Raven leaned against the wall, watching the guard in front of him. The guard couldn’t see him because the area he was in was too dark, but the spot where the stone was placed was brightly illuminated. It was impossible for Raven to take the stone without drawing attention. With only three minutes left, he knew that even if his plan was partially successful, the odds were slim. He took a deep breath and steadied his heartbeat. He silently jumped in place a few times and cracked his neck. Using his legs for support, he leaped forward with all his strength and grabbed the stone. The guard had seen something, but wasn’t sure what. The light in front of him had vanished in the blink of an eye, and when his vision cleared, the stone was gone. He looked around and checked the other guard in the back room. Then, suspecting a draft, he crouched down to search for the stone without alerting anyone. As he bent over to search, Raven rose behind him, using the same vine he’d used at the entrance to choke the guard. It was easy to do since the guard was in a crouching position. Even though Raven put all his strength into it, the guard’s struggles echoed loudly in the cavern. The sound of his thrashing mixed with the scraping of his body against the ground could be heard clearly. The guard in the back room had heard everything. At first, he didn’t react, thinking it was just an echo, but when the sounds continued and then suddenly stopped, his curiosity was piqued. At that moment, Raven had already placed the unconscious guard at the end of the corridor, where his body could be seen from around the corner. The other guard rushed over, and upon turning the corner, he saw the unconscious body. He immediately knelt to check for a pulse. "THERE IS A THI—!" Before he could finish, Raven emerged from behind and began choking him as well. The guard tried to hold his breath to avoid crying out, but as Raven’s grip tightened, he struggled to stay conscious. Just when the guard was about to pass out, the vine in Raven’s hand snapped unexpectedly. Raven had prepared for this, but didn’t anticipate what would happen next. The guard fell to the ground and grabbed his throat, gasping for air. As he struggled for breath, Raven took advantage of the moment and landed a kick to his face, knocking him out. After knocking out the guard in the second room to avoid drawing attention from the guard in the first room, Raven now had only 15 minutes left. That meant he had to move faster than he had at the entrance. After retrieving the first stone, Raven took a small pouch from his chest pocket, put both stones inside, tied it up, and returned it to its original place. With the pouch secured, he continued running. The mission was now complete. Even if the guards inside noticed the missing stones, it would take them at least 30 minutes to wake up. This gave Raven more than enough time to escape. The only real problem was how to deal with the outside guards covered in ice by Miles’s freezing magic. This would take about 15 minutes for them to thaw. Raven considered that Miles, who hadn’t even brought a sword, wouldn’t be able to do much against the revived guards. With these thoughts in mind, Raven kept running. He reached the entrance to the central room, where he would need to match the guards’ patrol pattern to avoid being detected for at least five more minutes. Raven, excited by the thought of making it in time, jumped in place. Finally, the guards in the central room started to appear. Raven stretched his legs and ran forward, reaching speeds he never thought possible. He couldn’t believe the power of his own legs and the force propelling him. With Miles’s magic enhancing his speed, Raven felt like he was flying through the air as the humid cavern air brushed against his face. Even though he was amazed by his own speed, he knew there was no time to waste. He had only five minutes left. He reached the new entrance corridor and passed by the same guard faster than before. As he continued running along the wall, his movements became even more precise, making him more silent. The only thing that hinted at his presence was the wind left behind in his wake. Amid the rustling of the rats, a murmured voice rang out. "Dude, stop yelling at me. I swear there’s something other than rats here." The guard at the left gate said. The other guard didn’t respond, only muttered under his breath and rolled his eyes. Meanwhile, Raven had only one minute left. When he reached the end of the massive room, he sprinted towards the exit. The blue aura surrounding him began to fade, and his pulse slowed as he lost speed. As he ran, he could feel the loss of his momentum. When he had 20 seconds left, he saw the moonlight outside. Finally, as he took his last step onto the grass, Miles, who had been leaning against the rocks, stood up. Raven’s speed magic had completely worn off. As Raven approached Miles, out of breath, he took the pouch from his chest and showed it to him. Miles’s joy was clear in his eyes, and without saying anything, they embraced each other. At that moment, their time had run out, and Miles’s magic was depleted. The ice covering the guards behind the rocks began to melt, and as Miles hugged Raven, he suddenly collapsed, exhausted. His legs gave way, but Raven managed to catch him, holding him up. As Miles struggled to catch his breath, Raven whispered, "Thank you, my friend." Raven knew how much effort it had taken for Miles to keep the guards frozen for a full 40 minutes. It had been harder for Miles to maintain his magic than for Raven to accomplish his mission. Before the guards woke up, Raven quickly threw Miles over his back and headed into the forest.

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