20 Homecoming (1)

Black gates lined with golden vines stood tall and proud between the borders of the North Kingdom and the villages. A group of four stopped before the guards who were clad in silver armor.

"Pass?" One of the two guards asked Lucien. He presented a small golden token as small as a coin to the guards.

"Mercenary mage, " he whispered. "They are with me." He did not even look at the three people following him. They entered the gates with ease.

"I never thought that you were a mercenary of the imperial army." Yllana looked at the ground while pondering on her own thoughts.

"Mm." Lucien never liked talking about himself. Yllana already knows this. He never indulged in small talks unless necessary.

"It was fortunate for that family to have been abandoned by the youngest daughter. At least, she has avoided the calamity that befalls them. Such a disaster is worrying...

"Indeed. Maybe they have angered someone powerful to have received that kind of punishment. That daughter would never return if she learned of this event in her family.

"The eldest daughter was also a great talent. It was rather unfortunate that such an Honor ranked Archer had been captured by the imperial army.

Her mind digested the information she was currently hearing. There are some people pointing at her when she passes by but they immediately turn away when they see her red eyes.

" Ya-...Ay! Wrong person! I-I thought you were Miss Saber. Forgive me miss." A tattered-dressed girl walked in front of her peeking at her face. When she instantly saw Yllana's eyes, she turned around and left.

"What happened..." Yllana murmured to herself.

"It looks like something unfortunate happened to some people while you were gone." Shiiba was also listening to the rumors that the people are talking about.

"I'm going home. How about you?" Yllana glanced at her three companions.

"Imperial Palace," Lucien said.

"We are going with you. I hope you don't mind. We are just passing by." Midel smiled gently while answering Yllana.

Lucien's gaze faltered for a minute on Yllana before he heaved a sigh and tapped her shoulder signaling his goodbye. "Don't get into too much trouble while I'm gone."

After he said the last word, Lucien disappeared into a thin black light dashing all the way to the imperial palace. Having Midel and Shiiba beside her would be better at least she has some level of protection in case she is in trouble.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Saber Estate

Tall white gates with spikes on top adorned with golden vines curling at the center stood in front of the three people. The red-haired girl frowned as she sensed the gloomy aura from outside. "Something doesn't feel right. The guards should have welcomed us here."

Shiiba and Midel looked at each other and increased their vigilance towards their surroundings. When they entered the estate, they walked through a wide garden first filled with shrubs and flowers. Yllana's heart thumped nervously as she inched closer to the manor.

It took a few minutes before they reached the empty manor with broken doors and windows. The balcony has a curtain hanging over it as the wind blows it over them.

"Mother...father...sister..." she whispered as she rushed inside and looked for three familiar faces.

"Who's there?"

They heard a faint shaky voice from one of the white pillars inside the manor.

"Sister?"

"Yllana? Yllana where are you?" Yllana's heart throbbed as she walked hastily behind the pillar.

A girl in yellow robes appeared before her eyes. She was sitting on the floor with her head cast down. She has the same red hair and fair skin as Yllana. Blood was dripping from her face there is a faint trace of tears on her cheeks. Yllana shuddered as her eyes fell on the yellow piece of cloth covering the girl's eyes. There are two large stains of blood on the cloth.

"Sister...what happened?" Grief and anger surged up from her heart as she held her elder sister's hands. At first, she thought she would have a problem explaining how her eyes turned into another shade. But since Yrah couldn't see, Yllana already didn't mind explaining about her eyes because she also doesn't know how she would tell her family about it.

"People swarmed in the estate. They were looking for mother and father. They took them and left a guard here to await our return. I killed the guard. But my eyes...it's not important. You have to get out of here Yllana. It's not safe." she gently pushed Yllana's hands away.

"No. Yrah...you are my only sister. And now that mother and father are not here, you're the only family I have. I won't leave you." Yllana helped Yrah up. Before they reached the door, Yllana shivered. There was a powerful force pulling on her soul preventing her from stepping outside.

Bzzzzzt!

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a small red light darting to her. When she turned her head, there was a beaming red gem in front of her. She felt as the stone was pleading for her to get it.

"Take it," Midel whispered at her side.

"What is it?" Yrah felt Yllana stopping from her tracks.

"Nothing."

"I'm sorry I didn't arrive earlier. I don't know who caught our parents but we have to find them fast or else, we might be too late," Yrah tightly grasped a bow on her side and filled her heart with determination.

Even though she doesn't have her eyes right now, she still is an archer who can make use of her other senses to strike her enemies. Yllana looked at her sister and smiled. This sister of hers was constantly a troublemaker in the past. It was only a few years ago when they learned that she has great skills in archery. Thus, the imperial palace invited her to be a soldier in the army.

"Let's get you a doctor first. Then tell me the details."

The night was eerie. Midel was standing at the bedside while his eyes are locked on the girl staring outside the window.