Wendy battered the bars of her cage until her limbs trembled, fighting to escape before Faust returned. The thought still felt unreal—her own uncle, a murderer, the man who had killed his brother and now meant to kill her. Whatever soul he once had was long gone. She had seen it in his eyes: the cold certainty that he would end her life. But Wendy refused to die. Not today. Not like this.

"Come on," she muttered, bracing her hands against the bars and straining. "Just a little..."

The metal didn't budge. None of her attempts had worked. The cage held firm, and for a moment, hope faltered. Then she saw it—a rock, no bigger than her hand, lying just beyond the bars.

If she could reach it...

She dropped to her knees and shoved her arm through the narrow gap, stretching as far as she could. Pain shot through her shoulder, her muscles screaming in protest, but she pushed farther, fingertips straining toward the stone. It was just out of reach.

"Come on..." she whispered, voice tight.

At last, her fingers brushed it. She nudged it closer, inch by inch, until she could curl her hand around it. Gripping the rock, she pulled her arm back inside and swung hard at the lock. Once. Twice. Again. The blows rang out, sharp and desperate. She didn't stop, not even when the rock glanced off and smashed against her fingers, sending jolts of pain up her arm.

She struck again—harder.

With a sharp crack, the lock snapped loose and clattered to the ground. Then she threw the cage door open and ran—fast and wild, like a rabbit fleeing a flooded burrow—without looking back.

Now she was free—but where could she go? Home was no longer an option. Her uncle was there. Waiting. And as much as she loved the jungles and savannas, she couldn't survive in them alone. She had tried to learn, tried to prepare—but it wasn't enough. Not yet.

What was she supposed to do?

"Well, looky here."

The voice made her blood run cold.

"It seems the canary's gotten out of her cage."

Wendy turned—and her heart sank. Ajeel and Dimaria stood above her, their shadows stretching long across the ground.

Relief flickered anyway. "Oh, thank goodness you're here!" she rushed out. "It's terrible! Faust is trying to kill me! He—he killed my father too! You have to help me!"

Ajeel's lips curled into a cruel grin. "Oh, we'll help you, alright," he said, his voice dripping with mockery. "We'll help you get a very nice burial."

Wendy's breath caught. "What...?"

"Sorry, little girl," Dimaria said coolly. "But we agree with your uncle. You leading this tribe is a mistake—one that needs to be corrected. For everyone's sake."

Wendy ran. Her feet pounded against the earth, her breath coming in sharp, frantic bursts. This couldn't be real. It couldn't be happening. First her uncle—and now them. Sub-chiefs. People she had trusted. Who else was a traitor?

Behind her, Ajeel and Dimaria gave chase—but they hadn't expected this. Wendy was fast. Faster than they remembered. She darted over uneven ground, scaled rocks and ledges with desperate agility, her small frame moving with a wild, instinctive grace—like something born of both claw and branch. Still, they didn't slow.

"She can't keep this up forever," they both thought.

And they were right. Wendy scrambled up the bleached skeleton of an elephant, hoping for higher ground—but the brittle bones cracked beneath her weight. With a sharp cry, she fell, landing hard in a narrow, dead-end hollow.
Before she could recover, they were there. Ajeel and Dimaria closed in, weapons drawn—a knife gleaming in one hand, a spear steady in the other.

Trapped.

"Help!" Wendy cried, her voice breaking. "Please! Somebody help me!"

Ajeel laughed. "Scream all you want. No one's coming." He tilted his head, almost kindly. "Don't fight, and we'll make it quick."

Wendy's whole body trembled. The world seemed to shrink, closing in around her. This was it. She was going to die here—never to see the sun rise over the savanna again, never to hear the jungle's chorus, never to see the people she loved.

Grandeeney. Jellal. Macao. Romeo...

Tears blurred her vision as she shut her eyes.
She waited. But death didn't come. Instead a sharp thwip split the air. Ajeel jerked violently as an arrow buried itself in his side. He hissed in pain, staggering—and before he could react, a powerful blow struck his head, sending him reeling backward.

"What the hell is this?!" Dimaria snapped.

She got her answer when something dropped onto her from above, knocking her off balance. Hands tangled in her hair, yanking hard, dragging her down with a force that was anything but gentle.

"Ahh! Get off me, you little beast!"

"Not on your life, lady! First you try to drown me, now you're trying to kill my best friend? I'm going to pluck you bald!"

Wendy knew that voice instantly. Her eyes flew open, and relief filled her up as she saw Jellal laying into Ajeel while Romeo clung to Dimaria's back, yanking her hair and clawing at her face with fierce determination. For a moment, the two traitors were completely thrown off.

But only for a moment. With a snarl, Dimaria managed to wrench Romeo off and fling him aside. Jellal reacted immediately—grabbing Ajeel and hurling him straight into her. The collision bought them a heartbeat. That was all he needed. Jellal scooped up both children—one under each arm—and ran.

Behind them, Ajeel and Dimaria recovered quickly and gave chase, fury driving them forward. The ground sloped sharply ahead, ending in a steep drop. Beyond it stretched a flat plain, and at the bottom—dense, unforgiving—a grove of thorns. Jellal skidded to a stop at the edge and looked down.

