"You were the one who gave the information, right?" asked a man dressed in a military uniform. The insignia near his shoulder clearly marked what needed to be known—Estellia.
"Yes," the man responded, now visibly shaken. Maybe he shouldn't have been so greedy for the reward the Estellians promised in exchange for information about Annabelle's whereabouts.
"Where is she now?" the guard asked. Behind him stood a platoon of soldiers securing the perimeter.
"F-Frosten," he spat out in terror.
"FROSTEN?! WHY?! HOW?!" The officer slammed his hand against the counter, snapping it in half.
"She came here... re-requesting two tickets. She was with a young man. He had a scarf over his face... I—I couldn't make out his face," he stammered.
"AND YOU GAVE HER THE TICKETS KNOWING WHO SHE WAS?!" The man grabbed him by the collar, lifting him with rage.
"Denying her was... was against company policy!" the man stuttered, trembling in fear.
At this point, the reward didn't matter. He just wanted to stay alive.
"Take this fool away. Detain him," the officer ordered, flinging his sword toward a group of stern-faced men in uniform.
"Understood."
"Please... I... I didn't know! Please, let me go!" the man screamed, but he was held firmly in place.
"Pray we find her in Frosten, or you will lose your head for your stupidity," the officer warned coldly.
"Sir," said another officer, stepping forward.
The man turned.
"What is it?" he asked.
The officer held out a relic. "It seems whoever has her is extremely smart. The tracker's frozen."
"Sigh..." The officer exhaled slowly. The situation was dire, and now that it was confirmed someone had her in their custody, it had gotten even worse.
"Send word to base. The Shadows should be dispatched to track them. The lord is growing impatient."
....
....
Meanwhile...
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Anna pulled her hair like a madwoman, her frustration boiling over.
"THIS IS THE TENTH CAVE! THE TENTH FREAKING CAVE! WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN CAVES AT THE NORTH POLE?!"
She was livid. How could this monster continue tormenting her? Yes, she had done the same to him, but this? This was madness. She screamed again, yanking at her hair and glaring at him.
But he was utterly unperturbed.
Floating midair, he was more focused on resisting sleep than her yelling. He had made Anna use her Flight ability on him and was now enjoying the cold air, stress-free, as he slowly regained his ether. Meanwhile, she trudged through snow and ice, her complaints ignored as he sent her repeatedly into caves to retrieve anything of value.
Of course, she had returned with a few things—mostly junk. And the more caves she entered, the more deranged she looked. Her ether was nearly depleted. Azalea, however, found flying more convenient—it gave him a better view of the terrain. Or maybe he was just being lazy and finding excuses.
Either way, he remained frustratingly indifferent to her suffering.
Anna had fought numerous monsters by now—giant cobras whose ends she couldn't even see, hulking Montroses, and massive spiders she barely managed to kill. And as if that wasn't enough, the idiot wouldn't even let her recharge her ether in peace. He kept draining it, making her suffer. She could barely feel her legs.
"Go... I see another mountain up ahead. That should be it," he said, lazily floating forward.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she roared again, completely and utterly frustrated. She needed to do something—fast—or she might lose her mind.
Now here she was, inside yet another cave. It was huge. Dark. Ominous. The vibes were even worse than the last few caves.
Absolutely worse.
"I have to kill him one way or another. But he already said I'd die if he dies," she muttered, biting her nail. "AHHHH!" She yanked at her hair again. "What if I just... paralyze him? He wouldn't be dead, right?" she said, then shook her head. "Said I can't be too far from him."
He had accounted for everything. If she paralyzed him, she'd have to carry him everywhere anyway.
"But how do I even do it? I can't cast spells on him," she muttered, exasperated.
This was it.
She was doomed.
Perhaps death was the better option.
All of a sudden, while lost in thought...
Something crawled down the cave wall.