Born of forced breeding by a tyrannical group of traffickers, Akala was sold to the highest bidder as a Human child in the menacing Wayward Lands, where deadly Beasts roamed freely with a thirst for violence and blood brewed from the need for survival. It was only when two wanderers, Meji and Gila, liberated Akala from their captor did they finally earn respite, albeit short. While not as grueling and cruel as Akala’s last prison camp, the village Akala and their new adoptive mothers were forced to integrate into had the same uncivil morals on Humans. Having to husk corn for as long as the sun was hot and sweep ashes from the bonfire well into the night, these tasks were nothing compared to what Akala was subjected to prior, therefore considered a blessing for them.Until the village Elders decided to do the one thing Akala thought they’d escaped from—assigning them to another captor. A measly deal for those who considered Human’s property, but a life sentence for Akala that was so deeply rooted in their psyche that it lead them to do something they never even thought was an option.Run.It wasn’t a conscious decision, but Akala was too far into their escape into the deadly Asah Jungle to realize that their choice would lead to a devastating turn of events. Chased by the ruffians Akala was promised to, Akala was forced to find false refuge in the one place the Wayward Lands was known for—the Asah Grotto. Home to deadly Demons that only emerged at sundown to sneak into the shadows of the jungle for their nightly meals of blood. It was a death wish, and Akala knew that, but what they weren’t prepared for was to be captive to one of those Demons.Unable to return to their village and separated from their mothers, Akala has no choice but to form a contractual bond between them and the Demon, Cyr. Together, they must traverse the hostile environment of the Wayward Lands to the safety of the Northward Territory, where they hope to reunite with their mothers by surviving Beastly trials and honing in on the same survival instincts Cyr has.After all, it’s kill or be killed.