Get up," Elra commanded, her voice cold as I lay sprawled across the cold, unforgiving metal floor.

I groaned, ignoring her completely.

"I said, get up." Her threat was clear—if I didn't, she'd make me.

Still, I stayed on the ground, savouring the chill seeping into my skin. Andre and I had been dragged from our beds before sunrise and dumped into Balten's Ring—the Forge, as they called it. Dramatic warrior pricks.

I'd tried prying information out of them—about Ayanna, about who had attacked her, about why we should even bother helping them, and when the hell they'd start looking for a way to get us home. Andre had grabbed my shoulder, whispering that we needed them on our side, and if that meant playing along, then that's what we'd do.

So here I was, a fucking mess on the floor, drenched in sweat, exhausted, and unable to move. The metallic tang of blood mingled with the sweat on my lips, and bruises bloomed across my skin—some fresh and throbbing, others still forming. One particularly nasty one—a right hook to the cheek, courtesy of Elra—was swelling up like a balloon, making it painful to even open my damn mouth.

Wren had taken Andre off somewhere after we stubbornly stuck together, refusing to be separated. Apparently, if we couldn't see each other, we'd be less "distracted." These morons hadn't figured me out yet.

Elra's pointy shoes dug into my ribs, knocking the wind out of me. "Oof!" I hunched over, protecting my middle—another favourite target of hers. I wasn't some punching bag.

"Get up now, Alicia," she snarled.

My head snapped up. "I didn't tell you my full name."

"Do you think Blinx didn't tell us?" she sneered.

"I never told her." I dragged myself to my feet, suspicion gnawing at me. The only ones who knew were the assholes who'd attacked Ayanna.

"She didn't need you to," she smirked, stepping closer. "You finally got up."

Before I could fire back, she lunged—a blur of twirls and spins as her fists slammed into my stomach. My instincts kicked in too late. I managed to block the kick aimed at my head and caught her leg, unbalancing her.

But it didn't matter. She used her wings to propel herself up, arcing over me and landing gracefully at my back, sweeping my legs out from under me. Pain tore through my body, and exhaustion weighed me down.

Again, I was on the floor—we'd been at this for hours. I needed a break. I needed answers. I needed to get the hell out of here. Frustration churned inside me—why wouldn't anyone listen? Why wouldn't they just tell me what they knew? I didn't need this bullshit.

Staggering back to my feet, I stumbled forward unsteadily as anger built inside me, something that twisted in my gut and tightened in my chest. The cold metal beneath me seemed to pulse, as if echoing a silent rhythm, urging me to stand, to fight, to lash out.

I saw black as I threw myself at her, my vision narrowing as a fierce, uncontrollable rage took over. My thoughts were a chaotic blur, swallowed by the darkness that filled my mind. I landed punch after punch.

She was caught off guard, surprise etched into her pink eyes. I seized the moment, and she could barely dodge the onslaught. Gone was the pain. Gone was the exhaustion. I was standing taller, stronger, and my movements were quicker, sharper.

She'd been knocking me on my ass for hours, laughing and enjoying every second of it. I'd risked my life to save someone she should've protected, and this was how I got repaid?

Why the hell were they so desperate for our help?

More questions barrelled into my brain with the same force as my elbow smashing into the side of Elra's masked face.

The metal mask didn't dent, but the force still sent her reeling.

She snapped out of her shock, turning into a vicious kick, but I sidestepped it, narrowly avoiding her blow. She came at me with well-practised combinations, but I ducked and dodged, slipping away from every attack.

I was pissed—no, I was fucking livid—a churning, boiling rage that burned through my veins. She couldn't just leave me the hell alone. It was like a black bird, flitting at the edges of my vision, whispering, urging me on.

I lunged, trying to wrap my arms around her throat, but instead, I slammed into her. We both hit the floor with a hard thud.

She looked at me like I was out of my mind, and maybe I was, because the only thing I could think of was squeezing the life out of her. Clutching at her cloak, I squirmed in the hold she had me in, trapping me on the floor. Her arms were the ones wrapped around my throat. She was the one squeezing so hard I couldn't breathe.

I gasped.

I flailed.

Exhaustion and pain hit me like a freight train as I clawed at my throat, trying everything I could to get out of her iron grip.

Dark spots flew in front of my eyes as the black bird came closer, its wings stretching wide, shaking its feathery head in what felt like disappointment.

"WHAT THE HELL, ALI?" Andre was yelling at me, his voice sharp with frustration. "Ella's been going around, bitching about how you went full psycho on her."

I rubbed at my throat, which was swollen and definitely bruised. When I opened my mouth, the words came out hoarse. "She wouldn't leave me the hell alone."

He sighed, the tension in his face easing into something more like understanding. "I know this is hard. I'm struggling too. But, Ali, we need to work with them. It's one thing not to cooperate, but going at her in a fit of anger isn't helping us."

"So they can beat the shit out of us and knock us to the ground all they want, but when we fight back, it's World War III?" Every word was torture, my throat raw from the battle.

"Ali," he whispered, his tone softening, "I think in this world, you're meant to learn to take a hit before throwing one."

