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Imagine being on a ship in the middle of a raging storm. The waves are enormous, towering over the deck like angry giants. The wind howls like a banshee, whipping the water into a frenzy.

In the middle of all that, Matthias was whipped back and forth in the lowest part of the ship. He drifted in and out of awareness, his mind a hazy blend of reality and fantasy.

The ship is tossed around like a toy in a bathtub. It crests and troughs with the waves, rolling from side to side and pitching up and down. The motion is relentless, making it difficult to stand or even breathe.

It feels like the ship is about to break apart under the strain. The sound is deafening, a cacophony of crashing waves, howling wind, and the groaning of the ship's timbers.

The lights flicker and dim, casting eerie shadows across the deck. The smell of putrid and tobacco fills the air, making it hard to breathe.

"Emis, answer me," he whispered when he was brought back to consciousness.

Still no answer from the Nolte, Matthias was getting desperate. He had been unconscious for the greater part of his time there in the ship. He reckoned it was the strange smell of tobacco filling the air that made it so hard to stay sober.

"Why can't you be a bit more useful in a time like this?!" He wanted to go look for the cat and strangle that piece of shit for all its worth.

He had been looking around for his friends during the limited amount of time he had while he was a bit clear headed. But to his despondency, he had not found a single clue about their whereabouts.

He was also missing his family, so much so that he started sniffling in the memory of his home.

Mom, dad, Izana, I want to come home.

He knew it was of no use. His parents aren't going to come and save him there. They had made it very clear to Matthias that the portside was filled with degenerates of all kinds, and for the most part of his life he had listened to his parents well. Until that day when shit had hit the fan so hard there was no undoing of his actions.

Is it because I suddenly awakened my ability? Did forming a bond with a Nolte make me that arrogant?

Matthias was thinking all kinds of things. He contemplated his actions that day, how he had decided it was a good idea to not tell his parents about the trafficking situation and how he had sneaked out of his house.

I'm an idiot.

Full stop, Matthias has learned his lesson. But this time, his parents were not beside him telling him it was okay to make mistakes. Instead all he could feel were the numbing cold and the smell of that damn tobacco.

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The air hung heavy with the scent of brine and smoke, a pungent mix that clung to the cobblestone streets of Port Hane. The town, nestled between towering cliffs and a churning, emerald sea, was a haven for sailors, merchants, and adventurers alike.

Cobblestone streets, slick with brine and the occasional splash of spilled ale, wound their way through the town, leading to bustling taverns and smoky shops filled with exotic wares.

In one of those streets, some crews from a commercial ship were unloading barrels that looked like they were filled with fishes. The crews were loading those barrels inside a wagon, and when the barrels were fully loaded the crew captain patted the back of the wagon rider and handed him some coins.

"Don't bring us trouble, yeah?"

"Understood, boss. I'll deliver these in pristine condition," the wagon rider toothily replied, though one of his front teeth was missing.

The wagon rider easily maneuvered through the port town. The streets were filled with people but he efficiently rode around them. The sky was also turning dark, foretelling the oncoming rain.

"Tch. I was hoping to arrive there before the rain."

The rain was an inconvenience for the wagon rider since the streets became muddy and the wheels of his transportation easily got stuck on those. It would have been an easy delivery if the address given to him was in the middle of Port Hane, but alas it just had to be on the outskirts of the port town.

"Man I should have asked for more money, this job is nowhere near the amount I'm being paid for," he muttered to himself bitterly.

Being in the business of human trafficking was a risky endeavour. One wrong move and you would have been executed at the order of the royal court.

Someone caught you putting bodies inside a barrel because your wagon got stuck in a pothole and one of those barrels just happened to pour all of its contents out? Yeah to the guillotine it is.

Since there was nothing he could do about it though, he continued towards the designated address while grumbling resentfully. Soon after, rain was pouring down on Port Hane. While the middle of the town was paved with cobblestones, the same cannot be said for the outskirts of the town where roads were just an open area carved simply for the pedestrians and the infrequent supply carts.

Just as he thought, the wagon stuck to one of the huge puddles formed in the middle of the muddy road. It must have been a pothole filled with mud after the downpour since the wheels were stuck quite deep and the wagon was dangerously tilted on one side.

"I knew this was going to happen!!" He cursed loudly in the middle of the road, his voice echoing through the nearby woods.

He hurriedly went and adjusted his wagon but to his dismay, one barrel happened to roll into the puddle pouring its content out.

"Fuck!!"

He quickly grabbed the boy that popped out of the barrel and shoved him inside, swift in his actions while continuously looking around for anyone who might have seen him.

Making sure that no one was in the area, he hurriedly pushed his wagon out of the puddle and rode towards his destination. A smug satisfaction settled over him, a silent pat in the back for managing to get out of that situation without causing any trouble.

On one of the trees in the wood perched a raven with blood-red eyes, watching every single move of the wagon rider as closely as it can.