Because Willow's younger sister, Esther Virescent, have had a crush on Drake since childhood and they could tell that it has turned to obsession by now.
"She really is too..."
Saphira sighed as she didn't want to continue what she wanted to say.
"Let's go and look for the rest then we can split and search for them."
She stepped out of the house after getting her sword.
"Are we not going to tell her family?" Stormie asked her.
Saphira shook her head, "We are unsure of what may have happened. We all may just be overthinking things so it is best to do this discretely."
Stormie nodded her head, they of course wish that they are just thinking too much.
But if they are right and something bad were to happen to Willow then all hell would let lose.
They will not leave her unscathed.
Not just her but even her mother.
Saphira stopped running, "You go and look for the others, if they are in a crowd, just tell them I am calling for a meeting. Then you can explain to them once you are out of other people's view."
"Why? Where will you go?" Stormie asked her.
"I'll just do something for a bit and then I will go ahead and look for her. We don't have to regroup," she replied before rushing to a different direction.
Stormie was confused but she trusts her, so she went ahead and looked for the rest.
Drake's face instantly darkened when he heard of the news and he rushed out instantly.
Stormie one by one informed them and since they are at different places, she only need to tell Hunter and Nixon that Saphira is calling for a meeting.
Nixon was in the training ground while Hunter was in the palace.
"And Saphira?" Hunter asked her as the two of them run towards the forests.
Forests are their options because Willow said yesterday that they are going to train Esther's feeling for aura of the beasts.
"She went on a different way when I informed her and told me that we don't need to regroup and just search for Willow."
He nodded his head before they separated ways.
There are so many forests surrounding Qillian Empire since it was surrounded by the other kingdoms under it, and forests are what separated these seven kingdoms and the empire.
Adding to the fact that in between the border and the Imperial city, forests are still abundant.
Even though it was just a feeling for them, they would trust it.
Because the feeling for the well being of the rest were the strongest bond they have.
Each of them searched the forests with their inborn beasts.
The inborn beasts tried feeling the surrounding in hopes of feeling the aura of Azure Dragon but to no avail.
"Stop struggling now."
Willow gritted her teeth.
It was indeed true that she shouldn't have come with her sister yesterday.
She had a feeling that something might happen but in the end, she still tried to bond with her, tried to make their family harmonious.
And yet look at where she is right now, being surrounded by knights who follow her sister.
Knights whom her sister and step mother promised so many things.
And the part they currently at?
It was a part of the eastern border forest that was called the Null.
Null because all magical aura even demonic aura are being rendered useless.
No one could use it.
This was a common part of some big forests.
No one knows why it was there or how it works but simply it was a natural thing.
Willow was unaware of the location of these Null places that she didn't know, they have entered one when Esther invited her the day before.
They went deep in the forest as per Esther's request in order to have a better feel of the forest and the beasts surrounding it.
And Willow had been berating herself since the fight started.
How stupid she was for trying to have harmony.
At the same time, she could have created a strong disturbance surrounding them in order to alert the knights on guard at the borders.
But the forty something knights that Esther brought were stopping her from doing so.
How can she do it when she was so busy defending from them?
She couldn't run because she was surrounded and all she could do was to defend.
Though she was only surrounded at around noon today since she was able to evade most of them while trying to look for an opportunity to get out of that place.
Azure Dragon had fallen too weak to come up and at the very least aid her.
Because this place does not only suppress ones magical power but even the mythological beasts.
'Though I guess, if it was not for the spartan training Saphira made us do in challenging different knights, I wouldn't be able to stand this long,' she thought.
She had always relied on her ability from the very beginning of their training, that she knew her sword fighting was too weak.
Though because of the very first training their commander gave them, they were able to improve.
Yet she was already tired as well, some wounds here and there.
A broken leg she was just trying to forget in order to keep moving despite the pain.
'If I can hold on and they realize that I am missing, the earliest they could be here is close to sunset,' she sighed at this thought as she parried another on slaught of attacks.
The borders are about five hours away from the Imperial city.
She wouldn't expect them to know of her condition early in the morning.
The earliest would be around ten which is just more than two hours ago.
'Will I be able to hold on?'
"Come on now, Willow. Stop struggling we just want to receive Azure dragon from you. What is so wrong with that?" Esther voiced out enjoying the show in front of her.