Chapter 3: The Campfire Pact
Our group had only recently formed.
It was a strange thing when I stopped to think about it.
Just a few months ago, I had been running for my life through the streets of a Senate-controlled city. I had no destination, no plan, and no future beyond the next hour. Then, by what could only be called fate, I had stumbled upon Lady Sefcet.
A dethroned princess.
A Holy Knight.
A fugitive in her own right.
And now, somehow, we had gained yet another companion.
Prince Zeku Guren Xem Kyrenda.
A prince without a kingdom.
A warrior without an army.
Another victim of the Gigantic Senate.
The three of us couldn't have been more different.
Yet we shared the same enemy.
And in this era, that was enough.
---
The Grey Dunes became our home.
Not by choice.
But By necessity.
We avoided major roads whenever possible. Towns were useful for supplies, contracts, and information, but the longer we stayed in one place, the greater the risk became.
The Senate had spies everywhere.
Merchants talked.
Adventurers talked.
Soldiers talked.
Sooner or later, someone always talked.
The dunes, however, belonged to no one.
They stretched beyond the horizon in endless waves of gray sand and jagged stone. The winds erased tracks almost as quickly as they were made, and many regions were so dangerous that even Senate patrols avoided them.
For people like us, they were perfect.
---
Over the following weeks, our travels carried us across countless miles of wasteland.
Most days were uneventful.
Others nearly got us killed.
---
The monsters living within the Grey Dunes seemed to grow stronger the deeper we traveled.
It started with packs of desert hounds.
Then came crystal-backed scorpions.
Then came enormous sand stalkers capable of swallowing an entire wagon whole.
Without Zeku, several of those encounters would have ended very badly.
---
I quickly learned why he carried himself with such confidence.
---
Elementalism.
The art he practiced.
A combat spirituality that allowed a warrior to resonate with natural forces and shape them through training and disciplined meditation.
Most practitioners spent decades mastering a single element.
Fire.
Wind.
Water.
Stone.
The lucky ones learned two.
---
Zeku had mastered three.
---
One afternoon, we found ourselves cornered within a narrow stone ravine.
A colony of crystal scorpions had emerged from beneath the sand and completely surrounded us.
Their stingers dripped glowing venom.
Their shells were harder than steel.
---
I drew my sword.
Sefcet drew hers.
And both of us quietly prepared for a difficult fight.
---
Then Zeku sighed.
---
"Stand back."
---
Sefcet blinked.
"Stand back?"
---
"You'll survive longer if you do."
---
Neither of us argued.
Not after hearing the confidence in his voice.
---
The prince planted the butt of his spear into the ground.
The air changed.
I felt it immediately.
The hairs on my arms stood upright.
The sand beneath our feet began to vibrate.
---
A second later, pillars of stone erupted from the ground.
Several scorpions were launched into the air.
Others were crushed outright.
Before the remaining creatures could recover, lightning surged down the length of Zeku's spear.
A brilliant golden flash split the ravine.
The smell of ozone filled the air.
---
The battle ended in less than ten seconds.
---
I stared at the smoking remains.
Then I stared at Zeku.
Then back at the remains.
---
"...Could you have done that immediately?"
---
"Yes."
---
I looked at him.
---
"Then why didn't you?"
---
The prince shrugged.
---
"I wanted to assess the threat first."
---
"Assess the—"
I pointed toward the pile of dead monsters.
---
"You assessed them into extinction."
---
Meanwhile, Sefcet had doubled over laughing.
---
"See?" she said. "He's fitting into our group perfectly."
---
"What does that mean?"
---
"It means you're both insane."
---
Neither of them looked offended.
Which somehow made it worse.
---
The contracts continued.
The money continued.
And gradually, our teamwork improved.
We learned each other's rhythms.
Sefcet fought at the front.
Zeku controlled the battlefield.
And I filled whatever opening appeared.
Over time, battles that once looked impossible became manageable.
Then routine.
Then profitable.
---
For the first time in a long while, I found myself smiling more often.
Not because things were safe.
They weren't.
Not because our future was secure.
It wasn't.
But because I had people beside me.
