Side Story: Missing Alper (Part 2)
Olyver Rein POV
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The journey back to House Luminari felt like wading through a mire of despair, each step heavier than the last, each breath suffocating. The weight of failure pressed down on me, screaming at me to turn around, to flee from the reality waiting at the end of the road. Behind me, Eva followed, her movements subdued, her presence muted. She bore the same crushing sorrow, her eyes hollow, drained of the spark of life. I couldn’t blame her. The tragedy we carried between us was too great to bear.
In my hands was what little remained of the young lord—a gruesome token of a fate too cruel to imagine. My mind swirled with tormenting questions: Could we have been faster? Could we have saved him? The image of the young master, trapped for days in an unrelenting abyss, his hope extinguished not by time but by the monstrous horror that claimed him, carved itself into my thoughts.
The sight of the towering walls of House Luminari should have been a relief, but instead, they felt like the gates of judgment. What once seemed like a place of power and sanctuary now loomed as a fortress of accountability. House Luminari wasn’t just a grand residence; it was a stronghold of a clan, a hub of activity with sprawling infrastructure and resources. Here, we would have to present our failure to the leader—a failure that carried the weight of deadly consequences.
As we approached the gates, my thoughts were interrupted by the sight of a familiar figure: Erza Ironshaper. His unmistakable long red hair swayed as he walked into the clan, his stride purposeful. Erza, one of the clan’s most respected Metalweavers, was a man of few words but infinite presence. He trained the next generation, including the young master, with a strict but fair hand. His intellect was sharp, his humility unwavering, and his respect within the clan unmatched.
“Sir Erza,” a voice called out—not mine, but Eva’s. I turned to see her trembling, her face pale, her expression frozen in horror. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed to the ground, murmuring frantic apologies. Her voice cracked under the weight of her guilt, each word laced with anguish.
The night cloaked us in its shadows, sparing us the judgmental eyes of others. Erza stopped, his usual stoic demeanor giving way to a sharper intensity. He turned toward us, his piercing gaze cutting through the gloom, assessing the state we were in.
His seriousness wasn’t cold, but it held the weight of what was to come. The calm before the inevitable storm.
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Erza Ironshaper POV
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“…And then you immediately concluded that the Young Lord was dead?” I asked, my voice heavy with exhaustion and a simmering irritation.
“Yes… Sir,” Olyver replied, his tone saturated with defeat.
I pinched the bridge of my nose, inhaling deeply as I took in the disheveled, guilt-ridden rescue team before me. Alper’s disappearance had plunged House Luminari into chaos. The clan’s morale was at an all-time low, tensions hung thick in the air, and whispers of unrest rippled through the ranks. If our rivals caught even a whiff of this vulnerability, an attack would be inevitable.
Admittedly, I didn’t harbor particularly strong feelings about Alper. He was a kind child, though infuriatingly stubborn about avoiding Metalweaving in favor of Alchemy, despite my best efforts as his teacher. But right now, my frustrations were squarely aimed at the ineptitude of the individuals standing before me.
“So, let me get this straight,” I began, narrowing my eyes at them. “You found a cave that was intentionally concealed, suggesting a deliberate assassination attempt. You discovered Alper’s shoes inside. The area was covered in blood, and your immediate conclusion was that he was dead? That was it?”
One of them shifted uncomfortably. “I… the entire place was covered in blood,” he muttered, clearly grasping for justification.
“Show me the shoes,” I snapped, gesturing impatiently. They handed me the pair of mud-caked, blood-stained footwear with hesitant movements, as if bracing for another outburst.
I inspected them closely, and what I saw ignited a fire of frustration within me. “You idiots!” I roared, the anger bursting forth like a dam breaking. Both men flinched, shrinking under the weight of my fury.
The shoes were in perfect condition. Yes, they were filthy, but there was no fraying, no broken threads, no sign of wear that would suggest they were forcibly removed. The blood and mud were surface-level, masking what was otherwise an intact pair of shoes. The only logical conclusion was that they had been intentionally left behind.
My thoughts raced. Could Alper have staged this? A ploy to mislead his assassins into thinking they’d succeeded? It was clever—ingenious, even. I found myself grudgingly impressed. If Alper had the presence of mind to devise such a ruse, then perhaps he was alive. Perhaps he was out there, using his wits to evade capture and survive.
The thought sparked a flicker of hope deep within me, a faint but resolute belief that the Young Lord wasn’t gone. I clenched the shoes tightly and turned my piercing gaze back to the rescue team.
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"Let’s get back to the cave—he might still be alive!" I shouted, my voice cutting through the tense air. The soldiers froze, their shock evident, but within moments, hope sparked in their eyes. Despair gave way to determination, and their postures shifted as if a switch had been flipped.
They were no longer defeated rescuers; they were soldiers with a purpose.
I had plans for small extraction missions with my students, but those could wait. Right now, our only priority was to return to the cave and find the truth about Alper’s fate. Without wasting another second, we bolted toward the site, urgency driving every step. Within minutes, we were at the entrance.
Descending into the cave, the faint metallic scent of blood lingered, mixing with the damp earth. My eyes scanned the surroundings, noting the odd box-shaped holes carved into the dirt and stone—a clear sign of resource gathering. We approached the pool of blood that had first led to the tragic misunderstanding.
I crouched down, my fingers brushing over the congealed blood. Drawing upon my Alchemical expertise, I performed a Blood Extraction technique, siphoning a small sample into a glowing sphere of analysis. The results appeared instantly, and my heart skipped a beat.
