“Now, where were we?” The Inquisitor asked. Even with his eyes closed it felt like his gaze was burning away their sanity. “Ah, yes, the introductions are in order! You can call this humble servant of god Kaldiro.”

Mila tried her best to erase any signs of her existence. A couple of men passed her bush to search for her. Her small size and skill worked wonders in keeping her hidden. She saw a few more men leave in other directions.

It was hard to judge how many there were. Mila counted at least nine who were making a circle around her friends, but there were more in the tree line.

The two men with noticeable mana levels slowly joined their leader, flanking him on each side. One had a similar robe to their leader, while the other wore steel armour.

At least there was good news. Mila’s friends were still alive. If this Kaldiro had wanted them dead, there would have been nothing she could have done.

Nothing if she had to act on a moment’s notice. Mila calmed her mind. But the man had first spoken. Her friends just had to stall for a time now. Silinth should be arriving soon.

“We have nothing to say to you, Temple’s Dog.” Kefo spat on the ground in front of the man.

Mila almost facepalmed. How was this boy so unaware of the situation they were in? He and Tiff had the most knowledge of how dangerous Temple’s forces were.

The other man in the robe frowned. “Watch your tongue, heretic!”

Kefo opened his mouth again, but Andrew stepped in front of him before the boy could make more blunders.

“I think there is a mistake here.” Andrew raised his hands in a placating gesture. “We are not sure what you are talking about.”

Kaldiro turned his head slightly, focusing on Andrew’s words. “An interesting accent.” He thoughtfully noted. “Are you not from around here?” There was no answer. “And what about you two?” Inquisitor turned his attention to Isabel and Tiff.

The situation was worsening. Mila steeled her mind. She weighed her options. There was only one left. An untested and dangerous method. Her palms turned sweaty. What if it resulted in them all dying?

How likely was it? Mila did not know. But she could not let Isabel-

Mila corrected her thoughts. She could not let her friends fall into the hands of this man.

“We are travellers.” Isabel finally answered. “Why are you stopping us?”

The man in the steel armour scoffed. “Travelers, my ass.” He glared. “Which one of you killed my boys?”

“Now, now.” Kaldiro waved the man down. “We will have plenty of time to learn who it was. It might not been any of them for all we know.”

“Will it not end up like with that spear guy?” The armoured man did not look convinced.

This time, it was the other robed man who answered. “These are children. They won’t kill themselves just because we caught them.” He sent a predatory look at the group.

“Well, someone has to pay.” The armoured guy pulled out a sword. “They don’t need their fingers to speak, now do they?” He took a step forward while brandishing his blade.

Somewhere in the distance, Mr Crow screamed with all his might. Andrew fell back from the threatening man. “There is no need for that. Please!”

“Grigory.” Kaldiro placed his hand on the man’s shoulder and held him back. “You too, Perhey. Have some tact. These are children! There is no need to act like low-life thugs.”

It was scary how reasonable the Inquisitor sounded. Even more so because there was genuine respect in Grigory’s and Perhey’s eyes for the older man.

“We will talk!” Andrew exclaimed. “We will tell you everything you want.” His voice was desperate.

However, Mila knew there was more. Another Mr Crow’s caw informed her friend of something. She hoped it was what she thought.

“Ah, I am so glad to hear that!” Kaldiro exclaimed, sounding genuinely happy. “Now, this old man is not good at discerning lies, and Perhey is- Perhaps too eager to search for truth. But for now, I have only one pressing question.” He paused. “Perchance, would you know of a man by the name of Silinth Overon Ampry?”

“Never heard of him!” Kefo once again proved to be too hot-blooded. Before Kaldiro could finish his sentence, the boy had already answered.

Kaldiro sighed. “Well, that just does not ring true. Please don’t do anything we would have to regret.”

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If they made it through this alive, Mila decided to put sharp pebbles in Kefo’s shoes for several months. However, despite the boy’s abrasive attitude, Kaldiro did not deem it to be bad enough for punishment.

“Ah!” Suddenly, Kaldiro exclaimed. “So you do know him.” He slowly turned around as his face fell. “Regretable. God’s cruelty is immeasurable to let children stray from the true path.” His stature sagged, and he seemed to age by a dozen years.

Mila felt it first before she saw anything. An impact somewhere in the vicinity shook the ground. Mr Crow’s voice resounded through the air, and she saw some of the men without mana frown and stagger.

Kaldrio’s attention had switched to where the impact had happened. His whole bearing grew fierce, and he removed his blinder, throwing it to the ground. The trees in front of him started to smoulder.

“Perhey,” Kaldiro sounded ancient and tired. “Do what you must.” He widened his stance, and the mana around him started to coil and seeth.

