future of this city!" Captain Halon called, his eyes scanning the sea of faces. "We reclaim what was lost, not just for Solvenya—but for all who came before us. Their legacy rests in our hands, and together, we will bring it back to life!"
The crowd erupted in a roar of approval. Some shouted, others clenched their fists, but all shared the same burning determination.
Bayu stood still, arms crossed, his mind focused on the mission ahead. There was no time for hesitation. This wasn't just a job—it was a chance to prove himself. To earn his place among the reclaimers, to fight for something that mattered.
One by one, the reclaimers boarded the ship bound for the Grassland. The large vessel groaned as it rocked gently on the water, its sails being unfurled, ready for the journey.
Lele and Nura were already on board, waving for Bayu to hurry up. He offered them a slight nod, then glanced back at the rest of the reclaimers. The captain's words echoed in his mind. This wasn't just a mission. It was the beginning of something far bigger than any of them could imagine.
Taking a deep breath, Bayu stepped forward and boarded the ship. He could feel the weight of the mission settling on his shoulders, but there was no turning back now.
After what felt like days at sea, the ship finally crested the shoreline of Grassland. The land stretched wide and open before them—endless plains that seemed to meet the sky at the horizon. The reclaimers disembarked quickly, their boots sinking into the soft grass. The scent of earth and wildflowers filled the air, a stark contrast to the salty ocean breeze they'd left behind.
Bayu took a deep breath. The land here felt alive, like it had witnessed things far older than him, things he'd never understand.
The group gathered around Captain Halon, who was already organizing the next phase of the journey. "Mount up! The ride to Muriya will take us three days. We travel fast and quiet. This land is filled with unknowns—keep your eyes sharp."
Bayu, Lele, and Nura were the first to saddle up. The horses were sturdy and bred for endurance, with long, sleek coats and alert eyes that scanned the plains as they adjusted to their new riders. Bayu tightened his reins, his gaze fixed ahead.
Muriya. The city with no walls. The name alone sent a shiver down his spine.
It was said to be an anomaly—an ancient city, built long before anyone had maps of the land, a place where the old and the new collided in strange, terrifying ways. And according to the Council, it was the last place that could reveal the origin of the monsters.
For years, the creatures had haunted the lands—shadowy, formless things that ravaged villages and left only ruin in their wake. No one knew where they came from. No one knew why. But Muriya, with its endless labyrinth of streets and buildings, was believed to be the key.
"Stay focused," Nura whispered to Bayu as the group started their trek across the plains.
Bayu nodded, eyes scanning the distance. "I've got it."
Lele, her horse dancing nervously beneath her, shot a quick grin at Bayu. "Don't be so serious. We'll get there. Muriya may not have walls, but the stories say it has a whole lot of secrets."
Bayu didn't reply. He wasn't here for secrets. He was here for answers.
As the reclaimers rode deeper into the Grassland, the land began to shift. The grasses grew taller, and the air thickened with an uneasy silence. Every now and then, the distant howl of some unseen creature would echo across the plains, sending a ripple of tension through the group.
The ride was long and silent, each rider lost in their own thoughts, until the distant silhouette of Muriya finally came into view.
But even from this far away, Bayu could already feel it. The city wasn't just a place—it was something else. A pull in the air, an energy that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
They were close.
And soon, they would find out if the city's secrets were worth the journey—or if the monsters were waiting for them there, too.
As they neared the outskirts of Muriya, the landscape began to change. The city wasn't just built in the open plains—it spread out, uneven and sprawling, with strange buildings that seemed to shift and adapt to the land, like they were alive. The streets were narrow and winding, leading into pockets of isolation between the clustered homes.
Bayu's instincts tugged at him. Something was off.
He pulled his horse to a slow walk, glancing around at the others as they continued down the main road. Lele and Nura were lost in conversation, their voices faint in the distance, but Bayu couldn't shake the feeling that something was drawing him away from the group.
Without a word, he veered off the path, guiding his horse down a quieter side street. It was even quieter here, the air thick with a kind of stillness that made every step seem louder than it was. The houses here were far more isolated—standing in strange configurations, as though they didn't quite fit in the city, like they'd been abandoned and left
Bayu's horse clopped slowly down the narrow street, each step echoing in the silence. The buildings around him leaned in, their crumbling facades seeming to watch. The sense of something just beyond his sight continued to gnaw at him, but he couldn't quite place it.
Then, he saw it.
An old house, tucked away at the far end of the street, its wooden door hanging crookedly on its hinges. The garden in front was overgrown, wild vines twisting through the fence like they were trying to keep something inside.
Bayu felt an odd pull. He dismounted without thinking, his hand instinctively reaching for the dagger at his side as he approached the house.
His heartbeat quickened as he stepped closer. There was a sense of familiarity here, something that tugged at him deep in his gut. A whisper in his mind. His breath hitched as his eyes locked onto something near the door.
A symbol.
It was carved into the wood—an intricate design he'd seen only once before.
The mark of the Outcasts.
His pulse hammered in his ears as the door creaked open. And standing there, bathed in the dim light from within, was a figure he hadn't seen in years.
Kael.
Bayu froze. His heart stuttered for a second. Kael's eyes locked onto his, and for a brief moment, the world seemed to stop.
"Bayu," Kael said, his voice a low whisper of recognition, mixed with something darker. "I knew you'd come."
Bayu's mind spun, trying to piece it together. Kael, the boy from his past—long lost after Velmira's fall, now standing in the middle of a ghost town, a city that didn't even belong on any map.
"How… how are you here?" Bayu managed to ask, his voice shaky despite his best efforts.
