Heyvl took another look towards the two men. "Are they?" he questioned.

Jet didn't nod or reply. He simply stared at the men as they questioned Trekthar.

"Our scouts along the border had seen the opening several weeks ago," one of Wrathel's men said.

Jet's eyes widened. He couldn't believe that he was out for multiple weeks. He thought it was a few days at the most, but not that long.

"What is it they saw exactly?" Trekthar asked.

"A rift in the Elemental Planes opened up. We are led to believe that it was an Elementalist needed by the Emperor himself," the man explained to Trekthar.

Trekthar looked away in thought. Heyvl and Jet remained still, hoping to avoid being seen as Trekthar ended up facing them. Jet's eyes met with Trekthar's. They said to him 'don't move out here.' Jet knew he wasn't going to. He knew those men were looking for him. But why?

Trekthar turned back to the two riders and shook his head. "I don't recall. We don't have many Elementalists out here."

One of the men frowned at him. "Well I'm sure you won't mind if we have a look around then."

"Be my guest. Everyone, even those from the Empire, are welcome in Lonava."

"Good," he replied to Trekthar. The two men began to ride towards Jet and Heyvl. The crowds moved without hesitation. Jet wondered if it wasn't that often when people from the Empire came through here that weren't traders.

As the men rode towards the two boys, Jet's eyes met with one of theirs. His eyes shimmered in the same violet color that Wrathel's had. It reminded him the color of Dustan's soul. Were all Souls purple? He wondered if it was like his own Element.

The men ignored Jet and Heyvl. It's not like they knew what the Elementalist looked like. Jet just had to avoid using his Element, which wouldn't be that hard.

"So what now?" Jet asked Heyvl.

"We should see what Trekthar thinks. It might be dangerous to stay here any longer if the Empire suspects you here."

"Why do they want me?"

"Who knows? Maybe to tie up loose ends..."

Jet shuddered at the thought. He wanted to avoid being thrown out of a tower again. It was lucky that his Element seemed to activate. He wasn't even sure how to do that again. He wasn't sure if he wanted to.

"Come on, let's get back to Trekthar," Heyvl said as he stood up. The two backtracked through the village until they reached Trekthar's hut. People had already started to gather there, worrying what the presence of the Empire's scouts meant. Trekthar was calming them down by telling them everything was going to be okay. It didn't disperse the crowd.

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"Ah, Jet, you're back," Trekthar mumbled to him. "I will be right back everyone."

Trekthar beckoned for Jet and Heyvl to enter his hut. Trekthar began to pace around. "This could be bad," he started.

"Why are they here looking for me?" Jet asked.

"I don't know. Judging by your story, the Emperor doesn't need you anymore. Maybe things have changed."

"So what do we do now?" Heyvl asked.

Jet was surprised to see how willing Heyvl was to be a part of this. He didn't want to put anyone else in danger, but Heyvl looked determined to help in any way.

"As long as they believe he is somewhere in Lonava, he is in danger. That also puts everyone else in danger. You need to leave this land."

Jet's heart sank. He had nowhere to go. He had just started to feel safe again. "Where do I even go?"

Trekthar began to think for a moment. "Ah! The man from your story. Rujar. If the Kingdom has an ambassador, you should be safer there. That means the two lands have an agreement of sorts. Lonava is a neutral land, which means if either the Empire or the Kingdom wished to attack us, they could easily do so."

"That's awful," Jet replied.

"We keep to ourselves, but I wouldn't put it pass the Empire to do something rash."

Jet frowned. He had no idea the power the Empire held. Lonava must have not had an army, so they could easily be walked over. He was kind of surprised it hadn't already been taken by the Empire.

"You need to travel to the Crystal Kingdom. Find this Rujar man and see if they can protect you," Trekthar explained.

"Would they though?" Heyvl asked.

"It's the only chance we have to avoid you getting taken back to the Emperor. You might have told us too much. It sounded like the Emperor was working in secret for a reason. Maybe the ambassador will know something about it."

Jet nodded. He knew he couldn't put this land in danger. It would be selfish of him.

"I'll take him," Heyvl chimed in.

Trekthar and Jet both looked at him. He threw them a smirk and added, "Well he doesn't know anything out of Calbar, so someone is going to have to take him there."

Trekthar's expression was shocked for a few seconds until he finally nodded. "You might be the best qualified, given our circumstances."

Screams came from outside the hut. Trekthar looked towards the door. "What now?"

He went outside. Jet and Heyvl immediately began to hear the two men from before. They decided to peek out the doorway.

"We were told that there was a sighting of a Spirit Elementalist's power," one soldier said.

"Is that so?" Trekthar added.

"As you all know," the other soldier began as he addressed the crowd, "the desert is forbidden. No one enters, no one leaves. So judging by the description we've received from our scouts, the Elementalist is here."

Jet swallowed hard. He and Heyvl exchanged looks.

"Wrathel might have my head for not realizing we might have seen the Elementalist already, but I'll be sure he gets what he wants first," the soldier explained.

"Well I haven't seen anyone from the desert here," Trekthar replied.

"See, we have some people who say otherwise." The two soldiers got off their horses and approached Trekthar.

"So tell us where you're keeping the Elementalist, and we'll leave."

Trekthar eyed the two soldiers. He didn't reply.

"There's no use lying. A fraction of the mighty Soul Empire army is surrounding your pathetic village. Wrathel will get what he wants. You will obey!" the soldier spat at him.

Trekthar continued in silence. The other Lonav villagers just stood and watched, probably too afraid to stand up against soldiers. The two soldiers could be Elementalists for all they knew.

One soldier kicked Trekthar's walking stick, causing him to fall to the ground. Jet's hands began to light up with his Elemental aura. As one soldier started to yell at Trekthar to answer, the other kicked the old man after a few seconds of silence.

"Tell us where he is!"

Trekthar didn't say anything. He managed to shoot a glance towards his hut. It was after he received a kick so the soldiers didn't notice. Jet wanted to help him. He didn't know how. He wasn't sure how to use his Element to its full extent.

"We have to go," Heyvl whispered, "Now!"