Chapter XXXI

Arisa Kirisan forced herself to her feet, still trying to process that this Hannah girl had come to save her. She had been prepared and ready for her life to end. After all the pain and torture she endured within this cell, she was ready to welcome her death. But now, she was suddenly being given the chance to live. Hannah was extending a hand and if she took it, she would have the opportunity to move forward. For a moment, she felt as if she didn’t deserve it. After all of the people she led to their deaths, she felt as if she didn’t deserve to survive any longer. However, just as those thoughts went through her mind, something else began to nag at her.

But…if I get out of here, I’m still a guide. I can spread guideship around and cause as much chaos for Ijiria as possible. And then, if I can find Malt, maybe I can atone for some of my mistakes. Eventually, I’ll be killed…but why not burn as much of this country down before I go?

Arisa smiled at the thought, wrapping the offered cloak around her body and feeling determination surging through her as Hannah pushed open the cell door and crept out into the dungeon corridor beyond. Her first thoughts were of the numerous guards she knew to be stationed in the hallway, but the second she poked her head through the doorway, her eyes went wide. The guards were all dead, laying slumped against the walls or simply laying on the ground, covered in blood. She didn’t see a single one alive.

“Did you do this?” she asked softly.

Hannah, who had already moved to the next cell over, glanced back and nodded. “I did. You see, I’m of a wind affinity so I was able to distort myself and take them out before they even knew I was there.”

My god… She must be a hell of a mage, then.

Arisa quickly moved to help her just as the other girl unlocked the cell and from there, they began to release the other four captive Children. With her hood low, she believed they wouldn’t recognize her, especially not in the dimly-lit dungeons, but the moment they opened each cell, Arisa knew them. There were two boys and two girls, all of various ages with most of them younger than her, but one boy being slightly older. She had spent time with all of them and she loved them just as she loved her other siblings. Back then, they were so full of excitement and energy, but now, chained to the walls of their cells, they appeared more like shadows of their former selves.

I imagine Seiras’s spells were used on them, too, she thought with a twinge of pain.

Hannah immediately moved to cast some healing magic while Arisa dealt with the chains. Once the first girl had been released and the situation explained to her, she went and acted as a lookout while they rescued the other three. The expressions of utter relief in their eyes, mixed with the hatred toward Ijiria, somehow seemed to bring some of the life back to them, and Arisa could tell that they hadn’t yet lost the will to fight. Once all four had been released from their shackles, Hannah ushered them into one of the cells and hurriedly began to talk.

“Alright, we don’t have much time,” she said, handing cloaks to each of them from a relatively small bag at her hip. “The next cycle of guards will arrive in a little under an hour so we have, at most, until then before somebody comes down here and finds all the bodies. If we aren’t out of here by then, the Citadel will go on lockdown and we’ll never get out.”

“But can we even get out now?” asked the oldest Child, a man named Tylo Tannalo. “I mean, it’s not like we can just walk through the gates.”

“Yeah,” agreed Irin Vixal, a shorter girl that Arisa remembered had been one of the quieter supporters of the attack. “When we got in the first time, we had our wind mages scale the northern wall and distort themselves. Then once the sentries were dead, they lifted the rest of us up. We barely made it then, and I imagine the security’s much tighter now, right?”

Hannah nodded. “That’s correct. We won’t be able to get out by scaling the wall. In fact, I doubt we could even make it into the gardens, let alone to the walls, which is why we won’t be doing that. Instead, I have a different plan, but I need to be certain it’ll work. So…how many of you have a decent control over wind magic?”

All five of them raised their hands.

“It was one of our mother’s most skilled affinities,” Tylo explained. “Most of us are proficient enough in both wind and nature because of her teachings.”

Hannah grinned with satisfaction. “Perfect. That’s what I was hoping for. In that case, distort yourselves and come with me.”

“But…” Irin quickly interjected. “No offense, Miss Hannah, but how do we know we can trust you? I appreciate you healing us and letting us out, but…” The girl hesitated. “It’s just…we’ve been through a lot. I don’t want this to wind up being some sick game by Master Ka.”

“You don’t have to worry about Seiras Ka,” Hannah confidently replied. “That halfling is dead. I killed him myself.”

