“I-I saw these stuck on a trunk down the river,” Zephyr said and dropped the bundle of wet clothes.
Kyran remained silent as he stared at the clothes. His expression did not show anything, but at that moment, his brain was racing as he tried to make sense of why Cyneah’s belongings were there and yet she was not.
Several possibilities flash in Kyran’s mind to which he would reject each time.
All of these seemed to happen for quite some time, but it only took a few seconds in reality.
‘Check everything first. Don’t jump to conclusions,’ Kyran reminded himself as he finally moved and knelt to inspect the clothes.
True enough, it was Cyneah’s, and Kyran’s jade disc was stuck on her bag’s strap.
For the next minute, Kyran continued to inspect Cyneah’s clothes. His expression had turned colder and more unreadable after turning the clothes, revealing a noticeable tear at the dress’s abdomen area. There were also faint bloodstains around the tear, which the river had not washed. Anyone who saw the tear would immediately notice that a sharp object made it while Cyneah was still wearing the clothes.
A murderous intent flashed in Kyran’s eyes. However, it was only an instant, and even Zephyr, who closely watched him, did not see it. Still, the murderous feeling within Kyran lingered in his heart, and unfortunately, he could no longer vent it out. He should not have killed the damnable woman so soon. He should have tortured her first because killing her was giving her an easy way out.
Seeing Kyran’s calm expression worried Zephyr. It was like the calm before a raging storm. Zephyr was no expert in human emotions; hell, even he was not an expert in Quilin’s emotions. Right now, he could only imagine how his master might be feeling, knowing that his woman was injured and her whereabouts were unknown.
It was regrettable that Zephyr had no idea what had happened after getting sealed inside the boulder. He did not know how much time had passed since he separated from Cyneah. To be honest, he was also unsure of what happened to the woman who sealed him. After getting sealed, the next thing he knew was Kyran calling out to him. Initially, Zephyr thought maybe his master managed to arrive in time and save his woman. But after sensing Kyran’s mood, he realized that was not the case.
If Kyran knew what Zephyr was thinking, he would have already hit his head or maybe warped him someplace as punishment.
Just what was going on in this Quilin’s head? Why was he convinced that there was something between Kyran and Cyneah? Did he not realize that although Cyneah was not a ‘little girl,’ she was probably two or three years younger than Kyran? Besides, would Kyran even have time to find a ‘woman’ with his clan’s situation?
While Zephyr was thinking all sorts of weird stuff, Kyran was busy sorting out his thoughts.
“After you were transported inside that boulder, you two were atop the river?” Kyran finally spoke and asked Zephyr.
“Yes. The rude woman was right behind us.”
“Rude?”
“Yes! What else would she be other than rude? She called my magic, Wind magic! How rude!”
Kyran ignored Zephyr’s ranting. If not for their current situation, he might find Zephyr’s rant to be amusing.
“You were already injured before you got transported, did Cyneah also…?”
“No. I made sure to protect her,” Zephyr replied. Then he remembered something and added guiltily, “Maybe she suffered some cuts by the rude woman’s knife when she made that weird attack. I am not sure.”
Kyran’s expression turned thoughtful. If Zephyr was unsure if Cyneah was injured, it meant it was in a spot he could not see while carrying her. Cyneah’s clothes had other tears on the dress’s sleeves. Since Cyneah’s arms were around Zephyr, he probably did not know if she injured her arms. From this, Kyran confirmed that the tear on the abdomen part happened after the two were separated.
The tear on the dress was too deliberate that Kyran was sure it could not have happened while Cyneah was falling. Did that mean she managed to fall and got off the river before the woman attacked her?
Kyran looked at the river to their side and immediately rejected the idea. The river’s current was too fast for an average person to swim back to the riverside. Not to mention Cyneah was blind and would have trouble discerning directions.
How did Cyneah end up getting stabbed then?
