*Splasshh*
A bucket of ice cold water was splashed on Ae Rin's face and her eyes fluttered open. A twinge of pain electrified throughout her body as she tried to stretch out her muscles. But she soon realised that her arms were tied behind her.
"How did I lose my consciousness in the carriage all of a sudden? What did you do to me!?" She glared at the man with the armor who had captured her. He tossed the empty bucket on the ground and inched closer to her. He squatted on the ground to be face to face with her.
"Didn't you notice the smelling gas released inside the carriage? It was to make you dizzy and lose consciousness. We don't touch women physically." His gaze was cold but the last words he said were partly reassuring.
"Don't expect me to believe such lies. You just kidnapped me and locked me up in this cell." She glared again at him.
"Correction; I didn't kidnap you. I arrested you. And, I don't have time to deal with your stupidity. Now, answer my question. What were you doing in the forest at that time?" He drew his sword out of the sheath and pointed close to Ae Rin's neck.
Ae Rin stared at the sword, startled by his actions as well as the question, since she didn't know what excuse she would be giving.
"I was lost." She replied, determined to play it cool till the end.
"Why were you out in the middle of the night?" He narrowed his eyes in suspicion.
"I am new in this area so I got lost. I..am a traveler." She replied cautiously.
"What middle of the night? Is he insane?" She frowned as she thought to herself but didn't dare to ask it again since it would make her look more suspicious.
"Sir!" The interrogation was interrupted by his men entering into the cell.
He looked back and frowned when he saw his men bringing an unconscious young girl, her hands tied with huge, bulky metal handcuffs into the cell.
Ae Rin's eyes grew wide as she realised the unconscious person was Iris. She was about to get up and scream her name out loud in relief but she managed to restrain herself and tried to cover up her excitement.
"Who is she?" The man asked his soldiers.
"We found her with a man wandering in the woods just like this one." One of the soldiers pointed at Ae Rin.
The man turned to Ae Rin confidently and asked, "They are your comrades, aren't they?"
"You found me alone, remember? I have no relation with her or anyone else around here. As I have said already, I got lost. There's no reason for you to-"
She tried to explain once again but was cut off in the middle.
"Enough of your excuses! I can see through your lies clearly so don't try to fool me. And soon enough, I will make those two spill out the truth if it's not you who says it." The man glared at her again before leaving the cell. The guards dropped Iris to the ground and locked the cell before following closely behind their master.
Ae Rin patiently watched as they left the cell and then quickly rushed to her sister's side.
"Iris! Can you hear me?" She called out her name in a hushed voice but Iris didn't respond. Her body laid still as a rock on the ground.
Ae Rin brought her ears close to Iris' chest to check her heartbeats.
"Thank God, she's alive! She might wake up anytime soon... hopefully.." She sighed in relief when she heard the rhythm of her heartbeats and the tension washed away from her mind.
Ae Rin leaned on the wall with her legs stretched out and closed her eyes. The thoughts of the new world and her father swarmed her mind as she slowly drifted off to sleep.
.....
....
"Rin, wake up."
Ae Rin lazily opened her eyes when she felt a nudge on her arm. "You're awake!!"
On seeing her sister alive and well, she wrapped her arms around her and hugged her tightly.
" S-Stop...I.. can't..breathe.." Iris said hoarsely.
"Ah...sorry, my bad.." Ae Rin immediately released her.
"I am happy to see you alive, too, but that doesn't mean you will kill your sister the moment you see her." Iris sighed and shook her head. "In case you're curious to know if your beloved friend, Kyou, is dead or not, then rest assured. He's alive and taken to a cell at the other end of this hallway." She pointed to the left.
"Why don't we escape?"
"Huh?" Iris looked at her sister with surprise who was looking in the direction of the hallway.
"I know it's out of the blue but we have to escape. It's now or never."
"What? How are we supposed to break this cell? Our powers don't work." Iris looked at her dumbfoundedly.
Ae Rin shoots a knowing smile at her and Iris' eyes grew wide in realisation.
"Don't tell me you're gonna..."
Ae Rin grinned wider when she saw her astonished face.