"What's Frings shouting about?" Fergus asked as he strode into the mansion, curiosity creasing his brow.
"Sir Gendry seems to have lost the girl, sir," his companion replied, voice low.
Fergus chuckled. "Eh, you mean Sir Gendry? Hahaha, seems he's not as witty as they say."
Suddenly, a sharp voice rang through the hall. "All soldiers!" The knight commander's call echoed. "I require your presence on the grounds immediately. An important announcement!"
Outside, the courtyard buzzed with activity. Mages, knights, and various classes serving under Frings gathered, their faces tense.
Dante stepped forward, his voice booming. "Our mission is clear: capture the girl swiftly, and do so without alerting the Avalorians or Rethrus."
"You must find the girl quickly!" Dante shouted, eyes blazing.
"UNDERSTOOD!" the assembled troops roared in unison.
"Now, go!"
Fergus muttered under his breath, "Tsk, Frings does love his young women, doesn't he?"
Suddenly, a dwarf's hand clamped onto Fergus's shoulder. "Fergus!"
He turned, surprised. "Caesar? What are you doing here?"
"What do you mean? I'm a knight now," Caesar said with a proud smile.
Fergus laughed. "What? And who knighted you? Some fool?"
"Hehe, it was Frings. I asked him many times, even when Dante said I wasn't ready."
Fergus shook his head, smirking. "You're not ready to be a knight. Our cousin really favors us, huh? Anyway, be careful out there."
"Don't worry about me. We're both knights now," Caesar grinned.
"Yeah, knights indeed," Fergus echoed with a laugh.
The streets of Aurelia sprawled before Xiaolan like a maze, each corner twisting into another unfamiliar alley. She wandered, eyes darting from sign to sign, lips moving as she tried to sound out the words. Her legs ached, her stomach growled, and her heart pounded with a gnawing fear.
'What should I do?' she thought, panic rising with every step. 'I can't find the building where my people and Rethrus are staying.'
She wanted to ask someone for help, but the words stuck in her throat. When a man approached, concern in his eyes, Xiaolan only stared, frozen. He asked if she was lost, but she couldn't speak-she just turned and ran, breathless and trembling.
Her search dragged on, hope fading with the daylight. Then, suddenly, her eyes widened in terror. There, on a man's armor was a sigil she recognized: a hammer, the mark of the Frings family. A cold wave of dread washed over her, memories of fear and danger flooding back.
Without thinking, Xiaolan darted into a narrow alley, pressing herself against the cold stone wall. She hugged her knees, fighting the urge to cry. She was so tired, so hungry, and so very alone.
"Please, Clea, Orin, Toby, Sibel, Gela… someone, help me," she pleaded silently, tears slipping down her cheeks as she hid in the shadows, waiting for courage or rescue.
A shadow fell across the alley, stretching long and silent over the cobblestones. Xiaolan's breath caught in her throat. At first, fear gripped her-she was too tired and scared to scream, her body frozen in place.
'Is this it? Should I run? I can't… I can't move,' she thought, heart pounding in her ears.
The man stepped closer, and for a moment, Xiaolan's fear threatened to overwhelm her. But then, as the light caught his face, recognition dawned. It was Rethrus-the one everyone called a hero, the one said to be strong enough to protect anyone… even her.
A sudden, overwhelming relief surged through her. Tears sprang to her eyes as hope broke through the fear.
"Rethrus!" she cried, her voice trembling with emotion.
She rushed to him, arms flinging around his waist as she clung to him tightly, sobbing with exhaustion and joy. For the first time since she'd entered the city, Xiaolan felt truly safe.
"Thank you… thank you… I'm safe now," she whispered, holding on as if she'd never let go.
'Ah, what's happening?' Rethrus thought as he gently combed through Xiaolan's tangled hair.
"Shhhh, don't cry. I'm here now," he soothed softly. "Now, tell me-what happened?"
Xiaolan looked up at him with tear-filled eyes and whispered, "My name is Xiaolan. Please save me, hero."
As Rethrus took in her torn, ragged shirt barely covering her, fury flared inside him.
"Who did this to you?" he demanded, voice sharp with anger.
Xiaolan flinched, scared by the sudden change in his tone.
Realizing he had frightened her, Rethrus took a deep breath and softened his voice.
"It's okay. I'm here, Xiaolan. I promise, everything will be alright." He gently caressed her cheek, offering comfort.
Suddenly, a dwarf knight appeared, dropping down from above the alley and landing squarely in front of Rethrus.
