"Wow!... Amazing!" Luna said as she observed the inscriptions on the walls of the ancient castle.

The castle from the inside was huge, and it was built like a maze. If not for Scarlett's skill, which showed her the location of the slaves and used their location as a navigation point, the group would have gotten lost by now in the castle.

"Amazing indeed!" Pethra agreed with her. As a mage, she too was curious about these ruins and their secrets.

"I wonder how old these ruins are."

Scarlett glanced at the two girls. "Girls! Focus on the task. We can always go back and explore."

Luna and Pethra nodded at her words. Saving the slaves is more important now than the ruins. Kasumi, on the other hand, remained silent. An uncomfortable feeling rose in her heart for some reason, and she couldn't help but raise her awareness to the fullest.

And she was right because Luna, who was slightly behind the group with Pethra, accidentally stepped on a trap. The platform that Luna stepped on suddenly gave way, triggering a mechanism.

Rumble. Rumble.

"!!!" Everyone immediately became alarmed by the sudden rumbling noise. They turned around to see the platforms rising one by one, creating a wall separating Luna and Pethra from Scarlett and Kasumi.

"Luna! Pethra!" Scarlett and Kasumi called out, their voices filled with concern. They rushed toward the wall, but there was no way to pass through it.

Panic surged through Luna and Pethra as they realized they were now trapped on the other side of the rising wall. Mostly Luna, because that brought back her bad memories.

Scarlett and Kasumi pressed against the wall, searching for any clues or mechanisms that could reverse the rising platforms. Desperation filled the air as they exchanged worried glances.

"This is my fault. I should have paid more attention," Kasumi said, blaming herself for what happened

"Snap out of it!" Scarlett yelled at her. "Leave that after we find a way to bring this wall down."

Scarlett's stern words snapped Kasumi out of her self-blame. "Yes, you're right! First things first."

Kaaah!

Raum, who was scouting the way ahead of the group, came back when he heard the rumbling noise.

"What happened?" he asked.

"We got separated. Luna and Pethra are behind this wall," Scarlett replied, still searching for a way through the wall.

"Shit! Not good! Aron will react badly if something happens to them," he said and quickly began searching for a hole or an opening that he could use to pass through.

Kasumi and Scarlett glanced at each other at the mention of Aron. They quickly realized that, with Aron's obsessive nature and the way he treats the girls, especially Pethra, he will react really bad if something happens to them.

"I found an opening!"

Kasumi and Scarlett's attention snapped back to Raum as he called out. They rushed toward him, their hearts pounding with hope. Raum pointed to a small hole in the wall, just big enough for him to pass through it.

"I'll use this hole to reach them, you redhead!" Raum turned to Scarlett. "I found the slave, and the path is clear. You two go and save them and get back to us quickly."

"W-What? We can't leave them here." Kasumi tried to refuse.

"Shut up! There is no time; go now!"

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Kasumi's objections faltered as she saw the urgency in Raum's eyes. She and Scarlett understood the gravity of the situation.

Raum didn't wait for them, and he quickly squeezed himself through the small hole. Kasumi and Scarlett glanced at each other for a moment before nodding and turning around, heading for the slaves.

…

"Luna, are you okay?" Pethra asked with concern when she saw the look on her face.

The elf girl stood there silently as her mind recalled bad memories from the time when she was alone in the wilderness. Pethra approached her and immediately pulled her into a warm hug.

"Calm down, Luna. Don't worry; you're not alone anymore."

Before coming into this mission, Kasumi explained briefly that when Luna got the feeling that she's lost or got separated from the people she considered her closest friends, she would immediately fall into a deep panic state.

And the closest one to her is Kasumi. Their bond was formed when they were Vincent's slaves. Vincent needed a long time just to be able to pass through Kasumi's magic and affect her with his skill.

During that time, both girls shared the same cell, and Kasumi took it upon herself to take care of Luna like her own little sister. Ironically, Luna is actually older than Kasumi. Elves need more time to mature.

