A wave of panic ran down her nerves, alongside the shock of knowing about Nada's dissapearance. Only a single fact was in her mind.
"For Ms. Avry... How long had she been missing, counting to the night that I had her come over for the dungeon?" Aefia asked while snapping into her serious expression and the calcutions running along her mind. "The night I had Cindy and Puppet taken back?"
Helio paused for a while, it was either thinking or trying to recall, but it seemed more like a look that said he was trying to hide an information or cover it up. After a long moment of hesitation, he let out a deep breathe, which turned into mist as soon as it left his mouth. "Please don't be mad... Ten days."
"And how long has it been since Nada has gone missing?" She asked, as a few snowflakes dusted off the fur attached to the hood of her bomber jacket. "Also, was she missing when you all were back at the Empire or did she go missing when you reached here? Don't expect me to believe this was just a normal trip."
"No... She went missing exactly ten days ago counting until now... And we had to move here to avoid the risk of losing another participant or mentor."
"And under whose agreement did you move here?"
"The... Founder."
Finally, a string inside Aefia's mind snapped as she swept her bandaged hand across her face and sighed. "You all have been fooled again... And I can't stop this from accelerating now that I am outside the competition. Although... I think I have a hint of what caused Nada to dissappear... And I am afraid I need to move today and finish it all by today too."
Her eyes looked towards a few spaces where the participants were all happy and joyful. "... Where is... Mr. Elephant?" She asked while diverting her eyes towards the person standing in front of her. "I need to have a 'friendly' conversation with him..."
"Sure... He happens to be at the office at the end of the bazaar."
"An office? ... Already?"
"Yes... I found it strange... But it's simply unavoidable now..."
"Do me a favor... Can you lead me there? Right now?" Her voice turned stern as she looked towards the crowd. "I managed to get a few minutes from my brother... I should be able to deal it all within that time right?" Her hand pulled out a phone from her pocket as she checked the time and started a timer before she turned to face her former colleague.
"Sure... Let me just inform—"
"No, let them be. We are playing with life and death here you know. You weren't specifically there when Ms. Avry died."
The words fell like splinters through the atmosphere around them. "She... Died?" Helio spoke while his eyes widened and stared at Aefia's pale face.
"Yes... And that's all thanks to Mr. Elephant. The reason she died was because I was a little too late..." Her voice dropped as she recalled the way the sword had sliced through the woman's abdomen. "It is a long story... But I am not in a mood to explain if I know my own cousin is about to die now. Because of me again."
She turned around while walking towards the staircase, pulling the hood over her face with her thumb and index finger. He couldn't argue, so he tabed along.
"What do you mean it was because of you?" He asked, a curiousity leaned into his voice as he waited for a response.
"Even I don't know... But I think because I have gotten too close to the truth and I had left the competition." She responded while pulling her hands in front of her.
"She cursed me and then stole my power away... So that is the most I could get to know. That might be the reason why you noticed I am completely drained of my element. Because she is still consuming my magic energy." Her gaze lifted. "And that just means she is trying to form a new sort of unknown worldly dungeon."
"I am not getting a hang of anything..."
"Then shut up and help me reach the office!" She snapped while yanking his wrist and climbing down the steps. I can't just stand here and recall vivid images of how Ms. Avry died! If it is Nada... I am slicing up everyone's throats and feeding their brains to the dogs! I am turning everyone's life to a living hell if they let anything happen to her.
I knew it... The Guardian of Silence was too silent this time... I just didn't know she was plotting like this... I knew she would take away someone... But I just didn't think it would be Nada... Darn me! Why was I so reckless and stupid?!
She let go of his wrist and pushed him forward. "Where?!" Her voice cracked as she ran behind him, her bomber jacket scrapping against her knees as she speeded forward. Despite the burning at her lungs, she was forcing herself to withstand it until she managed to rescue her cousin. I don't know why... Why am I being so sensitive instead of thinking properly?!
I did the most stupid thing of waiting... And I am losing my mind over losing someone else?! I heard the warning... But I took the risk anyways... For a vacation? She wiped her eyes with her sleeves, and then slowing down while slamming her hand into her head over the bomber jacket as her vision started to blur. "Wait..." She breathed out while pulling out a folded piece of paper and dumping the contents into her mouth.
"You don't want me to heal you first?" He volunteered while trying to catch his breathe. "I don't want my brothers suspicions..." She answered back while walking almost blindly, although the blindness was just a haze for her now. "How far is it from here?" Her voice cracked as she threw the hood of the jacket backwards and letting a few snowflakes fall onto her hair.
"At the end of the bazaar. I don't think you will be able to make it." He responded while taking a closer look at the redish colour of her forehead and at the bridge between her eyes.
"If you choose though... I would suggest you stay and I will handle it myself."
"It's not the kind of thing where you can handle it yourself... You will die if you try and just suffer if you don't. I almost died when I tried back then... Well at least I am practically bleeding everyday now... It's either my head, mouth, nose or hands..." She answered while placing up. "But I won't lie when I say I need a company... Surely Nada is injured and I was lacking the healing magic energy when Ms. Avry died... So I couldn't save her."
"So are you going to lead me there or am I going I go alone?" She asked while looking at the ground and then walking, her hair shielding her face from the crowd. Her head throbbed as she tried not to shut her eyes and stumble forward.