Arisa exhaled sharply, as did the four other Children beside her. Her immediate thought was that the girl had to be lying. Killing a Master wasn’t an easy feat on it’s own, but she was claiming to have killed one and gotten away with it.

So that’s what she meant when she said she had already betrayed Ijiria, she realized, then thought back to the numerous corpses lining the corridor. And it’s clear she’s powerful. Maybe it isn’t that crazy to think.

“I know how preposterous that sounds,” Hannah went on. “However, it’s the truth and I think the bodies outside this cell should be proof enough that I am here as an ally. Now, I understand why you would be wary of me, and if you want to try and escape on your own, I will not stop you. You are free to do as you like. Just let me know now so I can alter my plans accordingly.”

Arisa swallowed, taking her words into consideration. As crazy as it sounded to think that she had managed to kill Seiras Ka, she didn’t feel as if Hannah was lying. While Arisa was certain that there was something more to her actions than simple goodwill, she got the sense that she could at least be relied upon for the moment. She was about to voice that opinion, but it was the boy who had yet to speak that beat her to it.

“I trust her.”

When Arisa looked back, she saw Ardan and Lyla Tessir step forward as they faced the rest of them. The brother and sister were twins nearly three years younger than her and it comforted her greatly to know that they were both still alive.

“At this point, we should take what help we can get,” Lyla added. “If Hannah is leading us into a trap then who cares? We would have died anyway. If we stay behind, we die. If we try to fight our way out alone, we’ll probably die. But if we go with her, while we could still die, I think that’s the best shot of survival. So, I’m going with her.”

Tylo nodded. “I agree. For the time being, I’ll trust you, Hannah, and if you really did murder Seiras Ka, then I’ll be in your debt for the rest of my life.”

As she looked at the other three and their conviction, Irin conceded. “Alright then. I’m with you.”

Hannah smiled. “Thank you. And you, Kirisan?”

Up until that point, Arisa hadn’t spoken nor had she removed her hood, so the other Children hadn’t known who she was. Having been the one to lead them into the Citadel in the first place, she feared they would hate her. After all, she got their brothers and sisters killed and, whether they knew it yet or not, she betrayed them all and confessed their secrets to Seiras. Part of her hoped she could keep her identity hidden until they got into the city and then slip away before they knew who she was, but Hannah calling her by name stopped any hope she had. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the other four turn to her in surprise.

“Arisa? You’re alive?” Tylo whispered.

She couldn’t tell what feelings were hidden in those words, so she chose instead to focus on their rescuer and ignore the surprise of her brothers and sisters.

“I’ll do as say, Hannah. Let’s go.”

“Good. Then follow me.”

Arisa could tell that the other four had a lot they wanted to say, though with their hoods down, she didn’t know if it was good or bad, but nobody spoke a word. They all threw up distortion spells to conceal their presence and followed after the cloaked Hannah. As she led them through the carved corridors of the dungeon, Arisa saw just how many guards the girl had killed. It seemed as if she had gone and taken out every living sentry in sight.

But I guess that makes sense. If she’s killed Seiras then the Masters are going to go after her. She can only hide for so long before they learn the truth, so she has no reason to hold back. With the guards dead, it’ll make getting out of here much easier.

And as expected, they reached the entrance to the lift without running into a single soldier. Hannah ushered the five of them onto the platform and Arisa listened as they moved to stand around her.

“Ortumo,” Hannah whispered, followed by the steady rising of the silver disk.

Arisa’s heart was beating quickly as she realized she was once again going to infiltrate the halls of the Ijirian Citadel. The last time, she hadn’t been scared. She’d be foolishly excited to lead an attack against the murderers of her mother and to steal one of their precious relics. She had been confident that they would succeed, but now, she knew just how dangerous the Ijirians were. If they were caught by any of the magic users, they would most certainly die. Hannah’s healing made it easier to move around, but she knew she still didn’t have the energy to fight after the amount of time she’d been chained in that darkness.

