“Good question,” Svenja said. “An’ we know just who to ask.”

She walked along the bleachers with Ahina in tow. Svenja’s steps were quick with no room for relent, as her eyes were locked onto Echo, who was on her way back to the Everest Manor.

With a tap on the shoulder, Echo spun herself around to meet the Alliance members in their full pride and glory, her uncorrupted eye sparkling in admiration.

“Woah, it's the guys!”

“Yep, the guys, and we need your help looking for somebody,” Ahina proposed.

"Who, maybe I can help you."

Echo spoke back, her smile not wavering one bit as she continued the playful way she speaks. She seemed to be a welcoming and energetic type, something more common among elves. She tilted her head as Ahina mentioned needing her help to search for somebody.

"So who’re ya tryna find, anyway?" There was a brief moment of anticipation as Echo listened, her body language open to whatever task or discussion was about to come.

Svenja then answered. "We're lookin’ for ye big sis, Evelynn. Have ye seen ‘er lately?”

"Ah, Evelynn?" Echo replied, her tone now tinged with a hint of concern. "Yeah, I’ve seen her. But she’s been real quiet lately, more than usual. I think somethin’ is up with her.”

"And what would that be, exactly?" Svenja inquired, taking a step forward and crossing her arms.

"Honestly, I ain’t sure," admitted Echo with a shrug. "I mean, Evelynn’s always been a bit of a loner, but this feels different. It’s like she’s really worried about somethin’.”

“Worried about what?” asked Ahina, her voice laced with both curiosity and worry. “Is it something major?”

"I dunno, she ain’t exactly the type to open up 'bout things like this," Echo sighed. "But, I’ve known her long enough to know somethin’s real off with her. She’s been training a lot more, spending more time alone. It’s almost like…" She paused, seeming unsure of how to continue.

Ahina waited for a beat, then gently prodded, “Like what?”

Echo shifted her weight, her eyes darting to the side before she responded. "Like she’s preparing for something. Something big.”

Svenja's expression darkened at this revelation. "Preparing for something big?" she repeated, a hint of anxiety creeping into her normally fiery tone.

Ahina and Svenja exchanged a glance, worry and intrigue etched across their faces.

"That doesn't sound good at all," Ahina said quietly.

“Yeah,” Ahina agreed, her fingers nervously tapping at her arm. “What could she be preparing for, anyway?”

Echo shrugged again, looking a bit lost for words. "Like I said, she won't tell me anything," she admitted with a soft, frustrated sigh. “An’ whenever I ask, she jus’ tells me to mind my own business.”

“What?!” Ahina exclaimed, her brows furrowed. “But she's your sister, how could she be so closed off even to you?”

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Echo nodded, her gaze slightly faltering at the question. "Yeah, she's my sister, alright. But that doesn't mean she trusts me with everything. She's always been...closed off. No one can pin down why. But when she gets like this, it's usually somethin' really dangerous that she's up against. Somethin' nobody should handle alone.”

Svenja's expression darkened. "So yer sayin' that Evelynn's up to somethin' that's dangerous, an’ she's dealin' with it all on her own?”

Echo nodded grimly. "That's about the long and short of it, yeah. And the way she's training... it's like she's preparing for a one-way trip.”

Svenja's eyes widened. “Wait, she ain't plannin’ on doing anythin’ stupid an’ reckless, is she?”

Echo let out a frustrated breath. "That's the thing, she's so damn secretive, it's hard to tell what she's up to. But, if I know my big sis, she's definitely up to somethin' reckless. She's always had this damn habit of takin' on huge problems all on her own instead of askin' for help. And by the time she lets others in, she's already waist deep in it.”

Ahina spoke up then. “She sounds like she’s got a real martyr complex, huh?”

“Yeah, you bet she does,” Echo agreed with an eye roll. “It’s like she's got this insane drive to protect everyone, but she never lets others return the favor. It's always 'No, I'm fine on my own' or some bullshit like that.”

Svenja let out a scoff. “She sounds like a real piece of work, ya know that? She’s got a habit of puttin’ her own neck in jeopardy an’ think that she’s the knight in shinin’ armor. She needs to learn the benefits of a team, at that point, why is she in the Alliance?!”

"You're tellin' me," Echo said with a light huff. "She's always had this thing where she doesn't want to 'burden' anyone else with her problems. But honestly, she's burdenin' herself so much, she's just gonna break at some point. She’s so… damn stubborn, it drives me insane!”

“Well that's gonna change ‘cause we're out to find her! Any idea of ‘er last whereabouts?”

