Kaya remained bound in the glowing blue energy restraints, her focus fixed on Mazi, who lay unconscious on a bed nearby. Through the small window, the warm hues of sunset spilled into the room, casting long shadows and a golden glow that softened its otherwise simple appearance. It was a stark improvement from the cold cement dungeon they had endured for days.

Next to Mazi's bed knelt a man—a healer, or perhaps a doctor, whose name Kaya did not know. His dark wavy hair framed a face of quiet determination, his neatly trimmed beard accentuating his sharp jawline. A long, sharp nose added to his striking features, and his piercing light brown eyes held an intensity, reflecting wisdom and a compassion that seemed unshakable. He looked about Mazi's age, though his composed demeanor gave him an air of maturity that seemed to transcend it. He was dressed in a soft, earth-toned tunic of muted green and flowing beige pants, the natural hues blending seamlessly with the calm, practical air he carried.

He was prostrated on the floor, his forehead touching the ground, rising and bowing again in a steady rhythm. His hands occasionally lifted in silent supplication, his whispered prayers calm and unwavering. Kaya could not understand the language he spoke, but his devotion was unmistakable, filling the room with a strange, serene reverence.

She watched him for a moment, then closed her eyes, using the calm to center herself. Though she could not physically kneel, she tilted her head forward, whispering the words of her tribe's ancient healing prayers. She recited as many as she could remember, her voice a whisper, calling on the Great Mother and the spirits of her ancestors to bring strength and healing to Mazi.

"Great Mother," she murmured under her breath, "heal him."

The man paused for a moment, and Kaya opened her eyes. He looked up at her, calmly. "Prayer is a powerful thing," he said, warmly. "Even in the darkest times, it can be our greatest strength."

Kaya nodded faintly, her words trembling as she glanced at Mazi. "Is he going to be alright?"

"He is on the brink of death. All we can do now is surrender to Elah." The man bowed his head slightly in acknowledgment, then resumed his prayer. His whispered words mingled with Kaya's, their voices creating a fragile harmony. Strangers in faith, they shared a moment of quiet unity, their hopes intertwined for Mazi's sake.

The cat halfbreed woman who had captured them in the Underworld had dragged the man in an hour ago, tossing him into the room without ceremony. From the moment he arrived, it was obvious he was there against his will. For the first ten minutes, he screamed at the door, demanding to be let out.

When his shouts went unanswered, he turned, took in his surroundings. First, he noticed a restrained Kaya before locking onto Mazi, unconscious on the bed. His entire demeanor changed in an instant. Silently, he dropped to his knees next to the bed and reached into his oversized medical bag, his instincts as a healer taking over.

Kaya winced at the stench of rot wafting from Mazi's infected leg, her stomach churning, but the man worked with an unshakable calm. She watched as he moved swiftly and efficiently, unbothered by the severity of the wound. His advanced medical tools gleamed as he meticulously cleaned and redressed the injury, applying a shimmering gel that caught the light like liquid silver. When he pressed a sleek, pen-like device to Mazi's skin and administered a precise injection.

Within minutes, Mazi's shaking subsided, his breathing evening out as the medication took effect, Kaya felt a flicker of hope. The man exhaled deeply, wiping his brow as he muttered to himself, "Help him, Elah, for I have done what I could."

He then turned to one side of the room, knelt down, and began a formal prayer, remaining in steady devotion ever since.

Returning to the present, Kaya hesitated, observing the man in quiet contemplation. "Are you a healer? A doctor?" she asked softly. "What is your name?" He was not dressed in the white lab coat she had come to associate with Dr. Dubay at the Clinic.

He hesitated, "I'm a trained as both a healer and a doctor. My name is Joher Sudra."

"Sudra..." Kaya said thoughtfully, her mind turning. That doesn't sound like a traditional Atlantean name, she thought to herself. Yet, there was something familiar about it—she had heard it before.

"You can call me Joher," he replied, gently.

Ah, that's right, she said to herself. Her father used to speak of a man named Sudra from his village. "Are you from a desert village beyond Kemp?" she asked, curiously. That is how her father had described his homeland.

The man hesitated for a moment before answering. "I am an Atlantean," he confirmed, "but my parents are from Amuri."

Kaya had no idea where that was but could not help wondering if her paternal ancestors might have come from there too.

As if he had read her mind, the man asked, "Are you an Apirua too?"

She furrowed her brows, unfamiliar with the term. The man studied her face carefully, as if he were trying to discern her background.

"What is your name?" He asked, thoughtfully.

"Kaya Kahkati Imenti," she replied without hesitation.

"Imenti..." the man repeated, stroking his beard thoughtfully, as if searching his memory. "That is an Apiruan name," he said, nodding slightly.

