After saying those words, Lira quickened her pace and kept walking without looking back.
"Huh?" Kai blinked at the retreating figure of Lira.
He picked up speed to match hers.
"What was that you sa—" he began, but before he could finish, Lira walked even faster.
"What's gotten into her so suddenly?" he shrugged and just trailed behind her without saying another word.
They walked home in silence. The evening air was filled with the hum of people and the creaking wheels of merchants' carts heading back after closing their stalls.
Kai bought two pieces of bread from a bakery on their way home. As they entered their shack, they sat around the table and began eating the bread.
Seeing Lira's blank expression, Kai spoke, "What's wrong, Lira? Why the dull face all of a sudden?"
Hearing him, Lira just shook her head. "It's nothing."
"Oh, come on, you can tell me if something's bothering you." His expression turned serious. "And what did you mean by what you said on our way home?"
"I-It's just..." she stammered, her breath hitched. "One day, when I was walking outside my house, some people came by..."
--
"Ah, here you are, Miss. We have been looking for you. Let's go; your parents are waiting," a middle-aged man clad in armor said.
"Okay," the little girl, who seemed to be no older than ten, nodded.
She glanced at the carriage with her bright green eyes, following the direction the man was pointing.
As she entered, the man sat across from her after ordering others to follow them.
The carriage began to move, after few minutes.
"M-Mr. Lax, why are we suddenly going through a jungle?" the girl stammered, panicking as she glanced outside the carriage.
"Don't worry, Miss Lira. It's a safe route; there are many bandits roaming along the old one," Lax replied with a warm smile.
"Un," Lira nodded and smiled back at Lax, clearly showing she trusted the man.
As they moved forward, the silhouette of a few figures came into view ahead of them.
The carriage stopped in front of the figures, and the guards approached them, murmuring quietly.
"Why did we stop? What's happening?" Lira tilted her head and asked.
Lax didn't answer right away. An evil smirk tugged at his lips. "Don't worry, Miss, it's fine."
Just as Lira glanced outside the carriage—
"Uhh!"
Lax quickly tied a cloth over her mouth.
Lira tried to protest, shouting, kicking, and punching. But her struggles were in vain. What could a fragile little girl do against a grown man, especially one who was a trained guard?
Lax tied her hands and legs securely. Then, exiting the carriage, he carried her over his shoulder like a sack.
Lax walked closer to the men ahead of them, their plain, dirt-smudged clothes and array of weapons marking them clearly as bandits.
"Here," Lax said, handing Lira over to a man who seemed to be the leader of the group. "I hope you hold up your end of the bargain."
"Haha! Don't worry, brother. She's young and beautiful..." The bandit leader paused for a moment, then added, "This time, the auction will be very profitable."
"Hmm," Lax nodded, shaking hands with the bandit leader. "See you later, then."
With that, Lax and the other guards turned around, deliberately destroying the carriage and injuring themselves slightly to make the attack look authentic.
"Alright, we should get going," the bandit leader said with a grin, turning back toward their own carriage.
Lira struggled to free herself, twisting and shaking her body, but her efforts only drew amused chuckles from the bandits.
"Don't worry, miss," the leader said with a wide grin as he entered the carriage, placing Lira across from him. "We'll send you to people who'll take very good care of you."
The carriage started to move, deeper into the forest.
Lira lay there, tears rolling down her cheeks as she let out small sobs. She had stopped struggling, realizing there was no way she could escape on her own, and no one would come to save her.
There were only a few people she had trusted with her safety—her parents and Lax, her most trusted guard—or so she thought. But now, that same guard had betrayed her, leaving her with these barbaric bandits. By the time her parents discovered what had happened, it would already be too late.
Roooar!
As the carriage continued, sudden roars of wild beasts echoed through the forest.
"Boss, it's an Earth Lion—it's rampaging!" one of the bandits said, beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
The bandit leader frowned and barked, "You useless assholes, can't even handle one damn beast?"
"But Bos—"
"Geez! Fine, I'll deal with it myself."
However, as soon as the bandit leader stepped out of the carriage, he froze.
"A m-mutant," his voice cracked as he took in the sight of a mutant Earth Lion wreaking havoc among them.
Screams and shouts of panic rang through the air as the Earth Lion destroyed everything in its path.
Before the leader could react—
Swoosh!
Thud!
His head fell to the ground, followed by his lifeless body.
Lira's heart sank as the roar and the terrified cries of the bandits reached her ears.
Soon, after killing every last one of them, the Earth Lion turned its gaze toward the carriage and charged at it, destroying it with a single swipe.
Lira's eyes widened, and her breath grew uneven as the towering beast loomed over her.
Roooar!
She squeezed her eyes shut as the Earth Lion raised its massive paw, ready to slice her to pieces.
Swoosh!
But the Earth Lion only slashed at thin air and turned its head around, growling, to see where its prey had gone.
--
A white light engulfed Lira before the Earth Lion could slash her.
It was a safety artifact that Lira's parents had given her and hidden, so no one else could find it, not even her most loyal guard.
That's why, when Lax was removing all her safety artifacts, he couldn't remove this one, though he didn't even know this artifact was with her.
After a few seconds, Lira opened her eyes and found herself in an unfamiliar place.
Though it was also a jungle, it was a bit different.