When a seemingly lifeless boy is saved by a girl.
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Ma'vona was once a beloved member of the Kame'tire clan, known for their profound understanding of Pandora's flora and unparalleled healing skills. Their expertise was so great that they could heal...
♪ Rescue and Loss by Simon Franglen ♪ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Chapter Nine: Shadows of the Past
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"Txä'vo!"
The name sent a jolt through me, my eyes widening in disbelief as it echoed in the air. In an instant, memories I had long buried came rushing back, flooding my mind like a rising tide. I stared at him, my heart racing, unable to reconcile the figure before me with the one I remembered from so long ago. His demeanor had changed—hardened, colder, as if time had sculpted him into someone entirely different.
Yet, as I looked closer, slowly piecing together his features—the sharp line of his jaw, the set of his eyes—I knew. Beneath the unfamiliar exterior was the same person I had once known, a person tied to memories I thought had faded.
He ignored her for a moment, his sharp eyes landing on me. There was something measured in his gaze, something calculating but not immediately hostile. He was assessing me. Finally, his eyes shifted to Neteyam.
“What is the meaning of this?” Txä'vo demanded, his voice calm but laden with authority. There was no mistaking the command in his tone. “Who are these prisoners, and why are they bound like this?”
“These are intruders!” Anufi spat, her face contorted with both frustration and fury. She stepped closer, her voice rising as she jabbed an accusatory finger toward me. “They have no right to be here. This one—” her finger trembled as it pointed at me, her eyes blazing, “—is Yontari’s daughter. The traitor who was exiled. She has no place among the People.”
Txä'vo’s gaze flicked back to me, and for the briefest moment, I thought I saw a glimmer of recognition in his eyes, but it vanished just as quickly. His face remained unreadable, his expression a mask of calm indifference. He took a deep breath, casting his gaze over the crowd that had gathered, their eyes filled with tension and uncertainty.
"And yet she stands here, alive, before us."
I could feel the weight of his words in the air, the way they seemed to challenge Anufi’s authority without directly defying it. They lingered just long enough to unsettle Anufi, whose lips tightened in response, but she remained silent, knowing that even her power had its limits.
Suddenly, the man who had been quietly receiving treatment for his wound stepped forward from where he had been hiding behind the others. His face twisted with anger as he pointed accusingly.
"No! I was injured by this skxawng!" His voice rang out, full of bitterness, as he jabbed his finger in Neteyam’s direction, then at the fresh cut on his side—a wound caused by Neteyam’s dagger. "He nearly killed me!"
The accusation hung in the air, forcing Txä'vo to cast a brief glance towards Neteyam, who knelt down with his hands raised, and wrists latched. Despite his battered appearance, Neteyam’s posture was calm as he held down, but his eyes flickered with a mix of frustration and determination. Regardless of the man’s outburst, Txä'vo’s expression remained unmoved, his judgement unshaken by the accusation.