Kyran suddenly remembered something and rummaged over Cyneah’s things. He also checked her bag and found the Invisibility Potion he gave her was not there. He remembered what he told her earlier: “Drink this potion if you ever feel you are in danger.”
Realization hit Kyran, and he immediately gathered Cyneah’s things, putting them inside his pouch.
Then he turned to Zephyr and said, “Let’s go back. Search the area on this side, from above. I’ll check the other side.”
Zephyr nodded, “Alright.”
“If you find any clues, let me know immediately.”
“I will.”
The two went back to where Kyran killed the woman from the army. Afterwhich, Zephyr searched the right side of the river, while Kyran jumped over the river’s left side.
Kyran retraced his steps to where he killed the damnable woman. The whole place was a mess, but he tried to analyze the surroundings. He found cracks on the ravine’s wall, located a little further from the cracks he made after pinning the damnable woman.
He ran over the cracks and examined the area, and soon, he found traces of blood going to the direction where he met the damnable woman.
Kyran’s eyes narrowed. He thought of something as he released the Regis Blessing and activated the Regis Body Tempering Technique before searching along the riverside.
After a few minutes, he found a trail of black mist hovering in the air.
With his heart thumping in his chest, Kyran picked up his pace and followed the trail. Soon, he arrived at a spot where thick black mist hovered suspended in the surrounding. Thick roots from a massive tree above the ravine crawled down, almost reaching the river. Kyran focused his senses and pinpointed where the black mist was coming from. He found that the black mist was seeping out a gap between the wall and the tree root. On a closer inspection, he saw blood on the ground and scratching marks on the ravine’s wall.
Kyran’s heart immediately constricted as an image of Cyneah clawing the dirt on the wall where they first met crossed his mind. He brushed away the smaller roots hanging above the gap and went inside.
The opening was too small, but Kyran managed to squeeze half of his body inside to look around. He released the Regis Body Tempering Technique since the black mist was getting in his way. As soon as his eyes adjusted the darkness inside, he finally found Cyneah curled up as she leaned on the side.
Kyran’s hand immediately clenched as he saw her covered in blood. Her short hair was wet and filthy because of the water dripping from a crack on the ground above. The inside was dark, yet Kyran could see her translucent skin pale from blood loss. She looked filthy and smelled like death. But Kyran did not care about that. What mattered to him as she was still breathing, albeit very weakly.
Since the gap was too small and Kyran’s movements were limited, he tried calling out to her. When she did not respond, he no longer hesitated and punched the side of the gap, creating a bigger opening so he could get in.
The inside of the gap was still small, so Kyran did not go in. He only needed enough opening so he could take Cyneah out.
As soon as he reached for her and started to pull her gently out the gap, she suddenly stirred.
With a gasp, Cyneah started to struggle.
“N-No! L-Let go!”
However, her attempts to fight were feeble because of her weakened state.
“Stop. It’s okay,” Kyran immediately soothed her as he held her arms firmly.
Hearing the familiar voice of Kyran, Cyneah’s lifeless eyes immediately lit up.
“Nar!” She exclaimed in both joy and relief. Forgetting that she was currently naked, she mustered what little strength she had left and fumbled in front of her. When she found Kyran’s shoulder, she leaned and wrapped her arms around his neck, breathing in his scent.
“I-It’s really you.”
Kyran froze when Cyneah suddenly wrapped her arms around him.
It was not the first time a girl hugged him, but they were not in a very uncompromising position when it happened. More importantly, those girls had clothes on.
Kyran felt his face burn for the first time, not knowing where to put his hands. When he was in military school, they performed rescue drills, and the people they saved varied. But though each scenario was different, at least the people they had to rescue were all clothed!
Another reason why Kyran was feeling awkward right now, even though it was not his first time to see Cyneah naked, was because, last time, he saw her as a child.
But now…
Pushing all unnecessary thoughts at the back of his mind, Kyran steeled himself. Now was not the time to feel self-conscious!
“Y-Yes,” Kyran started to say. He cleared his throat when he found his voice trembled a bit before continuing, “It’s me.”