Perhey did not need to be told twice. His face twisted into a hideous visage as he raised his arms and pointed them at the group in front.

It all was happening too fast. Mila pushed her exhausted body to move. The two men who had passed her were her first targets. She pumped the available mana into her muscles and jumped their backs. She hoped her appearance would distract Perhey and Grigory from going straight for her friends.

And they weren’t helpless. Mila decided to trust her friends would know what to do. She was too far to intervene directly, and it was not the time to use her last card.

A resounding bird cry from above staggered the men again, making Mila’s job easier. She looked back and saw everyone, but her group and Kaldrio were affected.

Mila’s friends had pulled out their weapons and now faced off against the duo. Isabel and Kefo moved in front while Andrew and Tiff covered their backs from the stupified men surrounding them.

There was no resistance from Mila’s targets. She effortlessly sliced their throats as another Mr Crow’s cry shook the air.

“SO IT WAS YOU, BITCH!”

A rage-filled roar and weapons clashing behind Mila made her turn around in a hurry. She was just in time to dodge to the side as a throwing knife flashed past her neck.

Kefo and Andrew were knocked to the ground by the armoured man’s charge. Grigory continued towards Mila, his eyes bloodshot. The man was similarly using the mana to empower his body, and it made him a veritable battering ram, bulldozing through the foliage.

Meanwhile, Perhey had managed to finish a spell. Mila gritted her teeth. She could not let it hit Isabel. Her mouth opened as her mind controlled her thoughts to think of the forbidden name.

But before Mila could speak, Isabel dropped her wooden shield, and in its place, a silver heater shield formed. Its appearance even seemed to push back against the oppressive air coming from Kaldiro.

Mila halted her thoughts and returned her attention to Grigory. She had to trust Isabel. Her friend was strong. There was no need to risk all of their lives. She gritted her teeth and jumped to the side, barely dodging the charge.

It was pathetic. Mila hated how weak she was. If only she was just a bit stronger, she could have counterattacked and killed the man, but now all she could do was rush for easier targets.

With a corner of her eye, Mila saw flames shoot out of Perhey’s hands. They were nothing compared to what Kaldiro had used, but still deadly.

Isabel bravely stood in front of their group as her shield shined in Mila’s mind with beautiful light. The flames harmlessly splashed against an invisible shield made of pure mana. There wasn’t even a strain on the aegis guarding the group from the destructive spell.

The sudden appearance of such a barrier caused even Kaldrio to turn his head slightly. Then Mr Crow sang a melody, making Grigory stumble.

“SHUT UP YOU LITTLE SHIT!” He shouted while throwing a knife through the canopy.

Mila let the man waste his time. She had reached another of the pursuing men and sank her dagger into his neck. The next moment, she was already moving further.

But her luck ran out. Mila felt Grigory quickly shorten the distance between them. His enraged shouts chilled her spine. Before she could reach her next victim, she was forced to twist her body away from a precise slice aiming to decapitate her.

Mila lost her footing, painfully landing on her shoulder. Her body ached from mana expenditure. She barely rolled away from a stomp. It still tore her cloak away, leaving her more exposed.

“ARENT YOU JUST A KID?” Grigory was surprised when Mila’s face became visible. “NO MATTER! YOU MUST PAY!”

The man swung his sword while Mila rushed to her feet. She was forced to use her dagger to deflect the blow, and it shattered in her hands while she was flung backwards.

Mila heard Isabel scream. Her body did as well. She hit the ground rolling. Without her weapon, she felt helpless. She looked around to see if there was anything she could use.

There was nothing. Mila saw Isabel falter as she took a step towards her. Andrew managed to catch her, but not before a sharp blade made of wind slipped past her friend's shield.

It caught Tiff in her arm, digging in deeply. Kefo roared and threw himself towards the perpetrator.

Perhey madly laughed while taunting the boy. And then Kefo moved too close to the man, leaving Isabel’s protective border. He was immediately hit by a wave of flames, making him scream in pain as he stumbled back and tore the burning clothes off of himself.

Once again, Mila brought a forbidden thought to the forefront of her mind. She looked at Grigory closing in on her and-

Another loud impact later, the world was suddenly covered in thick smoke.

“YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR SINS, KALDIRO!” Silinth’s voice boomed over everything else.

“So we meet again, little Silinth.” Kaldrior’s voice was calm and reserved. “There is no one left to save you. This place will be your grave.”

Suddenly, a fierce wind blew between the trees. It fought against the smoke, trying to reveal the hidden treats.

Mila rolled away from Grigory’s stab and vanished inside the cover of the smoke. Somewhere above, Mr Crow reminded them of his presence.

It was now time for the second act.