The city was in ruins, and parts of the streets were blocked as a result of the damage from the days prior. One of the inner walls of the city had a sizable section that had collapsed. The morning mist had rolled in, creating a cloud of grief and loss over the city.

  Aylenne led Ba-Khet-Sah through the now burned and ruined streets of Aurelia. Carts moved past them carrying injured soldiers, and disheveled civilians huddled in corners as it walked past. Some stared back with a soulless look, and others gave looks of disgust and anger.

  After the Tiris invasion, many were left to repair and heal on the remaining scraps of supplies in the city.

  Ba-Khet-Sah and Aylenne walked through the gravel streets of the deeper and denser maze-like parts of the city. Charred hanging signs of bakeries and leatherworkers hung along half-collapsed storefronts.

  The two were now nearing the docks of the city, given that the smell of the salty sea and fish was growing stronger. The buildings surrounding them seemed to be out of the warzone of the targeted destruction. These buildings were not like the ones in the luxurious palace entrances, but were more dilapidated as though they had not been serviced or upkept in years. Piles of rotting fish and garbage lined the narrow streets of this area.

  Aylenne, ahead of Ba-Khet-Sah, seemed almost confused with some of her decisions, changing from turning left to right. Each corner they turned led to more hesitation and uncertainty.

  “Do you know where you’re going?” Ba-Khet-Sah asked Aylenne.

  Aylenne, in a confused state, didn’t hear Ba-Khet-Sah and continued moving through the streets. Ba-Khet-Sah was about to speak once more until suddenly the ground creaked with Ba-Khet-Sah’s step. It looked down to see planks of wood and holes with supporting structures holding the platform up. Further below Ba-Khet-Sah could see water splashing against the legs of the platform. It looked up to see Aylenne ahead, so it quickly caught up while noticing its new surroundings. Buildings surrounding Ba-Khet-Sah on both sides. Each building was made of misshapen planks of wood and metal sheets. The roofs were a mix of tarps, wood, or corrugated sheets of metal. The few windows were holes in the walls and doors were made of draped cloth. The sun shot beams of light through holes in tarp overhangs and the misty fog filled the sky. Clothing and pots of plants hung from lines above them.

  The two finally reached the end of the floating buildings over the water and they found themselves on the edge of the docks overlooking the vast blue ocean. To the right Ba-Khet-Sah saw a towering cliffside with pointed rocks jutting out from the water. Waves splashed against the cliff face curving explosions of sea foam into the air above.

  Aylenne gave a sigh of relief at the sight. “Sorry, this… this isn’t the right place. You see over there?” she pointed near the right with the cliff face “the docks with our ride are over those cliffs.”

  “I thought you said you knew this place?” Ba-Khet-Sah responded with confusion.

  “Yeah sorry, I just … my head’s just. not feeling great right now. Let's just get going.”

  “Alright?” Ba-Khet-Sah said, giving in to the strangeness of her response.

  The docks of Aurelia were split between the west and the east. The west with years of unrepaired fire damage lay forgotten and in ruins. Beams of ashen wood still pierced the bay's waters, but covering these were layers of fresher wood and unstable metal legs hiding the charred and forgotten past of Aurelia. Despite new buildings along the water, the planked walls and corrugated metal roofs still shook with passing people and corroded foundation legs. Small fishing boats crowded the lower dock regions of the area. Much of the buildings of the western Aurelian docks were of the less fortunate citizens.

  Two land features separated the west and the east side. The first was the cliff face, still splashing with waves crashing against its side, and the other, farther inland, was a larger mountainous hill with rock walls and trees lining the flat top. Both features were far taller than any of the buildings in either docks. Neither the west nor east could see each other because of the land.

  Aylenne and Ba-Khet-Sah had taken a path between the two cliffs.

  “Just over this hill is the docks of Aurelia,” Aylenne said, motivating Ba-Khet-Sah to keep up.

  Ba-Khet-Sah’s eyes now finally reached just above the precipice of the hill and the shining sea glared into Ba-Khet-Sah’s eyes. The morning mist had retreated inland and the glamorous harbor of the eastern docks had been uncovered.

