SHIRO
"This is where we should take the escape route, right?" Gladia asked in a panicked voice. I nodded. "But we have to go out of this room to get there. Won't we be spotted the moment we step out of this room?"
"There's a chance, but staying here is like waiting for our deaths. None of us are capable of fighting," I explained. I looked at Mister Daku, who had his usual straight and emotionless look.
If only Mister Daku was not sick, he could take them easily.
"We should get going now. The longer we stay here, the lower our chances to evade them," I told Gladia, which she agreed to hesitantly. I knew she was scared, but we really had to do it.
I approached the door and peered into the hallways. It was clear and free from intruders. However, what I was not sure about was the stairs. One of them could have been climbing it while we passed through and spotted us.
But there was also a probability for it to be otherwise. This dilemma was what made this plan difficult.
Nevertheless, we had to get out of here if we wanted to have more chances to survive. And this alone was enough for us to push through the plan.
"The hallway is clear! Let's go!" I shouted in a whispery voice while gesturing at Gladia to follow.
Gladia worriedly tailed behind me while holding her hands close to her chest, while Mister Daku unbotheredly guarded the rear.
We trotted through the empty and safe hallway as quietly as we could, while praying to the gods for our success.
Then, the most nerve-wracking moment arrived when we were nearing the stairs. Each step closer to it increased our anxiety and worry. And I couldn't even take my eyes off of it because I had to see what would appear from it. That way, I could quickly warn the two.
Fortunately, the stairs were clear. No one was climbing it, and we could pass through without worry. So, we hastened our pace until we managed to safely cross it.
But luck didn't linger long enough for us to fully escape, because the moment we reached the door of the first room on the right of the stairs, a figure stepped out of it, wearing a black hooded robe.
It didn't take long for us to meet eye to eye, and in that instant, my eyes widened in pure shock and horror, while the man before me looked with the same shock but instead of horror, rage was mixed with it.
The man was about to alert his companions when a sudden gust of wind whooshed past me, suspending the man's supposed action. And that was when I realized that it was Mister Daku who kept the man silent by wrapping his left hand around the man's mouth.
I was expecting Mister Daku to use his incredible strength to incapacitate his enemy, but what he actually did was something beyond what my mind could think of.
There was no doubt it was the same magic that made him into what he was now. The same magic he used against Hirako. Its crimson hue made sure of that.
The man tried to free himself by clawing at Mister Daku's hand that was covering his mouth, but with Mister Daku's strength, it was futile. He tried to shout as well, but his voice was muffled so only we could hear him. While all of this happened, the forbidden magic slowly seeped into his body.
And in an instant, his hands dropped and his entire body stopped moving. Only his eyes could move as if he was paralyzed. Was this one of the Rupture's Magic spells?
"Hey!" a voice suddenly shouted, earning our attention.
A man clad in the same clothing appeared from the stairs and was about to throw magic at us when Mister Daku ceased him. Using the same technique, the man's body dropped like a corpse even though he was still breathing.
A few more enemies came to support their companion only to be paralyzed by Mister Daku. And just like that, all of the intruders lay motionless on the floor, defeated.
Gladia and I ran toward Mister Daku's side at the same time he deactivated the Rupture Magic flowing through his hands.
At first, I hesitated to talk to him, scared that he might see me as an enemy and accidentally paralyze me just like the members of the Dark Order. But there was something inside me telling me that he was still the Mister Daku I knew.
And so, I tried to prove it. "Mi—Mister Daku?"
Mister Daku slowly looked at me, and that was when I proved that he was indeed the same Mister Daku we knew. I could tell by how his eyes looked at me—kind and soft.
"Thank you for saving us, but is it okay for you to use the forbidden magic again knowing your current condition?" I knew asking that question was stupid since he couldn't really talk well or much, but I just really had to ask him that.
"O... kay," Mister Daku unexpectedly answered. "Feeling... fine... No... worries."
"He said, 'It's okay. I'm feeling fine. No worries,'" Gladia guessed, which proved that I got the message right. "Thank you, Mister Daku. Now what do we do?"
"Staying here is no longer safe. Once the others notice these people didn't come back, another set of enemies will barge into this place. Our best option now is to regroup with Mister Keiro's. That way, we have a better chance of surviving knowing there are three more people capable of fighting," I suggested.
"Thankfully, I know where they are. I can lead us there without being spotted," Gladia offered, which I immediately responded to with a nod.
Following our plan, the three of us left the House of Ploena and into the dark and shady alleyways. Luckily, the streets were empty as usual, which was good news for us because we didn't have to worry about someone seeing us.
With Gladia's knowledge of the cityscape, we reached the building where Mister Keiro's group was without problem and with ease.
"Father!" Gladia called out for her father when she saw him.
Mister Glancis, Arano, and Keiro shared the same look of surprise and confusion when they saw us.
Mister Glancis hugged his daughter before asking, "What are you doing? I told you to stay at the mansion!"
"The mansion is no longer safe," I answered. "Five Dark Order members intruded the house a few minutes after your departure. Thanks to Mister Daku, we got out of there alive and unhurt."
"Daku fought them?" Mister Arano inquired while looking at our expressionless friend.
I nodded. "He paralyzed them by using the Rupture Magic."
"What?!" Mister Keiro reacted. "Even in his current condition, he still decided to use the same magic that destroyed him?"
"He told us that it's okay, and he's fine, and we don't have to worry," Gladia interjected, reiterating the interpretation she made of Mister Daku's recent words.
"Oh, I have the right to be worried. How sure are we that he wouldn't just use that forbidden magic against us?"
"He won't!" I answered firmly. I looked at Mister Keiro's eyes, unwavering and stern, before repeating myself. "He won't."
***
RIKU
A few minutes earlier...
"Will this place be good enough?" Mister Glancis asked while I gazed around the room. This was the building closest to the fountain, where beneath it was the enemy's hideout.
"Yes. I should start now," I told the others before I sat cross-legged on the wooden floor. I placed my grimoire on the same floor in front of me and rested my hands on my knees. Then, I closed both of my eyes and focused my mind on the magic I would be using.
Scrying spells used objects as mediums. This medium would serve as the caster's eyes. Since the hideout was a drainage system, water should be the best candidate to become the medium.
It took me a while to get the magic working. I had already mentioned that these kinds of magic spells were really not my field of expertise. I was more of an attacker mage. Shino would usually do this for us. But since she was not here, I had to do it.
Not because I was not good—that didn't mean I was bad at it either. One could say I was on the average side.
Finally, I was starting to have some vision, but it was still blurry. It was normal for first-timers like me. I just needed some time to get used to it, and it took me roughly ten minutes to have a clear view of the scene before me.
In my vision, it looked like I was on top of the fountain, but I actually was not. At least not physically. At this moment, I was the water flowing out of it.
I didn't waste any more time and started tracing the source of the water. I felt like I was traversing through a tunnel filled with water because of what I was seeing. After several turns and detours, I finally reached the vast space of the hideout.
And there I saw a woman in a black robe, levitating in the air in a fetal position. A few ominous magic circles were beneath her, varying in size and spinning directions and speed. Aside from her, there were also other members impatiently waiting.
I moved to have a closer look at her and found out she was asleep. At least that was what I thought because of her closed eyes. But that thought remained only a thought when she suddenly opened her eyes while looking in my direction.
Surprised and shocked, I accidentally deactivated the magic, which brought me back to my own body.
Even though my back was still in shock, I pivoted myself to look at the others and warned them, "She saw me. They know we're here."