Diana, somewhere in Lilith's Castle.
She ran; her bare feet roughly kissing the cold, wet concrete floor.
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What?! What do you mean by 'might be at Death's door'?!
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The castle crumbled in slow motion as Diana cut through the palace corridors in a blast; Heart pounding wildly, breathing tensely and feelings unstable, body trembling from its core.
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"... The sewing room is upside-down and--!"
"And... 'and' what Captain?! Spit it out already!"
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Diana wiped the sweat from her forehead, exhausted. Her long, skinny legs were on the edge of breaking but, she continued to push further and further despite that. The Captain and the King were a bit behind her, following suit with tensed, warrior expressions.
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"--blood everywhere..."
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Suddenly, Diana stopped. She had finally reached her destination.
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"B-Blood?"
"Yes, my princess. However, there's no sign of a body."
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Just when she thought they were making progress, something like this comes up. A few minutes passed, Diana just stood still before the door, panting for air.
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"We believe she's has been... taken."
"How can that be?! How can someone come in an' out the most well-guarded castle in-the-whole-freaking-Demon-Realm without even being seen?! Even with an unconscious person in their arms?!"
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Mixed feelings engulfed Diana; they sat not on her chest but inside her brain, giving the spotlights to a certain thought. A fire burned in her mind and throat, remorse hitting Diana like a sledgehammer. She should never have left Sarah by herself, after all, leaving a defenseless human among Demons, even friendly ones... not exactly a good idea.
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"We--... I-I... unfortunately, that's a question I can't answer, my princess... but, we're doing our best to come to the heart of the matter, I can assure you that."
"That must be a rat among us! That's the only explanation I find."
"M-My princess--!"
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Her fingers curled into fists, nails digging into her palm, rough enough to make blood come slipping out.
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"I don't want any more excuses! She's my responsibility. Find who's did this! Find where she was taken!"
"I-I... We'll do the impossible."
"STILL NOT ENOUGH!"
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Remorseful. Guilty. That was how she felt. What she had NOT done she couldn't undo but, what Diana could do to make amends was uniting all the King's forces and look for Sarah, doing the possible and impossible, to bring the girl alive or, at least, the less injured possible.
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"... If she dies down here, by the hands of a demon, the Angels will step forward and it will be war! Their rage will be tremendous, as for they are the guardians of the human world, carriers of God's word and will! They decide who should live or die! O-Our people will pay for one of our kind reckless action and-- peace between the five realms will end!"
"Don't worry, Ezaeur. We'll find her. No one is going to suffer. No one is going to die. Peace will subsist."
"I'll gather my best men princess, and we will not rest until... We. Bring. Back. The human."
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"Please God, let her be well and alive... wherever she is," Diana whispered before throwing herself forward and opening the door to reveal a scene that she was not all expecting to see, yet, she had seen worse. "For the five realms--! What happened here?" She exclaimed.
"It seems the human put out a good fight." Said the Captain, who stood behind, looking for any signs of forced entry.
"If I didn't know any better, I would have agreed with you." Diana sighed, recalling how much of a feeble person Sarah was. Too many bones and skin, how could she defend herself?! She should do more physical activities. Diana noted to herself. On second thought, I think she once told me she had learned Taekwondo in her younger days. If Taekwondo was a non-weapon fighting art for self-defense, then how've come that Sarah was not able to defend herself here?
"I'm with my daughter on this one..." The King observed as he crouched down to pick up an uncommon leaf inside one of the biggest porcelain pieces which were scattered near the overturned chair. "... my best guess would be that she was already unconscious when they came to pick her up." He carried the leaf up to his nose and sniffed it superficially.
"What is it, father?" Diana approached the King, crouching down by his side. She stared curiously at the small leaf, she didn't recognize it. What was it?
"Pulchrae Dominae," The King handed the leaf to his daughter.
"What? You sure?" Diana also sniffed it for a second check.
"Pretty sure." His voice didn't have a hint of doubtless. The King pulled a small bag out of somewhere his garments and stuffed some samples inside, closing it by pressing its imbued zipper.
Diana got up and grabbed the teapot. Curiously, she opened it and wasn't surprised to still find some of the brown liquid Sarah drank, inside. She slipped her finger in and dive its tip on the tea, then took it to her mouth and quickly tasted it.
"Nowadays it's very easy to smuggle this kind of material into the kingdom. It's highly probable that it came from the black market right outside the borders." The Captain explained while he continued to inspect the room. "The door it's not in its best state but there's definitely no signs of forced entry." He concluded. "Someone had the key."
Diana pressed her lips together, tapping her lower lips softly lost in thought. "Or..."
"What are you thinking, my princess?" The Captain asked curiously.
"Maybe the culprit went in using a portal," She hypothesized and added, "Acknowledging the fact there are no damages to the door."
"I think the key possibility is more likely to be true. There must be really a rat among us." Captain snarled, his body rippled with angry power that made her want to keep her distance.
"Now regarding the leaf..." Diana introduced the subject again into the conversation. "I don't think it comes from this plane. The taste is more bitter."
"I think it comes from the Human Realm." She spat out.
"That's a possibility, yes, but I think the one I suggested is more likely to be the answer." The Captain shrugged his shoulder, immediately dismissing the princess' suggestion.
"Yes, I see where you came from 'cause It would require a lot of energy to summon a portal twice. But, please follow my line of thought. What if the culprit was able to get there through a dream?" Various thoughts trundled through Diana's brain like a through train, with no intention of stopping, but that one was the one who stuck.
"A dream? Impossible!" The Captain immediately refused to accepted it. "Of course, demons can make appearances in human's dreams... but it's an inconceivable idea of crossing to the reality from there."
"Do not jump to conclusions yet, Captain. There's so much we don't know about our own kind."
"O-Of course my King! My humble apologies."
"Ezaeur." The King addressed her daughter next.
"Yes, father?"
"I think I've read about these subjects in one of my books. Can you please accompany me to my private study? We'll look together, it'll be faster that way." The King suggested.
"Thank you, father!" Diana's face illuminated seeing that her father wasn't going to just cross his arms and leave her to come up with a structured plan on her own. She felt truly supported by her family and that made her heart skip a beat in joy.
"Listen closely, Captain. Go gather your best men on the field and prepare them for a rescuing mission. I'll come later to the Command Room to fill both them and you on all the details." The King ordered.
"Yes, my King!" The Captain respectfully bowed.
"I want everything set. Understood Captain?"
He nodded in assurance. "Now, with your excuse. My King. Princess Ezaeur." He slightly bowed his head to both in turns, then, left the room in a hurry.
"Come, my child. There's little time to waste."