There was less for Liam to gather than he would’ve thought. A somewhat sobering thought. He felt some pangs of melancholy as he looked down at his small knapsack stuffed with all his belongings in the world.

It held a set of spare clothes, grey and plain, a small portion of proviant, and the big leatherbound book Liam had gotten from Mr Montgomery such a long time ago. It was an old collection of fairy tales.

“As old as the gods themselves,” Mr Montgomery had once told him. And it had become one of Liam’s favorite books. So much so that the man had decided to gift Liam a copy from the library's archives at one point. Something very unusual.

Of course, back then things had been a little different. Liam had spent so much time in the library, huddled between the shelves with Grace, that he had almost belonged to the inventory there. His rate of visiting had changed drastically after the incident.

He walked down the street with all his belongings stuffed into a small knapsack over his shoulder and turned to give his hideout over the post office a last glance. Even though he had spent his years in Chairville in countless hideouts, this had been his favorite one.

He even had a few fond memories of the orphanage he had been in for a while. But in the end, this place was what felt closest to home for him. It was a place where he had been able to be alone if he wanted. Sheltered from the noise and trouble of the streets. A safe place.

Now with the images of the burning library and the thick clouds of smoke still fresh in his mind, Liam felt less safe here than ever before. His old hideout suddenly seemed so small, and the road in front of him so wide.

He swallowed, turned his back to the building and marched down the street.

He was, he admitted, a little late for the meeting with Blue and his caravan, having overdrawn the agreed upon hour a little. Punctuality had never been one of his finest attributes.

After meeting the caravan, Liam had strolled the streets aimlessly for a while. Then he went to visit a few old friends and give them a goodbye of sorts. It had felt weird to say goodbye to Bird without even giving a proper explanation why. Luckily the boy hadn’t minded much, and simply wished him a good trip.

The goodbye with Mr Montgomery had been brief, differently than expected. The old man was the only one who knew the true purpose of Liam’s going away, and still even there he felt a sort of chasm between the two.

He had even paid the refugees and Gerome a small visit. He had only met them once after their initial meeting, and back then Liam hadn’t trusted himself to really meet the man’s eyes. Still Liam felt obliged to inform him about his going.

He had become somewhat of the only contact the refugees had in Charville, he couldn't just withdraw like that. He knew what it was like to be left, he didn't want to put that on them.

He didn't need to visit Lorence again. The two had said everything that needed to be said the day before.

The goodbyes had been a little anticlimactic in Liams opinion. They hadn’t felt the way he thought they should feel. He was going in his quest to gain power and free the city after all, yet he had mostly been met with blank looks and a goodbye.

He wasn't sure what to think about the caravan yet. Not even sure what he thought about his decision to join one.

They had seemed a solid bunch, they had the air of professionalism around them that one learned to appreciate after years of dealing with people.

The only one who didn't quite fit in for Liam was that boy Jerem. There was something about his cheerfulness that stood in stark contrast to the rest of the caravan. But at the same time, that just made him even more likable for Liam.

It would prove to be quite an interesting experience.

He steered away from the busier mainstreets and turned towards the alleys that were oh so familiar to him. As Liam sped up, trying to catch the caravans in time, a slow whisper of anxiety followed on his steps like a shadow.

It was a little reminiscent of Liams earlier days. Before the twisted narrow alleys had become like a second home to him, when he still jumped at every shadow and had good reason to scatter through the alleys as quickly as he could. Now he thrived in them like they were his just another part of him.

Liam idly wondered whether Bird and a few of the others would miss him, when something ripped him out of his thoughts.

Two things to be precise.

Two dark clad figures stepped out of the shadows from a nearby alley from blocking his way. Liam was immediately on guard. They had caught him by surprise, that wasn't an easy thing.

Both of them didn’t cut imposing figures, but the very dark navy blue of the royals and the noble symbols on their tunics were unmistakable. There was something else about them though.

They moved in unnatural ways. It was slight, very slight. The way one of them shifted his weight, and how the other one stared at Liam without blinking.

Those were Seekers. Liams blood froze.

“Him?” One of them said lazily. “Are you sure? He looks like a strong breeze might blow him over.”

“Yes, definitely him. He gives off the same signature as we have found at the scene,” his comrade responded. "Unmistakable scent."

The first one shrugged. “Well I guess we should rather take him and worry about the rest later.”

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Wait…” Liam started, but was interrupted as one of the men appeared in front of him in a flash.

He grabbed Liam's shoulder in an iron grip.

“A little sad we found him that easily,” the other man sighed. “After the long travel I was hoping for some more action.”

Liam tried to break free, but found himself unable to struggle. This was levels different from the grip the man in the bar had on him. It felt like he was tied to a mountain.

The man holding his shoulder raised an eyebrow. “This is your power?” He sneered and turned towards his colleague. “They got two of us out here for that little snip?”

“He killed the Da Rona son,” the man shrugged.

“The nobles in this city are really a shame for the empire,” his comrade shook his head.

The strange man started dragging Liam across the street. Fear flooded his veins.. His eyes darted across the road for help, but the whole street had suddenly turned empty. People in Charville knew when to leave a street, especially if navy blue tunics were involved.

