Kazi and Adanna began their journey, the northern wilds stretching endlessly before them.
Each step they took was a declaration of survival.
But the forest was not kind. Thorns scraped skin, hidden roots tripped careless feet, and the weight of exhaustion pressed heavier with each mile. Still, they pressed on.
Yet, despite the exhaustion an unshakable tension coiled in Adanna's chest, like a predator sensing unseen danger.
She had felt it for miles, a quiet whisper riding the wind with a soft pressure behind her eyes, like something unseen was calling her, gently but insistently, toward a place she couldn't explain.
She paused, as the sensation deepened. Kazi, a few steps ahead, turned to her, his eyes narrowing with concern. Before she could speak, the world lurched.
Her vision blurred, the forest dissolving into a haze that swallowed the trees. Shadows danced across her mind, fluid and elusive, like reflections rippling on water. The clean forest air was gone, smothered by the foul, greasy smoke of something burning. The forest's soft hum gave way to an uproar of desperate shouts with panic. Slowly, the haze sharpened into a scene: A merchant's cart overturned. Goods scattered across the dirt. A man on his knees, trembling before a group of ragged figures wielding blades and Axe. - Not a fine one
They are Bandits.
Adanna's heart pounded. She could hear the merchant begging, "Please, I have children! Take what you want, just let me go!"
A cruel laugh. A blade raised high.
Then the vision shattered.
Adanna gasped, her knees buckling as the scene dissolved. She stumbled forward, and Kazi's strong hand caught her arm, steadying her before she hit the ground. His grip was firm, his voice low but edged with worry. "Adanna? What's wrong?"
She drew a shaky breath, the weight of the vision pressing against her skull. Her fingers pressed to her temple as she struggled to find words. "I saw something," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. "Bandits. They're robbing a merchant, overturned cart, goods everywhere. It hasn't happened yet, but…" She trailed off, her certainty growing despite the lack of proof. Back home, she had countless visions, flashes of battles, fleeting glimpses of danger, but her parents had always dismissed them as childish fancies. This felt different, heavier, as if the world itself was urging her to act.
Kazi's eyes searched hers, his grip tightening slightly. "You're sure?" he asked, his tone steady but probing.
She nodded, meeting his gaze with quiet resolve. "I'm sure."
A beat of silence hung between them, the forest holding its breath. Then Kazi gave a curt nod. "Then we move."
Without another word, Kazi picked up his pace, Adana leading the way, pushing through the forest toward the unseen danger waiting ahead.
The trees parted as they reached the forest's edge, revealing a winding dirt road where a merchant's cart lay overturned, its wheels still spinning in protest. Barrels of fruit and cloth lay strewn across the path, crushed under heavy boots.
Five men stood over the trembling merchant, their faces weathered and sharp with hunger. Their clothes were patched with stolen scraps of leather, their weapons rusted but deadly. One of them, a brute with a scar running from the top of his head down to his jaw, held a curved blade to the merchant's throat.
"Last chance, old man," the scarred bandit sneered. "Give us everything, or we take your hands instead."
The merchant whimpered. "Please, I..." before he could finish—
Adanna's body moved before her mind had even finished forming the thought. A rock the size of her fist flew through the air, slamming into the bandit's wrist. His grip loosened, the blade slipping from his fingers just long enough for the merchant to stumble backward.
The bandits turned sharply.
Kazi stepped forward, the dim morning light catching in his wild curls. No weapons. No armor. Just his fists and the fire in his eyes.
"You should leave," he said simply.
For a second, there was only silence.
Then laughter.
The scarred bandit grinned, flexing his wrist as if the pain had barely registered. "You must have lost your way, boy. You think you can take us?"
Kazi cracked his knuckles. "I think you should find out."
The bandits didn't need another reason. They surged forward like a pack of starving wolves.
The first one swung a rusted axe, aiming for Kazi's ribs. Kazi ducked, his body moving on instinct. He pivoted low, drove his elbow into the man's stomach, then caught his wrist, twisting the axe out of his hands before sending him sprawling with a sharp kick to the knee.
Another bandit lunged from behind.
Adanna saw it before it happened.
Not with her eyes, but with something deeper.
A flicker of the future—Kazi, turning too late, the blade cutting into his side.
"Left!" she shouted.
Kazi moved without hesitation. He didn't ask. He didn't doubt. He trusted.
He spun just as the bandit's dagger slashed the air where he had stood. Using the man's momentum, Kazi caught his arm and drove a knee into his stomach, knocking him forward.
Adanna was already moving. One of the bandits turned on her, thinking she was an easy target.
He was wrong.
He lunged with a short sword, she twisted to the side. Another vision flashed, his next strike would come from below.
She stepped back just before the blade swept downward, missing her by an inch. Before he could recover, she grabbed a fallen staff from the merchant's cart and cracked it across his temple.
The man staggered. She struck again. Harder.
He collapsed.
Kazi, breathing hard, turned to see her standing over the unconscious bandit. She was -- not bad.
But there was no time to think. The scarred leader was still standing, watching them with measured rage. He wasn't like the others. He had been waiting. Studying them.
The scarred bandit pulled two short knives from his belt, rolling his shoulders.
"Not bad," he admitted. "But you're still just kids."
He moved faster than Kazi expected—a blur of motion, both blades flashing toward his chest.
Kazi barely dodged the first strike. The second cut through his sleeve, grazing his arm. He gritted his teeth, stepping back, adjusting his stance.
This man was different. More precise. More dangerous.
And then—
Adanna saw it.
A flicker of the next few seconds. Kazi, dodging right—but the bandit predicting it, twisting his knife upward, cutting deep.
"No—don't dodge right!" Adanna shouted.
Kazi barely processed the warning before adjusting at the last second, dodging left instead.
The bandit's first blade sliced through empty air, throwing him off balance—just for a second. His second knife still glinted in his other hand, poised to strike.
That was all Kazi needed.
Before the bandit could recover, Kazi ducked inside his guard, slamming a knee into his ribs. The man grunted, but his free hand swung the second knife upward—only for Kazi to catch his wrist mid-motion. A brutal twist, a pained yelp, and the blade clattered to the ground.
With a final strike, Kazi slammed his elbow into the bandit's face, knocking him to the ground.
Then silence. The only sound was their heavy breathing. The last bandit groaned before collapsing.
The merchant, still trembling, stared at them with wide, disbelieving eyes.
Kazi exhaled, wiping the sweat from his brow. His fists ached, his muscles burned, but the fire in his chest felt alive.
Adanna met his gaze, her own breath coming fast. For the first time, she realized how well they had fought together.
Kazi had the strength. She had the sight.
The merchant stumbled forward, his hands shaking as he gathered what little remained of his spilled goods. His face was pale, eyes flicking between Kazi and Adanna as though he were unsure whether to fear them or thank them.
"You....you saved my life," he stammered. His voice was rough with age, yet laced with the weight of a man who had seen too much hardship.
Kazi glanced at the unconscious bandits, his body still thrumming with the adrenaline of the fight. "They won't stay down forever. You should get as far from here as possible before they wake up."
The merchant hesitated, then nodded quickly. "I will. But please, take something for your trouble. I owe you more than I can ever repay."
Adanna was about to refuse, but Kazi stepped forward, grabbing two leather satchels filled with dried meat, bread, and a flask of water. He tossed one to her without looking. "We'll take these."
The merchant bowed his head in gratitude, then hurried to gather the rest of his supplies.
As the merchant fled, the forest quieted, but a new bond had formed between Kazi and Adanna, forged in battle.