That night, they all thought about what would happen next. They had the feeling of being at everyone's mercy, being forced to fulfill this fate. Now everything was different, this battle is unnecessary and insane, no matter how you look at it. Their group had lost a part of their hope and now they also faced a monstrous responsibility, a great burden that would soon be placed on them. This time they will not be fighting side by side with soldiers, this time ordinary citizens and workers would be standing next to them, who were completely lost in the war. All these things kept the group busy all night, they barely As discussed, they met at the meeting point early in the morning.
"Hey, did you guys get an eyeful?"
"Not really, I've been up all night thinking."
"I am the same way, I still can't get a clear thought. Hopefully Marah has some kind of plan ready to go.
Suddenly they heard footsteps coming closer and closer. These couldn't be Marah's footsteps, they felt too heavy for that. With every step they heard a clang, the person had to have armor on. The door opened and a familiar person entered the room with whom they had fought with before. It was Grae's training partner Soran, they saw him as an ally of theirs. Grae had often made it clear to the group that they could trust him when it mattered. And right now it came down to whether he had a plan.
"You guys can relax, it's me. Your companion sent me ahead, she has changed plans for herself. I think you guys trust her so let's get right to it. I know where they're holding Grae. There's a small tunnel under the palace that leads to two old prison cells. These haven't been used for centuries, the king must have been pretty pissed off with him. I don't know anything more specific but apparently it was used more as a torture chamber. He won't kill him but at least inflict so much damage that he won't survive the battle. He already lost his position so at least we protect his dignity. Back then, a secret escape route was built under the palace. If the positions are correct, the escape route should lead past the cells. Now there is only one problem: I have no idea where the tunnel ends. One thing is for sure, it's sealed with strong magic so it is not going to be easier to find it."
"We have no alternative so let's start searching right away. We owe him so much, and we won't abandon him."
Soran liked their attitude. He saw in their faces a part of Grae he had always envied: determination. He himself was determined yet Grae was on a different level, possessing a determination of his own. Thus, he wasn't bound to normalities.
"Alright then, head outside the city and search until you reach the edge of the forest. The underground path can be I dunno how long. Watch out for other magic types, with your power you should notice them immediately. If one of you succeeds then you must wait for each other. One mistake and the whole plan falls apart. I'm going to look for your friend, I think I know where she is right now and I don't like this at all. So get to work!"
Soran secretly left the room and went directly to the city. The group assigned the roles and the search areas. Then the operation began. The whole day they scanned every area but found nothing until they suddenly got a signal from Adrian. Immediately they set off, what they saw took their breath away. A few minutes earlier, Adrian had had a strange feeling in the vicinity for minutes.But he couldn't figure out where exactly it was coming from. Finally he felt drawn to a large tree. When he examined it more closely, he was able to break a large branch as if it were a match. With the power of the goddess, nothing stood in his way but this felt way too easy. To test if it was a coincidence he tried again and this time too the branch broke without resistance. Eventually he shot an arrow into the wood and exploded it with light magic. The whole tree shattered into a thousand pieces that completely disintegrated on the ground. The group couldn't believe his story.
"And you just blew up the tree? Couldn't you have waited? What if the mages caught on to any of this?"
" I had broken big branches before and nothing happened. It was nothing more than a disguise. Check out the hole underneath, it's way bigger than the trunk."
"Does that mean now that the magic is neutralized?"
"I don't think so, it would be far too easy. If there' s one thing we' ve learned is that in this world nothing is easy. I think it's just another kind of trap."
"Less talking more doing. We're running out of time."
"Hey we don't even know how deep it is-whoa!"
