-Callen-

  Two days after I warned Sis about the presence of bandits, my connection to her went quiet. Despite my warning, something had happened. Without any input from her, I needed to organize an effective rescue mission. Why does she always run off, getting herself in over her head? Grandpa always hammered in caution and preparation whenever I was present for our training sessions. Did he push the opposite for her?

  I waited to see if she was just sleeping through an odd time frame, but after 12 hours I suspected it wasn’t a spontaneous nap. I sorted my equipment and quickly finished repairing my equipment that had been pushed to the limit in the previous battle.

  Considering she was alive but unconscious, it was unlikely she was in overly imminent danger, which could mean a wide variety of things. It might be giant spiders that have her webbed up, or she tripped and knocked herself unconscious on the road. I needed to be ready for any circumstances. I could tell she was a similar distance from me to her first disaster.

  Luckily the urgent demands upon our return to town this time were much easier to sort out, so Reesia shouldn’t have trouble packing up for another rescue mission. When I let her know, Reesia’s stoic demeanor cracked just a bit in frustration. She had been so busy reorganizing the town watch. While I had been busy setting everything that had been set aside back on track, she had been working all night reorganizing and settling the new shifts for the town watch.

  Still, Reesia didn’t hesitate to delegate command to her team of senior officers. By the time we were fully equipped, it was already late. The sun was dipping toward the horizon, and visibility would decrease immensely. However, that would also mean the night predators would be getting up soon, and if she was alone and helpless, it meant there might be consequences if we delayed further.

  I hopped into the two-man glider, and Reesia braced herself for takeoff. Just as I feed my mana, Callia reaches out to me. I nearly crashed the glider, which was just lifting off the ground. Reesia looks at me in confusion about my sudden jerking of control from the surprise. I adjust our heading just in case she still needs us, but as she explains her situation, I can’t help but feel even more frustrated.

  I had literally just warned my sister about the dangerous group of bandits, and what she does is she charges headfirst without backup! I’m going to need to have a serious conversation with Grandpa about his teaching strategy. I can’t control the groan I make as she insists I hold off on a rescue attempt. Like I needed her to warn me against rushing headfirst into a bandit camp we are unprepared to handle! News flash, sis: not all of us are crazy!

  I am immensely relieved that she isn’t in imminent danger, but I can’t help but worry about what other consequences leaving her in their control will have. With a new understanding of the situation, I share the details with Reesia, who seems just as irked as I was. I put us back down and set all my emergency operation equipment nearby in case something changes. I quietly pray that someday she mellows out, even if my gut is telling me I shouldn’t get my hopes up.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  Sis might think she has the situation under control, but I don’t plan on waiting. The idea of her trapped who knows where, surrounded by bandits, is way too precarious. However, now that I know what we’re up against, I can properly prep my equipment for the task ahead.

  -Callia-

  Ralf continued to talk to me while I just listened in to discern anything that might be remotely useful. The most apparent thing that stuck out to me was the loneliness he experienced. The main reason he was spending so much time talking to me was likely because he enjoyed having someone listening to him. Now the big issue was the continued existence of the gag. I wish I had taken my opportunity while he was letting me eat to chat, but I’m sure I’ll get more chances later.

  Eventually he yawns and seems satisfied with today's talk. Forgetting to cover my eyes, he gets up and shuffles into another room off to the side. I’m going to take the fact he forgot to cover my eyes again as a win. That doesn’t mean it was particularly helpful in getting myself free.

  What might be helpful, though, is the shoddily built throne he left behind right next to me. Just close enough that I can slightly rub my ankles' binding rope against the chair. With continuous efforts and persistence, I discover that prison escape movies make it look way easier than it is. Hours of work manifest as a barely perceivable scratch on my bindings.

  I sigh into my gag. Making any real progress with my leg binding would take weeks, and I doubt they would be kind enough to leave the throne displaced from its original spot like it currently is. Instead, I take a look at the other three people tied up in the room. I recognize one as my brother's other healer friend, Gard, or was it Gurad? I’m not sure; it never seemed to be important at the time. The other captives are the leader of the detachment we left behind and someone who looked like some kind of officer from the baron’s army.

  I try my best to relax in the bindings. When another idea hits. I had left Dad’s spear behind, but I could still distinctly feel a connection to it, just like I did to my brother, and my affinity was still adjusted to growth/decay. I try to control my mana, making it stretch out from me onto the rope and reverse my regeneration. Immediately I feel sick to my stomach and force myself to stop. Checking the rope, I see it slightly fraying, like it is much older than it appears. I almost wish it didn’t work with how uncomfortable it was, but I really shouldn’t complain because I now had met the bare minimum requirement for an escape.

  Collapse of Eldraine

  Lexia hummed to herself while the city of Eldraine was finally visible in the distance. She happily thought about whether she should abduct and ‘rescue’ the promising children but was hesitant. What if she went through all that effort and it was for a bunch of worthless brats? However, as she approached, she noticed nobody manning the gate.

  Confused, she moved up to the gate, only to jump back startled as the opening mechanism was triggered without any inspection. The gate completely opened, revealing a quite abandoned city. The goods strewn about haphazardly and the deafening silence immediately rang like alarm bells in her head. Still, curiosity won as she cautiously stalked in past the gate to see who had let her in.

  The gate fell down, slamming shut and locking her inside. She raised her hands, expecting some kind of ambush, but nothing moved. She checked the gate winch and found the operating room abandoned. Deciding enough was enough, she moved for the stairs to climb the wall and jump down.

  With a shrill shriek, a massive worm burst from the ground; using its mass as a hammer, it swept down the stairs. It crushed the railing and cracked the stairs, forcing Lexia to abandon that exit strategy. Worse still, the shriek echoed throughout the entire city. Massive gray worms started bursting out from the abandoned towers and rooms in the wall. Lexia had no choice but to retreat towards the city.

  With the danger apparent, she steered clear of obstacles that might conceal more worms while outrunning the worms that had spotted her. With grace and precision, she easily maneuvered through the city before finding a massive broken chunk of wall. She ran from the city, escaping to the north. She looks back and sees a massive worm easily twice the size of the wall erupt in the center of town. A strong feeling of being watched trails after her while she sprints down the path. It wasn’t the same level as her father, but it was still far more dangerous than she was prepared to face.