Don't Worry. We'll Meet Again

I couldn't see who charged first. The instant Tasha's arm barred my path, metal tore apart with a screech right beside my ear. My body lurched violently backward.

My back slammed into the damp wall, and the bundle of papers clutched in my arms crushed the wound along my inner forearm. The metal plaque in my palm kept slipping from all the blood. I can't let it go. I clung to that single thought and clenched my teeth until they ached.

The cave was already a slaughterhouse. People lay collapsed across the wet stone floor. One slumped against the wall gripping his wrist, another curled tight while coughing blood, others groped blindly for dropped weapons. Above them, sword tips tangled and clashed.

"It's in that little bitch's hands!"

"Get the token from her first!"

The voices all stabbed toward me at once. That roar froze my feet to the ground. A traitor pirate lunged with a blood-smeared hand. Just before his fingers reached my chest, Tasha shoved between us. A blue blade flashed once, and the pirate's arm bent at a sickening angle. The scream came half a beat late as he tumbled across the wet floor, clutching the ruined limb.

Tasha never even glanced back.

"Get back."

Her voice was rough and low. Every trace of her usual playful laughter had been burned away.

The cave had become a single writhing mass of blood and screams. Pirates charging at Tasha. Those trying to block them. Others whose eyes had rolled white at the sight of the plaque in my arms. It was impossible to tell which side anyone was on. Lanterns swayed wildly, and every face was streaked with seawater and blood.

Still, one fact stood out clearly. Far more people were rushing at Tasha than standing in front of her.

Her right hand still refused to release the sword. But her left arm lagged behind like dead weight. Dark blood ran from beneath her torn sleeve all the way to her fingertips. That was when I finally noticed the short needle embedded in the outside of her arm, its metal tip protruding just slightly from the flesh.

Every time Tasha adjusted her grip, that arm trailed by half a beat. One pirate spotted the weakness and smiled with rotten glee as he raised his blade.

"Looks like the captain's finished too."

His laugh never finished. Tasha's boot drove into the soft spot behind his knee. The sound of his balance shattering on the slick stone came first, then his body pitched forward. Before he could scream, the pommel of her sword smashed into the back of his neck.

Thud!

The man who slammed face-first into the stone never opened his mouth again.

"At least your mouth still works," Tasha spat blood and drew a ragged breath. A few pirates flinched. Only for an instant.

In that sliver of time, new sounds rolled in from the cave mouth. Heavy boots on wet stone. Scabbards clinking against armor. Sharp, clipped orders.

Tasha's gaze snapped toward the entrance. A traitor seized the opening and whirled toward me.

"Ria!"

Tasha spun. A blade grazed her side. Blood sprayed through the torn cloth, but she didn't make a sound. The wrist of the pirate lunging at me was caught in her grip. She twisted, slamming his body into the wall. His skull cracked against stone with a dull thud, and he slid down to my feet. Tasha stepped over him without slowing.

"Are you hurt? Are you okay?!"

My lips trembled, but no voice came out. Tasha didn't wait for an answer. There was no time.

"Captain!" a loyal pirate shouted from behind. Blood poured from his shoulder, yet he held his ground against a traitor, blades locked. "The entrance is completely surrounded!"

"I know!" Tasha snarled through gritted teeth. Her eyes swept the cave in a flash. There, in the far wall, a narrow gap I hadn't noticed when we entered. Two traitors blocked its mouth.

Tasha exploded forward first. She could barely use her left arm. So she twisted her entire body with brutal force. The first pirate's blade cut empty air. Her foot drove into his stomach. The second pirate tried to slip through the gap. Tasha's sword rose from below, slicing his wrist. His weapon clattered away. The pommel immediately crushed his throat. The path was clear.

It was only the smallest of openings.

"Ria!" Tasha's voice cracked like it might tear apart. "Out the back way!"

My feet refused to move, as if nailed to the stone.

"What about you, Captain Tasha?"

"Hurry!"

Swords clashed in answer.

"But...!"

"I'll follow right behind you!"

Tasha raised her sword again. This time she couldn't even spare me a glance. "Don't look back. Just run!"

The gap was already closing. The metal plaque slipped in my bloody palm. I can't lose it.

My feet finally broke free. The instant a traitor tried to block the path, one of Tasha's men slammed into him from the side. They tumbled together in a tangle of limbs. The loyal pirate roared, "Go! Run, kid!"

The words kicked me forward. I dove into the narrow passage and my shoulder scraped rock. The papers in my arms nearly spilled. I hugged them tighter. Behind me, steel rang. Tasha's voice had already faded.