"I've taken enough hits in my life already to tell them all about surviving on the streets of Paris." I groaned, hating the memories that surfaced. "You know what it's like."

Andre slowly nodded, a strange look flickering across his face. He opened his mouth, then closed it, as if struggling with something. Finally, he said, "I know you had it tough—"

I cut him off. "We had it tough."

He sighed, not meeting my gaze. "We had it tough, but they don't know that. I disagree with their methods, but we have to fit in."

"I can't just let them beat me to a pulp, Andre. I want answers, and I know you do too." I met his eyes, trying to make him see my desperation.

"I—" he started, hesitating before finally nodding. "You're right. I think we should meet with the Orc again."

"Now you're talking." A grin broke across my face, but my cheek quickly reminded me of the pain. "I say we visit Ayanna. I did save her life, so she might be more inclined to help us."

–

"You look like hell," Ayanna greeted me with a grin, the soft glow of afternoon light filtering through the small window, casting a warm, golden hue across the room. The scent of herbal medicine hung in the air, a subtle reminder of her recent recovery.

"Well, you're practically glowing," I shot back, though I had to admit, for someone who almost died yesterday, she did look pretty good. The spark in her baby blue eyes was back, and she was as annoyingly radiant as ever.

"How are you feeling?" Andre asked softly, his concern evident.

"Fine. I'd be back to work if Zicco wouldn't lose his mind over it," she replied, smiling as she mentioned her brother. There was a flicker of something in my heart - I missed my own siblings.

"You two must be close," I said, plopping into the seat beside her bed. At least this one had a backrest.

"We are," she nodded, her tone softening. "Don't mind his grumpiness. He's had it rough. Our parents died when we were little, and as the older sibling, he had to take on a lot."

I could tell she wouldn't go into detail—it was her brother's story, after all.

"You don't have to apologise for him," Andre said, offering her a reassuring smile. "Besides, have you met Ali? She's not exactly a ray of sunshine either."

They both burst into laughter, and I crossed my arms, pretending to sulk. "I thought we were friends."

"We are," Ayanna teased, "which is why I can tell you that you're almost as grumpy as Zicco."

"Almost?" I raised an eyebrow. "I'm insulted. I thought I was the champion."

"Don't worry, you're still in the running," Andre chimed in, his grin widening. "But you might need to step up your game."

I rolled my eyes, but a small smile tugged at my lips. "Maybe I was better off without friends."

Andre's smile faltered, a flicker of concern crossing his face. "Hey, we're just kidding. You know that, right?"

I met his eyes, my voice softer. "I know. You guys are stuck with me, whether you like it or not."

"You really need to work on your jokes," Ayanna added with a smirk. "For someone who's so good at dishing out insults, your humour could use some serious help."

A warmth spread through my chest as I looked at them, a feeling I hadn't experienced in a long time. It felt good to have friends again.

'I was meaning to ask. Do you have any idea how you are actually here?' Ayanna questioned studying our reactions closely.

'To be honest we don't really know.' Andre looked at me, 'We had been shopping and when we left there had been an eclipse. It was weird because it wasn't predicted and then there was a ringing that brought unbearable pain...'

Andre took a steading breath, 'I passed out and we woke up here.'

"A truly wonderful experience," I said sarcastically. "So now we're stuck here because of some cosmic freak show."

Ayanna frowned, 'An eclipse you say?'

'Yes.' I nodded, 'Do you know what it means?'

She shook her head but something about the way her eyes glazed over in thought told me she might have just figured something out. I met Andre's sparkling electric blue eyes silently communicating.

'She knows something.'

'She would tell us if it was important.' Andre conveyed, 'She might not want to get our hopes up.'

'Maybe.' But I wasn't convinced.

"So, are you going to tell me why you're really here?" Ayanna asked, her tone shifting as she studied us more closely. "As much as I'd like to think you came just to see me, I can tell something's bothering you."

Gone was the playful girl, replaced by the leader of the Fiolan.

"Okay, we need answers," I said, getting straight to the point.

"What she means," Andre interjected, giving me a look, "is that we're in the dark. Instead of figuring out how to get home, we're learning how to survive here. We know there's a threat, and now we're getting thrown into the Forge to learn how to fight."

Ayanna's expression didn't change. "I'm not allowed to disclose anything to you."

I sighed, frustration bubbling up. "We're not asking you to break any rules. We just need a meeting with the Orc."

"I'll try," she replied, though her tone lacked conviction. "Come back after dinner, and I'll let you know."

"Thank you," Andre said, visibly relieved.

"We won't forget this," I added, feeling genuinely grateful.

"It's the least I can do. Now, get back to the Forge before they tear the whole city apart looking for you."

"How do you know we just left?" Andre asked, surprised.

"Because I know Elra, and she wouldn't just let you walk out," Ayanna said, her gaze landing on me. "She was your partner, wasn't she?"

"Yeah," I muttered, still feeling the aches from our session. "Lucky me."

"You really should go," she urged, practically shooing us out. "Trust me, it'll only get worse the longer you wait."

With that, Andre and I said our goodbyes and headed back to what felt like our own personal hell.

-------

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