The Escape

The flash of light from Lyselle's spell hadn't fully faded when Sirea stood up again, his wings fully spread. The burnt tips of his feathers slowly turned pitch black, then fell to ash.

"You two are indeed troublesome opponents..."

Sirea's voice sounded deeper, as if there was an echo of something not human.

"...but I'm tired of playing games."

A black aura spread from his body, filling the room like a thick fog that crept into the lungs. Lyselle immediately felt the pressure hit her chest—her breathing felt heavy, as if the air around her had turned to molten iron.

Caelan stepped forward, standing slightly in front of Lyselle.

"Lyselle, we have to retreat. Now."

"If we retreat, everything we came for is gone," Lyselle argued. "The evidence of the slave trade, the experimentation data—"

"There won't be any evidence if we're dead." Caelan's tone was firm, but his eyes never left Sirea.

Sirea smiled broadly, as if enjoying every second of their tension.

"That's right. And you... will die here."

In one flap of his wings, Sirea disappeared from view. Caelan reacted quickly, swinging his sword backward without turning—its blade clashed with Sirea's thin sword that had suddenly appeared from thin air.

The collision triggered a small explosion. Lyselle was thrown to the side, hitting a metal rack filled with documents. The sound of papers falling mixed with the creak of collapsing metal.

"Damn it!" Lyselle scrambled to her feet, grabbing a folder that lay on the ground. For a moment, she saw a red stamp with the symbol of the Virelion kingdom on the cover.

Caelan was holding off Sirea's attacks, but the pressure from each slash was getting heavier.

"Lyselle! Get out of here!"

"Not without you!" Lyselle dashed toward him, casting a protective spell that wrapped Caelan's body in a thin, golden light. "You said we weren't dead yet. So don't talk like that."

Sirea seemed a little annoyed.

"You two... are too stubborn."

He clenched his fist, and the floor beneath them began to crack. From the cracks, thick smoke mixed with fire emerged. The entire headquarters trembled, as if something was rising from underground.

Caelan pulled Lyselle closer.

"We have to leave now, before he brings down this entire building."

Lyselle bit her lip, her eyes fixed on the folder in her hand.

"...Alright. But we'll go out through the storage area in the east wing. There's an underground tunnel leading to the river."

Caelan nodded quickly.

"You lead the way."

The two of them began to move quickly, but Sirea was not standing still. With one big leap, he landed in front of the corridor they were heading for. His wings were spread out, blocking the entire exit.

"You think you can run?"

Lyselle raised her hand, channeling magic that flashed.

"We're not running. We're just choosing a more advantageous place to fight."

The flash exploded, making Sirea stagger back for a moment. It was enough time for Lyselle and Caelan to break through on the right side, cutting through the dust and fire.

Behind them, the sound of Sirea's laughter echoed, mixed with the sound of the headquarters beginning to crumble.

The underground corridor was narrow, with a low ceiling and filled with old roots hanging down like black fingers. The air inside was damp and cold, but behind them, the sound of the collapsing building mixed with Sirea's laughter grew closer.

Lyselle ran ahead, her breath ragged but her eyes constantly scanning the path. In her hand, the folder she had grabbed from the document rack was still held tightly, even though its corner was slightly burnt.

"Faster, Caelan!" she called without turning back.

"I'm right behind you," Caelan replied, his voice heavy but steady. "But he... he's coming in here too."

As if to confirm his words, the sound of metal scraping against the stone wall was heard. A moment later, a faint red light appeared at the end of the corridor, accompanied by very slow footsteps... but echoing like a giant hammer.

"Just running won't be enough," Caelan said in a flat tone. "He's enjoying this."

"I know," Lyselle replied curtly, her eyes focused on a small intersection ahead. "We turn left—"

Before she could finish her sentence, the wall to their right exploded. Dust and stones flew everywhere, and from the hole, Sirea's black wings appeared first, followed by his sadistic smile.

"Found you..." his voice was a whisper, but it filled the entire corridor.

On reflex, Lyselle raised her hand, launching a wind spell that hit Sirea. The blast of wind pushed him back slightly, but he planted his sword into the floor, easily holding off the force.

Caelan overtook Lyselle, slashing toward Sirea, forcing the angel to retreat a few steps.

"You turn left. Now!"

Lyselle obeyed, and they both ran into a new, even narrower corridor. The walls were wet, dripping with a thick, metallic-smelling water.

Behind them, Sirea flapped his wings once, blowing dust and debris in all directions. The corridor now trembled as if it were about to collapse.

"He's deliberately destroying everything," Caelan said while still running. "If it collapses here, we'll be buried alive."

"Then we have to get to the exit before that happens," Lyselle retorted. "Do you still remember... the way to the river?"

Caelan nodded briefly. "About two more turns. But—"

A loud thud cut him off. From behind, a black fireball shot out, hitting the ceiling of the corridor. Stones fell, almost blocking the path they had just passed through.

"He's... toying with us," Lyselle said softly.

"He's not just toying. He wants to make sure there's no way back," Caelan replied. "We only have one direction."

They arrived at the last corridor, a faint blue light from its end indicating a source of water. But before they could reach it, Sirea's figure appeared again—this time from above, breaking through the ceiling and landing right in front of the exit.

"You really are annoying," he said, brushing the dust from his shoulder. "But I have to admit... you've entertained me a little."