---
Every night, once our meals were prepared and our camp established, we would gather around a fire and talk.
Sometimes it was about monsters.
Sometimes it was about contracts.
Sometimes it was about places we wanted to visit once the Senate was gone.
---
Those conversations eventually turned toward the past.
Toward things we rarely spoke about during the day.
---
One evening, as the stars illuminated the dunes above us, Sefcet found herself staring into the flames.
Her expression was distant.
Thoughtful.
And Sad.
---
"My kingdom had beautiful oceans," she said quietly.
---
"People always imagine Mīreen as grand castles and noble courts."
She shook her head.
"My favorite places were always the small fishing villages."
---
The smile faded.
---
"When the Gigantic Senate invaded, we tried to evacuate civilians."
She stared deeper into the fire.
"My family's fleet was supposed to carry refugees away."
---
A long silence followed.
---
"But the Senate arrived first."
---
Her voice remained composed.
Yet something underneath it cracked.
---
"They blockaded every exit."
---
The flames reflected in her violet eyes.
---
"The ports were destroyed."
"The ships captured."
"The evacuation routes closed."
---
She lowered her gaze.
---
"I escaped."
---
Another pause.
---
"My people didn't."
---
The fire popped.
No one spoke.
There wasn't anything to say.
---
Eventually Zeku began speaking as well.
---
"Zekka lasted longer."
---
His voice was calm.
Perhaps too calm.
---
"We were one of the final nations to resist."
---
He folded his arms.
---
"Our cities were heavily fortified."
"We believed our walls could withstand anything."
---
A humorless smile crossed his face.
---
"Then the Senate introduced aerial bombardment."
---
I frowned.
---
"The airships?"
---
He nodded.
---
"Entire squadrons."
---
The prince looked toward the night sky.
---
"They attacked our military compounds first."
---
His jaw tightened.
---
"Then they attacked everything else."
---
The conversation fell silent once again.
---
And eventually...
Both of them looked at me.
---
I immediately knew what was happening.
---
"No."
---
Sefcet smiled.
---
"Haturen."
---
"No."
---
"Haturen."
---
"I don't want to talk about it."
---
Zeku leaned back.
---
"You've listened to our stories."
---
"That doesn't mean I need to share mine."
---
"It does."
---
I groaned.
---
Sefcet looked positively delighted.
---
"See?" she said.
"I told you he'd eventually give in."
---
I pointed at her.
---
"You are enjoying this far too much."
---
"Correct."
---
Eventually, realizing I had absolutely no chance of escaping the conversation, I sighed.
---
"Fine."
---
The fire crackled softly.
The wind swept across the dunes.
And for several moments, I simply stared into the flames.
---
How was I supposed to explain it?
Where did I even begin?
---
"My story is different from yours."
---
The two of them listened carefully.
---
"I wasn't born in another nation."
---
I paused.
---
"I lived inside territory that would eventually become Senate land."
---
The memories came flooding back.
Old.
Painful.
Unwanted.
---
"My father and mother wanted a peaceful life."
---
I swallowed.
---
"Unfortunately, the region was collapsing."
---
The fire suddenly seemed brighter.
Warmer. As I spoke.
---
"Feudal lords controlled everything."
"Settlements fought constantly."
"Resources were scarce."
---
I could still remember it.
The fear.
The uncertainty.
The endless conflict.
---
"We tried to stay out of it."
I laughed quietly.
"It turns out the world doesn't particularly care what you want."
---
Neither of them interrupted.
---
"Then the barbarians came."
---
My voice grew quieter.
---
"They attacked our city."
---
The memories surfaced.
Sharp as ever.
---
"They pillaged entire districts."
"They took everything they could carry."
---
I closed my eyes briefly.
---
"And my mother..."
---
The words became difficult.
---
"...was killed during the attack."
---
Silence immediately fell over the campfire.
---
I took a breath.
Then another.
---
"My father was devastated."
---
I could still see him.
Broken.
Lost.
Trying to remain strong for people who had already lost everything.
---
"We spent years wandering, or at least it felt like it."
---
The stars stretched endlessly above us.
---
"Settlement after settlement."