Blade jumped in without hesitation, dragging Adrian and Luke with him. Luckily for them, it was only 3 metres, so there was no danger for the three of them. Luke complained to Blade that he was too risky and that he should never do that again. He agreed with him, but inwardly ignored his words. Right now Blade was focused on freeing their general. Even if they got off on the wrong foot, he was his most loyal friend for a long time now. After about 100 meters they heard a loud clang in front of them. As they focused their power they saw a white barrier rising up in front of them. It possessed the same magic as the group, the blessing of the goddess. From the inside, one could easily pass through the barrier, but from the outside it was impenetrable. No one could master the magic to break through it if it weren't for Blade, Luke and Adrian. The three of them touched the barrier and focused on the light. A bright beam of light filled the tunnel and the clanking stopped. The next moment the light disappeared and the tunnel seemed normal until Luke noticed something. Although the path looked perfectly normal to them, he saw that something was shining on the ground on the other side. The barrier was still there, but it could only be seen from the outside. When someone tries to break through it, the mages get a signal and take care of it. But because they passed through the barrier with the same magic as the barrier, they only felt the magic of the Goddess. They didn't worry about it, to them it felt like the normal barrier. The group had overcome the first hurdle, but now it was up to them to be silent. They needed to avoid attracting attention at all costs. After a few minutes, the group heard a voice that grew louder with each step they took. Suddenly, a second voice sounded that was very familiar to them: it was Grae.
At the end of the corridor there was a small gate which normally could only be opened from the inside. But through their training they had immediately developed an idea. Luke spread water on the lock while Adrian froze it with his wind magic. They tried to be as quiet as possible while doing this. Now they just had to break it silently, but it was nearly impossible. Blade couldn't take it anymore and wanted to break the lock immediately. Just before his hand could touch the ice, Adrian grabbed his wrist, shook his head and held a finger in front of his mouth. If any of the mages caught on he would immediately report it. The mage wouldn't even have to be face to face with his brothers. In that case, their only option would be to kill him, and that would only create more chaos. The three knew that Grae would never have acted that way either. So they had to be patient until Grae was alone in the cell. They couldn't see what was happening, but the voices were enough to imagine what was happening behind the gate.
"You had such a big career ahead of you, playing a big role in this kingdom. All you had to do was report and obey orders. But instead, you defy and mock the king, the ruler of the country. What did you think would happen? Look at where you've ended up. "
"At least I'm still myself and I didn't sell my soul to the king, or should I say the archmage chief. What happened to you guys? In the past you had much more freedom, you worked together with the army and you were popular with the whole country. Now you are merely puppets, easily replaceable by your leader. You are the ones who have forgotten your role. Hiding in the palace and hardly ever going into the city. You may be respected here, but to the outside world you are empty shells, completely controlled by others."
At these words, he took one of the "toys" and burned various words and marks on his skin, depicting him as a failure, a traitor, and a sinner. His whole body was covered with wounds. His legs were frozen more often and the nerves in his limbs weakened. Soon he could barely walk let alone hold anything in his hand. Grae was a tough warrior but these hellish pains made him cry out, his wounds made him feel hell. His thoughts wandered from his friends, his soldiers to his fa mily. This ordeal would last for the next few days, driving him to the brink of insanity.
"Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you. That's not our goal. Our mission is solely to put You will join the army, but by then you will be nothing more than a cripple, a shadow of the oh-so-glorious Commander Grae. Regardless of what happens, your life will soon be over.
The three men heard him breathing heavily and became more and more angry. At the same time, they felt pity and a desire for revenge. After an hour it was over, he was given a small ration of food before the mage left the cellar. When they heard the upper door close, Blade immediately broke the lock and tore open the gate. The three were shocked, never in all their years had they seen Grae make such a facial expression. He was full of grief, pain, suffering and anguish. The three did not want to imagine what torture must have existed here in the past.
"Hey Jures, now is no time to give up. We need you for a little while longer, like a couple of years."
The commander looked up, when he saw who was standing beside him he wrenched his eyes. Freeing himself from his trance of despair.
"How, How can you be here? What have you done?"
"What have we done? Destroyed a giant tree, found an underground tunnel, broke down a Goddess barrier and broke a lock, and now free you. That's what we've done. We have little time so we have to hurry. Help me lift him up, he can barely walk in his condition."
"What if the mage comes back? This isn't going to be swept under the rug."
"Someone will pay but it won't be us. No one will know we were here. We've already found an alibi so let's go, no more talking. As soon as we're safe you get to work Luke, use the light magic if you have to. Now there's no better reason for it."
