After these three weeks of intensive training, the four of them were happy to take a little break, the girls had gone ahead and strolled quietly in the shopping streets of Spirit city, the boys followed them at a reasonable distance so that everyone could keep some privacy.
Liam hadn't had time to confess to Alec yet but he would have to wait until tonight. Anaya had asked him for two days off to be able to do a surprise to Celia for their one month anniversary.
So he would wait until tonight to give his answer to Alec, he was pulled out of his daydream by a female voice he didn't know and who had just called Anaya.
Anaya and Celia who were looking at the stalls of the merchants in the street looked up at the same time to see who had called Anaya.
Anaya was a little shocked to find her here, she immediately placed an arm around Celia's waist in an almost instinctive protective gesture: "Alice, what are you doing here?"
Alice couldn't help but notice that Anaya was in a defensive state and why was she holding Nara by the waist, she had always hated physical contact.
Anaya was her niece, the daughter of her late sister, the same sister who had brought shame on their family's name because she had chosen to join the rebels and not only that she had also married the rebel leader.
Alice was one of the generals of the current emperor of the red dragons, she still remembered that night when with the imperial guards they had pierced the defenses of the rebel landmarks, her sister had died protecting her husband and daughter, her husband had managed to escape through a transdimensional portal with his daughter, it had taken her six years to find her niece again.
She had been ordered by the emperor to bring her back alive once her birthmark had appeared, he even asked her to initiate her to martial arts, the emperor's plan was simple, he wanted this girl to be on his side, and use her as bait to finally finish off Dan, Anaya's father.
Once Dan was eliminated the rebellion would end, these four thousand years of conflict would finally end.
Alice had to keep calm and done nothing reckless, her trackers had managed to find Anaya's trail first in the city of Lights and then in Dawn City, five of her assassins had died trying to capture her and their track after that stopped at the flying bird heading for the Isle of Death.
The only known stopover was Spirit city, she had been waiting here for three days already, her patience had been strained.
She nonchalantly replied to Anaya: "I need something that I can only find here."
Anaya just answered with an "Oh"
Celia asked: "Is this woman the one I'm thinking of."
Alice did not know why Nara just said that so she said to her: "Nara it's me Alice, you don't remember, I came to see you twice a year at the orphanage, even though I spent my time with Anaya, you shouldn't have forget me, right?"
Celia with her usual outspokenness replied: "Oh Wow, at least you are not recruited for your intelligence, or your sense of observation, or your acting skill, I hope you are better at fighting otherwise it wouldn't even be funny."
Liam, who had approached the girls and was standing right behind them, asked Celia: "What level?"
Celia answered him immediately: "Her, silver color, based on your level and Alec's level I would say that she is still at grade three, she is just a little stronger than Alec, for the other red dragons, they are three black color, five gold color and two more silver ones but they are only grade one so it should be okay."
Anaya asked: "Alec went to play without you."
Liam laughed and a carnivorous smile appeared on his face: "He's gone to cover our backs."
Alice did not understand what was happening but this Nara had exhausted the little patience that was left in her, she said to her: "Nara I can't tell where all this courage came from and you have become a level three mage very impressive indeed, from a poor girl who couldn't do anything with her ten fingers."
Celia couldn't believe how someone could be so stupid. First, Anaya had immediately known that she was not Nara because of the color of her eyes and two, with what Anaya had told her, it had been seven months since she had seen them, how could a good-for-nothing girl have become a level three mage in seven months, she couldn't help but share her thoughts with Anaya: "Did you know what we say with my brothers when we found someone really stupid, we said "you hit rock bottom but you still dig more."
Anaya burst out laughing and Liam put his hand in front of his face and thought: this shameless girl, couldn't Celia be a little bit less fearless.
He preferred to remind Celia that the situation was serious anyway: "Cel be a little bit more serious okay, and you Anaya stop encouraging your wife."
Celia saw that this Alice was literally seething with rage she decided to get serious again, she looked her straight in the eye and said: "And if we stop playing now, I will never let you take Naya, I would rather die."
She looked at Liam and said: "A fight is inevitable, take us to a place where there is less innocent people."
Alice had just figured out something, that girl had nothing to do with Nara so who was she: "You, if you're not Nara then who are you? And if you think you can escape don't make me laugh, you are very far to be a match for us. Even with your bodyguard, what could a fighter with a golden color possibly do against us."
Alice laughed completely hysterical.
Celia had her mouth wide open in front of so much debility, how could anyone be so stupid, Liam's true color was of course hidden by his force field, she even confessed to her that Liam had a silver color unless it was too subtle for her.
She ends up feeling sorry for her because anyway she wouldn't let this woman make it out alive, she said to Alice: "Nara died a month ago, I found myself in her body my name is Celia and I am Anaya's life partner it's all you need to know, Liam now!"
Liam nodded and took the girls to an area outside of town which was deserted, he was way faster than their chasers, so he took the opportunity to confirm the plan: "Naya you're sure of yourself, you know that we must eliminate the threat if you prefer to wait for us in the dimension everyone will understand."
Anaya knew it obviously but she didn't feel anything for this woman, her family was right here with her, killing all the red dragons that were after her was inevitable like Celia said earlier, she won't coward away, she needed to be strong to be able to protect her wife.
Anaya told them: "I m staying here, Celia will need to mix our energies, I won't be useless."
Liam looked at them: "If something goes wrong both of you immediately go into the dimension, is that clear."
The girls said at the same time: "Yes sir!"
Liam couldn't help to say: "Fu*k Celia you do have a really bad influence on Anaya behavior."
Celia could feel the red dragons were near so she said with a rictus: "I will take that like a compliment."
Liam said: "It was not!"
Alec appeared suddenly behind them and the rest of the red dragons were in front of them.
Celia couldn't help to praise Alec: "Good job Alec, you already killed three black color, two gold color and one silver color, well done."
Liam looked at Alec to see if there were any injuries and yeah he had some, he could see burns on his torso and left arms, his right leg had a deep cut but it was not bleeding anymore, Liam frowned but Alec said to him: "Nothing serious, don't worry, Celia can give me an external and internal healing magic pills it will do, let's focus on the fight right in front of us."
Celia took out the magic pills from her magic bag that Alec asked for and gave them to him. She also took out her green papers that were fill with energy reserve, fire energy, wind energy and water energy.
She had learnt during these three weeks to catch the energy from the elements that Liam and Alec could use and she had transformed them into attack spells, she was ready to fight.