The moment Kain closed his eyes, he knew something was off. Unlike before, darkness took him instantly.

Then, a dream.

He was on a ship, one different from the Airlea. Unlike his home, this ship looked as if it rarely braved rough waters. The deck was pristine, as if the owners spent more time polishing the wood than sailing. A quick look around gave him the impression that the vessel was more ceremonial than functional. It was meant to look pretty for whomever owned it, to serve as prestige, rather than a way of life. Yet, despite all of this, there was no land in sight. The ocean spread out in every direction--until it hit a solid wall of nothingness a handful of miles out.

In an attempt to place himself, Kain glanced towards the sky. It revealed nothing. The sun had begun to fall, dimming the world around him, but there wasn't a single visible star.

"Finally," a voice called out. Kain spun around to face the speaker, a dark haired man with amber eyes. "The hero arrives."

"Hero?" Kain questioned.

"Hero," the man, or more appropriately, god confirmed.

Kain felt strangely calm. A distant part of him knew that the god of fortune, dreams, and healing only played games when someone intrigued him. To catch the attention of the trickster god was considered to be more of a curse than a blessing by most people. He knew he should've been worried, or awed, that Koun had invaded his dreams. But, he wasn't.

Perhaps Koun was making it impossible for him to get worked up at the moment. Or, maybe Kain was numb to the attention of the gods given his life so far. Most likely the first with a touch of the latter.

"I'm not a hero," he pointed out. "Are you sure you've found the right person?"

A faint thought plagued the back of his mind that this wasn't the first time he'd had to deny such a label recently. What was it about himself that gave others that impression?

"Utterly certain," Koun replied.

"How?"

"There aren't many halfling boys with your heritage or curse running around out there," Koun declared. "And if there was, none of them would've been drawn in by the red string."

"The what?"

"You're the right person," Koun continued, ignoring him.

Feeling the end of the conversation, Kain simply nodded his agreement. He was acutely aware that he'd typically have argued the point further, but felt no such need. Koun was definitely messing with him.

"Glad that's settled," Koun said, clapping his hands together, before waving Kain forward. "Now, look around. I've connected your dreams for a reason."

With that, the god disappeared. So, Kain followed the order. He walked around the deck, studying the nondescript, yet expensive surroundings, before coming to a pause next to a hatch that would lead to the lower deck. Instinct told him that it was the right choice--he wouldn't find what Koun wanted him to see if he took the door to the captain's quarters. He tugged on the iron circle that served as a handle, and was satisfied as the wood swung open with ease.

A glance inside revealed Kain's assumption was right--this was no merchant ship.

Beneath him laid a dimly lit hall, lined by what appeared to be empty cages. A poacher ship, perhaps? Kain'd heard they often traveled by water to avoid the law of whatever country they were working out of. Often lords weren't pleased with the thieves work, and more often than not being caught poaching carried a harsh sentencing.

He dropped inside, leaving the hatch open behind him. Then, given they were the only thing of note so far, he turned his attention to the cages. He took his time studying them, the faint torchlight offering just enough luminescence for him to make out details. The iron bars were coated with a protective, glossy black paint. No doubt it was meant to shield the metal from the corrosive nature of salt water. The insides were what caught his attention, however. Laying amid the piles of straw scattered across the flooring were manacles.

The attached chains were linked to the thick wood siding of the ship. White runes were etched into the metal. He knew nothing of their meaning, but after several minutes study came to a realization of their purpose. They were slavers' runes. Meant to keep the manacles from being removed by anyone but the slaver, or someone with enough magic to override the initial witch doctor's skill. He'd seen the markings before when a skeezy individual tried to pawn off a box of the devices on Artemios, who'd refused.

An uneasy feeling traveled up Kain's spine as he searched the cages for any prisoners. It wasn't until he reached where the row met a doorway that he found the only inhabitant.

A boy, no older than eight, sat curled up in the center of the cage. The manacles laid unused at his side, but a thick, iron collar had been fixed around the child's neck. Strange strips of metal came off of the collar, the meanings behind them not quite clear to Kain. Perhaps they were meant to make it hard for the boy to lay down? He certainly couldn't imagine sleeping with that thing on.

The child wore nothing more than a pair of breaches, the material so fine it conflicted with their harsh surroundings. The boy's back was out of view, but Kain could see bloody red welts peeking over the boy's all-too-thin shoulders. They marred his skin in multiple locations on both sides.

The sound of a door opening, then falling shut met his ears. Kain stepped back just in time for a young girl to go rushing past him. All it took was one look and he knew--this was Melitta's dream.

The young girl couldn't have been but a year or two older than the boy, most likely Callias, but the differences were night and day. She was healthy, whereas the boy was gaunt. Her pale, golden-blond hair fell to her mid-back, the boy's shaved off at the scalp.

Melitta was a Bella, Callias nothing more than a slave.

"I'm, so, so sorry, Calli," Melitta said, slipping to her knees outside the bars. The basket she'd brought in with her laid forgotten at her side as her hands clenched the bars. "I didn't mean to tell them no, I promise. It was an accident."

Callias raised his head, and Kain was startled to see that his eyes were still reminiscent of the ocean, despite the fact he must've been human. The torchlight danced across his irises, showing off the strange mixture of green and blue. What was it about that color? When they'd met, he'd assumed it to be a mark from Umae. A show of favor towards Callias--given when he became one of the merfolk. Now, though, it itched the back of his mind, urging Kain to remember something that kept slipping out of his grasp.