Without hesitation he agreed with Blade and helped him carry Grae out. Adrian checked the scene one more time and cleaned up their tracks on the way back. Once they were out of the tunnel, everyone made their way to safety.They couldnt take him into the city, soon this indicent will cause in a search for Grae in the city Even though it was theoretically impossible for anyone but the chosen ones, anyone who was acquainted with him would be suspected. Soran and his soldiers up to his own family would be suspected. Although Grae did not play an important role in the battle, his disappearance would trample on the king's decision. Therefore, there was no way but to place him somewhere else. It was not possible for the group to disappear suddenly, that would only make the suspicion stronger. And they knew how the king would react when it came to friends. Torture could turn into death very quickly. Therefore Marah had a plan which Soran didn't like at all. She would put far more people in danger than just the group, and besides, the chance of success was too small for him. But when they saw Marah walking towards them with another person, they realized what exactly she was planning.
"That's your plan? Please, I mean we can't leave him in the city but that's a bit too risky to ask a stranger to take him to safety."
"First of all, we don't have a choice, if we don't return to the city by tomorrow we'll have even bigger problems. It won't take long for it to be noticed, time is running out. And second, he's not a stranger. You remember how we all had a break for a little while? And that I wanted to find out more about Leo's past?"
"So he's the one who gave you all the information."
"He has a name, his name is Freo. He's a soldier who joined the army with Leo and was in his squad. He was the messenger who made the report about his position. And he knows a place where we can take Grae. He wanted to go back to this village for a long time anyway, and now he has an even bigger reason to do so."
"To me, the plan is still unsafe. Who says he'll get there safely? Hey, are you sure you can make it? There's a lot at stake here."
The muscular man stepped forward and looked directly into Blade's eyes.
"I couldn't be more sure. Leo told us about Grae and he was an important person to his soldier life, that's the least I can do to repay my friend."
The three boys were still unsure but Freo's eyes showed great determination. Suddenly Grae stood up and walked limping towards Freo.
"You were in the squad with him? How did he act, how did he fight?"
Freo was slightly confused by the question but he answered honestly.
"At first he was shy and relatively insecure. But as time went on, he became more determined and focused. And how he fought: very strategic. His plans and tactics almost always worked out. He didn't put anyone in great danger, even if things went wrong he had an escape plan ready. As a fighter he was not the best, but all the better as a strategist. I am proud to have put my life in his hands, without him I wouldn't have survived."
The group had mixed feelings about his words. They knew him mostly as the brutal and strong warrior against whom they were powerless. Still, they could not disagree with his words; after all, he had known Leo before his current appearance and longer than the group. But Grae immediately had an answer ready.
"All right, we'll do it this way. The answer is enough for me to notice his will and determination. He is from the former special squad. Marah also puts all her hope in him so at least trust her if you can't trust him."
During the conversation, Luke realized the consequences of his powers. In fact, he managed to heal most of the wounds, but in the process he went beyond his capacity and was on the verge of passing out. Adrian stopped his fall and looked at him, annoyed.
"What did we say: first yourself, then the others. That counts in any situation. You've done enough so get some rest."
After hearing those words Luke fell asleep.
"Alright, get him there safely. And take good care of him, he is important in the coming battle and to us."
"I swear on my life that we will arrive without any problems and that he will return refreshed and in good shape."
With these words, the mission was sealed. Grae gave one last look in the direction of the group before riding on horseback with Freo toward the village.
Adrian helped Luke back into town while Blade and Marah still argued over the decision.
"We should have done it differently. Have you forgotten about our power, we would have been enough protection for him?"
"That would be a very bad decision. Think before you speak. Even if he was well, he couldn't stay here, from now on he is wanted. He would put all his friends and family in danger. It was the best decision to send him away so that he can recover by himself. Besides, he can't use his power at random like we can. He is not a mage but borrows the power. Only he realizes when it is time to use them for an limited period of time. It would have been a total waste to use them here, he realized that himself. Why didn't he use them when he was captured? Because his body can't take the huge stress yet. He needs rest, he is out of danger there, so have faith. We are all worried, but we have no choice but to hide him for the time being."
"I don't like this at all. Constantly thinking about the future and thus often neglecting the present. That makes him more vulnerable than we and he would like."
"Enough discussion, we have problems of our own to solve. Haven't you noticed this uneasiness that is still present. The omen is not over yet, it's time to find out what exactly is happening within us."