I kept running. After a long while, the wind slipping between the stones carried the sharp tang of salt. The exit was close. I could taste it.

When I finally squeezed through the last gap, wind slapped my face. Salt. And smoke.

I lifted my head. Below the Black Cliffs, smoke rose from Tasha's ship. One sail was already burning. Wind-fed flames raced across the canvas. Farther out, naval warships waited like wolves.

My heart plummeted. For a moment I couldn't breathe.

Small boats were tied below the rocks, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the same ones we'd used to reach the cave. Ropes coiled around wet stone. Oars lay scattered inside.

If I leave them like this, they'll follow.

My hands shook so badly I could barely grip anything, but I moved. I cut the ropes of the nearest boats, hurled an oar into the sea. Splash. Another boat. Then another. I left only one small vessel half-hidden behind the rocks, the one we could still use.

I grabbed its rope with both hands and sank to my knees.

Shouts echoed from inside the cave. Steel rang. Someone swallowed a scream. Then the wet, bloody clang of blades again.

I waited, barely breathing. No matter how long I waited, no other sound came.

"Why..." My voice barely worked. Why aren't you coming? You have to come. You said you'd follow right away.

Another crash from inside. My grip on the rope tightened until my knuckles bleached white.

No matter how long I waited.

Tasha never came.

The moment Grain stepped into the cave, the stench of blood clawed at her throat. Beneath the smells of wet stone and seawater, the metallic reek clung like rot. Just breathing it in left the taste of iron coating her tongue.

She didn't slow down. The tramp of boots and low commands behind her echoed off the walls. Steel rang, bounced, rang again. The sounds circled the cave until they began to blur into something else. Cannon fire in the distance. Boots on wet sand. Blood in the back of her throat.

Grain's gloved hand reflexively tightened on her sword hilt. Red flooded her vision. A collapsed body. Bloodied hands. A back that never turned around.

She closed her eyes for a single breath, swallowed the thickness in her throat.

Sentiment came later. First she had to find the child.

When she opened her eyes, the lantern light revealed the carnage. Blood spread in thin sheets between fallen bodies. Discarded swords and torn cloth littered the wet floor.

Grain's gaze raked across everything. White nun's habit. Small frame. Nowhere.

Then someone deeper inside coughed wetly and spat.

Ptui.

Her head snapped around. Tasha stood braced in front of the rock crevice. Every breath made her shoulders sag. Blood smeared her mouth and ran from the torn sleeve all the way down her arm.

Even like that, Tasha refused to step aside.

Wet sand overlapped Grain's vision again. The place where Edel had fallen. Tasha standing there without even wiping the blood from her hands. The back that never looked around.

Her grip on the sword tightened until the leather creaked. One step. She could end it now.

Grain ground her teeth.

Not yet.

A cold, animal voice slid from her throat.

"Where is Ria."

Tasha didn't answer. Her bloodied lips parted, then closed. Her breath hitched once. Her shoulders trembled.

"Answer me."

Tasha's gaze flicked past Grain's shoulder. Black uniforms filled the cave. If it had been only Grain... The thought lasted less than a heartbeat. But the family's reach stood behind her now. The same family that had turned even the pirates against them in secret. Who could swear that hand didn't stretch into those black coats?

Ria carried the evidence. Even if Grain wouldn't harm her, being at Grain's side was no guarantee of safety.

Tasha looked at her again. Blood dripped from the tip of her chin.

"...You will not pass this way. Not ever."

Grain's eyes dropped. At Tasha's feet, a scrap of white cloth had caught in the wet crevice. At first it looked like any other torn rag. The cave was full of them. But something made her look again. Old white fabric. Blood-stained edges. A tiny emblem barely clinging to the torn end. The Holy Kingdom's crest.

Her breath stopped.

It was part of a nun's habit. The one Ria had been wearing.

Feeling drained from her fingertips.

Tasha still said nothing. The hand dripping blood. Edel who would never move again. Ria, nowhere to be seen. Tasha blocking the path.

Everything Grain had crushed down inside her chest surged upward.

The cave sounds receded, then roared back all at once. Shouts, steel, echoes like cannon fire tore at her ears.

"Tasha."

Tasha's shoulders stiffened by a fraction. Grain's gaze never left the blood-soaked scrap of cloth. The sword hilt groaned in her grip.

"Tasha Leverne!"

The name ripped through the cave. Grain kicked off the floor and charged. Her blade tore the air. Tasha twisted to meet it, but the moment steel met steel her arm was driven down. It was heavier than before. Much heavier. Tasha's foot slid back on the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wet stone. She bared her teeth, twisted her sword, and barely deflected the blow.

