Milan buried her face in her palms, holding in tears that carried the weight of obligation and helplessness. Getting here had been rough, but an even thornier journey lay ahead.
She took slow breaths, calming herself. Panic wouldn't help. Everything will be fine.
"A bit early to let your guard down, don't you think?" Rolan's voice cut through her thoughts, his back leaning against a tree.
Milan shot him an annoyed glance. She wished she didn't have to respond.
"This might be the one place in Vertia where we're safe. Allow me breathe, I've had a rough morning."
"Safe my foot! They deactivate the restriction system and this place will be swarming with pursuers in two seconds."
"Haaaa..." Milan sighed, briefly closing her eyes. "They won't go that far. We're not that big of a threat."
The archer scoffed, giving a shrug. "Of course you'd know that. My fault for having concerns," he retorted sarcastically.
In response, Milan crossed her arms, glaring at him. "Okay, Rolan. What do you really want? You're starting to get on my nerves."
"Just reminding you that from this point onwards, you're as good as a traitor to your people." Rolan's tone shifted, and a pause hung in the air. "So I just want to know... how prepared are you?" His gaze bore into hers.
Milan clenched her teeth. "You seem to have a big misunderstanding as to who 'my people' are."
"Oh? So what was last night about, then?" the archer questioned. She immediately retorted, her voice edging up.
"You mean when you nearly got us all killed after I specifically told you not to do anything stupid. What on earth were you thinking?" Milan's frown deepened.
"Don't make me laugh. We clearly had the advantage with our cloaks. You're just too chicken to harm your beloved continent's poster boy," Rolan waved off her words smugly.
Milan shook her head, gazing at him with an emotion close to pity. "You really don't know a thing about him, do you?"
"Well, I do know he's a travesty, riding on his father's name. The guy didn't even attend the Dell academy, yet they call him the strongest. I bet he wouldn't last five minutes up against Graith Carchedi," the archer spewed, his voice brimming with disdain.
Milan fought back laughter, her lips curling up. "At your age, it's alright to be edgy. But you've got to outgrow it someday, or else you'll end up as the guy whose presence sucks the vibe away from every party," she teased. Rolan scowled, nearly decapitating her with his eyes. "And as a matter of fact, he did attend the academy" Milan added.
"And how would you know—"
"Remember my older sister, Mercedes?" she interjected. "She was in her senior year around the time of his enrollment." Rolan tilted his head, puzzled.
"Then where did the rumors come from? Is that what you're about to ask?" Milan's words struck him as if she had read his thoughts. "Well, they were created to cover up the fact that he got expelled," she revealed, and Rolan's eyes widened in shock.
"You probably want to ask why, but that's a story for another day. Just bear in mind that if the events leading to his expulsion really happened, then you have me to thank that we're all still alive today."
"Fine, whatever... it's just... your recent behavior has been a bit worrying," Rolan confessed, his voice softening. "I don't want to doubt your loyalty, but whenever I think that you don't have as much at stake as me and Kay... I find it difficult to trust you."
"What... do you mean?" she asked, furrowing her brows.
"For instance... if we got caught, you'd probably get off with a travel ban and temporary license suspension, but people like Kay and me... we'd get executed on the spot." Rolan's voice hung in the air. "And I know this sounds a bit selfish, but if we're going to do this together, I need to be able to trust you."
"Rolan," Milan started, restraining her frustration. "Lest I remind you that I'm bound by a cell contract. I certainly have no control over what you choose to think of me, but I must say, thanks a lot for making me feel worse than I already do."
Rolan's eyes widened, guilt washing over him. "I was being too paranoid, sorry," he apologized sincerely.
Upon organizing her thoughts, Milan responded with a remorseful look on her face.
"No, I haven't been very convincing with my actions," she shut her eyes and sighed. "But rest assured, all of that changes today." Her voice carried a gentle tone, sounding confident and reassuring.
Meanwhile, Keres approached, having spent the past few minutes packing everything he needed into his travel backpack. He had insisted on returning to his 'hideout,' saying there were things he needed to bring along.
And although Milan wanted to dissuade him, she gave it a second thought and decided not to. Convincing him to come with them was hard enough.
"I'm all set," Keres said, his sheathed longsword protruding from the bag.
"Alright then, let's set out immediately," Milan responded, patting Rolan on the shoulder. But as she stretched her arms, yawning, the archer followed behind her and spoke.
"I've been meaning to ask, what's your plan to get out of here?" he inquired. "Our best chance to escape was last night, but I bet they've tightened security at the exit this morning."
