Capítulo 17: Where Should Xion Run To?
Xion tugged his hood lower until it fell to his chin. His feet moved in a frenzy as he paced inside the room.
No matter how hard he tried to think of a solution, nothing seemed to work.
All of his solutions halted at one point. Eli. He had left her once. He could not bring himself to do that again.
From the way things were, it was already clear enough that Soren had asked Caspian's help and that had dragged poor Eli into this quagmire.
Were they thinking about using Eli as a pawn?
He recalled what he had seen just a moment ago. Eli was standing quietly beside Caspian Hale.
Xion's tense shoulders eased just slightly as he studied her. Her face was normal. It was calm, though void of her usual warm smile.
Xion was relieved to see that, at least, she was not in as bad of a condition as he had left her in. But that sense of calm was fleeting.
Xion couldn't stay here much longer. If he did not find a way out within the next few minutes, Soren would undoubtedly drag him back to the marquis' estate.
And this time, Soren was not going to respect any brotherly boundary. The young master's hungry gaze had already told Xion so very clearly.
The thought of being chained to that gilded cage made his stomach churn.
His steps resumed their frantic pace as his mind looped through possibilities before discarding them just as quickly.
The old man won't help me against someone like Soren. No one here will.
Xion stopped abruptly before silently moving toward the door and pressed his ear to the wooden frame.
The muffled sound of voices reached him through the partition. One voice was low and familiar, though he could not place it immediately.
And then it all clicked.
His heart sank even further as he froze in place. The realization crept up on him like ice spreading through his veins.
The old man's son.
How could he have forgotten? Last night, Xion had noticed someone assisting the old man. It was a silent male who hardly spoke any word.
At that time, Xion did feel something amiss. Nonetheless, he threw it at the back of his head due to his own troubles. Only now did he piece it together.
Raymond Eldritch was the one who supported the old man when he treated his leg. It was Ray!
His legs almost gave up as he staggered back. A fresh wave of panic rose in his stomach.
His heart, a restless beast, was so loud that Xion wondered if those outside the room could also hear it.
He patted his chest in an attempt to calm his unrhythmic beats. Calm down, Xion. We can do it. All we need to do is just find a little hint, and we can run away.
Xion encouraged himself while taking a few deep breaths. Soren Vaelis, Caspian Hale, Raymond Eldritch, and his scary master.
He silently stepped away from the door after locking it from inside. His gaze drifted to the huge window once again as he bit on the inner flesh of his lower lip.
The thought of jumping returned, but his gaze flickered back to Eli and Caspian standing below. Their postures were relaxed, but Xion knew better than to mistake that for inattention.
He slumped back against the wall as he dragged a shaky hand through his hair. The sound of talking grew louder. Those people were arguing about something, and that only meant one thing for Xion. They would soon enter the room.
His eyes immediately darted between the door and the window. Think. Think! He muttered under his breath.
Finally, an idea struck him. A desperate, reckless idea, but it was all he could think of.
He grabbed the duvet he had been clutching earlier to hide from Soren and quickly bundled up a random object from the room.
A lamp, a vase, a broomstick, anything with weight, and tied them all tightly to make it look like a person.
Outside, the voices fell silent, and the footsteps grew louder. Xion could even feel the creaking of the floor vibrating into his very bones.
With trembling hands, Xion hurled the makeshift decoy out of the window.
The object landed with a loud crash. It rolled onto the cobblestone below a few times before stopping near the huge old tree's jumbled roots.
Caspian's sharp gaze immediately snapped toward the movement, and his face darkened.
"Stay here," he ordered Eli coldly, before running toward the dummy. While doing so he touched a faint blue crystal embedded in his cufflink.
He whispered something into it, and Xion knew it was a magical signal.
In an instant, the wooden frame of the door rattled as someone banged on it with enough force to shake the entire room.
Xion's heart raced, but he did not freeze from fear, not this time. He dove near the door that was about to be forced open. Pressing himself flat against the wall, he slowed his breathing.
The door burst open with a crack, slamming against the wall so hard it nearly ricocheted. A few splinters flew onto the floor along with the broken handle Xion had locked just a few minutes ago.
Soren's sharp blue gaze snapped to the flapping curtains. His jaw tightened as if already imagining his prey slipping through his grasp.
"Did the bastard jump?" Soren spoke through clenched teeth as he rushed to the window without hesitation.
Behind him, the flustered old man also followed in with a tight frown on his forehead. Just a few steps behind was Ray.
Unlike Soren and a worried-looking old man, Ray didn't rush to the window. He silently scanned the room while calmly walking forward.
Xion did not dare to move an inch as he watched with a bated breath. His gaze was entirely focused on Ray approaching the opposite wall step by step. Then Ray halted mid-step.
Much to his horror, Ray turned around and accurately locked his eyes on his body.
He saw me!
Although, Xion knew it wouldn't be as easy to fool everyone at once, especially a trained soldier like Ray. However, he also did not expect Ray to find him so soon!
Without wasting a second, Xion reached into his robe and pulled out the small ball-like smoke bomb he had bought from the system for emergencies. Fifty merit points had never felt more worth it.
Ray opened his mouth to shout, but it was too late. Xion hurled the small black orb directly at Ray, and it exploded mid-air with a loud pop.
The grey wisps swirled in the air, and in an instant, the entire room was filled with the dense grey smoke.
It was so intense that Ray could not even see his own fingers, let alone the small figure hiding near the door.
"You bastard! Come back!" Soren shouted at the top of his lungs as he tried to use magic to get rid of the fog.
But this was no ordinary smoke bomb. The smoke had a special effect.
For those who inhaled it, the space became an endless labyrinth. The effect was totally mental and varied for everyone.
For Soren, he was in the middle of the sea and no matter how he swam he only went deeper into the waters. The situation was entirely different for the old man who found himself standing at the cliff, and fighting off a green Orc.
Xion did not even wait to see their reactions. He had no intention of exploring these special effects himself. The moment that palm-sized bomb left his fingers, he bolted out of the room.
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