The Woman Floating Above the Old Castle

 Elize's Perspective

"That's the situation," I declared as two figures appeared from behind. "Chopin! Bouree!" I exclaimed. "It might be uncertain with just the two of us, but with six, we might just manage." This thought strengthened my resolve.

As the night of the full moon arrived, the wind howled, trees rustled, and both the lake's surface and my skirt swayed. I set our boat upon the lake and chanted a spell, "Eli Daria Hol Nanoka!" After I completed the incantation and lowered my arms, nothing happened for 10 seconds. Just as I feared it was in vain, the earth trembled. Small waves crisscrossed the lake, and I crouched down in surprise. Then, an ancient stone building rose from the depths—an old castle, exactly as I had hoped, though hard to believe it was real.

The stone bridge extended in all directions, spanning from one end of the lake to the other. Akira hastily maneuvered our boat towards the bridge as the remaining four of our group gathered. "Let's go. We can't let Amadeus's people get ahead of us," I urged.

From the gates of the castle that had risen from the lake, a woman clad in an ancient robe approached. I rushed towards her, invoking a whirlwind spell. "Are you Miss Kraise?" I inquired.

"Yes," she replied.

"There's no time to explain who we are. Amadeus's men are after your life. We understand if you don’t trust us, but would you come with us? We need you to share what you know at the newspaper office in Miravenia," I explained hurriedly.

She scanned the faces of our group and finally fixed her gaze on Akira. "Alright, I will cooperate in any way I can. I've grown tired of living in hiding," she agreed.

With that, the six of us surrounded her and crossed the bridge to safely reach the magical carriage. It appeared that Amadeus's agents had not arrived yet. Chopin quickly grasped the reins and cast a spell. The carriage bolted towards the town entrance.

According to our calculations, it would take about six hours to reach the newspaper office. A female journalist had promised to stay overnight to await our arrival. As we communicated through magic, it seemed she was keeping her promise. Though the newspaper office was well-guarded, we could only hope it wouldn't be attacked.

We passed through the village gates and out onto a vast plain, traveling along a road known as the Miravenia Highway, paved with compacted earth. The area's clear visibility made it difficult for bandits to stage an ambush. Nonetheless, not all segments of our journey were equally safe; bridges, mountain paths, and forests each required vigilance.