I can feel a distinct pain behind my eyes. It's like needle poking into my eye-balls. I'm more then tired. I feel like a walking corpse. None of us are getting consistent sleep and we can't take that slow pace we were moving with.

The city's been sacked and that army is on our tail. Rumors are floating about how they're located on our left and right as well. We just have to keep on moving. Keep on moving, keep on moving...am I repeating myself?

...

..

.

From up above the sky the migrating refugees resembles hundreds of tiny dots streaming towards a gigantic spear poking out of the ground. There is a straight distinct column of soldiers in a U-shape around the refugees. They are herders guiding sheep to the chopping block.

The chopping block is a beautiful red, white tapestry of thousands of houses and buildings splayed around it. It is Fort Kane. Renowned for its beauty and nigh-impregnable city walls.

Fort Kane has been taking in every single refugee coming its way for the last two days. Thousands of them are streaming into the city and there is no end in sight.

Paren Rayleigh is exhausted and tired. His temple is throbbing with steady thrums of pain and agony. He'd ordered his men to distribute the stored grains, bread and other rations to the refugees however, it isn't enough. It is nowhere near close to enough.

This is near the end of the winter season. Any and all stockpiled grain have been exhausted and spent. A few months before or after would've left them in a much better position to deal with this crisis. The beginning of winter would find them with enough stockpiles and the middle of summer with no shortage either.

Paren pulls himself out of his silken satin sheets and gazes out over his city. The streets are just covered in bodies. People are just splayed out everywhere. He can feel a squeezing pain in his chest.

"If only sister was here..." He sighs at his words and dons his cloak. Time to get to work. The moment he open his door, he is greeted by the first bad news of the day, "The rice grains are almost depleted."

Brilliant.

His window stretches up the roof behind him and amidst that mass of people on the street are Osin and his companions.

...

..

.

We walk through the city and here we are. I'd been filled with a trace of happiness when I saw its beautiful walls. They resemble giant blocks of water and food in my eyes. I have no strength or desire to do anything but to find food.

Anything that isn't grass or leaves. Just something solid and a clean pitcher of water. We are led into a giant courtyard. Its been granted to us by the Duke of Swen. It is his personal residence for when he visits the fort.

I don't care. All I want is some food. My heart soars through the clouds when I see rations beings distributed.

We sit down and wait with patience. All of us are chomping at the bid to get our hands on some but the people will bring it down to us.

"Here." A gruff military-woman hands us a bowl of rice wrapped in giant leaves. I shove it straight into my mouth. A sense of relief floods my veins and tears flow out of my eyes. I can't help it.

There is a well off to the side and a neat line is arranged from it. We stand there and I wait for minutes that flow at an hours pace. When its my turn, I drink and drink and drink until I'm about to faint.

That's when I let Ake move in. I collapse back into our spot. I'm hoping for a second serving of that rice-leaf ball but I don't think its forthcoming. I'm just happy for this brief reprieve from that awful, gnawing hunger.

Things tend to melt away in a surprising manner when all you can think about is food. I just close my eyes and focus my breath. Breathe in...breathe out...

Everything just melts away for a brief second and I feel as if I'm afloat in the middle of an empty void. Then a tiny little star twinkles into existence.

Then another, another and another until hundreds of thousands of them form. They flood through my vision and bathe my vision in pure white.

[Ding!]

[You Have Acquired a New Skill: Meditation]

[You Have Acquired a New Skill: Mana Sense]

Exhilaration flows through my body. I managed to do it and then I just flow back into sleep.

I wake up in the morning. I went to sleep sometime in the afternoon. It is to be expected. After all, we haven't slept for two to three days straight. I would've kept on sleeping if a sense of panic hadn't jolted through my body.

I am undefended right now and I doubt if the people around me are awake. The only one up is Ake. He is much less tired then us even though, he carried Moon and Shera for quite a lot of the way.

My stomach growls. I'm just as hungry again but now, we have the prospect of food. So, I resist and try to distract myself. I have a burning question in mind for the martial artist.

"Where did you learn your martial arts?"

He's surprised by my question. Is this a taboo topic or something? I'm not familiar with this world's customs.

"It was passed down to me by my father."

"Is everybody like this?" He looks at me with a strange sense of confusion in his eyes.

"Where are you from? I know you weren't from our city from your accent."

There it is. Somebody was going to ask me about this since I'm clueless about their culture. What do I even reply with? A made-up country? How did I end up in this trap-hole?

There is shout from the center of this court-yard and I turn to it like a man dying of thirst. come to think of it, I am quite thirsty.

I don't notice the look of suspicion that crosses Ake's face.