Eric walked forward, supporting the severely wounded Arthur against his shoulder, taking heavy steps toward the darkness from which the predator had emerged.
Eric thought that the predator must have entered this place through another entrance, which explained its sudden appearance, but the darkness of that corner completely prevented him from seeing anything.
Eric seated Arthur against the wall, leaving him leaning against it, then grabbed a hanging torch and began searching the area.
There did not seem to be any hidden door, nor any opening above through which someone could enter.
He spent several moments inspecting the walls and the stone surfaces, searching for any clue that could lead him to the entrance. However, he suddenly felt a warm liquid touch his leg.
The moment he turned around, he noticed a long trail of red liquid stretching all the way to Arthur, who was barely conscious.
It was then that he realized it was his blood.
Eric rushed toward him and laid him on his back, then began examining his condition.
— Arthur!!
Eric slapped Arthur's face several times, trying to wake him, but the latter responded only with a dazed expression and unintelligible words.
Eric turned his attention to the bleeding wound and tore away the clothes covering Arthur's abdomen, only to find a deep wound extending from the right side of his abdomen all the way to his back.
Eric realized that treating such a wound was beyond his ability.
He tore off a piece of his shirt and fashioned it into a long bandage, then tightly wrapped it around the wound, trying to stop the bleeding as much as possible.
After that, he resumed searching for an exit, realizing that time was running out if he wanted to save Arthur.
While inspecting the ground, his fingernail struck something metallic.
He quickly bent down and brushed the dust away, revealing it to be a manhole cover.
He grabbed the handle and pulled the cover until it opened, releasing a suffocating stench of sewage that nearly choked him.
He lowered the torch into the opening and saw an iron ladder stretching down into the depths.
(...There was no other choice...)
Eric carried Arthur onto his back and stood before the ladder. Then, he began descending slowly, relying on his right hand to grip the rungs of the ladder, while his left hand held Arthur's unconscious body firmly against his back.
....
With every step downward, Eric struggled not to slip.
Descending those stairs was like walking down steps covered in oil, while carrying a weight on his back as heavy as chunks of iron, with only one hand to cling to the ladder.
Fortunately, the ladder was not long.
The moment Eric's feet touched the sewage walkway, Arthur slipped from his back and fell to the ground.
As for Eric, he dropped onto one knee, struggling to catch his breath after the effort he had exerted.
After a few brief moments of recovering his breath, he stood up again.
He carried Arthur onto his back once more, then set off, making his way through the sewage tunnels in search of any exit that could lead them away from that place.
.....
Eric followed long pathways that might lead somewhere far from the colony.
Since he and Arthur were at the bottom of the colony, Eric followed a set of stairs leading upward.
Walking cautiously along a narrow walkway, with the sounds of flowing water mingling with the noises of rats and the suffocating stench filling the place, all Eric could do was move forward through the darkness while being careful not to slip into the current of water.
After a long while of walking, they reached a higher level. In the corner of one of the paths, Eric found another ladder leading upward.
Eric placed Arthur against a wall and climbed the ladder, attempting to inspect what lay above.
A manhole cover appeared difficult to remove.
Eric tried pushing it from below, but to no avail.
Before taking any further action, Eric brought his ear close to the edge of the cover, attempting to catch any sound that might reveal exactly where he was.
He heard nothing, which meant that he was still in the forest.
...
Eric struck the manhole cover several times with powerful blows from his hand and the hilt of his sword, attempting to move it even slightly without making enough noise to attract attention.
During this, his ears began picking up sounds other than the rushing of the water.
They were voices that sounded like two people having a conversation.
Eric stopped what he was doing and focused his hearing toward the voices, following his instincts.
And indeed...
The voices gradually became clearer.
He quickly descended the ladder, pulling Arthur with him into another corner of the passage.
As he did so, he caught sight of the faint light of a torch slowly appearing in the distance.
That was when he became certain that he was not alone.
But another dilemma arose.
The torch he was carrying was his only source of vision in that darkness, yet its light would undoubtedly attract the attention of those people, whose identities and intentions were unknown.
To avoid another conflict that might worsen Arthur's condition, Eric had no choice but to throw his torch into the water channel in front of him.
The current gradually swallowed its light, and darkness once again descended over the place.
Meanwhile, the light of the torch carried by those people slowly drew closer.
Eric pressed his back against the wall in a corner with no way out, pulled Arthur close to his side, then placed his hand over his mouth, attempting to muffle any sound that might come from either of them.
As the voices drew closer to that side...