Grain didn't retreat. She reversed the blade and brought it down again without mercy.

Kwaaaang!

The crash echoed like thunder. Tasha's left arm lagged again. The needle must have been poisoned; the limb wouldn't obey. Grain's sword exploited every opening. When Tasha ducked, the blade shaved off strands of her hair.

"Since that day," Grain's voice cracked between breaths. Before Tasha could answer, the next strike came. "I have thought about it every single day without fail."

Kwaang!Clang!

Her wrist felt ready to shatter. The cracked blade screamed. Tasha couldn't ease her grip. Grain's sword pressed again.

"How much stronger do I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠need to become before this tip can reach your throat?"

Tasha's breath cut short.

"How much longer do I need to endure before I can kill you?"

The corner of Tasha's mouth twitched. Before it could become a smile, blood surged up instead.

"You've... grown a lot."

Her words came out wet and thick. Grain's eyes sank deeper into shadow.

"Don't smile."

The sword came again. Tasha barely parried. There was nothing else she could do. If she gave ground, the path would open. And beyond it was Ria.

Every clash numbed her fingers further. The cracks in her blade lengthened. What had been hairline fractures now ran across the spine. Grain didn't miss the weakness. The next strike landed exactly on the flaw.

Creeeeeak!

Tasha's sword rang. Another blow. Crack. The fracture split wide. She tried to pull free, but Grain bore down with crushing force. Tasha's knee nearly slammed into the stone. Grain's teeth ground together.

"This time," the blade pressed again, "you can't run."

Tasha swallowed. Then, in the same heartbeat, she released every ounce of strength. The pressing sword sliced empty air. Grain's body tipped forward slightly. Tasha twisted her failing blade and shoved Grain's tip aside. It stabbed deep into the rock wall.

Thunk.

In the instant Grain's arm locked, Tasha drove forward. Shoulder into chest. Right arm twisting the wrist. Grain didn't try to reclaim her sword. She simply let it go and seized Tasha's collar instead.

Both of them crashed to the wet floor. Tasha's short gasp burst out. Grain's elbow drove into her shoulder. Tasha's knee shoved into Grain's stomach. Tasha's hand pushed at Grain's jaw. Grain's breath scattered sideways, but she refused to yield. Instead she pressed deeper, pinning Tasha's right hand to the stone.

Tasha tried to lift her left arm, but the poisoned limb only rose halfway before freezing. Grain didn't miss the opening. Tasha's back slammed flat. Cold water soaked through her clothes. Grain's harsh breathing fell across her chest.

She had to push her off. Tasha forced strength into her right hand, but her bloody palm kept slipping. Her left arm still wouldn't obey. Grain's hand slipped inside her coat. Metal scraped. Tasha's eyes narrowed. The moment the short dagger emerged, her body reacted on instinct. Before the tip could plunge toward her heart, both hands locked around Grain's wrist.

Slice!

The blue blade carved through her palm. Hot blood poured between her fingers. She held on with gritted teeth, but the dagger only slowed. It kept descending, inch by inch.

"...Why the hell."

Those were the first words that escaped. Tasha's ragged breathing stopped. A tear slipped from the corner of Grain's bloodshot eye and splattered on the wet stone beside Tasha's cheek.

"Tasha... sister."

The title made Tasha's fingers freeze for the briefest moment. The dagger sank deeper.

"Why," Grain's voice shattered, "did you kill Sister Edel?"

Tasha couldn't answer. The name rose in her throat but never reached her tongue. She saw Edel's face on the wet sand again. Lips turning black. Eyes that still tried to smile. The last words she had left behind.

Don't hate Grain too much.

Tasha's lips trembled. But she could not open her mouth. The moment her hands lost strength, the dagger would drive straight into her heart. She couldn't even steady her breathing.

Another tear fell from Grain's eyes.

"Tell me."

The dagger tip pressed through fabric. Tasha's hands gave way inch by inch.

"Tell me!"

Fabric tore. Skin split. Blood welled. Tasha's breath locked in her throat. Her teeth ground white, but the blade kept sinking. Slowly. Surely. Toward her heart.

"Why...!"

The moment fresh strength flooded Grain's arm, a small impact struck her side.

Thud!

The hand holding the dagger twisted. The blade slid sideways. The wet stone floor flipped beneath them.

Crash!

Grain bared her teeth and shoved herself upright. The first thing she saw was the torn hem of a blood-soaked nun's habit. White cloth ripped in countless places. Blood running from inner arm to fingertips. And above it, a deathly pale face.