And if a Master finds us…

She shivered at the memory of her encounter with Nigreos Noctis and silently prayed that they could escape the building without any encounters. Still unsure of where Hannah was taking them, she found herself surprised when the lift slowed to a stop and she found herself staring down a rather average-looking hallway. She could tell it was after sundown by the darkness beyond the windows and the only illumination they had came from the torches of fire magic hanging on the walls.

“Come,” Hannah whispered, then stepped from the lift and stalked into the silver corridor, pulling her hood down as she did so.

Arisa frowned, wondering why she would reveal her face before realizing that she had no reason to hide. They were all invisible to any passerby and Hannah was certainly a resident of the Citadel. By walking casually, should they run into anybody, she wouldn’t draw suspicion. That assumption was quickly proven correct when they passed by a few older men, probably researchers, who merely glanced at her before continuing on their way.

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We might actually do this. As long as we avoid anybody that can sense our mana, we should be fine!

Arisa took deep breaths to calm her fear and, before she knew it, Hannah came to a stop just outside a random door. The girl placed her hand against it and uttered a soft incantation, which unlocked it. She then swung it open and slipped inside, motioning for them to enter with a subtle nod of her head. Once the five of them were safely within the rather large living area, Hannah exhaled softly and smiled.

“Alright, you’re safe to drop the distortions,” she said.

All five of them immediately canceled their spells, revealing themselves. Arisa glanced sidelong at them and noticed similar expressions of relief on their faces.

“Where are we?” Ardan asked, glancing around the room.

“My quarters,” Hannah answered. “Now, if you’ll follow me into the back, we can get you out of here.”

Not waiting for any further questions, she hurried down the hall and toward a bedroom in the back of the apartment. For a moment, the Children all exchanged confused glances before gradually moving to follow after her. The bedroom was well kept and tidy, but with the large bed in the back right corner and the desk in the left, it was rather cramped with six people shoved into it. Arisa stayed by the doorway, wanting to give the others some space as Hannah crawled onto her bed and reached for the window to unlock it. It was then that she realized what their rescuer had in mind, but before she could question her, Lyla stepped forward with a stunned expression on her face.

“Hold on a moment,” she said sharply. “You’re not expecting us to jump through the damn window, are you?”

Hannah glanced back with a sly grin as she pushed the window open. “Of course I am. You all said you’re proficient in wind magic so this shouldn’t be an issue.”

“Yes, we’re proficient,” Tylo interjected. “But it’s not like we can fly! Hell, I can hardly levitate myself, let alone try to fly over the wall.”

The girl shrugged. “Well, it’s a good thing I don’t expect you to fly. From this level, we’re up high enough that you could cleanly glide over the top of the walls. From there, you merely need to use Ventus to slow your descent and reach the ground. If you can get into Erika before anybody notices your escape, you’ll have an easier time fleeing the city.”

Lyla furrowed her brow, folding her arms across her chest as she regarded those present. “I mean…I do know how to glide, but…you’re sure this’ll work?”

“More or less,” Hannah responded. “But then again, we’re attempting to break you out of the Citadel. Nothing’s truly safe, but I believe this is the easiest method. Again, if you’d rather find an alternative way out, go ahead. But otherwise…”

“I’ll do it,” Irin said, her voice shaking yet with a tinge of confidence. “I don’t want to be here any longer than I already have. If you think it’ll work then I’ll give it a try.”

Ardan stepped forward and nodded his agreement. “While my sister’s right that this is risky, I know we don’t have much of a choice. My gliding skills aren’t half bad so even with as weak as I am, I think I can make it over the wall.”

With her brother now willing to try, Lyla sighed and shrugged. “Very well then. I suppose I’m going, too.”

Tylo grimaced, seeing the determination that had now spread through the group. However, he still looked unsure of himself so, to Arisa’s surprise, he turned and stared back at her.

“And you, Arisa?” he asked. “Are you good with this?”

She’d wanted to remain out of the conversation, so she found herself unprepared when Tylo’s question caused the other three to look at her with curiosity. Back before the Citadel attack, she wouldn’t have hesitated to take the lead and rally them toward Hannah’s plan, but now, she was unable to take that step. Each time she led them, she got people killed. Her decisions were rarely correct, and so, if she wanted them to remain safe, her only option was to rely on somebody else’s idea.

