As they walked toward Minna's cot—Joshey, still remembering her number by heart—he turned to Vale.
"Hey, that thing you did. Staying within the shadows. What's it called?"
Vale glanced at him. "Shadow Dive. It's my barrier technique." She paused, then added with mild curiosity, "I thought you would've known that already."
Before Joshey could respond, Lucia cut in. "Wait. How do you two know each other?"
Joshey shrugged. "Vale was sent by Sylvaine to spy on us."
"Protect!" Vale interjected quickly, her tone almost comically defensive. "I was sent to protect you."
Joshey raised an eyebrow but said nothing, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
Lucia was a little pissed, but she kept it off her face. To anyone looking, she seemed fine.
Still, Elias could feel something off. A weird tension in the air around her. Nothing he could prove, just a gut feeling that she wasn't as calm as she looked.
He noticed it, shrugged internally, and kept walking. They reached the juvenile barracks, but something was wrong.
Kids were everywhere, panicking, crying, huddled together. The alarm had clearly been raised, and now the children were terrified, unsure what was coming through those doors next.
Joshey scanned the chaos, then turned to Vale. "Is there anywhere we can take these kids? Somewhere safe?"
Vale considered it. "Possible, but it needs funding. Shelter, food, protection, that costs. Unless they're elves. The Elven Court would take those ones in without question."
Joshey's mind clicked. The two elves Viggo mentioned. He only knew about Minna for certain. But if there was another elven child in here somewhere, finding them could mean one more kid getting a real home.
He looked back at the sea of small, frightened faces. He couldn't save all of them, not yet. But these children deserved better than this place. He'd find the elves, and for the rest, he'd figure something out.
The adults would have to wait. Elias approached Minna's cot. The moment she saw him, her fear disappeared. She scrambled up and ran to him.
"Elias san, daijōbu desu ka?" she asked. Is everything okay? Are you alright?
Elias knelt down and spoke gently in her language. "I'm fine. Everything is fine. But we're leaving now, and we need to carry you out of here."
Minna nodded and let him lift her into his arms.
As he adjusted his grip, her collar shifted, revealing a small mark on the side of her neck. Vale caught a glimpse of it and froze.
Her eyes went wide. She crossed the distance in an instant and grabbed Elias's arm.
"Wait... is she an Elyndor?"
Elias blinked. "A what?"
Vale's voice dropped, serious and low. "If what I'm thinking is true, then the Elven Court will have to intervene in this."
Elias felt a knot form in his stomach. Vale looked genuinely concerned. More than that, she looked almost scared. Lucia noticed the shift too, though she didn't understand why.
Then Vale did something unexpected. She went down on one knee before Minna.
"Apologies for the late arrival, Your Graceship."
Elias stared. "Vale... are you okay? What are you doing?"
Vale looked up at him, her expression deadly serious.
"Her Graceship here is a member of the Elven ruling family. The Elyndors are the rulers of the elven continent, Lythara."
Vale immediately started making telepathic communications. After a moment, she turned to Elias.
"We have to shut this whole place down. And find Viggo and whatever organisation was involved in this. For them to involve the great-granddaughter of our emperor? That's a sin punishable by death."
She paused, choosing her next words carefully.
"I'm being smart about this. I didn't mention Her Graceship directly. If I did, the emperor might just wipe out all of Caligurn, and I respect this place. Master Sylvaine is heavily involved here."
Lucia cut in, her tone flat. "Can we just fuck off from this place and go home already?"
Elias nodded. "She's right. But Vale, whatever decision you make, those children need shelter."
Vale glanced at the kids still huddled around them. "The Elven Court is about to own this place. The children will be taken care of properly."
Elias smiled slightly. "Good."
They both agreed it was time to exit. But Vale shook her head.
"I'm staying behind. I'll find Viggo, or whoever's left from that organisation. The Elven Court will arrive soon, and I need to have answers ready for them."
"Then what about Minna?" Elias asked.
Vale looked at the girl in his arms. "She has to return home. I'll be the one to take her back."
Minna's small face crumpled. She gripped Elias's tunic and shouted in her native tongue, her voice fierce despite her size, "I want to follow Elias! I want to stay with him!"
Vale knelt again, speaking gently in the same language. "Your Grace, it is important that we send you home. Your family is waiting. Your people need to know you're safe."
But Minna shook her head stubbornly, tears welling in her eyes. She repeated herself, louder this time, clinging to Elias like he was the only solid thing in a world that kept collapsing around her.
Elias looked at Vale. "If you're trying to keep this quiet, why not let her come with me? Then you finish up here, return to Caligurn, and take her home after. Same result, less trauma for her."
Vale considered this. The logic was sound, but reluctance lingered on her face. Opening her mouth to argue, she was cut off by Lucia.
Lucia stepped forward and said something that made Vale pause. Then, slowly, Vale nodded.
"Fine. She goes with you. But Elias." Vale's eyes locked onto his. "You guard her with your life. If anything happens to her, the Elven Court won't just come for you. They'll come for everyone you've ever known."
"The place where all the wagons are is still far from here," Joshey said, thinking out loud. "Hmm. Okay... I just thought of something, but it might not work."
Lucia pointed toward the backyard door. "There's a whole city back there. Transport should be possible."
Minna tugged at Elias's sleeve, her small face pinched with worry. In her native tongue, she asked if he was okay.
Elias smiled down at her. "I'm fine."
She beamed and reached up to pat his head gently, as if reassuring herself.
Elias turned to Lucia. "You're right. We should take that route." As they started moving, Joshey thought about the bloodbath waiting ahead. Walking through all that carnage with a child? Probably not the best idea.
Hey, Elias's voice cut through his thoughts. Use Vale's barrier technique. Shadow Dive. Use Vale's barrier technique. Shadow Dive.
Joshey almost tripped. "Huh? How did you get your hands on... wait, what the hell is a Shadow Dive?"
It's a barrier technique, Elias explained. It doesn't create a physical shield. It changes how reality processes you.
"Okay, but how can I use her technique?"
My Anima. It's complicated. I'll explain later.
Joshey exhaled loudly. "Ohhh man. You owe me so many explanations."
He stopped walking and turned to the others. "We can't take that route. Too many bodies. Minna doesn't need to see that."
Lucia waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry. There's a shortcut. I know every corner of this place."
Joshey felt a wave of relief wash over him.
(break scene)
Here is the corrected version:
---
They reached the outskirts, back near where they'd first gone looking for transportation.
Elias turned to Lucia. "I'll handle this. You go find us some snacks for the road. I'll pay you back."
Before she could argue, he was already walking away, Minna in his arms, moving with clear urgency.
Minna looked up at him, her small face worried. In her native tongue, she asked softly, "Will she be okay?"
Elias glanced back briefly, then kept walking.
"I hope so."