A piercing scream suddenly cut through several layers of wooden planks, reached into the dark basement, and bored into Balk's ears. His whole body stiffened involuntarily, and his drowsy mind snapped back to alertness.
He first turned to look beside him. His little daughter, Xiuika, was still fast asleep and did not seem to have been awakened by the scream. He breathed a sigh of relief.
But when he saw the faint, dark red traces of blood that had yet to fade completely from Xiuika's delicate face, his expression darkened despite himself.
The rioting had entered its fifth day.
Four days earlier, as soon as Balk had realized something was wrong, he had picked up Xiuika, who was barely over two years old, and hidden in this concealed basement. In all the time since, he had scarcely set foot outside it.
He knew full well that Dero City, the capital of the Dero Kingdom, had already descended into chaos. Those damned Dero were hunting down outsiders like them everywhere. If they caught him and Xiuika, neither of them would escape a terrible fate.
But... what good would it do to keep hiding here?
The supplies stored in the basement would not last much longer. More importantly, there was no medicine here.
Xiuika had begun showing signs of a cold yesterday, and now she had developed a fever. Although that left her groggy, sparing him the worry that she might make a sound and alert the Dero rioters outside, she was only a child of a little over two. Without treatment, sooner or later she would not be able to hold on.
Balk reached out and touched Xiuika's forehead. Feeling the burning heat against his palm, he silently made up his mind.
No matter what, he had to find a way