"What is .. Apir-oen?" Asked Kaya, mispronouncing the word.

"I am Apirua. We are a tribe of the Amuri," he responded, with a hint of disappointment.

"And who is Elaaah?" She asked, intently.

"What?" The man asked, incredulously. "Elah is the word for God in Amurian," he finally said.

"God?" Kaya repeated, her confusion evident. She only knew of the Great Mother.

"Yes," he explained, patiently. "Like the Nori religion has Ava—the One Goddess—we have Elah, the One God."

Kaya shifted uncomfortably in her energy restraints, the slight movement emitting a faint hum. "I don't know anything about Elah or the Nori religion," she admitted. "I come from the Kahkati tribe in the Northern Mountains... I suppose Elah is like our Great Mother."

"Perhaps," Joher said, nodding slightly, studying her closely once more than averting his gaze. "We believe Elah is the only God—there is no other," he added, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

Kaya hesitated, unsure how to respond. "Thank you for saving Mazi," she said, softly.

"Mazi?" Joher asked, examining his unconscious form. "Is that his name?"

"Yes," Kaya confirmed.

Joher tilted his head, his light brown eyes narrowing. "His name is Apiruan too," he said, quietly. "How strange to find two Apiruan named people here..."

Joher stroked his beard, as if trying to uncover a mystery. "Why are you both being held captive by these... monsters?" He gestured toward the door behind him with a subtle jerk of his head.

"The scaled ones?" Kaya asked, cautiously. That's what Mazi had called them.

"Is that what you call them?" Joher said, his lips curling into a grimace. "I call them demons." He added with disdain. "To my people, ever since the creation of the halfbreeds some generations ago, the line between human and demon has been blurred entirely."

What are demons? Kaya wondered, blinking in surprise. Whatever they are, they don't sound good, she thought to herself. This was the first time she had learned that halfbreeds had only existed for a few generations. Now more than ever, she wanted to understand where her father came from, and how he was a halfbreed.

She wondered if she should tell Joher she was halfbreed, but decided to keep that to herself. "Not all halfbreeds are monsters," Kaya added, sadly. In that moment, she felt utterly alone.

"You are correct, not all halfbreeds are monsters." Joher stood up, "I meant no harm by that. I have many halfbreed friends. But these... scaled ones, they are not like other halfbreeds."

"No, they certainly are not." Kaya agreed.

"I hear that some of these scaled creatures, they eat people and halfbreeds." Joher said, darkly.

"I'm afraid I don't know much about them." She said, her mind reeling.

Flashes of her uncle Yoshua ran through her mind. Where was he? The question lingered heavily in her chest. She wished she could speak to him, ask him to take her from here, and ask him if she was an Apirua.

Joher exhaled sharply, examining the unconscious Mazi. "He seems to be improving quickly. That's a good sign."

Relief spread across Kaya's face as she smiled. "Thank the Great Mother," she said. Then, curiously asked: "How did you end up here?"

Joher leaned back slightly, releasing a sigh in exhaustion. "I live in this village," he began.

"You do?" Kaya asked, abruptly. "What village is this?"

"It's called Buramiya. I run a small clinic here for humans and halfbreeds, you see." He paused, his gaze dropping to the floor. "This afternoon, a halfbreed cat woman walked in, put a laser gun to my head, and demanded I come with her."

His jaw tightening. "Next thing I know, I'm in this place, surrounded by those... scaled creatures." His glanced at Mazi, before continuing. "They told me 'to fix the human man' and threw me in here with you."

He shook his head, his frustration palpable.

Kaya noticed the anger and sadness in his features. "I'm grateful for your help," she whispered, "you've saved Mazi's life."

"You're injured too," Joher said, noticing the wound above her brow. "Let me mend that cut on your forehead. If I do it now, it shouldn't leave a scar."

Kaya nodded in. consent.

Joher immediately reached for his medical kit. "Tell me more about the Kahkati tribe," he said calmly, as he began cleaning and preparing Kaya's wound. With firm hands, he used a second silvery-blue, pen-like device that sent a sharp sting through her skin. Kaya flinched slightly but endured the discomfort.

"We are a small tribe," she responded, quietly. "Most of us live in and outside of Cupta—"

Joher interrupted her. "This device is not working properly." He muttered, frowning as he examined it. "You couldn't be a halfbreed, could you?" He asked, the question carrying the weight of something he had clearly been pondering since the moment he saw her.

"I am a part breed." Kaya said, thinking back to her conversation with Esa in the Syris villa.

"I have never met a part-breed." He said, examining her features more closely. "Tell me about your parents. What animal genetics do you have?" 

Kaya hesitated, extremely uncomfortable under the clinical scrutiny. "My ma was fully human and my pa well, I don't know where he came from exactly, but he was a wolf halfbreed."

