Chapter 92: Between Death and Family

But as the boat drifted closer—
The villagers froze.
Because the shapes became clearer.
And standing in front, illuminated by a faint torch behind her, was—
Narissa.
Flanked by Ian.
Slyvie.
And behind them, clutching her shawl with trembling hands—
Lio’s mother.
At first, Lio’s father thought it was a trick of the fog.
His breath hitched. His eyes burned.
“…Lio?” he whispered.
The guards didn’t hear him. The boat kept cutting through the water.
But Lio heard.
He took a step forward on the shore, boots scraping against the rock.
“FATHER!”
The shout ripped through the fog, cutting straight into the boat.
The oars slowed.
One guard turned sharply. “Sit down! Don’t move!”
But Lio’s father couldn’t hear anything anymore.
He stood so abruptly that the entire boat tilted, several villagers grabbing the edges in panic.
He stared at the boy on the shore.
At the mother crying beside him.
At the children beside her.
“How…?” he whispered.
“How did you… get there…?”
The villagers murmured among themselves.
“That’s his son…”
“They crossed to the island?”
“Why are there children there?”
“What’s happening…?”
The guards grew nervous.
“Stay seated!” one barked, voice cracking.
The boat drifted, scraping gently against the rocky edge of the island. Lantern light revealed Narissa standing firm, cloak brushing the sand, gaze cold and steady.
The two guards stiffened.
“What the hell—? How did you get here before us?”
“This island is off limits—!”
They reached for their swords—
—But the world flickered.
A blur.
A shift in wind.
A dark ripple slicing through fog.
And then—
Thud.
One guard dropped instantly, collapsing like a puppet whose strings were severed.
The second had just begun to turn when a hand clamped over his mouth—
A subtle twist—
A precise tap at the base of the neck—
Thud.
He fell silently onto the sand.
Aren stepped back, expression bored, brushing imaginary dust off his hands.
“You talk too much,” he murmured, as if commenting on the weather.
No one saw him arrive.
No one saw him move.
They only saw the aftermath.
Aaren gave Narissa a tiny nod—an acknowledgment—and faded silently into the background, letting her take the lead.
The villagers on the boat stared in horror and awe, unable to understand who the silent boy in the shadows even was.
Lio’s father swayed, breath trembling.
“Lio…” he whispered again.
His son stepped forward, tears slipping from his eyes. “Father… don’t go. Please.”
Lio’s mother broke, falling to her knees on the shore. “We want you back… not money.”
Her voice carried across the quiet water.
Other villagers began trembling violently.
“My wife… she’s here?”
“That’s my boy—he crossed for me?!”
“She came… she actually came…”
Fear cracked open into something far more fragile.
Hope.
Narissa finally stepped forward, voice steady but gentle.
“Your family’s safety doesn’t require leaving yourselves behind.”
Her words struck like truth hammered against steel.
“Life isn’t only about surviving,” she continued.
“It’s about the moments you live.
The warmth, the people waiting for you.
Sacrifice for coin is hollow.
It leaves nothing but an empty chair and empty hearts.”
One villager broke down.
“I only agreed… because my daughter needed medicine…”
Another cried,
“They said only my death could secure their safety…”
Narissa shook her head sharply.
“No. Your family needs you. Not your corpse.”
Behind them, Slyvie stepped forward, eyes wet.
“We want you to live,” she said softly. “All of you.”
Lio’s father sank to his knees inside the boat, clutching the wooden edge.
“…I thought this was the only way,” he whispered.
“I thought dying made me worthy of saving them.”
Narissa shook her head.
“Your life,” she said, voice softening,
“is worth more than any coin.”
Families began stepping closer. Reaching out. Calling. Crying.
Children sobbed for their fathers.
Wives clung to shawls, begging.
Old parents trembled, whispering for their sons to return.
Narissa watched the scene unfold, and inside, she murmured silently:
Good thing I took Aren’s advice to bring their families. My voice alone wouldn’t have been enough.
On the boat, the villagers rose to their feet—
One by one.
Slowly.
With shaking resolve turning into courage.
Lio’s father was the first to step off onto the island.
His hands reached out toward his son—
And Lio ran into them, sobbing.
The others followed.
Narissa stood silently, eyes firm.
Tonight…
No family would be torn apart.
No man or woman would sail toward death.
Not while she was here

📢 Hiatus Notice

Hey everyone,

I wanted to update you all honestly about what’s going on.

Right now, my situation is pretty hectic, and I barely have the time or mental space to plan or write chapters the way I want to. We’re in the middle of an important arc, and I really don’t want to rush it or put out something that feels half-done.