As Lily separated from the group, the four continued their way to the gate.
"This is probably the first time an elf manages to escape this hell," Lily thought as she continued. "After we escape, we will train and train until we are strong enough to help and free the other elves that are enslaved in our previous home, and that's a dream that is about to come true."
The moon illuminated her path, casting her shadow as she ran towards the guard house.
As Lily looked up, she saw the staggering beauty of the stars shining like diamonds and gold. A cold breeze passed her, and she felt her sweat drip off her chin.
Every step she took was a sign of hope. She wiped the tears from her eyes, which continued to water from hope.
Lily tripped and fell, injuring her knee. Despite the pain, she stood up and kept running.
"I feel exhausted. I feel like I'm about to vomit. B-but, this is the only chance for the elves of the Eldertree. If I fail, this will be the end of all of us," Lily mused to herself.
When Lily finally reached the guard house, she found the door locked. She looked around and saw a rock on the ground.
Without hesitation, Lily picked up the rock and smashed the window.
As she climbed through the window, she felt her hand being scratched by the broken glass. Inside, she saw the lever to open the gate.
She flipped the lever and fell to the ground, exhausted and losing consciousness.
"I flipped it. They are finally out by now," Lily thought.
"I should probably sprint back there, but I'm out of stamina," Lily murmured.
"I'm probably gonna die from blood loss, but that's okay," Lily whispered to herself. "At least I did something that will probably bring justice for the enslaved here."
As Lily was about to lose consciousness, she recalled Minoru's voice, "Lily, come back safely," and her own voice, "Let's all escape together."
Lily snapped back to consciousness and stood up. "What the hell was I thinking? I can't die now," she mused to herself, jumping out of the window.
Lily began running again, this time toward the gate. She ran and ran, draining her stamina to the brink, but despite that, she kept going. She couldn't breathe, but she continued, filled with hope and determination as birds flew above her.
It was already midnight, and the guards were almost out. When the gate finally came into view, she started to slow down and stopped.
"W-what!?" Lily exclaimed.
In front of the gate were four dead bodies. The gate was still closed as she ran towards them. The bodies belonged to Kaela, Ashley, Ava, and Minoru.
Lily fell to her knees beside Minoru, crying and repeating, "Please don't die on me now... I'm sorry I dragged you four to your deaths..."
The guilt in Lily's heart grew dark as she heard footsteps behind her.
"Well, well, well, isn't it my lovely daughter," a familiar voice said.
Lily turned to see Zereth himself. "H-how could you do this!?" Lily demanded.
"Did you forget, Lily? No one has ever escaped this base, not a single one. Yet you persisted with your goal of escaping," Zereth exclaimed. "You're nothing, Lily. No one can escape this base, and I mean no one."
"The world is a very dark place but also bright, and you just happened to be born on the dark side. It's very unfortunate, isn't it? Every time you hear cries and screams, it all felt normal."
"Beside your own cell, there is someone dying, while on the other side, someone is being sexually assaulted."
"The only way you can get out of this hell you're currently living in, Lily, is for someone to save you from the outside world," Zereth concluded.
Lily stood up and locked eyes with Zereth, her voice steady as she exclaimed, "If you push someone into sadness, it becomes a seed of regret. Sadness is just anger without a direction, and if that anger finds its way, you'll regret making that person sad, Since It will seek revenge."
Zereth smirked, a hint of admiration in his voice. "I see, I admire your determination to either escape or hold on to the hope that someone will eventually save you. But that's never going to happen."
Lily met his gaze, unwavering. "You don't have to believe me," she replied.
"Prove me wrong," Zereth declared.
"No worry, I'm sure I will," Lily responded confidently.
Zereth chuckled darkly. "With your current situation, Lily, I think you shouldn't be talking like that."
*Present*
Lily snapped back to the present, her thoughts drifting away as the school bell rang. She sighed deeply, pushing the memories back into the recesses of her mind. "Well, all of that doesn't matter now. It was all in the past," she mused to herself, standing up from her seat and preparing to leave the classroom.
Meanwhile Nina slowly opened her eyes, finding herself under the night sky. As she looked around, she realized she was lying on a soft sleeping bag. Nearby, two girls were sitting by a campfire, chatting happily while eating cooked fish.
Nina sat up, and the two girls noticed her, turning to face her in silence. Her head throbbed, though she was otherwise fully healed. The two girls were Rain and Xyrene. They stood up, their attention fixed on Nina, who remained cautious.
"Who are you people?" Nina asked warily.
A brief silence passed as the two girls exchanged glances, realizing she might have forgotten what had happened. Rain was the first to respond. "I'm Rain, and this is Xyrene," she said, gesturing to her companion.