"Oh, so you're that kid from the party last night, huh?" the dwarf smirked.
"Excuse me?" Rethrus asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Oh, my name's Caesar Costamado. I'm one of Frings' knights," he said, flashing his sigil proudly. "And I believe you have something that belongs to our family." His gaze locked onto Xiaolan, who was hiding behind Rethrus.
Rethrus gently held Xiaolan's head, whispering, "Don't worry."
"Oh yeah? What if I say I won't give her to you?"
Caesar challenged, drawing his sword and settling into a fighting stance.
"Well, the king would be quite displeased if I injured his favorite son"
With a calm smile, Rethrus summoned a dark barrier around Xiaolan. "Don't worry, you'll be safe there."
Without warning, Caesar struck first, his blade flashing through the air-but Rethrus deflected the attack effortlessly with shadowy hand that seemed to flow from his very being.
"Tsk, you're impatient, you know," Rethrus said with a calm smile, his dark eyes gleaming.
"Huh, better to strike first than wait to be hit," Caesar replied, tightening his grip on his sword. A faint gust stirred around him, the air shimmering as he summoned his wind magic.
With a sudden burst, Caesar lunged forward, the wind swirling fiercely around his blade, slicing through the air with razor-sharp gusts aimed to cut and disorient.
Rethrus raised his staff, dark energy coiling like smoke around its tip. He unleashed a blast of shadowy force, a swirling orb of darkness hurtling toward Caesar.
Caesar twisted mid-air, the wind magic bending the dark blast aside, but the force still knocked him back a few steps. "Not bad," he grinned, eyes narrowing. "But I'm just getting started."
He stomped the ground, summoning a cyclone of wind that whipped through the alley, tearing at debris and howling like a tempest. The gale pushed against Rethrus, forcing him to brace against the onslaught.
A sharp scream pierced the air-Xiaolan's voice-echoing from behind the barrier. Debris rattled against the dark shield, threatening to break through.
Rethrus glanced toward her, anger flaring in his eyes. 'Why am I not beating him easily? He's weak,' he thought, frustration tightening his grip on the staff.
"Tsk, time to end this," Rethrus muttered.
From his back, two shadowy hands emerged, twisting and coiling like living smoke.
'Oh, he can summon as many as he wants?' Caesar thought, eyes narrowing.
Rethrus unleashed a dark blast, a sphere of crackling shadow hurled toward Caesar.
"Huh, that's eas-" Caesar began, but before he could finish, a shadowy hand shot out, slamming into his face with a heavy punch that sent him flying backward.
Rethrus didn't hesitate. Another dark blast surged forward. Caesar tried to raise a wind barrier, but the force shattered it, sending him staggering and wounded.
"Tsk, you really are strong," Caesar gasped, catching his breath.
"Come on, let's end this," Rethrus said lazily, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Caesar's eyes burned with fury. 'How dare this kid treat me like I'm no knight?' he thought, clenching his jaw.
"Right. Let's end it!" Caesar shouted, charging.
He swung his sword from a distance, sending a powerful wave of wind rushing toward Rethrus.
Rethrus calmly raised his shadow hands, deflecting the gale effortlessly, even shielding his face.
Caesar leapt into the air, propelled by a burst of wind magic. From above, he sent down a flurry of sharp wind splashes, but Rethrus blocked each strike with shadowy hands, barely breaking a sweat.
'What's this? He's striking from above!' Rethrus thought as Caesar dove, sword aimed straight at him.
Rethrus's eyes widened in surprise but he twisted just in time, dodging the deadly blow unscathed.
Rethrus's eyes widened in shock. 'He almost scratched me-especially my face,' he thought, heart pounding.
"Hehehe," Caesar laughed as he pushed himself up from the ground, brushing off dust. He turned to face Rethrus with a cocky grin. "See? I almost hi-"
Before he could finish, two shadowy fists shot out, striking him squarely in the face and knocking him out cold.
"Tsk, annoying dwarf," Rethrus muttered, shaking his head.
Xiaolan watched in awe, eyes wide. 'He's not even scratched. Is that how strong Rethrus really is?' she wondered, her fear slowly melting into admiration.
After tying Caesar securely, Rethrus turned back to Xiaolan. He smiled warmly and gently cupped her face.
"Let's eat, Xiaolan. I know you're hungry."
Xiaolan's eyes shone with joy and relief. "Ohm," she answered softly.