Corin sprinted through the narrow alleyways, his eyes searching for a way to shake off his pursuers. His arm throbbed with pain, and he could feel the blood dripping from his wound. He knew he couldn't hold out for long, but he had to try.
Suddenly, a raven cawed on a broken roof. Corin looked up. The bird stared at him, and Corin followed its gaze. Above them was an opening in the roof, a hatch that was slightly ajar. Corin didn't hesitate, as he climbed up the wall and squeezed through the opening.
He found himself in a narrow, dark room that smelled of dust and mold. Corin felt his way forward, his eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness. He heard the footsteps of his pursuers downstairs, but he knew they wouldn't be able to follow him so quickly.Corin took a deep breath and tried to organize his thoughts. He knew he couldn't go back to the city—not until he had contacted Ezkiel. He had to find another way to shake off his pursuers and make contact.
He thought of the back alleys he knew, the narrow, winding streets that only the locals used. Corin was sure he could use them to deceive his pursuers and escape.With renewed determination, Corin began to explore the rooftops. He climbed over roofs, jumped across gaps, and used the shadows to hide. His chest throbbed with pain, but he ignored it and focused on his escape.
The city lay below him, a sea of rooftops and chimneys stretching to the horizon. Corin knew he was not alone, that others were looking for him. While running across the rooftops, his feet thudding against the tiles, he felt the wind tugging at his face. The chase was not over yet, and Corin knew there were still many obstacles to overcome before reaching his destination.
Corin leaped from roof to roof, pushing himself to his limits. A brief moment of carelessness was all it took. Suddenly, the ground beneath him gave way, and he crashed through an old building, breaking through a rotten wooden beam.
The hard landing threw him to the ground, pain flaring in his leg and arm. He was injured, but not incapacitated. He picked himself up and saw that his pursuers had noticed the collapse. The way back was blocked, so his only option was to go deeper into the building.
As he moved cautiously through the dark corridors, his eyes searching for an escape, he discovered an old, half-destroyed trapdoor. Behind it lay an ancient tunnel. Barely any light penetrated; the floor was damp, and abandoned tracks or pipes along the walls bore witness to a place long forgotten.
'The tunnel seems to lead outside the city....not that I really have another choice.'
Corin hated tunnels and narrow alleyways. They rarely gave many options. At that moment, the sound of quick footsteps approaching the trapdoor could be heard.
Corin immediately sprinted into the dark tunnel, his footsteps echoing off the damp walls. Behind him, the sound of many feet slapping against the wet ground. Corin ran and ran. The stench of mold and mildew filled his nose, but he focused on the breath of fresh air wafting through the tunnel. As someone used to the smell of ash and soot, he could easily tell the difference.His breathing quickened, his heart pounded, and his chest ached. The tunnel seemed endless, and Corin began to wonder if it would ever end. But he didn't give up. He forced his way through the darkness, driven by the hope of escape.
The tunnel twisted and turned, forcing Corin to duck under low ceiling beams.After what felt like hours—or maybe it wasn't, he wasn't sure, he realized the exit did not lead back to Veyna but out into the wilderness.
In the end, the single tunnel was only the beginning of a vast, old tunnel system. Over time, the smell changed to that of old stone, damp earth, and moss. It seemed as though they had long since left the city behind.The scent of fresh air grew stronger, and the distant sound of water reached his ears. With a final burst of speed, he dashed through the tunnel and burst into the open, where the cool night air and the stars above welcomed him. Taking a deep breath, he looked around.
He had exited the tunnel and now stood at the edge of a dense forest. The trees towered in front of him, their branches like skeletal fingers reaching toward the star-strewn sky. Corin felt watched among them, but not threatened. He needed a relatively safe resting place. Who knew what kind of creatures lived in this forest? Not that there weren't already enough stories about them. After all, there were reasons people gathered in the slums.
His steps led him deeper and deeper into the trees. He wasn't even sure where they were leading him anymore. Still, something pulled him forward. He could almost swear he heard a voice whispering.
'Must be the exhaustion and blood loss. Damn, who is the Moreno family messing with now?'
His wound was deeper than expected. The amount of blood lost was dangerously high.
Corin was certain his attackers were Path Bearers. With their strength and combat skills, that was the only logical conclusion. It was a miracle he had escaped and that they had lost him in the tunnels.He remembered the crest they bore, a bear with a broken chain.
'Royalty... It seems familiar, but where have i seen it before?'
His thoughts were interrupted as he entered a clearing. A massive ruin lay before him, dilapidated stone pillars, broken archways overgrown with roots. Ravens were everywhere, perched on the ruins, in the trees, some circling above. Corin felt as though he had finally arrived, as though this was the place he had been searching for. The ravens watched him, but they did not seem threatening. They seemed to be waiting.
Corin took a deep breath and looked around. The ruins were silent. The ravens were still. Only the rustling leaves in the wind made a sound.
No. There was something else. Deep inside him, something stirred.
He knew he would find something here, something that would change his life forever. But what it was, he did not yet know.