Milan's eyes narrowed. In truth, she had her own worries. But the current situation left her with no choice but to count on the mysterious woman who had approached her with information regarding Keres.
"We're walking out through the exit," she hesitated, her doubts creeping in. "The helper guaranteed we wouldn't have any problems, so we should be fine... probably."
Rolan sighed, ready to interject, but Keres beat him to it.
"Why must we pass through the exit?" He tilted his head, confused as to why they couldn't leave the same way he always did.
Milan raised her eyebrows. "There's a negative absoluteness barrier surrounding the woods. The main entrance and exit are our only options for leaving." She shot Keres a puzzled look.
"Negative absoluteness barrier? What is that?" Keres asked, genuinely perplexed.
"Errm, let's just say it's a super powerful barrier that repels anyone who tries to pass through."
"Strange, I never encountered anything like that," Keres said, stroking his chin.
Milan was just as confused, but in that moment, Rolan leaned in and explained. "That's because it's an invisible barrier that only recognizes entities emitting chakra," the teenage archer clarified.
"Then, shouldn't you guys be able to pass through while under chakra restriction?"
"Well, the restriction system doesn't stop those under it from emitting chakra. It only steps absoluteness to an unusable value," Rolan explained. Seeing Keres' puzzled expression, he continued with more detail.
"Under chakra theory, there's a concept called the absoluteness principle that defines chakra quality. The chakra produced in every panel possesses an absoluteness value ranging from 2.1 to 10."
"A chakra user's level is determined by the value of their absoluteness. Take the Dell ranking system, for example," he paused to ensure Keres was following.
"They awaken as E-rankers at an absoluteness value of 4," he stated, lifting four fingers. "At 5, they automatically become D-rankers. Reaching 6 means qualification to take the C-rank advancement test. The same goes for 7 with B-rank and 8 with A-rank. Then, 9 and above means S-rank." He motioned towards Milan, and her cheeks flushed.
"Meanwhile, non-chakra users range from 2.1 to 3.9— they emit chakra but it's not potent enough for them to use." The archer continued, and a spark of understanding lit Keres' face.
"So the restriction system limits everyone's absoluteness to the same value as non-chakra users," Keres remarked, and Rolan nodded.
"To 3.14, precisely. The value of pi."
"Okay, I think I get it," Keres said. Then his eyes narrowed. "But if the absoluteness of even non-chakra users starts from 2.1, does that mean it's impossible to have a lower value than that?"
"Now that's where things get a bit tricky," Rolan started, carefully. "Prana's absoluteness ranges from 0.87 to 0.99, depending on the region. Naturally, these are lower numbers than 2.1. But in terms of absoluteness value, any positive number under 2.1 is deemed much more potent than 10, and is therefore referred to as 'Ace' rather than its actual figure. So we say, prana has an absoluteness of Ace."
"Damn, does sound pretty complex..." Keres leaned forward, intrigued.
"But if prana flows through the air and isn't produced within a panel, I'm guessing the restriction doesn't affect it?" Keres asked, and the archer nodded.
"Correct," Rolan said. "But you need chakra of absoluteness 7 to even stand a chance at perceiving prana."
"Plus, the barrier's layers are designed with an anti-prana field that repels anything with an absoluteness— even prana. We chakra users are totally powerless against it, so our only choice is the main exit, which is probably heavily guarded at the moment," the archer said, his shoulders tense.
Silence settled in, magnified by the howling sound of winter wind. And Keres' gaze dropped down, thinking about all the possible ways things could go wrong. But in that moment, Milan pulled their attention with a double clap of her hands.
"Listen guys," she paused, her breath misting in the air. "Your lives are on the line here, so I have no right asking you to not be afraid. But I beg you to never, even for a second— consider the notion of giving up."
"I know... the situation's pretty fucked up. We're on the run with everything to lose. The hounds stand in the way of our escape."
"But they cannot stop us. 'Cause on my mother's name, I'll make sure not even the heavens can," she placed one hand on her chest, her eyes reflecting resolve."But this isn't just about me. I need you guys to hold the same in your hearts, and I promise that one month from now... we'll look back on today with pride and laughter on our faces. But until then, keep your eyes open, even while you slumber."
Milan's reassuring words filled the air, and Keres clenched his fist in his pocket. Meanwhile, Rolan nodded, giving a smirk.
"Roger that, Countess" He acknowledged, marking the beginning of their journey.
***