"Freon, did you feel that? That was-"
"My uncle's True Perception. He must have arrived," he replied calmly.
"We didn't tell him about our plans though, so how…" She paused. "Is it that 'karmic' ability?"
"It should be that. I don't know how it works, but he must have sensed me and my sister's condition. That's why he came to rescue us."
Elizabeth sighed. "If we knew that, then we could have waited for him to arrive, instead of getting stuck in this mess."
"What should we do? Wait for him to arrive?" Freon asked.
She leaned back with a relaxed expression. "Well, that's certainly an option. It's better than running around and getting killed."
"I can agree to that," he chuckled. "Did you manage to sense Martial Energy, by the way?"
"I think I did, but… I can't control it. I guess I was asking for too much."
Freon clenched his fist repeatedly. "It's strangely similar to Magic Energy, except, instead of being concentrated in the Core, it's scattered throughout the body. I tried to use my Magic Perception to control it, like how I would for World Energy or Magic Energy. The principle should be the same, yet I couldn't get it to work."
"I don't think it's that simple. If you could use a Magic Perception to control Martial Energy, then what would be the point of a Martial Perception? They should be different."
"I guess that's true. No shortcuts for us then."
"Still, what we did was pretty impressive," Elizabeth argued. "We sensed Martial Energy in… an hour? Whereas Benedict and Shirley needed months. We're plenty fast already."
He laughed. "Except we still can't get out of here. But I will admit, I didn't think we'd get this far."
"Benedict and Shirley will surely be surprised when we see them again. Nassandra and Yuna too."
"I hope so. I have a lot of things to ask Nassandra. Why she chose to run away. Why she chose to come here. I don't know what she's thinking about at all… Some brother I am," he mocked.
Elizabeth looked at him, or more specifically where his voice was, and considered her words. "I probably told you this already. Before I came here… Before I came to this world, I had a little sister and an older brother on New Havens." She smiled as she reminisced. "They were both a handful, you know? My sister Aisa was playful and mischievous. She always had that big goofy smile on her face and big puffy cheeks that begged to be squeezed. My older brother Edward was about to get married and move out, except he was helpless when it came to housework. He was always complaining to our parents… What I mean to say is that we cherished each other. We wanted to support each other, to protect each other, to make each other smile, so I can understand where Nassandra is coming from. Freon, why are you trying to protect Nassandra?"
"Do you have to ask? I'm her older brother. It's my mistake letting her become a Ten Dawn. From now on, she doesn't need to fight or get hurt. I will do that in her place. That's my role."
"Don't you think it's the same for Nassandra?"
"…"
"She probably doesn't want to see you getting hurt anymore, so she's trying to prove that she can stand on her own two feet, that she doesn't need your protection anymore. I'm sure she came to the mountains to prove that. In truth, you already knew that. You just didn't want to accept it."
"Of course, I don't want to," he admitted.
"And neither does she."
"…"
"You're both stubborn people, but in this case, you're the one that's wrong," Elizabeth said. "Have you ever considered her perspective? Her feelings? I'm sure you'll find your answer there."
"I…" He averted his gaze, only to discover a light rapidly approaching them. "Elizabeth, get ready! Something is coming!"
She jumped to her feet and asked, "Is it your uncle?"
"No, it's not a spell. It's either a person or an enemy!"
"Then let's run!" she shouted, grabbing his arm. "We can't fight like this!"
"It's too late," he answered.
They braced themselves, but they were surprised to see that light floating by itself. When it neared, it dissolved into thin air, leaving behind a long trail of light where it came from. Elizabeth and Freon were dumbfounded. This went against their expectations.
Elizabeth hesitated. "Do you think we should follow it?"
"That seems logical, but… it isn't my uncle's spell."
"Maybe it's a martial technique from the Featherwind Sect? Elder Unvo did something similar before. The insects wouldn't do something so contrived."
"We should follow it then. It's already starting to fade!" Freon noticed. He started running.
Elizabeth chased after him; however, they were both noticeably exhausted. Although they 'rested' for what felt like an hour, they had no food or water. They could not even properly relax, since they were in an unfamiliar environment surrounded by enemies so, their physical conditions did not improve much. Elizabeth and Freon ran so slowly that a child could have passed them. The stale air stung their lungs, while sharp rocks stabbed through their boots. Everything hurt. Sweat covered their brows and stuck to their clothes, making them feel worse.
But… perhaps, this was a blessing in disguise because every time they moved, they could feel the blood pumping through their lungs, their hearts, and their legs. After they sensed Martial Energy for the first time, they became extremely sensitive to its existence. They could keenly feel its movement throughout their bodies. Of course, it was not to the extent they could wield it or use martial techniques. It did strengthen their awareness, however. Assuming they escaped from these caves, it would only be a matter of time before they succeeded, and then their combat abilities would take another large step forward.
"Are we… sure this is… the way out?" Freon gasped for breath. They were climbing a steep incline, which made every step harder than the last.
Elizabeth panted heavily behind him. "It must be. The Featherwind Sect… wouldn't try something when… your uncle is here."
"Then where… Where is he?"
"I… I don't know… Let's take a rest. I can't go on!"
They crawled over to a relatively flat area and plopped down. When Elizabeth saw that light trail continue off into the distance, a different kind of dread crept up in her. She was suddenly unsure whether her body could keep up. Maybe that light trail would disappear first. And there was the question that Freon brought up… Where was Protector Avin? He was definitely here, because of that True Perception, yet he was nowhere to be seen. Was it because he had no method to save them, so he had to rely on the Featherwind Sect? Or was he occupied by something else? It was all very puzzling.
Freon spoke up, "You've realized, right? We can't escape at this rate."
"Should we use spells then? I have enough Magic Energy for one spell."
"I can use two. I'll go first." He scratched his cheek awkwardly. "I'll need to hold you, if that's okay with you."
She chuckled. "You're asking me that now?"
"I just wanted to make sure," he muttered.
Thankfully, the darkness hid his embarrassment well. Without waiting for a reply, he lifted Elizabeth, and casted Spring Step. With a bang, they rapidly ascended. But even after two consecutive Spring Steps, they were still nowhere near the top. Freon released Elizabeth and she started casting her own movement spell. At that moment, boom! There was a massive explosion behind them! Wind blasted Elizabeth and Freon, along with rocks and dust. They were knocked off their feet and slammed into the ground. The noise also deafened and dazed them. Elizabeth had it worse, since she was in the middle of casting a spell, so she backlashed. Blood filled her mouth. Muttering a curse, she wondered what in the world happened. The dust cloud had yet to settle, when an ear-shattering roar tore through the smoke, followed by the familiar long body of a Beast Lord. The Rank 2 Silk Snapping Turtle Insect made its reappearance! Elizabeth trembled. Neither Freon nor her had any Magic Energy left. How were they supposed to escape? It was the worst possible scenario!