  The pair finally reached the docks to find a crowded harbor full of boats and buildings. The boardwalk was split between a wood dock and dirt road, and citizens moved from piers to carts and back carrying barrels or boxes of various supplies. Wagons brushed past the pair, one almost hitting Ba-Khet-Sah in the side. It saw sailors and civilians flowing throughout the storefronts lining the coast. Unlike the rest of the city, the Eastern docks were the least affected, with trade among nearby cities offering help greatly increasing recovery.

  While Aylenne and Ba-Khet-Sah walked past the waves of people, the incomplete being looked into the stores with great curiosity. There were shops displaying fresh fish, hanging caps and coats, and with piles of barrels of grain. Between one of these storefronts was an alleyway which Ba-Khet-Sah felt almost pulled towards. Without thought Ba-Khet-Sah veered into the empty alley. Ba-Khet-Sah couldn’t control its legs, and they moved mechanically to a dead end of the alley. Ba-Khet-Sah regained its bearings and control only to see something under a piece of cloth tucked away between an empty crate and barrel. Ba-Khet-Sah’s curiosity took over the corpse and it found itself grabbing this hidden object. It was a triangular tooth of some kind, but it was smoothened out and seemed to be carved into a straight dagger-like shape that curved in and out on its sides. The triangle tooth was the size of Ba-Khet-Sah’s palm, and on the base of it was a line of string creating a necklace.

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  “Cool.” Ba-Khet-Sah whispered to itself before leaving.

  Once Ba-Khet-Sah returned from the alley it could see a confused Aylenne looking for Ba-Khet-Sah. Ba-Khet-Sah walked over to her holding the new item in its hand.

  “Hey look what I-”

  “Hurry! We need to leave! the boat is going to leave without us,” shouted Aylenne.

  “But-”

  “Come on, we need to get moving,” Aylenne exclaimed, now pulling the corpse’s hand through the swarms of people ahead.

  The two reached a long pier with a sign saying “pier 20-18”. People were boarding a large boat at the end of the pier. Aylenne still holding Ba-Khet-Sah’s hand pulling it towards another section of the pier with another sign labeling “docks 1-16”.

  The ship was huge. The whole ship from bow to the stern spanned the whole pier. At the ship's port side was scaffolding with stairs leading up to the deck. Workers were leading the last of its passengers onto the boat. On the side of the boat were cut metal letters writing “G.E.N.C.” There were no masts nor smokestacks. The boat was covered in a layer of black and white paint.

  Ba-Khet-Sah and Aylenne made their way in a hurry towards the 13th docking point. A ticket agent, a salty old man with wrinkles and small eyes, stopped them before the start of the stairs.

  “Hold ’ere, where you’s tickets?” said the ticket agent, to which Aylenne let go of its hand and looked down into her pocket, while hiding her face, to hand over a ticket to Ba-Khet-Sah. She gave Ba-Khet-Sah the ticket before hastily moving past the agent and onto the steps to the ship. The ticket was a slip of embroidered paper that read “Boarding Ticket” with a set of letters underneath, “ID: fur-yvrf”, as well as a room number, and a picture of the ship beneath the words. The ticket agent checked his wrist.

  “Well, youse betta git movin t’s 10 o' 5 know”. They took the paper from Ba-Khet-Sah’s hands and put a hole into the ticket before handing Ba-Khet-Sah a key and returning the paper back to Ba-Khet-Sah.

  The steps up led to the side deck of the boat. That floor was wooded and the walls were metal coated in white paint. Along the deck were valve doors leading to the inside and circular windows. Aylenne was up ahead moving farther ahead towards the bow. Ba-Khet-Sah again chased after her along the side deck of the boat. Ba-Khet-Sah was halfway to its goal when a large sound rang throughout the boat, and a voice followed.

  “Hello, this is Captain Briteman, and we will be departing shortly. The weather seems to be partially cloudy with lots of sun. We will be heading over to Kenatress, Calypsia, and making a final stop at Lynstead. The estimated time of departure will be about 10:15. And with that, I welcome each and everyone of you aboard the G.E.N.C.”