“Yeah, I’m with her,” she said softly. “If Hannah thinks it’s safe, I’ll go.”

Tylo sighed then spread his hands out in exasperation. “Alright then. I guess we’re doing this. Let’s get the hell out of here.”

“Thank you for trusting me,” Hannah said with a bow.

From there, they began their escape. Hannah stepped aside and allowed Irin to move onto the bed to poke her head out of the nearly three foot tall window. Arisa didn’t know for certain how high they were, but if they were above the walls then she knew the drop had to be terrifying. Nevertheless, Irin grit her teeth and nodded.

“Thank you, Miss Hannah,” she whispered, then pulled herself through the small gap and vanished from sight.

Tylo hurriedly rushed to check on her, but his features relaxed as he called back, “she’s okay.” He then took a deep breath, grabbed both sides of the windowsill, and, with his own thanks to their rescuer, jumped after Irin.

Arisa remained by the doorway as the twins followed in the other Children’s footsteps, bidding Hannah goodbye before they, too, jumped from the Citadel. Once she was alone with the young girl, she decided she would ask her something that had occurred to her during their conversation. She wasn’t sure if the other Children noticed or not, but if they did, they opted not to pry. Arisa, however, wanted to know.

“When you were telling us what to do, you made it sound like you weren’t coming with us,” she said softly. “Are you staying behind?”

At her question, Hannah laughed sadly then smiled. “Yeah, I am. You see, I’m a well known individual here in the Citadel. I’m an apprentice to one of the Masters.”

Arisa exhaled sharply. “You’re one of their apprentices?!”

With each new detail she learned about her, she found herself more and more intrigued as to what her story was. For her to be both a Master’s apprentice, and the murderer of Seiras Ka, was unthinkable.

“But then…why are you doing this?” she pressed. “I mean, I really appreciate it, but your life was set. From what I’ve heard, apprentices often succeed their teachers as Masters of Ijiria. You could’ve been one of them…but instead, you chose to kill Serias and now you’re helping traitors escape? I don’t get it.”

Hannah shook her head. “As much as I’d like to tell you the whole story, we don’t have time. You need to go now. I’ll just say this much. I have never been loyal to Ijiria. My loyalty…lies with my Master and my Master alone. That is why I’m doing this, Kirisan. It’s for him. And that’s why I must stay behind. If I escape and my treason is revealed, he’ll be punished for it. I need to be caught and…killed by his hand if I want to prevent suspicion from falling onto him.”

“Killed?” she parroted.

Hannah’s staying behind to…die?

“Now, enough conversation,” the girl urged. “Go. Get out of here now. I still have more to do tonight.”

Arisa managed a weak nod as she climbed onto the bed and peered out the window. The drop below was so far that in the darkness of the night, she couldn't even see the ground. The only visible lights came from the torches atop the wall nearly two hundred feet away and the city lights beyond that.

“Thank you, Miss Hannah,” she whispered. “For everything. I wish…I could have gotten to know you better. I’ll never forget you.”

Hannah smiled warmly. “That’s enough for me. As long as I live on in your memories, I’ll die happily.” Her features then hardened, as if something else had come to mind. “But before you go, I’ll leave you with one piece of information that could potentially help you in the future.”

Arisa frowned. “Yeah? What is it?”

“If you ever need help, Ryokumo Caeli can be trusted. He is, and will always be, an ally of the Children of Reiner.”

***

Once his conversation with Nyx and Sinna wrapped up, Ryokumo decided he would go pay Hannah a visit to once again apologize for missing their training that morning. He had told her before departing for the Niras Lounge the previous night that their sessions would finally be returning to normal, but Seiras’s assassination had thrown everything off. He still felt bad despite knowing there was nothing more he could do, and now that she was under suspicion from Reigious and the Masters, he knew it would be a good idea to give her a heads up. Seiras’s death was being kept quiet for the time being so she wouldn’t yet know that it even happened. However, Sinna must have picked up on his intentions since, once Nyx split off to return to her own quarters, the taller woman spoke up.

“Walk with me for a moment, would you, Caeli?” she requested.

Ryokumo looked up at her with narrowed eyes. “Walk with you? Why? What more is there to discuss?”