The thorns were vicious. Even from above, he could imagine the pain—skin torn, flesh scratched raw. His stomach twisted. Then he looked at Romeo and Wendy. Their faces were pale, eyes wide with fear. There was no choice.

He pulled them both tight against his chest, wrapping his arms around them as if he could shield them from everything.

"Brace yourselves!"

Romeo grabbed Wendy's hand. Both squeezed their eyes shut. Jellal jumped. They tumbled down the slope in a blur—rolling, crashing, thorns scraping and tearing. Jellal twisted his body again and again, taking the brunt of every impact, every jagged branch, every sharp edge.

Then—stillness.

He groaned, pushing himself up with effort. "Ah—!"

"Are you okay?" Romeo asked, breathless.

"Don't worry about me," Jellal said through clenched teeth. "Just run! Go!"

They didn't argue. Wendy and Romeo scrambled to their feet and ran, weaving through the thorny grove. Jellal staggered after them, blood marking his path but his pace unyielding. Behind them, Ajeel and Dimaria reached the ledge. They jumped but when they saw where the children were headed, they panicked. The grove was dense, the thorns brutal. Dimaria dug her heels in just in time, skidding to a halt. Ajeel wasn't so lucky. With a startled shout, he went hurtling forward—straight into the waiting thorns.

"Eeeeyiiike!" Ajeel shrieked as he sprang out of the grove, covered head to toe in thorns. "Yike-yike-yike! Ow—ooo—eee!"

Dimaria burst into laughter, clutching her side.

"Shut up!" he snapped, wincing as he yanked thorns from his skin.

Her laughter died as she caught sight of movement beyond the grove. "Hey!" she barked, pointing. "There they go! There they go!"

Ajeel glanced up, still grimacing. "Then go get them!"

""There ain't no way I'm going in there," she shot back, folding her arms. "What, you want me coming out looking like you? Cactus-butt."

"But we can't just let them get away!"

Dimaria scoffed. "Why not? They're as good as dead out there anyway. Nowhere to go, too young to survive on their own—and it's not like they can just slip into another realm. They won't last."

Ajeel hesitated, then nodded slowly. "...So what do we tell Faust?"

A sly smile crept across her face. "We tell him we fed the brat to the crocodiles."

He considered it—then grinned. "Yeah. Yeah, that works. No way any of them are coming back. The girl's too scared, and Jellal's a wanted man." His expression hardened with satisfaction. "Faust's place as chief is finally secure."

Their plan settled, the two turned and disappeared, heading back with their carefully crafted lie. Far from them, Wendy, Romeo, and Jellal kept running. They didn't stop until their legs gave out and every breath burned. At last, they stumbled into a patch of tall grass, hidden from open view. In its center lay a bed of soft jungle moss, thick and cool beneath them.

They collapsed there, exhausted.

The moss cradled them like a mattress, and the tall grass swayed gently above, shielding them from sight. For the first time since the nightmare began, there were no footsteps behind them. No voices calling out.

For now they were safe.

"Traitors!" Jellal spat, his voice shaking with fury. "Heathens. Demons. They'll pay for this—mark my words."

Romeo, still catching his breath, turned to Wendy. "Are you alright?"

"Did they hurt you?" Jellal asked, dropping to her level and quickly checking her over.

Wendy shook her head—but the tears came anyway, slipping past her efforts to hold them back.

"What happened, Wendy?" Jellal pressed, his tone softening. "What's going on?"

"It was my uncle," she choked. "He—he said he was going to kill me. And... and he said he killed my father."

Jellal's jaw tightened, anger flashing in his eyes. "I knew it," he growled. "From the moment I found your father's body—I knew it was him. That bastard..."

Romeo swallowed hard. "So... what do we do now? Do we go back? Tell the other sub-chiefs?"

"No." Jellal's answer was immediate, firm. "We can't go back. Not yet. Not until we know who we can trust." His gaze darkened. "I always suspected Faust, but I never thought his rot had spread this far."

A heavy silence settled.

"Until we know the truth," he continued, "we leave this realm."

Wendy looked up at him, uncertain. "But where would we even go? The other realms... they hate us. They hate each other."

Jellal hesitated—then nodded, as if committing to the thought. "There is one place. The Magnolia Nation. They stayed out of the war. They've never shown hostility toward anyone." He met her eyes. "They'll give us shelter. At least long enough for us to come up with a plan."

"A plan to do what?" Romeo asked.

Jellal exhaled slowly. "I don't know yet." Then, more quietly, "But I'll figure something out. I promise."

He looked between them—two frightened, exhausted kids who were now depending on him for everything.

"For now," he said gently, "we rest. We leave at first light."

Romeo nodded, already sinking into the moss. Wendy curled beside him, her breathing gradually evening out as sleep claimed her.

But Jellal didn't lie down. He sat with his back against the earth, eyes fixed on the darkness beyond the grass, every sense alert. He wouldn't sleep. Not tonight. Not after everything that had happened. He had been reckless, maybe even foolish, taking this on—protecting two children while hunted himself. It would be dangerous. Difficult. It would bring trouble down on all of them. But none of that mattered. Romeo was his family. And Wendy—blood or not—was his responsibility now. He had made a promise.
And he would keep it. No matter what.