"Ria."

She was alive. Panting as though she might collapse at any second, yet Ria stood before her. The small, white face held no color. Her lips trembled. But she was alive.

Something inside Grain's chest twisted sharply. How much pain had this small body endured? How long had she held on?

The corners of Grain's mouth slowly softened. Her breathing still hadn't steadied. Unshed tears still clung to her lashes. Yet the smile came first.

It wasn't too late. She could take her back now.

"It must have been hard."

Her voice shook. Grain reached out.

"It's all right now, Ria."

Only then did she notice the blood on her own fingertips. Red that could belong to anyone clung between her fingers. The hand paused, then continued toward Ria.

"Let's go home."

Ria didn't answer. Her lips parted, then closed. Only her labored breathing moved.

The moment Grain took another step, Ria's gaze brushed across her bloody hand. Then Ria turned toward Tasha. Grain's advancing foot froze solid.

Tasha was barely propping herself up on one elbow. Ria knelt carefully in front of her. Still clutching the papers and plaque, she gripped Tasha's arm with her free hand.

Tasha's lips moved. No sound emerged. Ria shook her head once, sharply. Then she tried to help Tasha stand. Tasha's weight nearly toppled her small frame, but Ria held on. Tasha gritted her teeth and found her feet. The two of them leaned on each other and staggered toward the rock crevice.

Only then did Grain manage to speak.

"Ria."

Ria's steps halted. Just for an instant. The pale face turned. Blood on her lips. Shallow, trembling breath. The hand holding Tasha. And eyes that looked at Grain without any of the things she had hoped to see. No relief. No plea to be saved. No voice calling her captain.

Grain's feet rooted to the stone.

Why? I came to save you. I came all this way for you. I thought I could finally take you back. So why are you—

"Ria...?"

Her voice barely emerged.

Ria gave no answer. She simply turned deeper into the crevice, supporting Tasha. Grain couldn't follow. She could have caught them. Both were injured. One had lost too much blood. The other was only a child. A few strides would have been enough.

But her legs refused to move. The way Ria had looked at her was burned behind her eyes.

From behind, the lieutenant's voice cracked like a whip.

"Secure the target!"

Grain didn't turn.

"Block the escape route!"

Boots moved. The lieutenant's eyes locked on the metal plaque in Ria's hand. His gaze narrowed. His hand rose.

"Do not let it go! Whatever you do, do not let go of the object in that child's hand!"

The instant those words struck the cave walls, a low vibration rose from within. It began like stone cracking. Then something scraped and writhed inside the walls. The black lines that had been dormant swelled and twisted. Black energy seeped like threads from every crack in the floor.

"Uaaaaaagh!"

Screams erupted. No one had time to tell navy from pirate. A black line lashed out from the wall and shattered a man's spine. Another sliced across the floor, severing ankles in a single sweep. The cave descended into chaos.

"Everyone fall back!"

"Away from the walls!"

Orders drowned in screams. Lanterns shattered. Stone fragments sprayed across the wet floor. The lieutenant's commands were swallowed whole.

Even then, Grain stared only at the crevice. The backs of Ria and Tasha vanished into the shaking darkness. Ria never looked back. Just like Tasha that day. She never looked back.

Grain's hand slowly fell through empty air.

"Why..."

That was the only word that left her lips. Inside the collapsing cave, Grain could only stare at the place where Ria had disappeared.

Sea wind slapped my face. My feet slipped on wet rock. The bundle of papers pressed painfully into my wounded arm.

"Hurry and pull her up!"

Someone seized Tasha's arm. She was hauled over the gunwale like a sack. The moment her body tumbled into the small boat, blood spread across the wooden planks. She tried to rise, but her elbow slipped and she stayed down.

"Ria..."

The cracked voice scattered on the wind.

Instead of answering, I shoved the papers into the boat. Damp map fragments. Half-burned ledgers. Small envelopes. One by one beside Tasha. My bloody fingers kept slipping. The papers nearly tore, but I forced them all inside.

The last thing left in my hand was the black metal plaque bearing the family's clear emblem. Its blood-wet surface gleamed coldly.

I had deliberately made the black magic barrier inside the cave go berserk. I thought it would be enough. At least enough to buy a little time.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

But the footsteps inside were already drawing closer again. It hadn't been enough. Not nearly enough to hold them.

"Ria!" Tasha reached for me. Her palm was torn open. Blood still poured from the wound that had blocked the dagger. Yet that hand still tried to pull me aboard. "Come up here. Quickly."

