The next day, Anastasia was sitting on the sofa, a sheet of paper resting on the table in front of her. Marriane sat across from her, while Jeremy stood near the study table, his arms crossed as he observed them.
Anastasia picked up the paper and began reading it carefully. It was the investigation report on the missing children—something she had requested from Naerys earlier. As she examined the details, it became clear that there was no direct connection between the children who had gone missing. However, one crucial detail stood out: only commoner children were being targeted. Whoever was behind these disappearances had deliberately avoided noble children.
Additionally, Anastasia noticed another unsettling detail—all the missing children were below the age of nine. This pattern suggested that the culprit had a specific reason for targeting only young commoners, but the motive remained unclear. Furrowing her brows, she tapped her fingers lightly against the paper, deep in thought.
"You know the age when children who aren't of noble blood or sponsored by nobles undergo their awakening?" Jeremy spoke, his tone serious.
Anastasia's fingers paused against the paper as she lifted her gaze to him. His words carried weight—this wasn't just a random observation. If the missing children were all under nine, and that age held significance for commoners' mana awakening, then the disappearances might not be a coincidence at all.
"So, what you're trying to say is… someone is deliberately kidnapping the children before they have their awakening ceremony?" Anastasia asked, her voice calm but laced with tension.
Jeremy nodded, his expression grim. "Yes, it seems so. When young children undergo their awakening, some of them can even rival nobles in power. If someone is targeting them before that happens, their plan could be to extract their mana… or something else related to it." He crossed his arms, his voice steady but thoughtful. "It's just a guess, though."
Anastasia looked at the names of the missing children before placing the paper back on the table. Her expression grew serious as she processed the information.
"So, what should we do?" Marriane asked, her voice filled with concern.
"What else? We're going to find the culprit and save those innocent lives," Jeremy said firmly.
Anastasia met his gaze and nodded. "Then we should start by gathering more clues. We need to find out where the children were last seen and if there's any pattern in their disappearances.
"Marriane clenched her fists. "And if we do find something?""Then," Jeremy said, his eyes sharp, "we make our move before it's too late."
....
It was nighttime, and Anastasia and Marriane moved quietly through a dimly lit alley, their figures concealed beneath hooded robes. The faint glow of lanterns flickered in the distance, casting long shadows along the cobblestone path.
Marriane hesitated before whispering, "Is this really a good idea?" Her voice carried a mix of uncertainty and unease.Anastasia, walking beside her, didn't slow her pace.
"We won't find answers by staying inside," she replied calmly. "If we want to stop this, we need to see things for ourselves."
Marriane bit her lip but nodded, tightening her grip on the edges of her robe as they continued forward."What do we do if we find any clues? Don't tell me we're going to fight them?" Marriane asked, her voice a mix of worry and frustration.
"I'm not that reckless, you know. You can trust me."Anastasia glanced at her with a small smile. "I know, Marriane. We're not here to fight—we're here to gather information. But if things go wrong, we need to be ready to defend ourselves."
Hearing Anastasia's response, Marriane lowered her gaze and murmured to herself, 'I already do, you fool.... I trust you with my life, but you don't have to know it'
."But why isn't Jeremy here?" Marianne asked, glancing around cautiously."Oh, him?" Anastasia replied. "Well, he's here but not here. I mean, he's observing from afar. You know we needed to be more careful."
Marriane sighed. "Of course, he wouldn't just let us do this alone."Anastasia chuckled softly. "Exactly. He's watching our backs."
As they walked slowly through the alley, the only sounds were their quiet footsteps against the cobblestone. Suddenly, Marriane broke the silence
."Oh, with all that hassle, I forgot to tell you one very important thing, Anastasia," Marriane said suddenly.
Anastasia paused and looked at her. "What is it?""Remember Silent Edge? As I was researching it, I found something… it seems to be reacting to you," Marriane said cautiously.
Anastasia frowned. "What do you mean?"
Marriane took a deep breath. "When you gave it to me, it seemed to absorb some of the mana from your scarlet flames." She looked at Anastasia with concern. "It wasn't just a normal reaction—it was like it was drawing power from you."
Anastasia's grip tightened slightly. If Silent Edge could absorb her flames, then it was far more dangerous—and connected to her—than she had realized.Reacting to scarlet flames, huh?
Anastasia thought to herself. Maybe that's one of the reasons I felt drawn to it…She pushed the thought aside for now and looked at Marriane. "Okay, we'll look into it," she said firmly. "For now, let's focus on the task at hand."Marriane nodded, though the concern in her eyes remained. "Right. Let's be careful."
As they walked cautiously through the alley, a sudden movement in the darkness caught their attention.Anastasia and Marriane froze, their senses sharpening. The faint rustling of fabric and the sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the narrow path.
"Did you see that?" Marriane whispered, gripping Anastasia's sleeve.Anastasia narrowed her eyes, her voice calm but firm. "Yeah. Someone's there."They exchanged a glance before silently moving forward, ready for whatever—or whoever—was hiding in the shadows.
As they approached the source of the movement, they saw a small figure crouched behind a pile of trash.
Holding up the lantern, Anastasia and Marriane stepped closer, the warm light revealing the face of a young boy. His clothes were tattered, his face smeared with dirt, and bruises covered his small arms. He flinched at the sudden brightness, his wide, fearful eyes staring up at them.
Marriane gasped softly. "He's hurt…"Anastasia knelt down, her voice gentle. "Hey, it's okay. We're not here to hurt you."
The boy trembled but didn't move, as if unsure whether to trust them.