Chapter 49 - Planning the Escape

The following two days passed in a similar routine, with Sam and Alex continuing their training and personal projects.

Sam began to get more comfortable about using his skills as he realized that people weren’t going to try and kidnap him for his abilities. Alex was surprised to see his {Nature’s Refuge} manifest during the sparring session. The guards had stopped to look, even Alex was impressed. When seeing it in the dark several nights before, Alex didn’t realize that there was a visual component to the Trait that could be seen to the naked eye as well.

In a ten-foot radius all around Sam, regardless of the surface that he was sitting on, grass began to sprout. Small flowers and cloves bloomed at random points in the grass patch. After maintaining it for several minutes, the grass was thick and lush, brimming with life that seemed abnormal even compared to the life-filled light side of the Rift.

The onlookers could tell Sam was shy as a tint of red crept up his neck and onto his cheeks. The teen's ears, which seemed to stick out from his head a bit more than normal, turned a shade of crimson as his peaceful concentration faltered, causing the skill to shatter.

As he got up to leave, Alex smiled. The red tint stood out on the boy’s lighter complexion and his light-colored hair.

Just as Sam was about to open the sliding door, everyone in the courtyard froze, their attention caught by an overwhelming sense of dread that seemed to press down on them from all sides.

A feeling of intense rage and anger crashed down onto them all. Alex had felt something similar when Eura stilled the crowd during his public spar, but the feelings were much darker than then.

Alex peered over the small wall that surrounded his home, directing his gaze toward the Grand Pagoda. His legs trembled at the feeling that threatened to suffocate him.

What is this feeling?

An explosion of darkness covered the entire Pagoda; no damage was caused to the building, but the entire area was surrounded in darkness, as well as a two-block radius around the central building. As he looked closer, Alex was shocked to note that the jagged outline of transparent black was in the rough shape of a lotus.

After a few tense heartbeats, small flecks of bright gold began to burst into existence throughout the darkened space. Alex realized that it looked similar to the night sky, where bright stars of light shone at different distances.

Everything in the world seemed to be holding its breath, waiting to see what was happening and what would happen next. A booming voice rolled through the stillness.

"To those who sought power while I was absent, I am disappointed—not for the ambition you harbored, but for the path you chose. The Council, who was trusted with the lives of this sect, chose greed over duty and treachery over loyalty. You conspired with our enemies and jeopardized the lives of those you swore to protect."

The sound of Eura's voice could be heard in his very bones.

Fuck. What kind of magic is this? How is he doing that?

Alex watched as numerous specks of golden stars throughout the projected night sky began to elongate, his eyes widening with a mix of awe and fear at the sight. The stars stretched and transformed, their points extending until they resembled swords of golden light suspended in the darkness.

"I have tried patience, reason, and forgiveness, yet you met my offered hand with a dagger. The people of this city deserve to know that your actions are a stain upon our legacy, but it is a stain that will soon be washed clean.”

As if to punctuate the statement, the bottom points of the celestial swords grew longer and slowly changed their direction as if pointing at specific targets.

The celestial swords rose in the air before dropping like comets toward the earth. Alex could only see part of the Grand Pagoda's roof, but the light seemed to phase directly through the building's walls instead of causing the expected destruction.

He could hear screams of panic, but there were no dramatic explosions or crashing destruction. After the chaos subsided, everything fell quiet. The celestial lotus remained around the Pagoda for several more minutes before it, and the suppressive presence seemed to retreat.

"Fuuuuck," Alex said, letting the word out in a single, long breath. He turned to look for Sam.

The teenager stood in the open doorway with his eyes and mouth opened wide. He turned and quickly retreated inside, looking like he might be sick.

The guards seemed serious, and Alex decided to call an end to their training session. He followed Sam inside to check on the younger boy.

Alex sat with Sam for some time, allowing the blonde boy to calm down. At first, he'd been shaking in fright, his hands trembling uncontrollably. His eyes were wide, darting around as though expecting danger to strike at any moment. Part of Alex wondered if it was more than Sam simply being scared, but it was because they had finally seen exactly how strong Eura was. They'd spent countless hours with the man, and he was so informal at times that it was easy to forget just how powerful he was.

Is this what Mark and Sarah are going to think of me when we return home?

It felt a bit silly to compare himself in any way to Eura. The display of might they had just seen would be etched into Alex's mind until he died. As an onlooker, it was both beautiful and terrifying at the same time. Despite that, he knew that, in a way, when he and Sam returned to Earth, they would be far stronger than those around them.

Alex knew that Eura had struggled with which decision to make, but he agreed with the sect head's decision to take matters into his own hands.

What is the point of power if you can't fix the wrongness and evil that surrounds you?

Sam reached out with a connection to speak to Alex. Once they had, he spoke without prompting.

"I want to go home."

The words surprised Alex, as he hadn't heard the boy speak very much. In the last three weeks, Alex could count on one hand the number of times he'd actually spoken through the communication. Normally, Sam preferred to show emotions or flashes of memories through the bond, punctuated by his own physical gestures.

