"Finally, I've found you!" a voice said from behind Mok.
"Ah! It's you, Pax. How did you find me?" the butler asked, surprised.
The person in the cell, who had been lying on a cold metal bed until then, slowly rose. "Pax? Did I hear that right? Did you say Pax?" she asked curiously.
"You!" Pax exclaimed, astonished.
"Yes, it's me," the prisoner replied as she approached the bars. She was a young woman with features resembling a pineapple but with a humanoid appearance. Her hair, tied up in a high ponytail, resembled a black ninja star.
"Paris!" Pax exclaimed, recognizing her instantly. "What are you doing here? Were you captured?"
"Well, my friend, we've had some trouble with the resistance," Paris explained in a relaxed tone, despite the circumstances. "I set up some devices to destroy one of their fortresses, but unfortunately, I was surrounded and captured."
"And what happened to the others? Where are they? They couldn't have left you alone," Pax asked, concerned.
"I'm sorry, Lukeandria, but I bought time for the others to escape. Only Chip died while trying to hold them off," Paris replied sadly.
"No… Poor Chip. I knew that someday he'd end up dead because of how extremely he took things," Pax murmured, lowering her gaze.
The two continued talking, but Mok cleared his throat lightly to interrupt them. "I think we should leave this place. We can continue talking later," the butler suggested, discreetly gesturing toward the cell door.
They both nodded, and Mok used one of his magical rings to freeze the lock on the door, allowing Paris to step out. As soon as she did, the young woman ran directly toward Lukeandria, who already knew who Pax was, and embraced her tightly.
Mok quickly intervened: "Is anyone else from your group captured?"
"No, no one else," Paris replied. "But we need to figure out where the source controlling this kingdom is. I can feel it—it's close."
"I knew it," Lukeandria said. "There's something strange about this place."
"We'd better get out of here," Mok instructed, taking charge of the situation. The three agreed, and Mok used his magical rings to clear a path.
"Wow! That butler of yours is full of surprises," Paris commented admiringly.
"You don't know half of it," Lukeandria responded with a half-smile.
They exited the palace, but not before grabbing one of the books filled with strange scribbles that Mok hadn't been able to decipher. They made their way across several rooftops, but on one of them, the roof collapsed under their weight, causing them to fall into an abandoned house.
A shrill noise echoed through the air: the alarm. It began to blare, alerting everyone in the area that the prisoner had escaped.
Quickly, Mok grabbed an old sheet he found on the floor and fashioned it with his knives into an improvised hood and cloak, draping it over Paris.
"Follow me this way," Lukeandria said, who knew the path well from her arrival. The other two followed without hesitation, weaving through several hallways as they watched a large contingent of guards begin to move through the area. General Tredus was accompanied by a group of soldiers, inspecting and sending reinforcements to various points.
Lukeandria, Mok, and Paris moved through the dark passageways as they saw the soldiers ignite their torches with black fire, its sinister light illuminating every path.
They found a grate that led them to the drainage system. As they descended, Lukeandria felt something strange but paid it no mind; they were being pursued by the guards, and there was no time to stop.
They continued following the trail of the underground canals, just as Lukeandria had done before, until they reached one of the grates that led directly into the restaurant's bathroom.
"This way," Lukeandria instructed, carefully lifting the grate. Once above, they exited through the door to check if anyone was nearby, but the place was empty. They decided to leave the restaurant cautiously, walking in silence.
Lukeandria asked Mok if he knew where Paltio and his friends were, but the butler shook his head. "I left without thinking," he admitted. "But if we see the carriage parked somewhere, it's likely the prince is there."
"Mok, that's either a stupid idea… or a good one," Lukeandria replied sarcastically, though there was no time to argue. Soldiers were everywhere, searching for them.
Suddenly, in one of the alleys, Mok began to hear a familiar voice. Without a second thought, he pulled the two young women and quickly entered one of the nearby houses.
"And that's what happened," Mok explained upon seeing Paltio, who, without hesitation, embraced the butler in relief.
"I'm glad you're okay, Lukeandria," Alita said with a smile.
"Not thanks to you," she replied dryly.
"And who's the person with you?" Paltio asked, pointing at Paris.
Before they could respond, voices were heard outside the house. The guards were searching every home, drawing dangerously close.
"There's no time, young master," Mok said urgently.
"And where do we hide her?" Lukeandria asked, looking at Paris.
"Her?" Ron said, confused.
"I'll explain later," Lukeandria quickly responded.
"Why don't we put her in Paltio's bag with Nakia and Chiki?" Alita interrupted, proposing a solution.
"Great idea!" Ron exclaimed.
"I'm not sure if a person can even fit inside that bag," Paltio hesitated, eyeing the small object.
"There's no time to test it," Lukeandria insisted. She approached Paris and whispered something in her ear. The young woman nodded, understanding the situation.
Paltio opened his small magical bag, and Paris immediately stepped inside, disappearing along with Nakia and Chiki.
General Tredus knocked on the door, and Paltio opened it cautiously, allowing him to enter. The leader of the soldiers scanned each of them carefully before speaking.
"Have you seen any suspicious individuals in this area?" Tredus asked in an authoritative tone.
The group quickly shook their heads. "No, sir, we haven't seen anyone," Paltio replied calmly. Rykaru was about to say something, but Paltio instantly silenced him by firmly covering his mouth.
Tredus frowned, clearly dissatisfied with their answers. His eyes swept across every corner of the room, pausing at the nervous glances exchanged by the group. Though he had no proof, he decided to search the place anyway.
Several of his men entered, meticulously inspecting every object. They looked under furniture, checked closets, and examined every nook and cranny. However, they found nothing out of the ordinary.
Failing to uncover what they were looking for, Tredus prepared to leave. Before exiting, he issued a warning: "If you see anyone suspicious, report it to me immediately."
They all nodded quickly. "Of course, sir," Paltio responded with feigned seriousness.
Once the general and his men had moved away, the group collectively exhaled in relief.
"Whew, that was close," Paltio murmured, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead.
"But… someone suspicious? Everyone here is suspicious, just look at how they're acting," Ron quipped with a sarcastic smile, breaking the tension of the moment.
Once the initial shock subsided, Paltio decided to open the small magical bag, allowing Paris to step out. Lukeandria took the opportunity to introduce her to the group.
"I'll tell you about her," Lukeandria began. "Her name is Paris, and she's part of my resistance group against the shadows."
However, what everyone wanted to know was the reason for her presence there. Paris slowly removed her hood and, after looking at them all with a determined expression, said:
"Alright, fine… I'll tell you."