...
— So, did they get it done?
— Not yet. There is still more work to be done, according to what those people said.
— Even after everything they have done, it seems the ruling authority can never escape its problems.
— It all falls on that eccentric doctor. Was taking the job with him really a wise decision?
— Unless you prefer working like a cheap dog for the government.
— Anyway, I want to get out of here quickly... this smell is unbearable.
Apparently, two unknown men were walking directly through the passage opposite Eric, while the light of their two torches grew brighter with every step they took.
Eric tightened his grip around the hilt of his sword.
At worst, if he were discovered, he might be able to take them down quickly... if his condition allowed him to do so.
Suddenly...
The sound of their footsteps stopped.
— I think this is the opening they meant.
— Do you have the key?
— Of course.
The sound of metal scraping came from nearby, followed by the sound of a lock being opened.
Moments later, the light of the two torches disappeared, along with the sound of their conversation.
Then...
Another metallic closing sound echoed through the passage, and silence once again settled over the sewage tunnels.
....
Eric did not take long to think.
He made his way through the darkness, relying on his sense of touch to locate the ladder.
He waited before it for a moment, making certain that the two men had left, then climbed the ladder once again and tried pushing the manhole cover, but to no avail.
Eric had only one final option left to escape this place.
He drew his sword and focused on directing a thrust toward the back of the cover, where the handle was supposed to be.
Eric gathered his energy, concentrating it within his sword.
Piercing through a thin layer of iron was not difficult for practitioners of advanced martial arts.
But...
The difference between Eric's height and the length of his sword, combined with the length of the ladder leading to the cover, meant that the blade could barely reach it.
That was not a major problem, as long as he could rely on his technique.
Once Eric had confirmed his target, an aura of shadows gathered around his arm and extended into his sword.
He delivered a devastating thrust that pierced through the center of the cover.
But it missed the target.
At that very moment, a ray of morning sunlight slipped through the opening and fell across Eric's face.
Thanks to that light, even if only slightly, he was able to see his target clearly.
Eric launched another thrust.
This time, he successfully struck the handle.
The cover finally rose.
Eric climbed the ladder, then pushed the cover aside, causing a great beam of sunlight to pour over him, blinding his vision for a brief moment.
Eric returned to Arthur and dragged him toward the manhole opening.
It was difficult to hold onto an unconscious person while climbing the ladder at the same time, so he pulled out the rope he had previously used to climb that wall and tied it tightly around Arthur's waist.
Eric climbed to the top first.
He cast a quick glance around and found himself in the middle of vast green meadows, not far from the colony.
Once Eric was certain that no one was watching him, he quickly grabbed the rope and began pulling Arthur up.
On the first attempt, a cracking sound came from Eric's back.
— Ah... Heavy.
He continued pulling Arthur upward, digging his feet into the ground with all the strength he possessed.
And when Arthur reached the mouth of the manhole...
— Hey, you!!!!
A shouting voice came from above.
Eric quickly turned around and saw a soldier standing atop a watchtower belonging to the colony, staring at him and shouting.
Eric did not hesitate.
He pulled Arthur up quickly, carried him onto his back, then took off running at the fastest speed he could muster.
...
Eric continued his escape until he saw that his path had come to an end at a long, wide river, its waters rushing fiercely. There was no way he could cross it.
Eric stopped near the river, and at that moment, his ears began picking up the sounds of the soldiers' horses' hooves approaching him.
Eric gently placed the unconscious Arthur on the ground, thinking of a way that might get him out of this predicament, despite not having the time to do so.
Immediately, he pulled his sword and quickly threw it into the river, then got rid of anything else that might appear to be a
weapon in his possession or Arthur's.
And he did something else quickly.
Moments later, the soldiers' horses came to a stop, surrounding Eric and Arthur.
— You!!!!
— On the ground!!!
Eric raised his hands high above his head as the soldiers dismounted their horses. Without warning, several of them lunged at him, forced him to the ground, and restrained his arms behind his back.
— You are under arrest. Cooperate so you don't get hurt.
The guards then turned their attention to Arthur and began examining him.
— Sir, this is another severely wounded man.
One of the soldiers approached Arthur. His armor was different from that of the other soldiers, which meant he held a higher rank here.
He carefully examined Arthur's condition for several moments, then pulled out a small sphere glowing with bright colors and spoke through it:
— This is Sergeant Thomas. I need medical assistance here, along with a special carriage.
After some time, two carriages arrived; one was an ambulance, while the other was designated for Eric.