Alex nodded and felt a pang of sadness for the boy.

I know you do. Sam...

Alex hesitated, unsure of the impact the question might have on the boy and if it was something he even needed to know. In the end, his curiosity to understand the boy and his situation better won out.

Sam, how long have you been here? Do you know?

The boy shook his head, causing the short blond hair to move back and forth.

"More than a year, but less than two." Sam sent along feelings of helplessness and exhaustion.

Fuck.

Alex couldn't believe he'd been stuck in the Rift for so long. Even with the time dilation, he must have been one of the first people to enter a Rift. The thought reminded Alex of the world-first title Sam had. He should have realized then that Sam had been trapped for a long time.

He reached out a hand and rested it on Sam's shoulder. Alex was happy that the boy didn't flinch, but he felt his heart being pulled in so many directions. Anger at the sect leaders who let this happen to a boy, sorrow for Sam's pain, concern for his parents, and several others that he couldn't quite pin down.

The two sat together, with Val joining in the conversation shortly after. The little companion must have sensed Sam's sadness because he went over and began to comfort the boy with head bumps and cuddling in his lap. Sam smiled tiredly and began to pet the fin along Valtherion's spine.

With just five days left until the originally planned assault, Alex knew that Eura would need to call for a meeting soon. They would need to make rapid plans to attack the Firstborn.

The very first thing the following morning, Sam and Alex were both summoned to Eura's office. They were accompanied by an armed escort once again, though the entire city of Tianluo seemed subdued and lifeless.

A grim curiosity filled Alex as he wondered how Eura's massive spell worked.

Does it only kill presented targets?

How did it not affect the buildings but was clearly able to deal damage as an attack?

When they arrived at Eura's office, there was already a small group gathered around a large table. Eura took charge of the entire strategy meeting and outlined his plan.

Just as they had discussed, Eura moved the timetable forward by two days so that they could catch the Shadow Serpent Sect members by surprise. He said that due to their original plans being leaked, a small encampment had begun to pop up around the location of the Rift exit.

Eura explained to the team that they would not be able to see the Rift exit, though those with Qi sensing skills may notice something strange about the area. Regardless, the group's main objective would be to deal a fatal blow to the Firstborn.

Eura explained that there will be two teams. The first team would act as bait, with Alex at their head. Five people would be selected, including some of the guards who had already spent time with Alex, and they would act as if they planned to assault the encampment.

After an intentionally failed attack, the group would retreat to the West near the ravine that split the two sides of the Rift.

Ahead of time, the second team would get into position. They would use climbing gear to move along the inner edge of the ravine and lie in wait. As the Shadow Serpent Sect followed the bait group, they would be ambushed by the second group in waiting.

Eura stressed the importance of the bait group and how they would need to "sell" the act that they were retreating in a panic.

Alex looked at the map as Eura explained the plan. Tianluo was in the South East corner, with the Rift exit's location being roughly at the top center of the map. The encampment was on the light side of the Rift, protecting the exit from the South East side, which was the most likely direction of approach.

As Eura moved the markers to represent the teams, he saw his own team represented as a red chip, move North West toward the Rift exit. As they hit the hastily built structure, they would retreat South and further West, bringing them closer to the ravine.

The plan made sense in Alex's mind, though the thought of being with only four others against a force estimated to be around thirty was nerve-wracking. Worse yet, they would be retreating. Alex's way of thinking had changed after the previous three weeks of training, and he knew that this wouldn't be a simple foot race. Both sides would be using Qi techniques to enhance movements and attacks.

It's time to put my life on the line again.

He glanced at Sam.

But it needs to be done. We need to make it home.

Alex was surprised that when the planning session was wrapping up, Eura stressed that Alex was being placed in charge of the first team. The sect head made sure to receive verbal confirmation from each of the four other members that they were willing to take orders from an outsider.

At that moment, Alex was glad he'd spent the last five days of his lockdown sparring with and getting to know the men.

They were soon returned to their house, and Alex felt too nervous to go to sleep. Instead, he stayed up and continued to work through the concept of giving his Mana Threads substance.

When he sat at the table, he saw the broken Mana Stone from the previous day. On a whim, he moved a mana thread through it and was shocked at how easily the thread formed in the physical plane. The mana seemed to leap at the chance to anchor itself to the Mana Stone dust.

Of course!! I've been trying sand, dust, water, sugar, all of these things that are normally in the physical world. A Mana Stone should have been my first thought!

Sam came into the room when Alex began banging the pommel of a dagger onto the stone to break it up further. He watched Alex curiously for a moment before shrugging and coming to sit with him.

"Mana?"

No! This is mine, Val!

Alex groaned and decided he would sacrifice one stone for the sake of his experiments. He reached into his pouch and removed one of the last dozen D Rank Mana Stones that he had, and tossed it across the room.

It rolled awkwardly across the floor, but Val flew after it like a happy dog chasing a ball.