Chapter 2

Brynn wanders deeper into the shaded Market, noting Kenta locals and costly wares, when she realizes a dark-eyed Kenta soldier is following her. She tries to lose him, but he confronts her at a gem booth, plants a green stone on her, and publicly accuses her of theft. Nearby Alaha trainees are searching for her, but the soldier and his partner drag Brynn behind the stalls to the stone wall.

The soldier orders Brynn to place her hand on the wall. She resists, then stomps one guard’s foot to break free, but the dark-eyed soldier seizes her with a blade at her throat. He forces her palm to the warm stone, unleashing a blinding, full-body agony. The surge ends abruptly, leaving Brynn on her knees and the soldier shocked, staring at her with a mix of awe and fear.

Kai commands the soldier to release Brynn, but the Kenta refuses, asserting Alaha authority means nothing here. As tension spikes, Messer crashes through a booth and tackles the second Kenta guard, triggering chaos. Brynn snatches the soldier’s thigh blade and slices his heel to escape, then staggers away as he urgently orders his men not to let her off the dock.

Messer helps Brynn while Kai clears a path toward the Alaha ships. Gramble rallies their people as Kenta soldiers close in. An explosion suddenly rips through the Market, throwing everyone down. Aurora strolls up, unruffled, implying she set the blast to buy time.

The crew hauls in the gangway as seawater devours a vast section of the dock, sending hundreds into the water and collapsing the Market. Brynn climbs the mast to witness the devastation, realizing the trade hub—and its long peace—are destroyed. She finds the Kenta soldier’s blade clenched in her fist as Alaha flees.