The soldiers forcefully escorted Eric to the carriage, pushed him inside, and then shut the door behind him.
The carriage did not depart immediately.
Through a window sealed with iron bars, Eric watched the medics place Arthur onto a stretcher, then carry him into the ambulance.
Eric continued watching him for a few moments.
"Wait for me, Arthur... I'll come back."
— Come on, move out.
The carriage set off toward its destination, carrying Eric toward an unknown future about which he knew nothing.
....
In a dark corridor filled with doors, a person was being escorted by two guards toward a designated room, and they soon reached it.
One of the guards opened the room's door and led the person inside, where he could barely make out a table and a chair. He was forced to sit on the chair.
— Lady Mary, everything is ready.
The two guards stepped back, then the iron door to the room was closed, producing a powerful echo that reverberated through the place.
The room suddenly lit up from above with a lantern emitting a bright white light, forcing the person to narrow his eyes, which had partially grown accustomed to the darkness.
In front of him, a woman sat on the opposite side. She wore medical glasses, along with an outfit suggesting that she belonged to one of the security authorities. She held a notebook and a pen between her fingers, while several documents lay on the table before her.
The woman leaned forward and spoke in a cold voice:
— Eric Samuel... Is that your full name?
— ...Yes.
— Good. What were you doing on the colony's territory, Mr. Samuel?
— ...I'm a merchant. Last night, a colleague and I went to the colony to offer my goods to the soldiers there.
— Very well. According to your personal documents, you are registered as a merchant, but there is something puzzling me.
She paused for a moment, then raised her eyes toward him.
— Is there any merchant who sells his goods at night?
— ...And is there a problem with that?
— ...Let's move on to another question.
She tilted her head slightly.
— How did you end up like this, Mr. Samuel?
— As I was saying, I'm a merchant. When I was about to enter the colony, the attack had already taken place. Before I could escape, my companion and I were attacked as well, and I lost all my belongings and...
— All right, I understand...
Investigator Mary began writing in her notebook, while Eric's eyebrows rose in annoyance at her interruption, which seemed rude to him.
— But none of the soldiers suffered serious injuries, except you and your friend. Do you have an explanation?
A brief silence fell.
— I could have resisted.
The investigator leaned her face closer to Eric's, and their eyes met.
— How? When you're merely a merchant?
— Do I look weak to you?
The investigator returned to her place and continued writing her notes, while the annoyance on Eric's face began to show clearly.
— Can you tell me what kind of person you encountered?، Something of great importance has been stolen from the colony. Any misleading information will make the suspicion fall solely on you.
...
— He was strange. He fought with a hybrid style, fierce, and he never stopped no matter how many times you struck him. He used many weapons; a sword, a small axe, and a bow.
Eric's final words caused Mary to fall into thought for a moment.
Then she lifted her eyes from her notebook.
— What is the one thing you remember most about him as a particular characteristic or feature he possessed, Mr. Eric?
— ...At one point, when he looked at me, his eyes glowed with a color resembling... hmm... white mixed with sky blue.
— ...Do you know any name or title he went by?
— ...No.
A moment of silence followed, during which nothing could be heard except the sound of the pen moving across the papers.
Mary closed her notebook.
— That will be enough. Take him away.
Two guards stepped forward and led Eric out of the room, while Mary remained in her place, lost in thought over what Eric had told her.
....
Eric walked with the guards toward a small cell inside the facility. One of the guards opened the cell door, while the other moved to push Eric inside, but Eric shoved the latter guard away.
— I'll go in by myself.
Eric entered the cell, which contained nothing but an iron bed without a mattress and a wooden chair.
The cell door was closed, followed by the sound of the key turning in the lock, before the two guards walked away down the corridor.
Eric let out a long sigh, then sat on that chair, waiting for whatever might happen...
No matter how bad it might be.
....
Eric remained detained at the facility until the afternoon. He was lying on an iron bed, staring at the ceiling, when he heard the sound of a metal lock being opened again.
— Get out.
Eric stepped out of the cell, only to find the same two guards waiting for him.
— Did you miss me or something?
— You're coming with us.
Eric was escorted back to the interrogation room, where once again he found himself facing the same woman, or, as he had come to know her, Mary.
Eric did not utter a word, waiting to find out why he had been brought here.
— I looked into your friend's identity. There are no documents or records proving that he belongs to the Lumiéra Empire. Do you know why, Mr. Eric?
— Because he simply isn't from Lumiéra.
-Show some respect, you lowlife!!!!
