Resurgence of the Verdants

The room fell silent.

"I apologize for his rudeness," Mother Venice interjected, her voice calm.

"But I cannot blame him for his disbelief. In a hundred years, no Verdant has ever defeated someone with even a Crimson or Azure I.D. But…"

She paused, her gaze steady as she continued.

"I know there is something in you. That is why God chose you... Let's continue this conversation tomorrow. Stay here for a while. It's not safe in the forest at night, and this is the best we can offer to accommodate you. If we had an actual room for you, we'd give it. But all we have are tents. It's too small."

Draven shrugged.

"That's alright. I've had worse in my teens. No complaints here."

He grabbed the bowl of stew and took a bite, not even flinching at the taste. He flashed her a quick smile.

"You know, I could get used to this... probably."

Mother Venice gave him a small nod, looking somewhat relieved.

"Good. Get some rest. We'll talk more in the morning."

With that, she and her guards turned to leave, not bothering to lock the door behind them.

Draven raised an eyebrow as they disappeared, almost impressed by their trust.

A couple of minutes later, after finishing what passed for 'food', he leaned back on the lumpy pillow. Then he stared up at the broken ceiling.

The cold air bit through the thin blanket. But it wasn't the discomfort that gnawed at him.

He laid his arms behind his head, lost in thought for a moment. 

Then he smirked, shaking his head.

"Tomorrow, huh? Guess I'll find out then."

Despite his confusion, Draven felt himself drift off, surprisingly at ease inside the cell.

---

12:00 AM.

A little distance from where Draven was sleeping…

The night was still, and most were lost in deep sleep. 

But in the shadows, three watchmen, positioned at the outskirts, were taken down one by one.

There's no sound.

No struggle.

Just the quiet thud of bodies hitting the ground.

At a silent signal from a big man on horseback, the chaos began.

Shadows raced toward the village. 

Tents were slashed open in an instant.

The barbaric-attired invaders stormed in with brutality.

They yanked the women's hair and dragged them out.

Harsh gags choked off their screams. 

The men fared no better—dragged out with fists pounded into their sides.

Their ribs cracked under blows as they were forced to their knees. 

Rough ropes bit into their wrists, tying them up like animals.

Naisha's eyes shot open.

Her fingers immediately found the familiar hilt of her two daggers.

Instinct kicking in, she moved swiftly.

"Auntie, Get up."

When the Auntie woke up, they gave each other a knowing glance and nodded as if they already knew what to do. 

The Auntie immediately stood up and woke the two children. 

The children stirred, rubbing their eyes in confusion.

One of them, barely awake, mumbled, "What's going on?"

Naisha crouched down.

"We need to be quiet, alright? Stay close to Auntie."

The younger boy clung to her, his small voice trembling.

"I'm scared..."

Her aunt's hands reached for the children.

Then they stood behind Naisha as she slowly approached the tent's curtain door. 

The sound of chaos was getting louder. 

As Naisha crept closer, a barbaric-looking face suddenly poked into their tent.

The intruder's wild eyes scanned the dim interior, and a sneer crept across his lips.

"Look what we—"

Slash!

Before he could finish, Naisha's dagger sliced through its neck.

The man's head rolled away, landing with a soft thud on the ground.

Naisha didn't even flinch.

"Come on. Don't look back," she said, already moving forward without waiting for an answer.

They immediately left the tent, crouching low.

Outside, chaos reigned as people fled and the attackers hunted them down.

'Did they take down the watchmen?' Naisha thought since they never heard their signal.

Naisha moved quickly along the edges of the tents, trying to avoid detection and escape.

As they ran, Naisha's eyes scanned the chaos around them.

Smoke.

Screams.

Bodies.

"Stay safe, Mother Venice. I'll come back for you," she muttered under her breath.

Her grip tightened on the children as she steered them to safety first.

Naisha stopped each time they ran into someone.

The moment an enemy turned their back, her dagger flashed, and their throat opened in a deadly line.

Then came another—sword raised high, crashing down toward her.

She sidestepped to his right, and in one fluid motion, her blade sliced through his neck.

His head hit the ground before his body even realized it was dead.

"Hurry, we're almost out!"

Naisha's tone was sharp as they kept running.

Far from them, three barbarians sat astride their horses.

They watched the chaos unfold in the center of the village.

The leader, a hulking figure, stood out among them and spotted her.

His lips curled into a smirk, intrigued by how effortlessly she moved and how deadly she was. 

Even though she's a woman, she easily carved her way through their men.

"Boss Gorvex, our guys are struggling with that woman. Should I take her out?" one of the horsemen asked, gripping his weapon.

Gorvex smirked. His eyes gleamed with greed.

"No. She's worth more alive. She'll be the star of the auction. The highest bidder will pay a fortune for her." 

He threw his hand as if tossing a stone.

Suddenly, a fast, charging chain shot out from his palm.

[CHAIN BIND!]

It wrapped around the foot of one of the children Naisha was protecting.

Then Gorvex grabbed the chain and tried to pull the child back toward him.

"Sister Naisha, help me!"

The child's scream cut through the air, as Gorvex's chain snapped tight around his foot. 

In a blink, he was yanked off the ground, swinging wildly as the chain dragged him up toward him.

Naisha froze mid-step, her jaw tightening as her teeth clenched.

"You bastard!"

Gorvex's face twisted into a sneer.

"Come and get him!"