"Wow, it is rare to meet a part breed," Joher said in awe. "Most halfbreeds cannot have children."

"None of the halfbreeds you know have children?" Kaya asked.

"I'm afraid not." He confirmed. "The women are generally sterile, and human women who carry halfbreeds rarely survive pregnancy. Almost none make it through childbirth."

Her hand instinctively rested on her womb, a fleeting thought piercing her mind—was she able to have children? The uncertainty gnawed at her, but her thoughts soon drifted to Esa's expression in Syris, the shock when he learned she was born of two parents and that her mother had survived childbirth. The memory lingered. She missed Esa.

She realized how little she truly knew about halfbreeds. "Do you know how halfbreeds came to be?" She asked, hoping this man might have answers.

Joher let out a dry laugh. "It's one of Atlantis' best-kept secrets," he said. "The royal and noble families guard the truth fiercely. Rumor has it they wanted a race of super soldiers and began experimenting on human fetuses with animal DNA."

Kaya barely grasped the full meaning of his words, but she listened intently, her mind working to piece it all together.

"The story goes," Joher continued, "that as they created halfbreeds, they discovered these genetically altered humans could serve more purposes than just soldiers in the military. Many were turned into slaves on the floating islands or sold to other parts of the world...some were sold as sex—" He hesitated, realizing the impact of his words. Glancing at Kaya, he quickly stopped, steering away from the darker implications.

The bedroom door creaked open, and the male guard entered. His scaled presence was commanding, his tongue flicking sharply with each word, as though tasting the air. "Stop talking so much, doctor," he barked, harsh and guttural, "if you want to get home to your family."

Joher froze, his body tensing with fear and resignation.

"Is that human going to make it?" The guard asked, pointing a clawed finger at Mazi.

Joher nodded stiffly. "He should," he replied, curtly.

Before anything more could be said, a massive explosion erupted outside, the force rattling the walls and shaking the floor beneath them. Dust and debris rained down as the air filled with the deafening roar of the blast. Joher's head snapped toward the noise, his face frozen in shock, while the guard snarled, and ran out the door, leaving it fully open.

"Now's our chance, we should go!" Joher urged.

"I can't leave Mazi," she replied, firmly.

Joher hesitated for a moment, his mind racing. Finally, he turned to Kaya. "I'll carry Mazi on my back, but I'll need your help to lift him."

Kaya nodded, her movements awkward with her arms still bound by the glowing laser restraints. She bent down as best as she could, gripping Mazi's unconscious body and heaving him upright. Together, they managed to shift his weight onto Joher's shoulder, though the task was cumbersome. Mazi's arms remained bound, the laser restraints flickering faintly as they hung against Joher's back.

Joher adjusted his hold, gritting his teeth under the strain but refusing to falter. "We need to move now," he said, tensely. Kaya glanced toward the open door, her heart pounding as she prepared to follow.

As they gently tiptoed out of the room, the ground beneath them trembled. Half of the house groaned ominously before it was ripped apart, debris flying as the entire section was torn away. Kaya froze, as she spotted Esa in the distance. 

He hovered in the air, his body taut with fury, blazing with unrestrained rage. In a horrifying display of strength, he snapped the neck of the male guard charging toward him, discarding the lifeless body like a broken doll.

Kaya's heart raced. Then she saw her uncle Yoshua. Locked in ferocious combat with the female scaled guard, he moved like a storm, a blur of raw power. The guard lashed out, slashing her claws across his torso, leaving deep gashes that bled profusely. But Yoshua, consumed by his wolf rage, roared and retaliated. With terrifying precision, he seized her by the midsection, twisting with a savage force that cracked her spine. The sound was sickening, her body crumpling as she fell motionless to the ground.

Yoshua's eyes, wild and feral, snapped to Kaya. He saw Joher beside her, Mazi draped limply on his shoulder. Without hesitation, Yoshua surged forward, fury etched into every line of his face. His powerful strides brought him closer, locked on Joher with unbridled anger.

"Uncle!" Kaya stepped in front of Joher quickly. "Joher is a friend!"

Yoshua's chest heaved as his breath came in heavy bursts. Slowly, his rage subsided, though tension still rippled through his body. He nodded, barely, as he scrutinized Joher closely. Before she could fully exhale, Yoshua stepped forward and pulled her into a soft embrace. His strong arms wrapped around her protectively, and for the first time in days, Kaya felt truly safe.

As he held her, Kaya glanced down and noticed a streak of blood smearing the fabric of her dress."Are you okay, uncle?" she asked, concerned, pulling back slightly.

Yoshua nodded, releasing her from his embrace. "I'll be fine." He murmured, avoiding her gaze.