One of the guards lost his temper upon hearing this conversation, but Mary signaled to him not to interfere.
When calm returned
Eric's answer seemed to increase the tension in an already tense conversation.
— What do you mean by that, Mr. Samuel?
— He is an illegal immigrant from Ouraya, and I took responsibility for him.
— Do you even realize what you're saying? Any misunderstanding right now could lead to serious consequences for you!
— That would have happened, but now that he is in a hospital suffering from severe injuries caused by people from Lumiéra, and since the government of Lumiéra has decided to impose a punishment on him instead of helping him, there will be a great deal of uproar and trouble between the two countries.
Eric added a sarcastic smile as he spoke.
— Am I not right? And now, since he is receiving treatment and is under Lumiéra's care, it would be better for him to be officially registered as a refugee in the Lumiéra Empire. Which means there is nothing you can do to him now. I know you're not the kind of person who likes bringing trouble upon people, Lady Mary.
Mary stared at Eric for several seconds with a grim expression.
— We also have a case that occurred several weeks ago, involving the capture of two unidentified individuals who were wandering along the borders of Lumiéra. During a brief interrogation outside an official facility, they rebelled and attacked the soldiers escorting them, then escaped into the Empire. Are you aware of this, Mr. Samuel?
...
— No.
— Given that you and your friend are suspects, answering with a simple "no" cannot convince us. We investigated your friend first, and he is injured. The description we have of him was of a man with a face full of scars, whereas your friend's face does not match that description.
Mary paused for a moment, then stared at Eric.
— But what about you?
— ...
— Heh... You may come in now, Lady Wendy.
From behind him, another person entered the conversation. Slowly, her figure began to emerge from the darkness of the room.
She was a woman wearing a soldier's armor, and Eric immediately recognized her in his mind.
She was the same female soldier who had stopped him and Eric, the one who wielded the art of fire, whom Eric had confronted and previously managed to knock to the ground.
But would she recognize him even after he had changed his appearance?
— This is Lady Wendy, the person who had the most direct encounter with one of those intruders, who was using a false name. Lady Wendy, would you take a look?
Wendy stepped forward and gave Eric's face a long look.
— It's not him.
— ...Are you certain?, Lady Wendy
— The person I encountered did not have a scar over his left eye, and his hair was not white.
— What about his voice? Can you remember anything?
— ...No.
Wendy quickly left the interrogation room.
Mary's gaze returned to Eric once again.
— Since there is insufficient evidence, and there is currently nothing proving your guilt, aside from your failure to report an illegal immigrant within Lumiéra's territory, you will only be given a monetary fine.
She then turned toward the guard.
— Guard, release him.
One of the guards approached Eric as Eric rose from his seat. The guard removed the restraints that had restricted the freedom of his hands for half a day.
— Keep in mind that you are being watched, Eric Samuel. You may leave now.
...
Eric rose from his place, then turned to leave.
On the table in front of Mary, the water inside a glass began to tremble, then gradually rose, drawn toward her. Using her ability to control water, Mary shaped the water into a sharp needle and hurled it toward Eric's neck at tremendous speed.
The water needle pierced Eric's neck superficially, yet Eric continued walking, running his hand over his neck as though it were nothing more than a minor sting.
But he had already felt it coming, deep within himself.
"Pathetic... but it's better not to attract any more attention."
Eric left through the main entrance of the facility, his hands in his pockets, and walked away.
Eric did not intend to leave this place immediately, because there was something extremely important to him in the place where he had been arrested.
The security facility where he had been held was not very far from the colony, so he took a path leading toward his intended destination.
By the time he arrived, evening had fallen.
Eric took a route hidden from the guards' eyes, leading him to the river bordering the colony.
He walked quickly, searching for the place where he had been arrested. All he remembered was a lone tree with three dense branches, and fortunately, he was able to recognize it from a distance.
He stopped at the place where what belonged to him was supposed to be.
What confirmed it even further were the tracks left by the horses and soldiers in the soil.
Eric began searching through the dirt here and there, and shortly afterward, he found what he was looking for.
It was a cloth bag containing the remnants of the broken jewel.
Before Eric had raised his hands in surrender to the soldiers, he had taken the bag out and hidden it beneath the wet soil, before the guards arrived and pounced on him as they had before.
And now, having recovered what he had come for, Eric walked away with measured steps.
...
By nightfall, Eric was in one of the restaurants, finishing the last bites of his meal while thinking about the jewel.
The question occupying his mind was simple, yet he had found no answer to it:
Was there a way to restore it to its original state?