"Did you two save me?" Nina questioned, trying to piece together the fragments of her memory.
"We were part of it," Xyrene explained. "Our master is the one who decided to help you. We just followed his orders to rescue you from those townspeople."
Nina's memories began to return slowly. She stared at the ground, recalling the events. "Right, I remember now," she murmured.
"I see," Xyrene said. "Our master is currently out somewhere, and the rest of the girls are talking on the other side of the camp. But they might already know you're awake."
"Alright," Nina replied, still feeling a bit disoriented.
"Are you hungry?" Rain asked.
"Y-yeah, a little," Nina answered. But her stomach betrayed her, growling loudly. She quickly covered her belly, flustered, while Xyrene giggled, and Rain remained expressionless.
The two led Nina to the other side of the camp, where more girls were gathered. As they arrived, all eyes turned to Nina, making her feel a bit uncomfortable.
"Hi, Nina. Here, eat this," Natalia said, offering a bowl of soup and a fish on a stick, smiling warmly.
"T-thanks," Nina stammered, taking the food.
"Here, sit with us," Natalia offered, and Nina followed her quietly.
Nina sat beside Natalia on a cut log, and immediately, Furina struck up a conversation.
"Hi again. I didn't really get to introduce myself properly when we first met, so is it okay if I do that now?" Furina asked cheerfully.
"Oh, of course, absolutely," Nina replied.
"Okay. I'm Furina. It's nice to meet you and have a real talk. You can just call me by my name," Furina said, smiling.
"I'm Natalia, Natalia Wasaki," Natalia added. "Just call me Natalia, like Xyrene does. It's fascinating to see a real witch in front of me without feeling the need to attack them, hehe."
Nina felt a slight tingle of worry but tried to shake it off as Isayao introduced herself. "Hi, I'm Isayao, Xialdre's younger sister and also his slave, hehe," she said with a playful smile.
"And I am Clementine, the first slave of Xialdre, or rather, his first follower," Clementine said with a respectful nod.
"I'm Emiko, and I'm an undead, though not just an ordinary one," Emiko added, her tone mysterious.
"I'm Asabe," Asabe said briefly, giving a nod.
"And I am Arisawa. It is a pleasure to meet you," Arisawa added, her tone formal and polite.
Nina looked around at the group, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the introductions but also relieved by the warmth and kindness shown by these girls.
Xialdre stood still, surrounded by the dense wilderness. The night was alive with the soft hum of insects and the occasional rustle of leaves. The stars above twinkled like distant jewels, casting faint light through the canopy. A cold breeze swept through, causing Xialdre's black uniform and yellow scarf to sway gently. He walked silently, his steps measured, as if he were listening to the forest itself.
"Nina is already awake," Xialdre mused to himself. "Her presence is within my grasp. I should probably head back soon, but not yet. There's something I need to confirm first. This forest... I've read about it before. They say it's home to something truly dangerous."
Back at the camp, Nina was starting to get her bearings. "Say, where are we currently?" she asked, her voice carrying a hint of apprehension.
"The Forest of Minnia," Arisawa replied calmly.
Nina's eyes widened in shock. "EHHHHH!? THIS FOREST IS HOME TO THE RUBY BOA!" she shouted, fear evident in her voice.
"That's why we're here, actually," Asabe responded with a nonchalant shrug.
"Are you all insane? The Ruby Boa was created using the blood of the Demon King Lucifer, the deadly sin of pride! It's said to be capable of destroying an entire continent with just a flick of its tail!" Nina exclaimed, her terror escalating.
"I know Xialdre managed to destroy half of the Hassia continent, but that was all through manipulation. He got the Monkey King to do it, not him directly," she continued, her voice trembling. "If that boa sees us, we're dead. Our death is near, and the Grim Reaper's door is already slightly open."
The rest of the girls fell silent, except for Arisawa, who sighed and met Nina's gaze directly.
"Xialdre isn't someone you should underestimate," Arisawa said firmly. "I know you were observing our duel against those Satalian warriors through a Celestial Watcher Orb. I can understand why you'd be worried, but trust us—trust Xialdre, just like you trust your god Fillian."
Nina hesitated, a brief silence hanging between them before she finally conceded. "Right," she muttered, realizing that arguing would be pointless. Her only chance of survival now was to follow their lead.
Meanwhile, deep in the forest, Xialdre's senses heightened as he heard a rustling sound across his path. The once lively chorus of crickets and nocturnal creatures had gone eerily silent, a sure sign that something dangerous was nearby.
"There it is," Xialdre whispered to himself, preparing for what was to come.