The dim flicker of two candles cast long, dancing shadows across the cold stone walls of their shared confinement. Hours had passed since their tense conversation, the silence now thick with unspoken plans. Zeritheus lay still on his makeshift bed, his breathing deep and even, seemingly lost in sleep.
Xhaelyn, however, remained coiled with a quiet energy. Her body, still humming from her recent training, felt more responsive, more attuned to the subtle currents of energy that permeated the room. It's time, she thought, her mind sharp and focused. The meditation had done its work, replenishing her reserves and sharpening her senses. Tonight, she would test the limits of this strange, burgeoning ability once more.
Closing her eyes, she reached out with her awareness, extending her senses beyond the confines of their small space. The familiar prickle of unique energies registered outside, a tapestry of presences she was slowly learning to discern. My range has definitely expanded, she noted with a flicker of satisfaction.
A plan had been forming in the back of her mind since their capture, a risky gamble that hinged on her developing abilities and Zeritheus's reluctant cooperation. Tonight felt like the opportune moment. The guards seemed to have settled into their routine, their patrols predictable.
A final, silent confirmation swept through her senses – no immediate threat lingered just outside their door. With a decisive breath, Xhaelyn rose, her movements fluid and silent. Years of ingrained discipline allowed her to move with a grace that belied her seven-year-old frame. Reaching the door, she positioned herself carefully. This wouldn't be a brute-force attempt. It needed precision, a calculated application of force to disable the lock with minimal noise. Taking a final mental measure of the door's resistance, she tensed, ready to execute her carefully conceived move.
One swift, targeted kick just below the latch sent a sharp vibration through the aged wood. A faint click echoed in the stillness, followed by the softer thunk of the internal bar disengaging. The lock was old, poorly maintained – easier than she'd anticipated.
The door swung inward silently at her gentle push, revealing a dimly lit corridor. Shadows clung to the stone walls, obscuring details, but Xhaelyn's enhanced senses painted a clearer picture. Two guards stood at the far end of the hall, their backs to her, engaged in a low murmur of conversation.
Her gaze flicked back to Zeritheus. No time for gentle awakenings. Moving with swift efficiency, she crossed the small space to his bed, her small hand clamping firmly over his mouth. Before he could fully register the intrusion, she yanked him upwards, pulling him roughly off the makeshift mattress.
His eyes snapped open, wide with disorientation and a flicker of fear. He struggled for a moment, his hands instinctively reaching for hers, but Xhaelyn's grip was surprisingly strong.
"Quiet!" she hissed, her voice low and urgent, right against his ear, brooking no argument. "We're leaving. Now."
Zeritheus blinked, his confusion palpable. He glanced at the open door, then back at Xhaelyn's determined face. This wasn't the seemingly compliant child he'd been trading barbs and veiled observations with; this was someone decisive and in control. Before he could formulate one of his usual witty (and often evasive) questions, she was already tugging him towards the open doorway, her small frame surprisingly effective in pulling the still-groggy boy along.
Just go along with it, Zeritheus told himself, his mind still foggy. Xhaelyn's sudden transformation was unsettling, but the open door was undeniably inviting. He stumbled after her, his usual confident gait replaced by a disoriented shuffle.
She moved with a practiced stealth that belied her age, her senses acutely tuned to the creaks and shadows of the dimly lit corridor. Zeritheus, still reeling from his abrupt awakening and the sheer unexpectedness of Xhaelyn's initiative, struggled to keep pace. He watched her navigate the narrow passage with a focused intensity he hadn't seen before, her small hand surprisingly firm on his wrist, guiding him with an almost unnerving certainty. She's like a shadow, he marveled internally, a stark contrast to his own inclination towards making a dramatic exit. They slipped past corners and shadowy alcoves, Xhaelyn pausing only for the briefest of moments to listen for approaching footsteps – a level of awareness Zeritheus hadn't displayed during their captivity, relying more on his charm and assumed invincibility – before urging him onward with a subtle tug.
Their progress was unnervingly smooth. Xhaelyn seemed to anticipate the guards' patrols, guiding them through the labyrinthine corridors with an almost preternatural awareness. Zeritheus, accustomed to a more flamboyant approach and reliant on his (as yet untested in a real escape) abilities, could only gape internally at her silent efficiency. Where did this come from? he wondered, his earlier assessment of her as merely observant proving woefully inadequate. This wasn't the child who engaged in dry wit and subtle challenges; this was someone operating on a different level of preparedness, her every movement purposeful.
They ducked behind a stack of dusty crates as two guards lumbered past, their voices low and bored. Xhaelyn pressed a finger to her lips, her gaze sharp, warning Zeritheus to remain silent. He nodded, his usual urge to make a wisecrack surprisingly subdued by the sheer competence she was displaying. Maybe she actually has a plan, a novel thought for Zeritheus. It's just... Not obvious because of her laid-back outward appearance earlier.