Eric left the restaurant and headed toward the center of the city of Kalishko. The city's sidewalks were filled with lights, while sounds of luxury and debauchery rose among the pedestrians throughout the night. Along both sides of the roads, jewelry shops and luxury clothing stores were spread out.
One jewelry shop caught Eric's attention. It appeared to him to be the most luxurious and expensive of them all, so he headed toward it.
The moment he entered, the sound of a small bell rang out.
Inside, shelves were lined with all kinds of chains, rings, and bracelets adorned with gemstones and precious metals, featuring various contemporary designs.
There was no one in the shop except its owner, an elderly man who bore the appearance of someone wealthy, and a girl wearing a hood and a long cloak that almost completely concealed her features.
Eric approached the shop owner, who greeted him.
— Welcome to my shop. How may I serve you, sir?
Eric took out the cloth bag and emptied the shattered pieces of the jewel onto the table.
— Can you repair this jewel and restore it to its original form?
The shop owner carefully examined the fragments for several moments, then used a small magnifying lens and held one of the pieces with a pair of tweezers.
— Oh... This jewel possesses very unique formations. I can see many crystals of different, vivid colors throughout every part, even though it was originally a single, separate piece. Such characteristics are found only in jewels of extraordinarily high value.
— Can you repair it?!
The shop owner made several more observations, then returned the piece to the rest of the fragments.
— That would be extremely difficult, almost impossible. Due to the differences in the distribution of colors among the fragments, reattaching every piece in a way that restores the uniform distribution of colors as it was before is nearly impossible. So, unfortunately, I cannot help you with this.
Eric frowned, but it did not last long; the shop owner's words were not something he had not expected.
— But you could sell it to me. These scattered pieces would bring you a real fortune. I am willing to negotiate a price that satisfies you.
Eric gathered all the pieces again and placed them inside the bag.
— I have no intention of selling them.
Before leaving, his attention was drawn to a necklace hanging from a display mannequin.
— How much is this necklace?
— Two hundred Lumen.
— Hmm... Expensive, but I'll buy it.
Eric left the shop after purchasing what he wanted, unaware that he had attracted the interest of another party who would affect his future.
---
Eric crossed an alley adjacent to the shop, and during that...
— I can help you!
A soft feminine voice came from behind him.
Eric turned around and saw the same girl who had been inside the jewelry shop.
— I can help you.
— ...How exactly?
— You want to repair your jewel. I can help you with that.
Eric was silent for a moment, then asked:
— And do you want money or something in return?
— What I want is a great favor from you.
Eric thought for a brief moment, but the offer did not appeal to him.
— Hmm... No, thank you.
Eric turned around and resumed his path, while it seemed that the girl had no intention of giving up.
— If you change your mind, you'll find me here. Just call for me.
Eric continued on his way, entering one shop after another, trying to find someone capable of repairing the jewel, but all his attempts ended in failure.
When Eric grew tired of wandering between the shops, he began thinking again about the offer the girl had made.
"Well... why not"
Eric returned to the same place where he had met the girl.
— All right, I'm here for a consultation, young lady.
Suddenly, the girl jumped down from somewhere above, landing in front of him.
That act alone was enough for Eric to know that he was certainly dealing with someone unusual.
— Follow me.
Eric followed the girl through one of the alleys until they reached an area devoid of people.
— So, do you know how to repair it?
The girl turned to face Eric, then removed her hood, revealing her long pink hair and cheerful features.
— Not me... but my father.
— Does your father have a shop or a workshop?
The girl turned toward another direction.
— He's been kidnapped.
— What?! Kidnapped by whom?
A brief silence fell.
Then she answered:
— By him.
...
Elsewhere, an elderly-looking man was walking, despite his appearance suggesting a much younger age. He wore a long suit, with an elegant hat resting atop his head, as he walked with steady steps through a long, illuminated corridor.
His steps stopped before a wide iron door, beside which stood two guards.
— Everything is ready, Doctor Edgar.
A sideways smile appeared on Edgar's face.
One of the guards opened the iron door, revealing an elderly man inside, bound to a wooden chair with chains from his feet all the way to his arms. He stared at Edgar with eyes burning with spite and rage.
Doctor Edgar approached him, his smile still etched across his face.
He pulled another chair over and sat down opposite the man.
Then he said in a voice cold as ice:
— Professor Sebastian... now we can truly have a calm conversation.
After that, the only sound that could be heard was the iron door closing with a powerful slam.