Pethra's comforting embrace helped soothe Luna's rising panic. Luna clung to Pethra, her body trembling slightly as she fought to regain control over her emotions. She closed her eyes, taking deep breaths and focusing on Pethra's reassuring presence.

"You're right," Luna whispered, her voice shaky but determined. "I'm not alone anymore. I have you and the others." She flashed a small smile when she thought of Aron and Raum, mainly Raum. She really liked that little raven.

Pethra tightened her embrace, offering silent support and understanding. She knew how difficult it was for Luna to overcome her past traumas, but she also had faith in Luna's strength.

"We'll get through this together, Luna," Pethra said softly. "We'll find a way to bring down this wall, and soon we'll be reunited with the rest of our friends. Don't let fear hold you back. We're in this together."

"Thank you, Pethra," Luna whispered.

Step. Step. Step.

"!!!" Suddenly, the two girls heard rapid footsteps coming to their location. They turned around, looking at the same path that brought them here. Soon, they began to hear the voice of someone talking to himself in an angry tone.

"Cough… Why are they taking so long, those damn old men? My condition is getting worse each day… Cough."

"I'll skin them alive if they dare to stab me in the back and not deliver the cure that they promised me."

'Shit!' Pethra cursed inwardly. She turned to Luna and whispered, "Someone is coming; we need to hide."

Luna nodded in understanding, and Pethra quickly tried to use her magic on the floor, wanting to create a small wall or a pillar so both of them could hide behind it. Unfortunately, Pethra's earth magic didn't work on these ruins.

"W-What? Why?!... Ughhh! Damnit!" Pethra cursed in frustration.

She quickly scanned her surroundings, looking for a fallen rock, a pillar, or pieces of some wall. Unfortunately, although this castle is ancient, the inside is well preserved. Nothing is missing or broken in the structure.

The two girls panicked, their eyes still scanning around the place, however.

"Eh? What's this?"

"!!!" A voice came from behind them, completely halting their actions.

Pethra and Luna slowly turned around, only to be shocked by what they saw. A skinny-looking man with a hood and bandages all over his body. From his eyes, the man was clearly sick, as a mixture of rotten flesh and the smell of herbs filled the place.

"Who are you? What are you doing here? I specifically ordered Marcus to remove all the members from the castle today!" Maxwell, the leader of the Rat faction, was angry when he found people inside the castle, mistaking Luna and Pethra as his faction members.

And that didn't go unnoticed by Pethra; she immediately lowered her head and forced Luna to do the same. She guessed that this sick man was either the leader of this faction or one of the commanders.

"S-Sorry, sir, we didn't mean to, but Sir Marcus ordered us to-" She tried to play a trick and follow through with his misunderstanding, but Maxwell cut her off.

"Enough! Leave this castle immediately; I'll have you punished later," he spoke angrily as he passed by them.

"Y-Yes, sir." Pethra lowered her head more and quickly started walking in the opposite direction, dragging Luna with her.

Maxwell didn't glance at them as he continued with his walk. That's when he noticed a wall cutting his path.

"Why did the trap get activated? Strange!?" He wondered, and out of curiosity, he turned to the two girls, asking them if they had anything to do with activating the trap. That's when he saw something strange. One of the girls had pointy ears.

"..." Maxwell narrowed his sick eyes, and his mind rapidly searched through his memory, but no matter how hard he searched, he couldn't find an elf amongst his faction members.

"!!!" Maxwell opened his eyes in shock, but due to his condition, he completely forgot that the place was under attack by someone. The report said they were two, and now there are two girls in front of him that he doesn't recognize.

He thought for a moment. 'Two people attacked us openly, two girls here,' he glanced around him, 'this path leads to the slaves.'

"!!!" Maxwell instantly realized something.

"HEY! You two, get back in here!" he yelled.

Pethra glanced at Luna and whispered to her, "Run now!"

Without wasting any seconds, they immediately started running away, taking the same path that brought them here, while Maxwell's angry voice behind them urged them to stop.