Chapter 30: The mastermind
"Is this all of them?"
Claire asked of Aliana as she wiped the blood off her cheeks, which had splattered on her while killing the heretics hiding within the cave. Jaden stared at the face reflecting on the blue blade.
Eyes filled with nothing but cold darkness, Jaden looked at all the bodies lying on the ground. He listened to Aliana and Claire's conversations while glaring at the red marks covering his reflection.
"No, I assume."
The people they had come across till now were just too weak to be the masterminds behind everything. They had taken care of everyone near the kids in cages.
Snap
With a snap of her fingers, Aliana broke the metal bars of the cages, letting the children out from there. Glancing at them, she began drawing circle-like shapes on the ground.
As she touched strange, symmetrical designs, a glow of light engulfed their vision for a moment. Aliana had poured her magic into them cautiously.
"Kids, stand on this. You will reach the safest place possible."
She had created a circle that would teleport the people standing on it to their homes. But what if someone didn't have a home? Considering that, she set it up so that they would be sent to some orphanage.
"N-no. We w-won't."
A boy among the children said this while shielding a small girl behind him. Their limbs had become thin due to malnutrition and a lack of exercise.
"T-that's right!"
Most of them were aware of the kind of situation they were in. Thanks to that, it became even harder for them to trust people.
"..."
Aliana stood silent as the kids tried to raise their voices against her. Claire, who understood where they were coming from very well, bit her own lips. But still, it was too much.
"You ungrateful bunch."
Jaden's face went pale, seeing what Claire was doing. She used her wind magic to force children to stand on the magic-imbued circle.
"Shut up and stop wasting our time any further."
Claire was sure that Aliana wouldn't use any magic to harm someone needlessly. If Aliana was different from what Claire expected her to be, Claire wouldn't have been standing in front of them.
She lost count of how many people she pushed into the circle after 70. There were about 150 children who seemed to be kidnapped or just picked up from the streets.
Aliana held Jaden's hands so that he didn't get a chance to stop Claire from doing what she was doing. But it wasn't like she was doing anything bad either way.
Given how rude the kids were to the people who had freed them from their cages, Claire had all right to just abandon them there. But instead of doing that, she was helping them.
"W-wait. I want to stay with you."
Her red hair fluttered as she used her wind magic to resist Claire's magic. The blue eyes that shone brightly with determination left Claire in awe for a moment.
Claire smiled awkwardly, looking at the girl in front of her. A person with experience like Claire was having a hard time with a little kid. That's just how much talent and potential the girl had.
A thought rose in Claire's mind. What if, instead of sending the girl away, she gave her a valid reason to come along with them?
"I have decided."
Claire's smile brightened up as she began pushing all the remaining kids, except the girl, towards the circle. She continued to speak.
"I shall take her as my disciple."
Even though Claire hadn't seen much of the world, she had keen eyes to determine one's potential. And the person in front of her had an overwhelming latent talent for wind magic.
That wasn't the only reason Claire had let the girl stay behind. There was one more thing left unattended till now.
"Do you happen to know a boy with silky, light brown hair?"
Claire asked this while pushing the last crying kid into the circle. She brushed her hands together, shaking off the dust on them.
"He had ocean blue eyes."
The girl put her hand on her mouth for a while, trying to remember. Fidgeting around a bit, she smiled brightly.
"I know! He was taken away a long time ago."
Claire's smile dropped upon hearing those words. She had expected it somewhat. But to what extent?
"Say... How long have you been kept here for?"
Claire was feeling nervous as the words came out of her mouth. She had a bad feeling about this.
"I don't really remember it. But I think about six or seven months."
Her head tilted as her expression showed how clueless she was about it. They had spent a lot of time trapped in the cages.
As she felt the rage growing within her, Claire unknowingly began gathering her magic to blast off the cave. If she had done so, they would've been buried alive.
-[Stop that at once! You dumb girl!]
The voice that had been silent for a while shouted at Claire loudly. This made Claire gain back her senses, and Aliana let out a sigh of relief.
Jaden didn't say a word but stood aside calmly, witnessing everything. It's not like he could've done anything to prevent anything that has happened till now.
"Can you lead us to where they took him?"
The girl nodded her head roughly in response to Aliana's question. Already, about one hour had passed, and she had one more hour to find Ricky.
Jaden looked at Aliana's smile while following the girl, who looked as innocent as ever. Once again, he swallowed the bitter feelings, knowing about the real face of the woman in front of him.
The girl led them into another small cave within the cave. It seemed like they were being taken to some other cave connected to the one they entered internally.
Aliana and Claire followed the girl nonchalantly, unlike Jaden, who was worried sick. But worried about what? He had only one thing on his mind.
'I won't be sleeping tonight, I guess.'
---------------
"Watch your steps."