But their initial success, however efficient, wouldn't last. Their room, tucked away in the deeper recesses of the hideout, wouldn't remain unnoticed for long. The lack of their presence would eventually trigger an alarm, especially given their "premium" status.
Just as they reached a less guarded section of the hideout, closer to what felt like an exit – a dimly lit storage room filled with various ill-gotten goods – a shout echoed down one of the nearby corridors. "Hey! The premium products are not in their storage room!"
The alarm. It had been raised. Premium product your foot! Xhaelyn tched internally, her annoyance a familiar companion. Time to improvise.
Xhaelyn's grip on Zeritheus tightened, her earlier focus sharpening into a laser-like intensity. She scanned their surroundings, her mind racing, assessing their options. The storage room offered cover, but also potential dead ends. "Run," she mouthed, her eyes sharp with urgency, leaving no room for his usual protests or sarcastic remarks. She pointed towards a back exit, a sliver of moonlight visible beneath the ill-fitting door.
The smooth, efficient escape had abruptly shifted into a frantic scramble. The sounds of raised voices and hurried footsteps began to permeate the hideout, the urgency escalating with every passing second.
Zeritheus, finally shaking off his initial surprise, started to move with more urgency, though he still relied on Xhaelyn's lead. Okay, no more Mr. Nice Kid, he thought, a flicker of his usual determination returning. Let's see what I can do. But for now, he followed Xhaelyn, her unexpected competence his best bet for survival.
Xhaelyn had been preserving her Unique Energy as using a wide range multiple detection continuously was siphoning her energy at great speed. So she had been relying on her natural heightened senses. Now that their captors were already aware of their escape, they would surely send guards along multiple paths. She thought of a contingency plan on the spot. She used her Unique Energy Sense on a wide range multiple detections for a matter of five seconds, pushing her memory to capture what her unique ability had sensed. The mental image solidified in her mind: several distinct energy signatures converging from different directions.
She glanced at Zeritheus on her side, her expression betraying none of the urgency she felt. "Zerith. Can your defense Unique Ability handle attacks from ability users for the two of us?"
Zeritheus, still slightly breathless from their hurried escape, blinked at Xhaelyn's sudden question. His usual playful smirk hadn't fully returned, replaced by a flicker of lingering surprise at her decisiveness. He hadn't even fully processed how she had wordlessly commanded him to run earlier.
"Handle… ability users? For both of us?" he echoed, his brows furrowing. His Void Barrier wasn't absolute—it nullified attacks within its range, but only up to its limit. If the force exceeded that threshold, the barrier would break, and he would take the full brunt of the attack. At nine years old, he had already expanded it to a half-meter radius, but protecting someone else? That was something he had never attempted.
His gaze flicked toward the approaching shouts. The urgency in Xhaelyn's voice, though calm, was unmistakable. He trusted her instincts—he wasn't sure why, but he did.
"Well…" he started, forcing some of his usual confidence back into his voice. "It's never been tested like that before. And against ability users?" He exhaled, feeling the weight of the unknown settle in. "My Void Barrier holds, but only to a point. The more attacks it takes, the faster it drains me. If the force is too much, it'll shatter."
He hesitated. There was a way. If he physically enclosed her within the Void Barrier's range—if he held her close—it might work. The thought sent an uncomfortable heat creeping up his neck, but he shoved it aside. This wasn't the time to dwell on that.
Instead, he squared his shoulders and met her gaze. "If it's just for a short time… yeah, I can try." His voice was steadier now, though he kept his real plan to himself. "Why? What did you sense?"
Xhaelyn moved swiftly, her small frame surprisingly agile as she weaved through the cluttered storage room. She wasn't just looking for another exit; she was assessing the environment, searching for anything they could use to their advantage. Her heightened senses picked up the subtle shifts in the air, the almost imperceptible hum of approaching unique energy signatures growing stronger with each passing second.
"Two from the east corridor, one… stronger signature, approaching from the west," she murmured, her voice barely audible. "And another, fainter one, likely a scout, from the north." Her mental map of the hideout, pieced together during their brief escape and her earlier sensory sweep, was proving invaluable.
"They're converging," she stated, her eyes landing on a stack of overturned barrels near the back wall, partially obscuring the ill-fitting door she'd noticed earlier. "That's our exit. But we need to get there without being intercepted."
She glanced at Zeritheus, who was still near the center of the room, the air around him shimmering almost imperceptibly. "Not yet. Wait for my signal." Her gaze then fixed on a pile of loose canvas sheets and discarded ropes. A plan, quick and risky, was forming in her mind.
The first shout echoed from the east corridor, closer now. "They're in here!"
"Now, Zerith!" Xhaelyn barked, already snatching a large canvas sheet.