He shook his head, forcing his mind to focus on the scene before him. Even young as he was, Callias's emotions were carefully withheld from his expression. When he said nothing, Melitta bit down on her lip, tucking away the pain his silence no doubt caused. She surged to her feet, reaching down into the neckline of her dress. The action revealed a thin chain with two charms on the end. Kain drew closer, and realized that while the first was a circular locket, the second was a key.

Melitta slid it into the lock, letting herself into her brother's cell. She made sure to grab her basket before entering, and settled it at Callias' side as she knelt before him. He pursed his lips, an unreadable emotion flashing across his face.

"How?"

The word was almost a croak. Melitta's hands flew to the basket. She withdrew a waterskin. "Drink."

Callias eyed it for a moment, and when he looked like he might reject it for reasons beyond Kain, Melitta sighed and shoved it at his lips. Thin fingers curled around the waterskin, Callias took it from her and greedily drank the contents.

"I said yes," Melitta replied, tone even.

Callias stopped drinking, his unsettling eyes focusing on his sister.

"You didn't have to."

"Yes I did."

She turned her attention back to the basket, this time pulling out a large bundle of cloth. Callias eyed it, wrinkling his nose with distaste. However, he didn't protest when Melitta moved behind him. She pulled a cloth from the bundle and, after pouring some liquid onto it from the waterskin, began wiping at his back. Callias let out a hiss of pain.

"I'm sorry."

The two words felt heavy. Kain couldn't imagine she was only referring to the pain she was inflicting. Callias' eyes fell shut, and his entire body seemed to go tense.

"I know."

Kain started to move closer, but paused as something about the scene began to shift. Melitta's eyes widened, her hands scrambling for more of the cloth as the one in her hands became drenched with crimson.

"C-calli..."

No matter how many clothes she pressed to his back, the blood continued to flow. It coated the boards at his feet, and suddenly Callias slumped forward. The massive scarring on his back became clear to Kain, the whip marks eating away the skin, leaving behind nothing but ruined flesh. They weren't enough to cause the blood coating his body, however, as Callias turned from an eight year-old boy to an adult in the blink of an eye. The world around them blurred, only Melitta staying solid as she began hysterically calling out Callias' name, attempting to stem the blood flooding the room she and Kain stood in. He rushed forward, knowing he could do nothing to stop the nightmare, but unwilling to stand still as Melitta's face became drenched in tears.

"Y-you can't, please, you can't leave," she sobbed. "It's my fault. All my fault. I can't... Callias, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. Please. Please!"

His hands went through her form as Kain tried to grab Melitta's shoulders. Then, suddenly, the world turned to black.

Kain jolted awake in his bed. For a moment, he stayed where he was, attempting to come to terms with the scene that he'd been shown.

Then, he heard the crying.

Kain was out of his bed within the second, crossing the room to where Melitta laid curled up on the bottom bunk. She had her blanket over her mouth, no doubt in an attempt to muffle the sound.

"Melitta..."

He was at a loss for words as he knelt next to the bed, his hands hovering in the air over her broken form. Her eyes flicked to him. Had she woken up at the same time as him?

"I can't feel him," she confessed. "I can't... I can't..."

Her words dissolved into sobs. For a moment, he was frozen. How did you comfort someone in as much pain as she was? When her crying turned into coughing, he pulled the blanket away from her and grasped her face in his hands.

"It's okay," Kain soothed. "He's alive, Melitta. It's just a dream."

"B-but, I can't... I can't..."

The bond. Whatever had happened to it must have sparked the nightmare.

"He's alive," Kain pressed. "Something's blocking you, that's all. You'd know if he was gone, wouldn't you?"

"I... I..."

"Think. Can you feel him? Earlier, you said it was muffled. But, that means it's still there, right? He's still there."

The tears still streamed down her face, but something seemed to click with his words. Tension left her frame, and Melitta's gut-wrenching sobs calmed. Slowly, she nodded.

"He's... He's..."

"Alive," Kain confirmed.

Thank the gods.

Several minutes of soothing words later, Melitta's eyes fell shut once again. Kain doubted she'd ever been truly awake. Rather, she'd been caught in the throws of the terrible nightmare, reliving her life's worst moments in a state between wakefulness and true slumber.

A glance at the other bunks revealed that Rhode had somehow managed to sleep through the mess, but Dalphie was awake, and studying him with a small frown. Uneasy with her scrutiny, Kain returned to his own bed. When he looked back at her, however, she'd rolled over to face the wall, no longer studying him.

Kain laid back down, knowing that he wouldn't sleep again. His body was buzzing with energy, and with knowledge he wasn't sure what to do with.

Melitta and Callias had a relationship built on years of suffering. From what he'd seen, what he'd heard, when Melitta was a Bella, Callias had been used to control her. It must've been easy to convince a child to obey in that manner, especially one as empathetic as Melitta. No doubt, every time she'd disobeyed, Callias had faced a harsh punishment. The sort of bond that would forge...

They needed to find Iliana, and soon. Not just for her sake, but for Melitta's as well. If something happened to Callias as a result of all of this, if her bond was truly cut off instead of muffled...

He wasn't sure Melitta would be able to handle it.

A/N: Two chapters in one day! Hopefully, that makes up for the radio silence. I had this chapter almost finished, but didn't want to give it to you until chapter 20 was done--which for some reason I just couldn't manage. 

Hope you enjoyed the revelations on both ends. Most of you already knew about these little details, but I was excited to lay them out nevertheless. The next chapters will begin their adventures in Nokos~ I hope  you're as excited for it as I am.