Behind them, the house groaned before collapsing entirely into a pile of rubble. Esa descended from the air, landing gently beside Yoshua. His hair hung wild and unruly, tangled by the chaos, and his face was twisted in a way Kaya had never seen before—deathly, unrelenting rage. He burned with a darkness that chilled her to her core. It was as though a stranger stood before her, unrecognizable in his wrath.

"Are you alright?" Esa asked Kaya, as he noticed her forehead injury.

Kaya nodded. "I'm fine," she replied, her hand instinctively touching her head. The dull ache reminded her that Joher had not yet had the chance to tend to the wound.

Yoshua stepped closer, scanning her injury with concern. After a moment, he straightened and gave a small nod. "It's not very deep, it'll heal," he said gruffly.

Kaya offered a faint smile of reassurance, though she could see the lingering worry in his features.

Esa's eyes moved to her bound wrists. Without hesitation, he raised one hand and clenched his fist tightly. The laser energy restraints around Kaya's arms shattered instantly, dissipating into the air like fading embers.

Kaya grabbed her freed wrists, rubbing them gently as the faint ache from the restraints lingered. "Thank you," she said softly. Then, without thinking, she jumped forward and hugged him tightly. 

Esa softened, the hard lines of his face easing into something gentler, something more human.

"I missed you," she said, quietly.

Yoshua stood nearby, shifting uncomfortably, looked away from the exchange. His body stiffened slightly as he cleared his throat, trying to mask his unease.

Esa glanced at Yoshua briefly before whispering, "I missed you too."

Joher was staring at Esa, his jaw slack in disbelief.

Esa's eyes darted to Joher, then to Mazi's unconscious form slumped over his shoulder. "What's wrong with Mazi?" He demanded.

Joher stepped forward, clearing his throat, his tone professional despite the tension. "He has a laser gunshot wound on his right leg. It was badly infected, but it's been treated—just in time too. He won't lose the leg, but he'll need time to recover."

Esa gave a curt nod and pointed to Mazi's limp form. Mazi's body began to lift from Joher's shoulders, floating gently through the air as if unseen hands cradled him. Joher's mouth fell open again in utter disbelief.

"Atlantean nobility..." Joher whispered, the words slipping out in awe.

Esa's head snapped toward him, his fury reigniting. "I'm not a sky god," he barked.

Kaya stepped forward, firmly, as she echoed Esa's words. "Esa is not a sky god," she said, softly. "But he does have the gift."

Joher could not look away from Esa or the sight of Mazi's unconscious body hovering effortlessly in the air. His mind raced, struggling to process the impossible act he was witnessing. He stood frozen, it was clear that Esa both terrified and intrigued him.

Yoshua's keen eye's snapped to the horizon. "We have small military grade airships incoming," he growled.

Kaya followed his gaze, her heart sinking as she spotted airships just above the horizon, heading straight for them. The sleek crafts moved with precision, their weapons glinting ominously in the light. It was as if they had anticipated Esa and Yoshua's arrival.

"I knew they'd come," Esa said, coldly.

"Who?" Yoshua asked, confused.

"The Khoraz and their scaled lapdogs," Esa replied, bitterly.

A chill ran through Kaya, her stomach twisting at the mere thought of the Khoraz sky gods.

Yoshua squinted at the approaching airships, studying their design. "Those are serious guns on those small airships," he said grimly. "Esa, we really need to leave—now." His gaze flickered to Mazi's limp form.

"This is crazy!" Joher, clearly rattled, interjected. "Elah, help us!"

Yoshua turned to him with a knowing look. "Brother, we could certainly use Elah's help right now," he said.

Kaya's brow furrowed in surprise at her uncle. She noticed Joher give him a knowing smile, laced with quiet surprise. It was subtle but unmistakable, as though he had not expected a wolf halfbreed like Yoshua to know about his Apiruan beliefs.

Joher pointed toward the edge of the farm, where dense forest loomed in the distance. The sun was setting, its light fading quickly. "My village is nearby. If you can get us into the forest, under the shade of the trees, we'll have cover," he suggested.

Esa nodded, taking in the situation quickly. Without another word, he moved into action, lifting Kaya, Joher, Yoshua, and Mazi with effortless precision. As they began to rise, the enemy airships opened fire, streams of energy bolts tearing through the air around them. Explosions erupted across the ground, sending debris flying as what remained of the farm house crumbled further into ruin.

The group soared higher, carried by Esa's power, the shots barely missing them as they moved swiftly toward the dense canopy of the forest. The sun had nearly set, the sky dimming to deep hues of twilight as darkness crept in. The trees closed in around them just in time, the thick branches shielding them from the relentless barrage. Behind them, the enemy airships continued their assault on the wreckage, but the group had vanished into the depths of the woods.