Kael's lips curled into a faint, almost sorrowful smile. "Muriya holds more than just memories, Bayu. It holds answers—if you're willing to find them."
Bayu's fingers tightened on the hilt of his blade. "Answers to what?"
Kael stepped forward, the shadows of the house swallowing him whole as he spoke. "Answers to who they are. And why you've been hunting them all this time."
Bayu's mind raced as Kael's words hung in the air, but before he could speak again, something in Kael's eyes shifted.
The warmth, the recognition, the Kael Bayu had known—vanished.
Kael's pupils turned into slits, his eyes now glowing with an eerie, unnatural light. His breath came in ragged gasps, like he was struggling to hold something back.
Bayu stepped back instinctively, but Kael's body jerked violently. The once familiar features twisted into something feral, his mouth pulling back in a snarl. His hands curled into claws as his chest heaved in unnatural rhythm.
A low, guttural growl rumbled from Kael's throat, deep and primal—like the sound of a creature that didn't belong in this world. The noise vibrated through the air, filling the space between them with a suffocating tension.
Bayu's heart pounded in his chest. "Kael?!" he shouted, his voice barely above a whisper, more out of fear than anything else.
For a split second, it looked like Kael might lunge at him, his muscles tensing as if preparing to pounce. But then, with an agonizingly sharp breath, Kael collapsed forward into Bayu's arms, his body going limp. The growl died as quickly as it had begun, leaving only the unsettling sound of Kael's shallow breathing.
Bayu caught him, staggering back against the crumbling wall of the house as he lowered Kael's unconscious body to the ground. His hands trembled, his heart racing from both fear and confusion. What had just happened? Kael had… changed. Had he been one of the monsters all along?
"Kael…" Bayu whispered, shaking his friend gently, but there was no response. His skin felt cold, and his pulse was weak—barely a thrum beneath his fingers.
Everything about Kael was wrong now. Something inside him had snapped, something dark and uncontrollable.
The growl. The change. Was it… a curse? A disease? A monster?
Bayu's eyes scanned the surroundings in a panic. The shadows of Muriya seemed to close in on them, and for the first time, he felt a cold, creeping terror seep into his bones.
"What had Kael become?"
Bayu's hands shook as he cradled Kael's limp body, pulling him into a tight hug. His heart pounded as he tried to steady his breathing, but the fear was suffocating. Kael, once the boy he had known—now nothing more than a broken shell, transformed into something monstrous in a matter of seconds.
"Kael… please wake up," Bayu whispered, pressing his forehead against his friend's. "I don't understand. What happened to you? What is this?"
His grip tightened, his eyes scanning the shadows, unable to shake the feeling that something far worse than Kael was closing in on them.
It was then that Nura's voice called from the distance.
"Bayu! Bayu!" Nura shouted, her voice full of concern as she approached, her eyes wide when she saw the situation.
Nura hurried over, dismounting her horse. She knelt beside Bayu, her face grim as she studied Kael's unconscious form. "What happened to him?"
"I—" Bayu started, but words failed him. "Nothing.. Nura!"
Nura wanting to say something, swallowed her words back and then looked around before she looked back at Bayu with a sense of urgency. "We don't have time for this. Something's wrong here."
Bayu nodded, his heart sinking as he stood up, pulling Kael into his arms. "We need to move. Now."
As they prepared to leave the house, something in the air shifted. It was subtle at first, a faint vibration in the ground beneath their feet. Then came the first sound—a low, guttural screech echoing from the streets behind them.
"Monsters!" Nura shouted, drawing her blade.
Bayu's grip on Kael tightened as he spun around to face the direction of the sound. The monsters—the ones they had only heard about in whispers, the ones that had haunted the world since Velmira's fall—were beginning to emerge.
They were slow at first, creeping out of the alleyways and ruined buildings, their twisted forms barely visible in the shadows. But soon enough, the first wave of them revealed their full grotesque shapes—bodies warped and distorted, eyes glowing with an unnatural hunger.
They were everywhere.
"We need to get back to the others!" Bayu shouted.
They sprinted toward the main street, but as they did, the numbers of monsters only grew. For every one that fell, two more seemed to emerge from the darkness, moving with terrifying precision.
The reclaimers—scattered and struggling—were quickly losing ground. In the chaos, Bayu could hear the screams of his comrades, the sound of steel clashing against flesh. But it wasn't enough. The reclaimers were fighting a losing battle.
Bayu's eyes scanned the battlefield, counting the remaining survivors. They were fewer than he had hoped.
"Only 107 left," Nura murmured, her voice tight with desperation as she fought to protect their retreat. "We can't keep this up."
Bayu gritted his teeth. They had to survive. He couldn't lose anyone else.
"Retreat!" Captain Halon's voice rang out above the chaos. "Fall back! Now!"
Bayu, Nura, and the remaining reclaimers began to pull back, cutting down the monsters in their path as they retreated toward the safety of the Grassland. But the creatures followed, relentless and hungering for more. The humans had no choice but to flee, knowing that this mission was no longer about reclaiming the city—but about surviving long enough to regroup.
As the last of the reclaimers made it out of Muriya, the city behind them seemed to sigh in relief, almost as if it had been waiting for them to leave. The monsters slowly stopped their pursuit, content for now with the chaos they had caused.
Bayu's heart hammered in his chest, but he didn't stop. He kept moving, his mind reeling from everything he had witnessed. Kael's transformation. The city's curse. The monsters. Everything.
It was only when they reached the edge of the Grassland, panting and bloodied, that Bayu allowed himself to glance back at the ruined city.
And in the distance, just beyond the fallen gates of Muriya, a shadow moved.
Not a monster. Not a creature.
But something else. Something familiar to Bayu, something he had sensed before..