I gripped the gunwale. All I had to do was climb in. The captain, the evidence, and me. Push off, row somehow. I tried to make myself believe it.

But the footsteps were too close. The small boat still hugged the rock. Waves kept shoving it against the cliff. No one aboard was fit to fight. Tasha couldn't even lift one hand. If ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠we left now, we would all be caught.

"Ria." Tasha's voice grew quiet, careful. Her eyes said she knew exactly what I was thinking. Don't you dare. "Come up."

I lifted my head.

"Captain."

"Ria."

"If we leave like this, we'll all be captured."

Tasha's hand tightened on the gunwale until fresh blood seeped between her fingers.

"No."

At her plea, I smiled instead. I don't know if it looked like a real smile. My lips trembled and the taste of blood filled my mouth. But I smiled. I needed her to see it.

"You told me before. That you would create a place where a child could smile without fear."

Tasha's face hardened.

The wind blew. Wet strands of hair stuck to my cheek.

"I know a place like that."

Her eyes wavered. For a brief moment I remembered another shore. Streets without swords. Shops lit even at night. A place where no one dragged crying children away. A place where someone always offered a hand when you fell. A place I had once believed was ordinary.

"It's truly beautiful."

My voice cracked.

"So make it. Not just for the family. For everywhere else, too."

"Ria."

"Only you can do it, Captain."

"No."

Tasha tried to rise, but her body betrayed her. The pirate beside her caught her shoulder as she slipped. She drew a harsh breath. I gripped the plaque tighter.

"Don't worry too much."

I pushed against the boat.

"Anyone would think I was dying."

"Ria!"

"I won't die."

It wasn't a lie. Probably. My body still burned with pain. I knew exactly how much it hurt after self-destructing. But I wouldn't stay dead. I would simply open my eyes again somewhere nearby.

"Besides, I'm quite greedy, you know?" I lifted the plaque slightly. "Sixty-forty. I haven't forgotten."

Tasha's lips trembled.

"You said you'd give it even if you had to empty every last coin."

A wave slammed the hull. I gritted my teeth and shoved. Wet wood scraped free of the rock. The small boat rocked and drifted into open water. Tasha's hand reached desperately toward me.

"Prepare yourself properly."

I stepped back.

"I will definitely come find you."

I clutched the plaque with all my remaining strength. People poured from the cave mouth. Bloodied pirates. Torn coats. Wet boots. Blades in their hands. They panted like their lungs would burst, yet their eyes stayed fixed on the plaque.

Behind them, black naval uniforms appeared. The soldiers couldn't charge immediately. Black lines still rampaged inside the cave, and fallen stone blocked the path. The lieutenant's voice cut through the chaos.

"Block the escape route!"

"Secure the target!"

But the pirates moved first. Their eyes locked on the small boat. I raised the plaque high above my head.

"The thing you're looking for."

My voice cracked. I forced it louder.

"Is right here!"

All eyes stabbed toward me. Someone cursed.

"It's the token!"

"That way!"

Good. Perfect. I didn't look at the boat. I knew Tasha would still be watching. If I looked, I wouldn't be able to run.

Clutching the plaque to my chest, I sprinted across the wet rocks beneath the cliff. Footsteps thundered closer. The slap of boots on stone, ragged breathing, the ring of steel leaving scabbards all mixed with the roar of waves.

I ran deeper, hugging the plaque tighter. The sound of the small boat pulling away still lingered behind me. Each wave that crashed against the rocks buried the sound for a moment, then let it return. It was still close. Just a little farther.

"Stop!"

I didn't stop. My toes slipped. My knee scraped rock. When I caught myself with one palm, the plaque nearly flew from my hand. My throat burned with every breath. Still I held on. I pushed up again.

When I glanced back, dozens of pirates chased me. Not all of them. But enough. The eyes that had been fixed on Tasha's boat were now glued to the plaque in my hand.

Thank goodness. Truly.

"Thank goodness."

The lead pirate drew his sword. Dim light slid along the wet blade.

"What we need is what's in the hand."

Another bared his teeth. "They said the kid isn't necessary."

The blades closed in. I took one step back. My heel met the edge of the cliff. Waves crashed far below. There was nowhere left to run.

My fingertips shook. My knees, shoulders, and neck all burned. Every breath felt like my insides were being ripped apart. Yet the small boat was growing smaller. Tasha. The evidence. Everything I truly needed to send away was getting farther.

Then it was enough.

I opened my hand.

Clink.

The black metal plaque fell onto the wet rock. The pirates' eyes snapped to it. In that instant I gently closed my eyes.

Familiar letters floated before me.