Elias was probably experienced with stakeout operations so he kept watch of the mine for quite some time. I was getting sleepy and he let me sleep, assuring that he would be able to stay up on alert by himself.
I dozed off for about an hour or two and it was uncomfortable anyway hiding behind trees and on low grounds so I was woken up.
I rubbed my eyes and looked around. The dark night sky was still above me, with cold wind blowing occasionally. I turned to Elias, whose gaze was fixated on the entrance of the mine, a little further from our spying location.
He noticed I was awake and glanced at me. 'Did you have a good night's sleep?' he asked.
I yawned and sat up next to him. 'I did, thanks for watching them,' I said.
'I think another person is coming,' he pointed.
True enough, although far where it seems like a moving dot, a man in plain clothes was walking towards the mine entrance. Like his friend before, he did not have any sack seen with him. He probably hid it to avoid suspicion by passersby.
After a while, the man approached the two officers and saluted them before entering the mine.
Elias grabbed my hand urgently. 'I saw his face, we can teleport inside!' he whispered.
'Nice–' I didn't even get to finish my compliment; suddenly I was in a very dark space. I couldn't see anything even when I looked around. My eyes tried to adjust to the darkness but it was pitch black.
'Don't move,' Elias whispered. He sounded very close.
I reached out and found his arm so I gripped it. 'Okay,' I replied.
There was the echoing sound of footsteps from the area opposite us, and we gradually saw bright yellow light approaching with every step. Then, he appeared.
The man had clean-cut hair and sharp features with a tough physique. He was definitely one of the patrol officers disguising as a commoner. 'Hey, who are–' the man couldn't finish his sentence as Elias raised his hand towards him and he fell to the ground unconscious.
I ran to grab the fire torch that fell to the ground and held it up for us to see the path.
'What did you do to him?' I asked as we continued walking further inside the mine.
'I temporarily sealed his mana,' he replied. Our footsteps were fast and silent. 'He would wake up when the seal expired.'
'How long would that be?'
'Could take up to a week,' he said.
'A week!? That's wild.'
'You were able to directly absorb someone's mana back then, Luna,' he chuckled.
'Evil. But I would love to try that someday,' I replied.
'When your power returns, you can even rule the whole world,' he said.
I laughed. 'If it returns.'
We went silent. It was quite a sensitive topic for Elias, it seemed. I tried to change the atmosphere so I swung the torch around to illuminate the walls and floor.
'Oh wow,' I gasped and stopped in my tracks. What we saw embedded in the walls and scattered on the ground were weirdly shaped rocks of neon yellow colour, about the size of both my palms combined.
I immediately knelt to the nearest stone on the ground and picked it up with my free hand. It wasn't too heavy; weighed like a brick. I examined it, turning it over and back, up and down.
'So this is the magic stone,' I said. 'Looks peculiar enough.'
Elias was also looking around as he knelt, touching and knocking. 'The magus obice,' he muttered.
'What's that? What does it do?'
'Magic barrier, enclosed in a stone form. Put these all together and they will form a strong barrier. We usually use this to strengthen the seal around the Sealed Island. We produce this in the Magus Turrim daily, but it takes a lot of time, and the process is tedious,' said Elias.
'Ah, and the Alshain had been transporting these stones in secret? Slick. I thought they don't deal with magic matters. Why would they need this?'
'Who knows? Perhaps they could sell it to the black market.'
Hmm, Leonhardt has a trick up his sleeves too, huh. I thought he'd be the good guy with zero ill intentions.
'This mine would be of great asset to Sirius,' Elias added. He looked very intrigued with the stones.
Now I feel like a superhero trying to stop aliens from invading Earth and take magic stones.
I glanced around.
'So, what do you think? Can you transport these?' I asked. Elias exhaled sharply and turned to me.
'Yes,' he replied.
'What about those embedded in the walls?'
He reached for one nearest to him and tried to pull it out, but to no avail. The stones were deeply embedded. 'I'll figure something out. What about you? You're going to Lorcan Forest?' he queried.
I nodded. 'I think he'll be out there.'
'Alright,' Elias said, then held out his hand. I raised my brows questioningly. 'The guy is supposed to exit any time now. If he's late the guards would be suspicious. We have to leave.'
'Oh.' I touched his hand and instantly, I was back outside.