  Ba-Khet-Sah, confused by this sudden voice, looked around scanning for the source of the audio, but to no avail. Ba-Khet-Sah remembered it was chasing after Aylenne and continued its pursuit.

  Once it had finally reached Aylenne, they had made it near the front of the ship and she slowed down for Ba-Khet-Sah.

  “Wait up! Why'd you go and run off like that?” Ba-Khet-Sah said, confused.

  “I’m so sorry, it's… just a memory,” Aylenne stuttered while her face moved away, and out of view. She stepped to the side and put her elbows onto the side railings of the boat, while covering her face, looking out towards the harbor and piers. Ba-Khet-Sah saw droplets of water dripping down onto the rail. The loud sound of a ding rang around them again.

  “This is Captain Briteman again. The time is 10:10, it seems we are ahead of schedule. We will now be departing.”

  The ship jolted alive and began moving out of the dock. Ba-Khet-Sah looked over the edge and down towards the bottom of the boat. It saw water moving and creating splashes of water down below. In that water were lines of fish, each of them seemingly locked onto the boat's hull. Each fish varied in size, with some in big hoards and others alone.

  Water had stopped dripping down onto the rail, and Aylenne seemed to no longer cover her face with their hands.

  “Sorry, Ba-Khet-Sah, I just haven’t been down by the docks in years,” she said with a forced laugh covering up her true feelings. “It was a long time ago when it happened…”

  “What happened?”

  “Down by the western docks I… I remembered something.” she said with a pause between. “Again, It was a long time ago, and it really doesn’t matter right now. I'll tell you about it later, for now just go find your room.”

  “Alright,” Ba-Khet-Sah replied, blind to what was happening.

  They both made their way towards the interior of the ship. The interior of the ship was fancier than the outside. The floor was a dark red carpet with swirly patterns and outlined in a faint gold color. The ceiling was indented upwards with lanterns hanging from them. Aylenne had already found her room leaving Ba-Khet-Sah to find its own as well. Ba-Khet-Sah looked back down at its ticket and followed the signs on the walls leading to its room.

  The room was small and had one bed, drawer, and window. It was better than the dungeon from before. All the door checking had made Ba-Khet-Sah angry and it threw itself onto the bed. It laid there, silent and still, for quite some time. Hours had passed but Ba-Khet-Sah was still frozen in its bed. Ba-Khet-Sah looked up and out its circular window to see nothing but a vast empty stretch of water falling past the horizon. The sun could be seen just above the water. The sky had faded into a brilliant mixture of orange and yellow hues. The sun shining in gave a cozy warm feel to Ba-Khet-Sah.

  A hideous tearing sound and an incredibly loud crunch and crack made its way into the ears of Ba-Khet-Sah. Ba-Khet-Sah shot up looking around to feel the ground shaking violently. The sound of screams followed. Ba-Khet-Sah got up and looked out into the corridor. Everything slowed down at that moment. Other passengers were peeking out of their rooms. To find their corridor was split in two. The other half was moving away from their half. Fires burst open and smoke began filling the air. The bright light temporarily blinded Ba-Khet-Sah, making it fall back into its room, but only for it to be violently pushed against the side of its room. In its dazed state it could still hear screams and shouts. It stood there stuck to the side of the room, covering its ears with its hands. The ground gave violent pushes around the walls. Ba-Khet-Sah was shoved onto the floor.

  Suddenly, while looking up at the ceiling, a bright light appeared out of nowhere. Ba-Khet-Sah’s eyes, still blurred from the bright light, felt the floor separating below it. In a moment Ba-Khet-Sah was in a free fall. Ba-Khet-Sah reached out to find the floor only to find nothing there. Its eyes still could not see anything, but it could still feel itself hurtling downwards towards the water. From the disabled eye Ba-Khet-Sah could see blurs of reds and oranges and smoke.

  Landing on its back, Ba-Khet-Sah suddenly felt a rush of cold and blacked out. Ba-Khet-Sah sank down farther into the water, but something stopped it. Ba-Khet-Sah was pushed through the water. It could feel something acting upon its arm. Ba-Khet-Sah's head emerged from the water dazed, and falling in and out of consciousness, its eyes closed for hopefully not the last time.