My eyes slowly opened to the sight of a starry night sky, a soft tone of purple spreading throughout the land. I felt a soft breeze rustle through the trees, but I immediately realized the oddity of the situation.
There wasn't a single sound around me; no insects, nocturnal birds, or movement of any kind.
My eyes shot open as I realized the missing individual who had fallen asleep on my shoulder. There was always the possibility that Asthia had simply woken up and left, but the eerie silence that surrounded me led me to believe that wasn't the case.
I leaped into the trees above, attempting to use my connection with Asthia to sense her approximate location.
Asthia! I called out through the link, but not a single response ensued. The telepathic messages could be heard even while sleeping, meaning that the dragon girl was most likely completely unconscious, a state only attainable if forced upon by a third party.
Had she been taken?
I closed my eyes momentarily, calming myself as I tried to not let my emotions control my judgment. Panicking wouldn't get me anywhere. If I was going to pinpoint her location, I had to purge any conflicting feelings and focus solely on the link between us.
The pathway opened, a natural compass suddenly taking over as I dashed through the dense vegetation, my speed singeing the skin of my cheeks.
The kidnapping of the Dragon Princess. If this was orchestrated by any of the opposing nations, it would be considered a declaration of war on the dragons. I still wanted to believe in a peaceful future for my family, but if losing Asthia was the price to pay, then I'd face any opponent.
I launched myself from branch to branch, approaching Asthia by the second. My arm instinctively reached out, pulling out two items from the small rift in front of me: a mask and a tattered cloak.
If someone was going to be blamed for this incident, then I'd make sure it all fell on Darck. My identity was masked, even from the royal family. There was no reason for me to be an adventurer anymore, and if there was one last thing I could do as Darck to protect my loved ones, then this was it.
The sound of domesticated beasts echoed right in front of me, the scraping of wooden wheels against the rough road giving away the convoy's location. I crouched on a branch that extended over the road, attempting to identify who the attackers were.
The fact that I had been completely unable to sense them approaching or Asthia being taken meant that they were powerful, but I guessed that they had immediately subdued Asthia with a potion, or she would've fought back fiercely.
A total of three carriages stood before me, my instinct identifying the center-most vehicle as the one containing Asthia. I waited until the first carriage was directly underneath me before gently tipping forward.
I manipulated the wind around me, slowing my descent just enough so that I managed to land on my intended target silently. No commotion arose from my sudden touchdown, my mind racing as it planned out the next move.
My priority was to identify the attackers.
By landing on the final vehicle of the convoy, I had been able to avoid detection by the drivers. They were all completely cloaked, preventing me from identifying them by a simple glance.
An individual below me suddenly started moving, making their way to the back of the vehicle.
Were they going to look above? Did they suspect something?
I vaulted to the side, using my free arm to hang off the side of the carriage as the individual's head appeared.
"I swore I heard something," they muttered as they entered the vehicle.
A distraction was required if I wanted to enter the carriage. I closed my eyes, focusing on the road ahead as I created a sudden lump in the middle of the trajectory of my current vehicle.
I waited patiently, my eyes looking solely at the incoming source of sound as I readied myself. The first two wheels came into contact with the earth, a large crash echoing throughout the valley. The driver grunted, knowing full well that any sound was detrimental to the effort of the group
Right as the last two wheels came into contact, I swung myself around, launching my body right into the carriage as the doors flung open.
The bind flowing through my body crackled with power as my perception of time slowed, my eyes identifying two hostiles in front of me. A piercing sound whistled through the air as two necks were sliced open, the entire infiltration coming to an end as the crashing of the wheels vanished.
I waited patiently, observing the driver's reactions as I stood completely still. Once confident that my actions had gone unnoticed, I kneeled onto the bloody floor, removing the cloaks from the two individuals.
Humans?
I was expecting either Elves or Dwarves to be the species of the group, but my guesses were clearly wrong.
My eyes widened as I continued my inspection, a sigma that had engraved itself within my memory appearing once again on the clothes of the soldiers.
A burning phoenix.
The group responsible for kidnapping Asthia right under my nose... was the Liech family?
I reached out with my other hand into a newly created rift, pulling out my second weapon: phoenix. The crimson red blade shared the same symbol as the family that I hated the most in this entire world.
Detection was no longer something I was worried about. I had attempted to sneak my way around the guards due to the dangers of sparking the war, but what the Liech family was doing was treason.
I didn't know if they were working on their own accord or for another nation, but the answer didn't matter to me. I'd find out later by interrogating one of the survivors.
BOOM
A sudden burst of flames erupted, disintegrating the third carriage as the two came to an abrupt stop. I could hear the panicked shouting from the rest of the group, all of them preparing for an enemy offensive.
I walked through the flames, my eyes roaring with power and anger as I identified the individuals in front of me. One person immediately stood out from the rest of the group, his huge figure and Viking-horned helmet catching my eye.
I heard a small gasp from the towering man, his eyes looking straight into mine.
I recognized the individual's build and helmet.
He recognized my mask and small demeanor.
"Drav Liech," I muttered, walking out of the flames unscathed.
My eyes glanced to the side, a small silhouette being carried away confirming this entire situation. Drav Liech was responsible for kidnapping Asthia, and the brat that this guy took orders from...
was Hugo.