The path three people were following the girl through had no light. Unaware of the fact that Aliana, Claire, and Jaden were able to see in the dark thanks to Claire's potion, the girl tried to warn them.
A few minutes had passed since they had entered the small cave. They had no idea they were being led to, and yet Aliana had an unbothered smile. Claire continued to hum while walking behind Jaden.
With a woman putting on a carefree smile and another singing regardless of their situation, Jaden was feeling uneasy. He wondered what would happen if someone sneaked up to attack them.
Shaking his head lightly, he tried to erase negative thoughts from his mind. Just a while ago, he was able to see the shabby clothes the girl was wearing clearly, but now his vision has become slightly dark. The effects of the potion had begun to wear off.
"We are almost there."
The girl's soft voice continued to lead them as an eerie silence began to fill their surroundings. They could see the end of the path, which glowed slightly in front of them.
Snap
Jaden pulled out his sword while bracing himself to fight back in case someone or something attacked them. Aliana smiled lightly, glancing at him.
'Some things never change...'
As Aliana was thinking, suddenly, the girl who was walking in front of her came to a stop. Petrified by the terror of what she was witnessing, her knees touched the ground.
Aliana's gaze shifted towards what the girl was looking at. Before she realised it, she had begun gathering her mana in one spot.
Swish
The sound resonated with the air throughout the cave as something flew at high speed in a certain direction. The huge altar in front of them was drenched in red.
Jaden's gaze fell next to the altar. A huge pillar that had someone tied to it. He could feel his blood boiling from anger.
Clank
The sword in his hands grazed against the metallic chains that bound the thin figure to the pillar. Jaden moved his fingers close to the boy's nostrils.
'He is alive...'
Though it was light, the boy was still breathing. Jaden held him in his left arm while swiftly moving close to Aliana.
"Calm down already."
He said this to Aliana while handing over the boy to Claire. Tears of relief and joy filled her eyes upon seeing Ricky safe and alive in her arms.
Jaden's gaze shifted in the direction Aliana sent her magic. The smoke that encompassed their field of view slowly faded away.
A person wearing a robe stood amidst the fading brown smoke. As he saw the two standing in front of him, a sinister smile crept on his lips.
Jaden was shocked by the fact that the person had managed to defend himself against Aliana's magic. On the other hand, Aliana was preparing multiple spells at once.
The heat of fire and the cold of ice spread simultaneously in the air. Seeing that, Jaden spoke while putting his arm in front of Aliana.
"Stop it for a while."
Aliana's eyebrows frowned as she continued to channel her mana into the atmosphere. But as soon as her gaze met Jaden's eyes, brimming with coldness, she bit her lips, and the magic dissipated into a void.
The person in front of them moved a bit backwards unconsciously as he saw Jaden's eyes pointing the blade towards him. He could feel an overwhelming hesitation as Jaden spoke in a cold tone.
"Why did you do that to them?"
The person standing there was the one behind everything until now. Someone strong enough to be standing unscathed after receiving a head-on hit from Aliana's magic.
The smile he had extended even further. He turned his face towards the altar, which had similar robes to the one he was wearing lying around it.
Not only did he kidnap and imprison innocent children for no one knows how long, but he also offered his own companions as sacrifices. Jaden realised the situation even before Aliana, whose judgement had been clouded by the rage.
"Why? Don't you see the results of their noble sacrifices? The magic of someone like you can't even touch me anymore."
Soon, the words transformed into laughter. The cave vibrated from the laughter of the maniac, whose face was still partially hidden. Jaden bit his lips and spoke.
"Can you use 'that' magic you used the day before on me?"
Aliana smiled lightly, understanding what Jaden was talking about. They both had no reason to show mercy to someone who was willing to sacrifice even his comrades to gain strength.
Snap
"Sure~"
She snapped her fingers while smiling brightly. Maybe her smile was so bright that the heretic's vision went white and his laughter was heard no more.
BAMMMMM
The sound resonated within his ears as he could feel his head bursting from pain. He didn't even realise what had just happened.
Slowly opening his eyes, red engulfed his view. He tried to speak, but something was blocking his mouth. He could feel the texture of the skin on his face.
'Huh...? It... hurts?'
The pain ran throughout his body as Jaden slammed him right into the ground. Watching him groan in pain, Jaden bit his own lips.
Slash
Something pierced the man's robe, passing through his abdomen. The shouts were bottled up due to the palm grabbing his mouth tightly. Tears flowed down along with the blood.
"Wherever is the strength and power you just spoke about?"
Jaden pushed the sword even deeper through his stomach. His expression and voice had become the coldest. The rage was visible in his dark blue eyes.
Snap
The sound made his pain subside, making him feel relieved. But the smile on the lips of the man grabbing his mouth said something else.
"Don't worry. This is just the beginning."
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AbyssKun00
AbyssKun00 2 chapters tomorrow~
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