"I think you need to rest... You are draining your energy with something else." Helio responded while grabbing her wrist and nagivating the crowd. "I don't know how exactly you have silvering hair... But as part of my research, I think you have consumed too much of your energy during a combat... How did you do that?"
"No... Well it's not me in that terms..." Aefia responded while looking up to a small amount of golden dust settling against the snow with a star-glow kind of look.
"Forget the office... I am going straight to the dungeon..." Her voice turned dire as she twisted her wrist out of his grasp and took off in a run. While passing, she caught sight of Lewis looking at a specific souvenir at a stall.
I am sorry... But if I find a way... I might runaway and not return.
She thought while diverting her eyes from the back of his head. Her steps left an echo that caused him to turn around for a while, as if sensing her thoughts, his face turned worried.
"Aefia?" He muttered silently while looking at Henry beside him. Nevermind... It must have been my imaginations. What was I even busy thinking about?
He turned his gaze away and looked at the souvenirs at the stall. "Can't you bargain? Or I would prefer one which has a combination of a garnet and obsidian." He spoke politely while setting down the brooch at his hand. "Sure... But knowing how each gemstones have a meaning... Don't you think the combination of garnet and obsidian is too meaningless to give a person or for oneself? Unless they are your enemy?" The woman replied while pulling out a butterfly with flame-like wings.
"Well I am not going to say it what way... But the person who I want to give it to... She is a battle maniac sometimes." Lewis responded while taking a closer look at the trembling section of the accessory. It shoke with very small movements and reflected light in every direction, making it seem like it were glowing when the light hit perfectly.
"Sounds like a person who is powered by rage and sorrow then. My older brother was once in the military and used to love any garnet and obsidian accessories. Too bad, he died so soon." The woman muttered while tapping her chin. "You know something young boy? Take it for free... I believe this simple brooch might as well make her happy." She smiled while handing over a decorative box. "And I must say... That sapphire one you have there isn't quite bad looking either."
"Oh thanks... She gave me this one on my birthday... So that is the exact same reason I am getting that for her." He smiled back. "So how is 'she' related to you?" While handing the package, the shop owner asked.
"Oh well... She is my younger sister. One year younger than me. And she is powered by rage and sorrow... Most of the time." His voice caught at the back of his throat as he took the box and shoved it inside his pocket. Since it was thin, it felt like he was shoving a parchment instead.
He then walked towards the end of the bazaar. He didn't plan on buying anything else, but he chose to still wander around.
By the way, have I ever seen Aefia accessories herself except of occasions? I don't even know if she will like this anymore. Should I start looking for something else? She seems to really like shoes that help her in combat.
***
"Where are we exactly going again?" Helio shouted while trying to catch up to her. "There is almost no one here in this alley! I think we need to return before a danger arises! You are too weak for combat anyways!"
"But what if Nada is at the end of this trail?!" Aefia shouted back while coming to a stop and glancing upwards to the houses, which looked built with wood and broken or burnt not so long ago. "Wait... Why... Does it feel like... I have regained my energy all of a sudden?" She whispered to herself while skiding a little bit in the snow, spraying up white power with her shoes as the trail seemed to dissappear. This troublesome guardian! What is she trying to do to me?!
The streets looked abandoned and not a single person was walking around or precisely, no foliage seemed to be growing out of anywhere. The cold was now a blizzard as she scammered to pull the hood over her head before risking a lost of hearing with the snow falling onto her ears. "I think we are already inside the dungeon... Good thing... Now I just need to wait for any sort of small threats..." She spoke in a low voice, which was loud enough for him to catch.
"Wait... The entrance as this smooth? That the dungeon doors weren't even visible?" A fear crept onto his mind as he caught the sight of a terrifying monster turn to hide behind a house, but wanting to take on the humans. "But what are these monsters trying to do?" He asked finally while stepping closer to her.
"What type of monsters?" She asked back while looking at the direction he had his eyes diverted to. "Oh... Those type... Just kill them by stabbing a blade into their brains if they come near you... I dealt with them enough for me to prove it." Her response hit his mind with a realization as she sped forward with the sudden shift of atmosphere behind her.
"Do me a favor... Can you go search down this street? If we are in a small abandoned town... We might need to split up to search for Nada." Aefia spoke while coming to a stop out of a sudden and her eyes narrowing down to a fierce stare that sent fear up his spine. "Yeah sure..." He responded, but just as he was about to turn away, a shadow moved behind her that caught his sight.
"Actually no..."
"Oh don't worry..." Aefia responded with shadowed eyes. "I have a mission... To kill this person either ways..." A maniacal smile replaced her expressionless face as she felt the shift in air behind her, at the corners of her vision, was a long strand of blonde hair which she knew where it was from.
"Dear Countess... Did you want to have a dire speech with the victim of your little sister's bully?" She asked while looking directly at Helio instead, which made him confused. He stayed silent as he watched a blade flying towards the the side of her head. But before he could say anything, Aefia caught it between her index and middle finger, spining it within her fingers then into her fist.
Using the same knife to block a much longer blade that was about to chop her in half, her position had moved to the right in a panicked movement and thus changing the trajectory.
"You killed Stephany!" The woman shouted while lifting the sword over her head. The blade came down very fast, almost undodgeable, making Aefia widen her eyes in shock.
The blade touched down, as blood splattered against the snow carpet in front of them.