But this time I was in a thick forest. Dark and creepy, with only the sounds of crickets and katydids. I was able to see Elias' face through the help of the dim moonlight.
'This is the Lorcan Forest,' he said. 'Will you really be okay on your own?'
I smiled. 'Wasn't I the greatest magician back then? Surely some greatness must have lingered.'
He nodded, but I saw the look in his eyes saying he was unconvinced. Nevertheless, he said, 'Then, be careful.'
'I will,' I replied. 'You too.'
Elias bowed his head and disappeared without a sound.
My lips pursed into a thin line. What now?
As soon as I was left alone, I was aware of my breathing and realized I was probably scared. In a dark forest all alone, trying to distract someone I didn't know if he would ever come––I wanted to puke. Heck I don't even know what he looks like. But Crown Princes are usually surrounded by a group of soldiers so I am sure this will catch my eye.
I bit my finger nervously. Okay, it's okay, it's okay. I'll be fine...
I tried to calm myself down, and looked around. Where should I begin?
There was a 50/50 chance that I would never meet Leonhardt and my plan would fail. But my instinct told me that it was the right time, so I began walking aimlessly. The rustles I made with my feet helped with the utter silence. I almost tripped on large twigs and sometimes heard an owl hooting from far, of which startled me each time.
I must have walked for 15 minutes or so and gone further and deeper into the forest; I was getting tired. Another minute of wandering aimlessly, I was hoping I could come across Leonhardt or it would mean me rotting to death in the forest.
'Hah, of course not,' I murmured. 'The Lorcan Forest has several indicators to mark certain places.'
Passed by a blue mark earlier and did not see any others anymore, so I'm still in the same area.
Maybe I should just fake a scream and he'll realize I'm here (hopefully)
I neared a tree and rested my back against it then placed the back of my palm on my forehead. 'Aaahh, ouch, I've been hit!' I yelled dramatically.
But only the crickets responded.
I bit the inside of my cheek then cleared my throat. 'Aaaaaahh!!' I screamed louder. 'Helppp!!'
Suddenly, there was a rustle behind me. I stopped yelling and quickly stood properly, scanning the area. It didn't sound distant so from my spot I stood unmoving and kept searching for the source of the sound.
And then I saw it. In the dark, a pair of glistening eyes staring at me, wide-eyed. I stared back at it quietly. It was a small deer: a little bigger than a fawn, looking scared and lost, hiding behind a large tree. Perhaps it heard me screaming.
'I-I'm not going to hurt you, it's okay you can pass,' I whispered. The deer blinked and was about to move away when suddenly it got hit.
I could recall it vividly, like a slow-motioned film. I heard the wind zapped like a whistle by my ear, and from the corner of my eyes I saw the long and sharp arrow passed me and went straight for the deer's neck.
All air was sucked out of me as I gasped seeing it get thrown backwards due to the strong impact of the arrow. My legs wobbled and I had to crawl to the deer that was struggling for its life.
'Oh my God,' I whispered in panic. The deer whimpered in pain, unable to do anything. I could see the fear in its eyes. 'Oh gosh, it's okay, I'm here. I can heal you!'
I didn't know where I got the strength but with all my might, I grabbed the arrow and pulled it out in one try. The deer cried at the force.
Then, I heard somebody running towards our direction.
Shit, it's Leonhardt–
I touched its wound and it closed up immediately, as I wished it would. I tapped it softly. 'Go!' I urged it, pushing the deer. But it laid there, blinking in confusion.
The footsteps were getting closer.
I don't have time to let it run...!
The arrow was still in my other hand, so I quickly got up and ran away from the deer. About a few meters away, based on my non-qualified estimation, I dropped myself to the ground and stabbed my left shoulder with the arrow. My sweaty palm slipped and hit the barb of the arrowhead as I did so, since stabbing someone actually (I found out right then) required a lot more force and strength.
It didn't look deep enough, considering that it was a fast-shooting arrow, so I had to push it further, yelling in pain in the process.
Cool, I didn't need to fake that in the end.
The pain made me want to pee. I also thought it would be fun to exaggerate it a little. 'AAAHH!' I cried out, then looked around.
Did he not hear me?
I couldn't hear any footsteps.
'OW!' I yelled again.
'Hey, are you okay!?' a male voice called out.
Finally–!