Echo thought for a moment then said, “Hm, last time I saw her, she was goin’ to the Snowclover National Library. But you know Evelynn, she could be anywhere by now. She does this thing where she randomly teleports to different places on the continent, always keeping even ME on my toes. But yeah, the library’s probably the best bet for startin’ your search, that is, if she’s still there.”

Svenja nodded in understanding before turning to Ahina and Ahina. "Library it is then. We’ll start there an’ see if we can find any sign of Evelynn.”

As they approached the library, they all started to look around, searching for any sign of Evelynn. Inside, the library was huge, filled with countless rows of shelves filled with books. The silence of the place was only occasionally broken by the whispered conversations of patrons deep in study.

They walked around, their eyes scanning the area as they passed by rows of shelves, each one filled with tomes upon tomes of knowledge. The faint smell of old paper and ink filled the air. But despite their intense search, there was no sign of Evelynn.

Feeling a bit hopeless, Ahina huffed in annoyance. "Great, this place is freakin' huge," she said, her voice tinged with annoyance. "How the hell are we supposed to find one person in this labyrinth of books?”

Svenja was looking around, her eyes roaming over the various shelves. "She has to be somewhere in ‘ere,"

Ahina was also searching, her head turning, trying to survey all the space. She then sighed, "But where? This place is gigantic! We could be searching for hours and not even scratch the surface to look through everything!”

Svenja glanced over at Ahina, her expression stern. "Well, we ain't got a choice, do we? We gotta keep lookin'. We ain't leavin’ here until we find her.”

"Maybe we should split up? Cover more ground that way.”

"That could work," she admitted. "But we'd haveta be careful. We can’t afford to get lost in ‘ere either."

Ahina nodded, a determined look on her face. "Yeah, splitting up is our best bet at finding her quickly. We'll cover more ground that way."

Svenja nodded in agreement. "Alrighty then. Let’s split up an’ search. We’ll meet back at the entrance in half an hour.”

Without further discussion, the group split up, each heading off to explore different sections of the library.

In the history section, Ahina ran her hands along the spines of the old leather-bound tomes, their gold lettering detailing various events and personalities from the past. The books were dusty, and the shelves were slightly crooked, giving the place an almost eerie atmosphere, but she pushed on, determined to find any hints of Evelynn’s whereabouts.

In the science & technology section, Svenja wandered between rows of shelves filled with books and texts ranging from quantum physics to robotics. The section was less frequented than others, possibly due to the complexity of the texts, and it was eerily quiet as she searched for any trace of Evelynn.

The hours passed and the daylight began to fade outside. Eventually, the time of their rendezvous approached at a quickening pace, the faint glow of the setting sun seeping through the library's windows. At the agreed time, the two met back up at the entrance, a small feeling of failure weighing them down as they reconvened with each other.

"Any luck?" Svenja asked, the first to speak with a disheartened tone.

“Nope,” Ahina muttered.

Svenja let out a frustrated sigh, leaning against the wall. "Damn, she really ain't here…”

"Wait, perhaps she wasn't here to begin with? Maybe she already teleported somewhere else entirely, or we've just been searching in the wrong place.”

Svenja rubbed her forehead and groaned. "If she ain’t here, we’re back to square one," she said, her voice laced with irritation. "Any ideas on where to look next?”

Ahina thought for a moment, her brows scrunched together. "Well, we know she's preparing for something big, and she's always had a penchant for being secretive. Maybe she's gone somewhere...isolated. Somewhere off the beaten path.”

“Huh, ye may be onto somethin’. What's the most isolated place ye can think of?”

“...The Road of Dead Ends?”

Svenja blinked at the mention of the barren, desolate realm akin to the Shadow Zone. “Y'know what…we prolly have our location now. I wouldn't put it past Evelynn to be there.”

"Yeah," Ahina nodded, her voice tinged with worry. "But we should be careful. The Road of Dead Ends isn't exactly a place for the faint-hearted. It's…a pretty scary place.”

Svenja let out a small scoff. "Don’t worry 'bout me, I ain’t scared of no desolate place. ‘Sides, we’ve been in scarier situations before, ain’t that right?”

"I suppose you're right," Ahina conceded with a small snort. "Still, we gotta be careful. The place is known as the ‘Road of Dead Ends’ for a good reason. It's like a barren wasteland, I'd know ‘cause I've been there.”

"Right, we'll be on our guard then," Svenja agreed. "But let’s not let fear slow us down. We’ve got a job to do, and that’s to find Evelynn. Whatever she may be up to, we'll get to the bottom of it.”