After drinking his second cup, Xiao Yao closed his eyes. This time, no one would disturb him. Darkness engulfed the cabin as a cloud obscured the moon. After a few minutes of complete silence, he opened his eyes, murmuring slightly with a smile: "It looks like I succeeded." he said in the local language of the kingdom of Lionnes.
His goal in coming to this city was to find wrongdoers to use a technique he had "borrowed" from the Sect of Seven Sins. This technique allowed one to read someone's memories by drinking their blood. Even a novice in cultivation could thus access fragmented memories of someone who had reached foundation establishment.
For Xiao Yao, who simply sought to learn the local language and gather some information, this meant he had to procure the blood of four people. His efforts had paid off, and he was now ready to use the knowledge he had acquired.
Already, he was beginning to understand many things. The memories he had assimilated were rich in information. This vast continent was called Aurora. He had emerged from his mystical slumber in the kingdom of Lionnes, a land marked by its own mysteries and stories. The dense and mysterious forest he had crossed to get here was called the Endless Forest, a place as vast as it was intriguing, filled with secrets.
One of the big questions that had plagued him since his arrival finally found an answer. During his journey, he had been surprised to encounter so few wild beasts, if any. In exploring the memories, he discovered that powerful mages had long ago joined forces to mark these routes. Thanks to their protective spells, these paths had been secured for decades, keeping wild beasts away from travelers.
Yes, mages. It was a term Xiao Yao knew very well from his former life on Earth. When he delved into the memories he had absorbed, he found constant references to mages, beings capable of manipulating the mystical forces of this world. This word reminded him of buried memories, fantastic stories he had once read. But that was not all: the memories also mentioned vampires and elves, mythical creatures that had always been part of fairy tales and legends of his childhood.
This was not a novel. All of it was real. Immortal cultivation, mages, dragons, vampires, elves, all were integral parts of this world. Xiao Yao realized that these terms, once confined to the pages of books and fantastic tales, were now his reality. This made him think deeply. Earth, the world where he had lived, might not be as simple as it seemed. Perhaps the herb of immortality he had found had been guarded by ancient beings, keepers of ancestral and mystical secrets. He wondered if these same creatures had influenced Earth's mythology and legends.
Xiao Yao shook his head to dispel these thoughts. He did not want to dwell on them any longer. These reflections, though fascinating, risked diverting him from his main objective. If there was to be an answer to these mysteries, it would surely appear in due time. For now, he had to focus on this new world and use the knowledge he had acquired to move forward.
Standing up, Xiao Yao slowly opened the cabin door. The night breeze caressed his face as he raised his head slightly towards the moon, reflecting aloud: "Hmm, if I return to Luminara now, it might arouse the suspicions of the authorities there."
He shrugged, accepting the uncertainty of the situation, then left the cabin. Walking softly towards a bush, he stopped to relieve himself in nature, enjoying the fresh air and solitude of the night.
After finishing, he returned to the cabin and closed the door behind him. Ignoring the scattered body parts still lying on the floor, he lay down on the ground, seemingly indifferent to the macabre scene around him. Comfort or hygiene were not his priorities; he had much more important concerns on his mind.
***
In a luxurious mansion in the heart of the city of Luminara, a richly decorated room was bathed in warm light that contrasted with the tense atmosphere within. Elise was nestled against her father, who held her gently in his arms, murmuring soothing words to reassure her and let her know she was safe now.
Beside them stood the city guard chief, his face marked with worry after hours of intense stress. After a few minutes of silent tears, the mayor looked at his daughter with palpable affection and spoke softly, "Elise, if you're not ready to talk now, I understand. We can wait until tomorrow."
Elise shook her head with determination, her eyes filled with resolve. "No, I'm ready."
A sigh of relief washed over the faces of the two adults as her father nodded slightly, silently encouraging her to continue.
Taking a deep breath, Elise began her account with a trembling yet resolute voice, "I had this naive idea of wanting to venture out of the city alone, without any guards by my side. I wanted to feel the freedom of adventures like those described in the tales of Myradien."
"The guards were numerous that night, and I couldn't find an opportunity to sneak away unnoticed. That's when a man approached me, seeming to know what I was planning. He offered to help me leave the city discreetly. Blinded by my desire for freedom, I didn't think to ask questions about his motives or intentions."
"I accepted his offer, and we rode together on his camouflaged horse. The guards, seeing us on horseback, simply assumed we were out for an ordinary nighttime stroll."
"As we rode on, my concerns started to grow. The man didn't want to stop, and when we veered off the main road, I realized with horror that I had fallen into a trap. I tried to escape, but the horse abruptly stopped, and another man emerged from the bushes to bind me, preventing me from fleeing or calling for help."
Elise's words resonated in the room, filling the air with tension and fear. Her detailed and emotional account painted a vivid picture of the terror she had experienced during the abduction.
She continued her narrative, plunging the room into a tense silence as the adults' faces darkened even further.
"They blindfolded me carefully and swiftly transported me to a nearby cabin, as the journey was short and winding. Once inside, they securely tied me to a beam. From their conversations, I understood they were acting under contract for a person determined to have me."
At these words, an expression of disbelief mixed with anger crossed the mayor's face. Someone had orchestrated this abduction with disturbing precision.
Unable to contain himself, he asked in a trembling voice. "How did you manage to escape, my daughter ?"