"Refugee camp after refugee camp."
---
Then I smiled faintly.
---
"And then one day..."
---
The smile vanished.
---
"Everything changed."
---
The flames danced between us.
---
"He appeared."
---
Neither Sefcet nor Zeku needed clarification.
---
"Gaia Priority."
---
The name echoed through the darkness.
---
"My name is Haturen Jetayda."
---
I looked at them carefully.
---
"Son of the late Gurtman Jetayda."
---
Their expressions changed immediately.
---
"My father was one of the Founders."
---
This time neither of them tried hiding their surprise.
---
"One of the founding chief commanding officers of what would later become the Gigantic Senate itself."
---
The words tasted strange.
Even now.
---
"My father helped build it."
---
I stared into the fire.
---
"He helped rally people alongside Gaia."
"He fought beside Gaia."
"He became Gaia's friend."
---
A long silence followed.
---
"Back then," I continued, "people believed they were heroes."
---
Because they were.
At least at first.
---
"Gaia. My father. The other Founders."
---
Their names had once inspired hope.
---
"They led one of the greatest revolutions in the history of the Western Sector."
---
I could still remember hearing those stories as a child.
---
"They liberated territories."
"Overthrew feudal states."
"Defeated warlords."
"Destroyed barbarian kingdoms."
---
The rise of the Senate had seemed unstoppable.
---
"They pushed farther south than anyone thought possible."
I smiled slightly.
"They pushed north just as far."
---
Then I looked toward Zeku.
---
"Eventually they encountered resistance from another legendary figure."
---
The prince raised an eyebrow.
---
"Jaris Kēōre Aretōs."
---
Even now the name carried weight.
---
"The wizard?"
---
"The wizard," I confirmed.
---
A brief smile crossed Zeku's face.
---
"I've heard stories."
---
"So had I."
---
The conversation settled for a moment.
Then I continued.
---
"The problem was... once the revolution succeeded, things began changing."
---
The warmth left my voice.
---
"Gaia started demanding greater control."
"More surveillance."
"More authority."
"More oversight."
---
I clenched my fist.
---
"My father opposed it."
---
The fire crackled.
---
"He believed the Senate was becoming exactly what it had originally fought against."
---
Neither Sefcet nor Zeku looked surprised.
---
"Gaia tried speaking with him."
---
I remembered those meetings.
Those arguments.
Those endless debates.
---
"He told my father it was necessary."
"He told him humanity needed guidance."
"He told him freedom led to instability."
---
I laughed bitterly.
---
"My father disagreed."
---
The silence deepened.
---
"He pushed for reform."
"He argued against centralization."
"He warned the other Founders."
---
I looked down.
---
"And then he was executed for it."
---
No one spoke.
---
The wind carried sand through the darkness.
---
After a while, I continued.
---
"Because of my father's contributions, Gaia spared me."
---
The words still felt unbelievable.
---
"Every other high-ranking official wanted me dead."
---
Sefcet frowned.
---
"But Gaia didn't?"
---
I shook my head.
---
"No."
---
I remembered the meeting perfectly.
---
"He offered me a choice instead "
---
The firelight reflected in my eyes.
---
"Join the Senate."
"Train under them."
"Become Gaia's Twelfth High General."
---
A pause.
---
"Or live as a civilian."
---
I smiled sadly.
---
"And that's how I got here."
---
The story was finished.
The fire burned lower.
And for several long moments, none of us spoke.
---
Then Sefcet looked at me.
---
"You know..."
---
"What?"
---
"I think your father would have hated the Senate today."
---
I laughed softly.
---
"Probably."
---
Zeku nodded.
---
"No."
---
We both looked at him.
---
"He definitely would have."
---
For the first time that night...
I genuinely smiled.
---
Three exiles sat beneath the stars.
A princess.
A prince.
And the son of one of the Senate's founders.
---
The world outside still belonged to Gaia Priority.
The Gigantic Senate still ruled the nations.
And somewhere in the Grey Dunes, a weapon rumored capable of killing Anastasia awaited discovery.
---
But for the moment...
We sat around a simple campfire.
And for the first time in years—
I felt like I wasn't alone.