“This isn’t human blood,” I muttered. “It’s the blood of… a muck worm.”
The realization hit me like a thunderclap. “Oh my god, Alper, you’re a genius,” I whispered, awe and relief coursing through me like a tidal wave.
“Sir Erza?” Eva’s hesitant voice broke through my thoughts, her expression a mix of concern and confusion.
I stood, the excitement barely contained in my tone. "Let me explain. Someone threw Alper down here—clearly an assassination attempt. I don’t know their motives, but they didn’t expect him to survive. Alper likely sustained some injuries, but he knows Alchemical emergency aid. He would’ve patched himself up. Even if he didn’t, his Nexus core would’ve done it for him"
The soldiers leaned in, listening intently as I pieced the puzzle together. "From the evidence, Alper encountered a muck worm. That blood pool? It’s the worm’s, not his. He must’ve killed it using materials from this cave, as indicated by the cube-shaped holes in the dirt and stone."
I paused, admiration swelling in my chest. "And then, in a stroke of brilliance, he left behind his shoes as a decoy to fool anyone tracking him. Unfortunately for you two…” I glanced pointedly at the soldiers, “…you fell for his trick."
Eva’s face flushed red with embarrassment, but Olyver, to his credit, looked more determined than ever.
"B-But how can you be so sure that Alper is still alive?" Eva asked, her voice tinged with doubt.
"Simple," I replied, my tone resolute. "If we press on, we’ll find more evidence—signs of Metalweaving, alchemy, or anything else that indicates activity. Let’s move."
I gestured for them to follow, and we delved deeper into the cave. My instincts were right. The further we descended, the clearer the signs became. The glowing flora that once lined the walls was missing in patches, evidence of someone harvesting it. The small pond nearby had ripples, its surface disrupted. Glowing mushrooms were uprooted and scattered, indicating a calculated assessment for potential threats. Further along, a chunk of glowing ore bore the same telltale cube-shaped holes.
"Congratulations, soldiers," I said, allowing a rare smile to break through my usual stern demeanor. "Not only is the young master alive, but he’s an absolute genius."
Alper’s Metalweaving proficiency sat at a mere 2 points, the equivalent of a newborn wielding a chisel, yet he had managed to survive and adapt to his circumstances with ingenuity and alchemical skill. It was akin to a child navigating a labyrinth filled with predators and traps—and emerging victorious. The sheer brilliance of it was almost laughable.
Regret gnawed at me. I had underestimated Alper, dismissed his potential, and failed to recognize the resilience hidden beneath his quiet demeanor. That ended here. Once we brought him back, I would fight tooth and nail to ensure his abilities received the recognition they deserved. I would personally advocate for him among the instructors, urging them to allow me to oversee his Metalweaving training. With the proper guidance, I had no doubt that Alper could master the craft and exceed expectations with just a few stat points.
Retrieving my transmission tablet—a sleek black stone with a grid of 3x3 buttons—I keyed in a specific combination. Moments later, the tablet blinked to life, its surface glowing with a white and blue light. A brief silence ensued before the familiar voice of Lord Alaric resonated through the device.
"Hello?" His tone was sharp, yet the worry beneath it was unmistakable.
"Lord Alaric," I greeted.
"Erza," he replied, his voice tinged with frustration. "What is it now?"
Understandably, his patience was thin. The disappearance of his child had frayed his composure. But I was about to offer him something he desperately needed: hope.
“It’s about your son, Lord Alper.”
A tense silence followed, stretching long enough to make even me uncomfortable.
“…What did you find out?” His voice finally came through, laced with fear.
"Firstly, I must commend your child's ingenuity, and I owe you an apology—" I began, but Lord Alaric cut me off mid-sentence.
"IF YOU HAVE BAD NEWS, SPIT IT OUT! STOP BEATING AROUND THE BUSH!" His words exploded through the transmission tablet, raw and unfiltered. It was the outburst of a father fearing the worst, and I couldn’t fault him for it.
I realized my attempt to ease into the revelation had been misinterpreted as hesitation to deliver grim news. Quickly recalibrating, I cut straight to the point.
“Our young lord Alper is alive,” I declared firmly.
The other end of the line fell silent. Even through the static, I could sense the disbelief, the fragile hope clinging to those words.
"Erza," Lord Alaric's voice finally returned, trembling, "are you speaking the truth?"
"Yes," I confirmed, my tone steady. "That’s precisely why I’m contacting you. Alper is alive, but we don’t have the luxury of celebrating yet."
"W-What do you mean!?" The urgency in his tone was like a whip crack.
I took a breath, keeping my response direct. "Prepare a scout team of 20 skilled in cave navigation immediately. I will send Eva and Olyver back to the barracks to brief you on the situation in detail. To summarize, someone attempted to assassinate Alper, but he outsmarted them and survived. However, he is still lost in a cave, and we don’t know for how long he can last. That’s why I need reinforcements—now.”
Without waiting for a reply, I concluded the transmission. Time was slipping through our fingers like sand, and I couldn’t afford to waste another moment explaining.
Turning to the rescue team, I addressed Eva and Olyver. "You two, head back to the barracks immediately and report everything to Lord Alaric. Make sure they understand the urgency."
Both soldiers straightened, their earlier dejection replaced by newfound determination. As they ascended the cave to carry out their orders, I remained, preparing myself for the arduous task ahead. Alper's resourcefulness had kept him alive so far, but I couldn’t leave the rest to chance. It was time to bring him home.