After Kyran had spoken, Cyneah tightened her hold on him, and she said in a weak, trembling voice, “I-I’m sorry. I lost the item you gave me… But still… you came… You still came.”
Any hesitation Kyran had felt disappeared at once after hearing Cyneah’s words. While feeling her trembling body, his eyes softened as he finally held her close.
“You don’t need to speak. Rest.” He told her.
Cyneah took a shaky breath as she nodded and obediently rested her head on Kyran’s chest, and closed her eyes.
Kyran felt her shiver from the cold. He took a clean, dry woollen throw from his pouch to cover her.
It did not take long before Cyneah had fallen asleep.
When Kyran was sure she was fast asleep, he took the opportunity to check her wounds. He did not offer her any pills or potions because he had not yet confirmed if she experienced any side effects when taking the ones he gave her previously. Anyway, apart from a cut on her forearm and stomach, most of her cuts were superficial.
For the next few minutes, Kyran tended Cyneah’s wounds. When he was bandaging the wound on her stomach, he caught a glimpse of the scar on her ribcage. It was the scar he gave her, and once again, he was overwhelmed with guilt. His guilt was doubled because he knew the wound on her stomach would leave another scar, and it was his fault. If she and Zephyr had not been with him when those people found him, they would not have been in danger.
Kyran was once again slapped with the reality of how powerless he was. Yes, he possessed powerful magic, two magic, to be precise, but he was only one person. There was only so much he could do. It was easy to overwhelm him when faced with several high-ranked mages or combat mages with unknown abilities and several magic items.
He needed to get stronger and understand his magic fast. He also needed more people, that could help him.
Zephyr had the qualifications, but at the moment, given his identity, Kyran had to hide him.
Kyran took a deep breath to clear his racing thoughts.
‘Don’t rush.’
He reminded himself, although he knew how little time he had to save his clan.
‘Take one step at a time,’ he told himself.
Finally, after a few minutes, Kyran stood up with the sleeping Cyneah in his arms. He had not calmed down completely, but for now, he needed to deal with the things he could.
‘I found her,’ Kyran told Zephyr after establishing their connection.
[Good for you, Master!]
Zephyr replied; his joy was evident in his voice.
Black lines appeared on Kyran’s head. He could almost imagine the thoughts swirling in that Quilin’s head.
‘Return here and we’ll warp back.’
[W-Warp back? C-Can I g-go by my—.]
‘Cyneah’s wounded. We have to go back,’ he cut Zephyr midsentence.
[Give her a pill or a potion!]
‘She’s not used to it. Besides, I’m not even sure if she knows how to circulate it in her body! Get here now,’ Kyran retorted, his brow twitching.
He had never heard such a whiny Sigil before.
When Zephyr did not reply for almost a minute, Kyran contemplated using the Sigil to force him back.
But soon, a slightly trembling voice sounded in his head.
[I-I’m coming, Master.]
A quarter of an hour later, Zephyr had arrived, and Kyran warped them back outside the range of the cottage’s array. Kyran did not warp directly inside because he had to grant Cyneah permission to go inside first. It was one of the formulas in the array that he did not change.
Zephyr slumped on the ground as soon as they appeared and tried his best not to throw up.
Kyran raised his brows at him and said, “You don’t have to keep it in.”
“I-I’m not—BLEERGH!”
In the end, Zephyr failed and threw up.
When Zephyr was done, they entered the cottage’s range and walked up to the cottage.
“What…?”
Kyran stopped as he looked at the cottage.
Wait, could a two-story wooden house still be called a cottage? More importantly, were they in the right place?
From the side of the house, Nolan appeared with a shovel in his hand. When he saw Kyran and Zephyr, he sneered as he approached them.
“So you two finally decided to come back—.”
He abruptly stopped when he saw Kyran carrying a person in his arms. A frown replaced his sneer while he said, “Will you f*cking stop kidnapping people?”