His heart started pounding in his chest. He could smell the faint whiff of tobacco on the seeker. It reminded him of the smell of the noble in the alley.

He struggled anew to break free, but the seeker didn’t even notice his attempt.

Liam was about to cry out for help, but he knew there would be none. He was on his own, and there was only one thing he could do.

He turned his attention inwards, feeling for the vast ocean of mana surging through him. Connecting to it was almost instant by now. The world turned a little more sharp around him, colors became a little more vibrant. His fear was swept away by adrenaline as Liam channeled his Mana.

The seeker next to him turned towards Liam with a frown, but before he could act, Liams legs propelled him forwards with supernatural explosive power, breaking the man's grip.

He landed almost half a dozen meters away from the guards. Without turning around, he cast [Gravity Jump] a second and a third time. The feeling of weightlessness was so brief he almost didn’t notice it as he pushed himself through the air.

He only stopped when he reached the crossroads

By the end he had almost reached the end of the road in less than a few seconds, he scrambled upwards and tried to make for another side alley.

Suddenly he was stopped dead though, as he ran into the man. He fell to the floor, his shoulder hurting as if he had run into a brick wall.

The brute smiled down at him. "Well you can be pretty quick if you want to. Are you a little runner?"

His colleague appeared next to them with a big frown on his face. "That energy signature of yours… What god do you belong to? Which blood have you stolen that blessing from?"

"None of your business," Liam replied.

The man gave the brute a look and nodded.

"Just what I hoped for," the man threw his head back and laughed. "Finally a way to work off some steam."

He took a step towards Liam, violence reflecting in his eyes.

Before he managed to get a hold of Liam though, the world around him blurred. Liam suddenly found himself sitting on the dirt a dozen meters away. Standing above him were a man and a woman.

“Are you sure that’s him?” The woman asked.

The man nodded. “His mana signature is pretty reliable.”

“Perfect, of course we find him the moment some Seekers swoop in to gobble him up. Why did we even spend those days trekking across the wilderness.”

“Because you know damn well that Mary ordered it,” the man rolled his eyes.

She smiled. “Well kicking some ass will be a nice reward.”

“Uhh,” Liam scrambled up from the floor. “Who are you two?”

“Your guardian angels,” the woman smirked.

The man rolled his eyes. “I’m Nils and she is Sara.”

“Well I’m Liam and I would like to know what's going on here.”

“We were sent here to get you, but unfortunately those two have been a little faster.

“Sent here by who?” Liam asked.

Before the man could reply, a fireball the size of Liams torso soared towards them. With a lazy flick of his hand, the man erected a shimmering golden shield in front of them. The fireball exploded against the barrier, but didn’t leave so much as a scratch.

“Ugh Blaze follower,” the woman said. “I hate those.”

The two Seekers strode up to them. “Give the boy to us.”

“Why would we?” The woman raised an arm, blue runes started rotating around it.

“He is to be arrested for killing a noble,” the brute of them said. “Either you will hand them to us or we will take him together with you.”

The burly man sniffed his nose. “There is also something about you. I can’t really put my finger on it. You have the same smell as him. What noble house do you belong to? We’re sent by the alliance, so we stand above you in rank. Whatever order you two have, we trump it.”

The woman ground her teeth. “We’re not from any of your trashy noble houses, and if you even suggest so again I will take out both of your kneecaps and make stupidly oversized earrings out of them.”

Both Seekers opened their eyes wide. “The resistance then?” The brute fledged his teeth. “That will get us some bonus:”

“Resistance?” Liam asked and turned towards the two newcomers.

“Something for later,” the woman said.

Nils turned towards him and flashed him a smile. “I would like to tell you more, but we have some things to deal with here.”

In response the two Seekers took a few steps towards them and flared their aura. Liam visions suddenly started swimming. He felt weak on his knees, much similar to a few days ago with the noble man in the alley. Only this was worse. Much worse.

As he looked at the two Seekers approaching them, he felt like he was staring into the abyss. Like he saw sure death approaching him, and found his body frozen in the moment.

A small clasp on the back reeled him back into reality.

“You better go now boy,” Nils said. Pressing something into Liam’s hand. Looking down, he saw it was a talisman of sorts. “Try to run as far away from here as you can. Just hold onto that, and we will find you later.”

Liam didn’t need to hear that twice. He started dashing away as fast as his legs were carrying him.

He heard a big explosion behind him, and turned just in time to see a blur of motion rushing towards him. It was intercepted by another blur, and the two forms crashed into a nearby building.

It took him half a second to realize it was Katarina and the brute Seeker locked into a battle. They moved too fast for his eyes to follow.

He saw that the other man and Nils were equally locked into a battle, although theirs seemed to be much different. The two were moving in circles and staring intensely at each other. Yet none of them made a move.

He could feel the dense energies those two were emitting even from this far away though. They were definitely using some sort of skill. Was it maybe a mental battle?

Liam wasted no more time pondering this question and instead turned towards what he knew.

Running.