Sinna snorted. “There is always more to discuss, even when the Citadel hasn’t gone to hell. But for now, I wanted to speak to you about last night…and I don’t mean Seiras’s death. I wanted to talk about the visions.”

The visions? I figured she’d avoid that subject so…what about them would she want to discuss?

“What do you think I would know?” he inquired, picking up his pace to keep stride with her rather long ones. “If you intend to try and figure out what I saw then you can save your breath. I have no interest in divulging something so personal.”

Sinna scowled. “Of course not. I have no interest in what skeletons you hide in your closet, Caeli. Besides, it doesn’t take a genius to deduce that you probably saw something related to Abigail Reiner.”

Ryokumo scoffed, however he made no move to correct her. In fact, this past time, he saw not Abi, but Album, and he already knew exactly what that particular vision meant. It was something the two of them decided should remain in the past and thus, they had an unspoken agreement to never bring it up. However, that vision only shoved it in his face how much it still hung over him. In many ways, the responsibility for fracturing their group of friends fell into his lap.

“Perhaps,” he murmured. “But then what do you want to discuss?”

“Well, truth be told, it was quite a wakeup call for me,” she admitted. “It forced me to confront things I thought long in the past, but I realize now that I never truly let it go. I’m not telling you what I saw, but I wanted your opinion about what I should do. After all…you were the first one to suffer his despicable visions.”

Ryokumo stared up at her in surprise. He could tell that she was setting aside her pride to request his help and he found himself smiling slightly. It was the first time that Master of Rock had shown any emotion toward him that wasn’t hatred or disdain.

“I’ll help where I can,” he replied softly.

“Good,” she replied harshly, but then her tone softened. “Thank you. I just want to know…how did you handle it? Last night…I slept very little. I could only think about what I saw and…well, simply put, there’s nothing I can do about what happened. But how accurate do you think those visions are? What I saw…what was said…is that how they really thought. Is that how I really felt? How much of it…was real?”

How much indeed…

As she asked her question, Ryokumo thought back to the visions he’d seen thus far. The vision of Album was a glimpse into the past, one he already understood and knew was true. The one of Nigreos was a possible future, one he worried would come to pass if he failed. For the time being, he set aside the erased woman, knowing he wouldn’t find much help within it. However, what Sinna described sounded more like his vision of Abi out on the beach of Omaruo.

“To be honest, I think it depends,” he answered. “One of the visions I saw was how I feared Abi would think. But knowing her as long as I have, the logical part of my brain tells me that she never would have blamed me. She would never have said the things she did in that vision. So, ask yourself this, Cartus. Would that person you saw truly say the things they did? Or are you only afraid they would?”

Sinna’s lips tightened and for a moment, her eyes seemed distant. “I suppose…I shall consider that.”

Ryokumo nodded then turned his attention forward, only for the both of them to suddenly stop. Nearly a hundred yards ahead, a figure appeared out of thin air and Ryokumo knew without a doubt that they had dropped a distortion spell. The corridor was empty of life outside of the three of them and just as he was about to call out to the person, his eyes went wide. They were wearing a cloak with the hood pulled down to conceal their features, and upon closer inspection, it wasn’t just the cloak. Distortion magic was surrounding their face, making their hood appear empty and the body seem headless.

No… This is…

Without speaking, the cloaked figure reached down to their hip and drew an iron sword with their gloved hand. Based on the build and curve of their body, he knew they were female and as they tossed the scabbard aside, he realized he had seen them before.

This is…Seiras’s killer!

“Might I ask what you are doing?” Sinna called out sharply. “You do realize that you are drawing a weapon in the presence of two Masters? You must know how high a crime that is? Or…” She narrowed her eyes. “Perhaps you do not care.”

You’re kidding?! I knew she was bold after her assassination of Seiras, but to attack two Masters right in the middle of the Citadel… She must have lost her damn mind!

“Nothing to say?” the Master of Rock went on. “A pity. Well, I suppose we’ll just have to take you in for questioning. Do not think you’re walking away from this alive.”

The girl didn’t respond, but Ryokumo could barely hear her utter a single word:

“Proto.”