Lyselle moved closer to Caelan, preparing a spell.

"Let's do this quickly. Attack together."

"Alright," Caelan replied, taking a deep breath.

They both rushed forward simultaneously—Caelan from below, Lyselle from the side with a flash of light that exploded like lightning.

The next clash was deafening, and in the distance, the sound of the river could already be heard. But the path to it was still blocked.

The flash of light from Lyselle's spell reflected on the wet walls of the corridor, making Sirea's shadow look much bigger and more terrifying. Caelan slid low, his sword gleaming like a silver line in the darkness, while Lyselle struck the air with an ear-splitting lightning spell.

Sirea parried Caelan's attack with a single swing of his large sword, metal sparks flying in the air. But Lyselle's lightning hit the ground right under his feet, forcing the angel to jump back.

"Quick!" Lyselle yelled, taking advantage of the distance that had been created.

They ran past Sirea, but the black wings spread quickly, covering the entire corridor like a curtain of death. The tips of his feathers were as sharp as blades, cutting through the air and leaving scratch marks on the stone walls.

Caelan had no choice. He twisted his body, slashing at the wing. His blade penetrated some of the feathers, but thick black blood splattered onto the floor. Sirea smiled broadly despite being injured.

"Finally... someone who can make me feel pain," he muttered softly, his eyes glowing red. "I'm going to enjoy this."

Lyselle growled, forming a magic circle in the air. Ancient symbols spun rapidly, emitting a heat that made the air tremble.

"Caelan, get down!"

Caelan immediately dropped to the ground, and above his head, a giant bolt of lightning tore through the corridor's ceiling, hitting Sirea directly. The explosion shook the entire corridor, stones fell from above, and part of the ceiling collapsed behind them.

Sirea staggered, but before he could get up, Caelan pulled Lyselle.

"We can't beat him here. Go now!"

They broke through a gap in Sirea's wings, slipping toward the blue light at the end of the corridor. But Sirea screamed, his voice echoing like a thousand screams at once. From his fingertips, a flash of red light cut through the air, hitting the wall near the exit.

The river water began to seep in, its current growing stronger. The corridor started to flood, and the current pulled at their feet.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Lyselle shouted amidst the rushing water.

"There's no other choice!" Caelan replied.

They jumped into the river, the strong current immediately dragging their bodies out of the corridor which had completely collapsed behind them. A huge explosion was heard, and giant stone pillars fell into the water, hitting exactly where they had stood just seconds ago.

For a moment, only the sound of the river current was heard. But in the darkness, on the riverbank, Sirea's silhouette stood, watching them being swept away by the current. The smile had not left his face.

"We're not finished..." his voice was carried by the wind, but it was clear enough to make Lyselle's hair stand on end.

They were swept away, while behind them, the headquarters completely crumbled, swallowed by the river water which was now red with blood.

The roaring river water swallowed the last explosion from the Drezhen headquarters. Lyselle felt her body being slammed repeatedly against rocks and floating wood. Caelan swam beside her, his face half-submerged, but his hand still gripping Lyselle's collar so she wouldn't be dragged too far by the current.

Finally, they both managed to reach the muddy riverbank. Their breaths were ragged, their hands and feet trembling. The cold night air pricked their wet skin like needles.

"We got out..." Caelan coughed, spitting out river water. "But they won't give up."

Lyselle looked at the turbulent river current, swallowing the debris of buildings and the bodies of soldiers. But there was no sign of Sirea. And that only made her chest feel heavier.

"He's still alive," she muttered, almost as if talking to herself. "I can feel it."

They walked along the riverbank until they found a rock crevice at the foot of a cliff. They took shelter there, building a small fire with wet branches that produced almost no smoke.

It was silent. Only the crackling of the fire was heard.

"We can't stay in this area. Their forces will be searching all the exit routes," Caelan said, staring into the flames.

"Where will we go?" Lyselle asked without taking her eyes off the small blaze.

"A place they wouldn't expect... Selvaria," Caelan replied.

Lyselle turned her head. "Selvaria? That religious land? Why—"

"The cult that funded the experiments in Drezhen has a large branch there. They're disguised behind a facade of sanctity," Caelan cut in, his voice flat. "If we can expose their source of funding... we can stop all of this at its root."

Before Lyselle could respond, the sound of footsteps approached from the darkness. They immediately stood up. From behind a bush, an old man with ragged clothes appeared, carrying a large sack on his back.

"Don't attack... I'm not an enemy," he said, raising both hands. "My name is Orrick. I... used to work at that facility. And I know where you're going."

Lyselle stared at him sharply. "If you're a former worker there, why help us?"

"Because they took my family for experiments. And the only way to get revenge is to destroy their funding." Orrick approached, lowering his voice. "If you're heading to Selvaria... you'll find that your greatest enemy is not just on the battlefield, but at the altar."

Caelan and Lyselle looked at each other, understanding that this was no longer just an escape—this was the beginning of the next step.

"In that case," Lyselle said, her voice firm despite her exhaustion, "we're going to Selvaria. And we'll expose them... to the bone."

The small fire flickered, as if marking the beginning of a new journey. In the distance, the faint sound of church bells was carried by the night wind. And behind it, it was as if a whisper was calling them... to the land that called itself holy.