Elise nodded, carefully gathering her memories. "A distinct noise echoed at the cabin door. It put the two men on alert. One of them stepped forward to check the source of the noise, while the other held a threatening knife against my throat." She shivered slightly, reliving that moment of terror.
Sensitive to the palpable emotion in Elise's voice, the mayor gently placed his hand on her shoulder, offering a silent gesture of comfort.
After a few moments of oppressive silence, Elise felt calm enough to continue her story, though confusion still lingered in her eyes.
"As the door creaked open slowly." she began, "one of the men noticed something unusual on the floor. With a swift motion of his foot, he discreetly moved the object, out of my view from where I was tied."
"When he turned back towards us, his face showed complete disbelief. In a heartbeat, the other man, the one holding the threatening knife at my throat, lunged to strike something behind us. His blade swished through the air before he fell back, screaming in pain as he lost his hand in a flash of movement."
"It was at that exact moment that I realized a third person had infiltrated and was silently standing behind us, observing the scene with an icy confidence." The memory of that horrifying moment caused Elise to tremble slightly, even now that she was safe.
Listening to Elise's account, the faces of the two adults quivered slightly, their minds reliving the horror experienced by the two men confronted with the sudden appearance of a third person in the dark, oppressive room.
"A Sacred Knight ?" whispered the mayor, his voice filled with a mix of admiration and disbelief.
The chief of guards nodded solemnly. "Yes, it's highly likely it was a Sacred Knight, skilled in the art of stealth. He could have easily slipped in through an open window or some other discreet means."
At this confirmation, the mayor slowly nodded, absorbing the implications of this surprising revelation, before turning to his daughter to encourage her to continue.
Elise gathered her courage, resuming her account with a still trembling voice, "The man behind me gently stroked my head to turn me to face the wall. I felt his barely perceptible breath, a sign that he didn't want me to discover his identity."
"For some moments, perhaps minutes that felt like an eternity, a tumult of struggle filled the room before settling into tense silence. The man then carefully blindfolded me and lifted me in his arms. We ran through the forest until he brought me to the outskirts of the town."
The image of that breathless escape, guided by a mysterious savior of whom she knew nothing, remained vivid in Elise's mind. She felt a mix of gratitude toward the stranger who had risked his life to save her, yet also residual anxiety about the dangers she had faced.
As the mayor heard the end of the story, he nodded solemnly and with reassurance, casting a tender and relieved look towards his daughter. "Alright, you can rest now. We'll take care of everything. You're safe now."
Elise nodded gently, letting out a sigh of relief as she lay down on her bed. Seeing this, the mayor exchanged a knowing glance with the chief of guards before leaving the room with him.
"Firstly, I want the guards to immediately search for that cabin," the mayor ordered as soon as they were alone.
The chief of guards nodded, but a perceptible hesitation was evident on his face.
"Sir, our guards are exhausted after this intense search. Could we wait for two hours before sending them out again?" The chief of guards posed his request with palpable hesitation, mindful of the physical and mental limits his men faced after the incident.
The mayor stared at the chief of guards for a moment, his furrowed brows betraying contained frustration. However, he nodded slowly, signifying his understanding of the challenges his guards were up against. "Very well. Two hours, no more."
"Thank you for your understanding, Sir," the chief of guards replied with a slight sigh of relief.
The mayor turned his attention back to the chief of guards. His face, usually calm and benevolent, now displayed a cold anger. "I want detailed information on those who orchestrated this kidnapping. "he declared firmly yet controlled. "I want to know who dares threaten the safety of my daughter and our city."
"I will do my best to trace the steps of this kidnapper and understand their intentions." assured the chief of guards with a voice full of determination.
The mayor nodded, his brows furrowing slightly as he pondered the situation. "As for my daughter's savior, it's likely they reside here in our city. There's nothing within a fifty-kilometer radius to suggest otherwise."
"Focus on anyone who might have suspiciously returned to the city that night, or any new individuals who have been noticed." he ordered imperiously, emphasizing the crucial importance of this search.
Then, in a softer but deeply appreciative tone, the mayor added. "I would personally like to thank them for their acts of bravery. Make sure you find them, whoever they are."
***
In the heart of the Lionnes kingdom, Theodore and Lucien, accompanied by Roland, stood before charred houses, scrutinizing the scattered debris with serious expressions.
"Have we been discovered ?" Roland asked, his tone filled with concern as he surveyed the signs of destruction around them.
Lucien carefully examined the burn marks. "No, these damages don't seem recent." he replied after a moment of consideration.
Theodore furrowed his brow, analyzing the situation with calculated precision. "The distance between the ambush site and this place is too great for them to have returned here in just one night. They shouldn't suspect anything."
Roland looked slightly perplexed, but an idea struck him suddenly. "Perhaps they left a trace behind ?"
Theodore shook his head decisively. "Do you take us for amateurs ? We've already scoured every possible clue, and nothing has been found."
A palpable tension hung in the air as the three men focused on their next course of action.
Lucien took the lead with determination. "We won't waste more time speculating. Let's summon the mages stationed nearby to meticulously inspect the area. The rest of us will remain back to watch for any potential return."
Theodore and Roland exchanged a glance, silently agreeing with this strategic plan. They knew that every detail mattered in this delicate investigation.