Everything blurred past them as Noah moved with swift precision. Once he entered the alleys, he kept changing directions at every turn, not even giving himself time to think. If someone tried to follow them, they would quickly lose track of where he had gone. The maze of narrow passages became his only ally, each sharp turn buying him a few more seconds.
Bale clung tightly to Noah's uniform, his fingers digging into the fabric as if letting go would send him flying.
The speed alone made his vision spin, the walls stretching into streaks of color. By the time Noah dove into the alleys, Bale felt his stomach lurch violently, his head hanging as he struggled not to black out.
'Slow down… you monster.'
Bale had known that even a novice adept was far stronger than an ordinary person. That was common knowledge. But experiencing that strength firsthand was something else entirely.
The force behind Noah's movements, the sheer speed, the way he carried a full-grown man without slowing down at all… it forced Bale to reassess him completely.
Noah, on the other hand, remained as tense as he had been from the start. Pain pulsed through his legs with every step, reminding him of the brutal training drills from his early days at the academy. Being slimmer than most adults helped reduce the strain of carrying Bale, but it did nothing to ease the burning in his muscles.
So he stopped thinking altogether and simply ran. Left, right, forward. Whatever path opened in front of him, he took it without hesitation, trusting his instincts more than any plan. If he slowed down even for a moment, he knew the warden would catch up.
Just as he was about to turn again, someone stepped directly into their path. The figure appeared so suddenly that Noah's mind failed to process it at first. By the time recognition caught up, his body was already moving too fast to stop.
The alley was too narrow to maneuver. There were no crates, no ledges, nothing he could use to push himself upward and avoid a collision. Stone walls boxed them in from both sides, leaving him with nowhere to go.
With every passing second, the distance between them shrank. At this speed, even attempting to stop would only make things worse. Momentum had already taken control.
Only when they were barely a dozen meters apart did Noah notice something change.
Instead of stepping aside, the woman lowered her stance.
Her legs spread to shoulder width, knees bent, and hips lowered to center her weight. She turned her torso sideways and extended her left hand forward, palm open. Her right fist stayed near her hip, clenched tightly, as if she was preparing to drive it through solid stone.
The shift in her stance told Noah everything he needed to know.
Instead of crashing into her head-on, he jumped and thrust both legs forward, letting his momentum carry the strike. It was a desperate choice, made in the span of a heartbeat.
'Shi—'
The impact exploded through the alley.
A violent gust of wind burst outward, scattering loose debris and dust in all directions.
The moment Noah's feet met her fist, a shock shot through his legs and into his spine. His muscles trembled violently as he struggled to keep hold of Bale.
The clash lasted less than a second, but it was enough to send Noah flying backward. The woman, in contrast, was only pushed back a few steps, her footing barely shaken.
Noah hit the ground hard and lost his grip on Bale. The two of them rolled across the stone before finally coming to a stop several steps away.
Propping himself up on his arms, Noah grimaced. His legs refused to respond properly after the impact; the strength drained from them completely. Even the effort of lifting his upper body made his vision blur for a moment.
Bale was already retching beside him, his body convulsing as he tried to vomit. With nothing in his stomach, only dry heaves came out.
Their condition was bad, far worse than Noah had anticipated.
But the stranger had not come out unscathed either. Noah was certain that the impact must have affected her as well. No one could withstand a clash like that without consequence.
He sighed deeply, mumbling under his breath, "Like brother, like sister, huh."
As she looked at her shaking hand, a shout came from behind her.
"What was that? Couldn't you just ask them to stop instead of doing that, Iriel?"
Aren looked like he had more to say, his brows drawn tight with frustration, but the words died in his throat when he noticed Bale slowly pushing himself up.
Rushing forward without hesitation, Aren wrapped his arms around Bale in a tight embrace. The sudden force made Bale stagger, forcing him to grab the nearby wall to keep from collapsing again.
A faint smile appeared on Bale's face, softening the usual sharpness in his features. After a brief hesitation, he rested a hand on Aren's head, patting it awkwardly as if unsure how to respond.
"Did you miss your big brother that much? Guess it can't be helped."
Before he could finish, Aren drove a punch into Bale's stomach with all the strength he had left.
The softness vanished from Bale's face, replaced instantly by a pained grimace as the air was knocked out of him. He doubled over, coughing violently while Aren stepped back, arms trembling.
Turning away to hide his expression, Aren muttered harshly, "Just follow me."
As Noah watched the exchange, a strange feeling stirred in his chest, unfamiliar and uncomfortable. He could not name it, and before he could dwell on it, a sharp pulse of pain shot through his head.
'Ugh… that was too much. I need to rest for a while.'
Noah had already been running on empty even before the escape began. After pushing his body to its limit and colliding with someone of equal force, the exhaustion finally caught up to him.
As Aren moved ahead, Bale slowed his pace and came up beside Noah, studying him carefully from head to toe.
"Need a hand?"
The sarcasm was still there, but this time it carried a trace of genuine concern.
With a tired grin, Noah replied, "Worry about yourself."
The two followed behind Iriel and Aren in silence. The alleys they passed through were eerily empty, lacking even the usual drunkards or beggars who lingered in the shadows.
Noah found himself smirking faintly as he watched Iriel's back.
'How ironic. I wish this kind of luck would stay with me for once.' Thinking back on everything that had happened over the past few weeks, his smirk faded slightly. 'On second thought… maybe not.'
Despite everything, Noah felt a quiet sense of relief at finally finding Iriel. For once, he allowed himself to acknowledge that he had succeeded, instead of picking apart every possible consequence.
'Heh… I can't wait to get back to the Capital. I hope this earns me something.'
But he knew he could not simply ask Iriel to return with him.
Unlike him, she had no knowledge of the Emperor's plan or Leon's presence in the city. On top of that, the fact that Noah had been personally chosen by the Emperor and had found her first would only make him look suspicious.
So he decided to wait and observe for now. Understanding why Iriel was working with the Revolutionary Front came first.
Yet, deep down, he suspected the answer would not be a pleasant one.
'Forget it. I just need to get her to Elira somehow. Valcrest can handle the rest.'
Lost in the quiet satisfaction of completing his objective, Noah almost failed to notice when Iriel and Aren came to a stop.
They stood in front of an abandoned house, one of many scattered across the district. It looked like it had once belonged to a middle-class family, now left to decay. The windows were shattered, dust coated every visible surface, and the door hung slightly crooked on its hinges.
Turning back toward them, Iriel spoke calmly.
"We'll rest here for tonight."