23 First Meeting

*Drip! * *Drop! * *Drip! *

Entering the cave, the first thing Arthur noticed was the incessant pitter-patter of drops of water that leaked from the ceiling.

A strong, musty, and damp odor filled their surrounding making it uncomfortable for them to breathe.

Fortunately, it seemed the white robes had already lit up all the surroundings with magic torches making it possible for them to see ahead

"Amazing, who would have thought that a place such as this would be hidden so close to the Thorneheart viscounty" murmured Arthur as he felt that the white robes might not be so simple

"According to Anna, those guards outside were at least second-level ability users meaning that whoever kidnapped Sabrina is most likely above that maybe a fourth, or even fifth-level ability user"

Talking to himself, Arthur felt he needed to be extra careful this time, especially since he had to make sure Sabrina was in no way hurt in the process of everything.

*Sigh… this is going to be a very troublesome mission*

Thinking this, Arthur turned to Leona waiting for her to give an update on Sabrina's location and condition

"Master! According to what I can sense, the shield is on its last legs, at this rate, it would completely shatter in five minutes"

"Good news is that the young miss location isn't far from here, all we need to go straight and make a right turn when we reach a crossroad"

"You and I can go there while the others check the left and see if they can get any information on this group and their goal"

Closing her eyes, Leona used one of the basic spells Arthur had taught her from the Thornehearts record books

"Mana detection!"

A no-rank spell completely dependent on the mana and skill level of the caster, a first-circle make might only be able to detect the condition of a few meters, while a ninth-circle mage might even be able to scan the whole planet

Adding to her ability to make slime splits and track their locations, Leona created her own original spell called 'slime detection'

To be able to directly sense the situation wherever her slimes were, unfortunately for her to use it she had to be in a certain proximity to said slime. This is also why she hadn't used it until now

Hearing this, as someone who knew about the spell and its effects, Arthur had no doubts about her words and immediately went deeper into the cave.

......….

[underground cave research room]

Just like Leona predicted, five minutes had passed and the orb was about to break.

Because of that, Sabrina who had been asleep all this while had unknowingly woken up from all the vibrations

"What happened?"

"Where am I?"

Confused by what was going on, Sabrina who had just woken up found herself in complete darkness.

it wasn't until she calmed down that a sudden flurry of images washed over her jogging her memory.

Sadly, even then it wasn't something she wanted to remember.

"arghhh!"

"Brother! Uncle! Noo!"

Holding her head in pain, her sky-blue eyes dilated as she couldn't believe what she saw.

Remembering the scene where she and her uncle were attacked, and realizing that she was taken away from her brother and parents, Sabrina who was only seven years old couldn't help but feel like crying

Curling up in a ball, her silver hair dropped all around her as if a testament to her sadness

However, what she didn't notice, was with this emotional fluctuation of hers, the surrounding Ether had begun to riot attracting the attention of everyone in the cave, especially Avalon and the mysterious figure who were closest to her

"Amazing! It seems like she's awake"

"To be able to stir the sea of ether by just her emotions alone, this is the power that both we and our lord yearn for"

"Young Thorneheart do not be sad, but know you're sacrificing your life to a greater cause!"

Drooling the corner of his mouth, Avalon's already crazy eyes seemed to have an extra layer of madness emerging from within it

Even the mysterious man unknowingly took a pause as he too couldn't help but be surprised at the change that came with Sabrina's awakening

However after thinking about it, he was more eager to break the orb and have Sabrina in his hands

So, with that in mind, ignoring the crazy Avalon, he readied his sword before releasing another sword strike to the orb

*Bang! *

Concentrating all his power, the mysterious figure decided to completely shatter the orb with the last slash

And looking at the slash, not only was it more than twice as powerful as the other sword slashes before it there seemed to be an after shock of aura behind it creating cracks and raising dust wherever it passed

*Boom! *

With a loud sound and under both their gazes, the whole cave seemed to be trembling a bit signaling that the sword had met its target.

"Haha! That's it! That's it!"

"With the settling of the dust comes a new dawn! And I Avalon am the one who rides the sun!"

Laughing maniacally, Avalon seemed to see the scene where the orb broke and a helpless Sabrina was left for them to act on

Even the mysterious figure at some point had unknowingly begun to clench his fist, hiding his nervousness behind his hooded figure

Now all they had to do was wait for the dust to settle and they could follow through to the next stage of their plans.

Unfortunately for them, things don't always go as planned.

Time soon passed, and under both their expectant gazes the dust soon settled

However, what they saw next was not at all what they expected.

Standing where the orb once stood, and unscathed Arthur stood there wearing an all-black robe and an Oni mask, while Leona stood behind him holding the unconscious Sabrina in her arms

Yes, the shock from the attack just now knocked her out again

"Damn it! Who are you? And put down my property right now!"

Recovering from his shock, Avalon couldn't help but curse out at the two mysterious figures who interrupted his moment of success

Sadly what he didn't know was that his words just now, had sealed his fate in the eyes of the already angry Arthur.