As the days went by, the desperation of drifting brought fatigue that barely allowed them to stay awake for a couple of hours. The ocean was cold, icy enough to make them stop feeling their legs for a long time or dampen the spirit of both Marked children.

In those moments when barely looking up was exhausting, they saw grays and stormy skies that didn't seem to leave; around them, they only saw green and infinite waters towards every corner where their gazes were directed. The nights were no better; their bodies seemed to falter even more during the darkness. A natural thought was telling them that it was time to let go of the plank they were both holding on to. They both listened to that voice, insinuating. At times it felt tempting; Fynn just had to let go, and his armor would do the rest by sinking him into the ocean's darkness. Yue, for her part, had only to let go and let the tide sweep her wherever it wished, even into the depths.

Silence in those days was the only thing they could say to each other. Finally, they were tired; they could do no more, so on the last night, they both laid their heads on the wood and decided to rest one last time.

The next thing both children remembered was the thunderous sound of waves crashing against a cobblestone shore, where the plank they were riding on had wedged itself between the rocks.

Fynn's body was completely numb; opening his eyes was an impressive feat. In his tired, blurred gaze, he saw how from the cliff of clear rocks, a figure was peering out into the void. As Fynn blinked, the figure seemed to slowly descend, as if dropping into the void. Finally, the figure seemed to move closer to where he was standing. The Marked boy stared at the person without being able to make it out just before he felt himself being pulled out of the water. His mind finally gave way to fatigue.

Yue opened her eyes, and she felt the sun hit her in the face at that moment. The girl frowned and tried to raise a hand to cover herself from the sunbeam escaping through the clouds. Her forearms were totally numb; she couldn't understand what was happening.

The girl saw Fynn lying next to her, and as she turned her gaze, she saw that they were in a cart. All around her, Yue saw someone move. Friend or foe, that didn't matter to her at the moment. To tell the truth, she was so tired that she cared absolutely nothing about what would happen to her.

The girl felt how that person threw them a blanket made of thick burlap cloth and left several smelly bags around them.

Whether it was the smell of her own exhaustion, the girl fell back into a heavy sleep.

Since they had arrived, fate had always been somewhat capricious. It always placed good people as well as horrendous ones. Yet, for so many days now, the future had seemed unmerciful.

Whether it was fate or chance, the kids ran were found by Annui.

It was clear that Annui had something big on his hands. When the boy saw what both shipwrecked teenagers were carrying in their hands, he saw only a great opportunity.

What was supposed to be fieldwork, like so many other times for his investigations, turned into something unprecedented. Two Marked Ones had been shipwrecked in front of his home in the Kingdom of Betheas.

The boy drove them across the long, serene road to the homestead where he lived aboard his cart; it was likely that both teenagers must not have been comfortable back there, among so many wooden crates and burlap sacks full of fish and barnacles.

Getting to the farmstead and outwitting the workers was complex, especially when the cook was too nosy or the housekeeper was too whiny.

Why did he go to so much trouble to do that alone and not ask for help? The answer was simple: it was the only chance he had to meet someone like him.

The boy quickly stripped Fynn of his armor and led him first to the Guest room; then, he went back for Yue, who was lighter and didn't even have to drag her through the halls as he had to do with the boy.

Despite the intelligence that Annui had, the boy was also very impulsive.

With some difficulty, the boy removed their boots and some of their clothing before tucking each of them into one of the beds in that guest room.

"By Lithal, what am I doing?" the boy expressed in a soft, almost whispering voice. The situation was done; there was no way to back out.

The boy soon hyperventilated, for he knew what he did was wrong. If Ledger found out about it, it would surely end his good and peaceful days.

"Calm down, calm down..." he said to himself as he walked to the bedroom closet where there was a mirror. "It'll be all right..."

The boy looked at himself and saw his brown eyes and slight dark circles under his eyes that were a product of so many hours of studying the night. The boy sighed and brought both hands to his face, then pulled them back along with his thin brown hair.

"Well, L-Ledger, I know this is... no, not like this," the boy exclaimed as he tried to put together a speech to explain to his teacher why those teens were there. "L-Ledger, I-I can explain; it's just that..."

A voice could be heard from down the hallway calling out to the boy.

"Annui, are you around?"

The boy felt his skin crawl, and he quickly hurried to the door, leaving the room.

Down the hallway, the boy noticed the estate's housekeeper.

"M-Miss Estelle, what is it?" asked Annui, with a feigned confident smile.

"What is it?" asked the gentle-voiced old woman. "Can't you see the water on the ground?"

Annui lowered his gaze, and his nervousness grew as she watched the water reach all the way to the door from which he emerged.

"Oh, that water..."

"Do you have something to do with this?" asked Mistress Estelle.

"M-Maybe..." said Annui, unable to lie but unable to tell the whole truth.

The white-haired, high-bunned old woman sighed heavily.

"It's another one of your experiments, isn't it?" the woman asked. "Look, just go to the kitchen right away. I'm late for several chores, and I have no intention of knowing what you're doing."

"R-Right away? Why?" the boy asked.

The woman pursed her lips and, with her gaze, evidenced something obvious, "You left early without breakfast, didn't you?"

"Ohhh..." the boy soon felt his heart recover, which seemed to have been about to burst. "R-Right away!"

In the kitchen, the cook had already prepared him a plate with his breakfast; eggs, fresh pieces of bread, butter, and legumes were what adorned his dish. However, he quickly took it with him back inside the house. The cook approached to greet the boy but was soon surprised not to see him sitting at the table.

Annui returned to the guest room where he had left both Marked Ones. Entering, he closed the door behind him as he gasped nervously.

"All is well, all is well," she said several times. Then, finally, the boy seemed to have the situation under control.

The boy then took a seat next to the beds of both Marked Ones. A couple of hours slowed down, long enough to allow the boy to settle in and read one of his books. Attentive to the pair, the boy would shift his gaze from his book to the Marked girl. Then, he would do the same with the Marked boy.

Annui must not only have an excuse for Ledger, his teacher, but also for the two of them. Perhaps upon awakening, they would both be confused and ask for explanations. Maybe they were kind and friendly, they would wish to be his friend, and everyone would be happy. On the other hand, perhaps they were both mean and aggressive; they would hate him and kill everyone there. The marked boy could see both paths as viable, which scared him.

Annui then watched as the Marked boy moved on his bed. Startled, he watched him but soon noticed that the boy was just looking to get more comfortable, curling into a ball on the bed. The boy sighed and cautiously approached the boy to place his hand on his forehead to see if he had a fever. The boy's skin was freezing; at that moment, he asked himself so many questions that he hoped they would be answered when he woke up.

When he saw that the dark-skinned boy had lost himself in his dreams again as he noticed how the boy was breathing, so he decided to return to his seat.

As he turned around, someone pounced on his back.

The boy fell abruptly against the floor, letting out a groan. The boy then felt a metallic chill on his neck, and a deep fear overcame him.

"Don't move," Yue exclaimed.

One of the possible scenarios Annui had made up in his head had come true.