Reunion in Firecast

Nassandra clung to her brother's back in worry. Freon put on a brave face and patted her gently. "Let's go find out what's going on. I'm sure it isn't anything serious," he said. However, he knew he was speaking a lie. There was no way it could be simple!

"Be careful not to reveal our identities," his uncle added. Although he was a Rank 3 King, he was not invincible. It was better to act prudently.

"I understand."

They walked over to the road where the lineup for the city gates was. Freon chose a random carriage driver, who was enjoying his temporary break, and approached him. "Excuse me sir, do you know what's happening around here? Why is there such a big lineup to enter the capital?"

The driver raised an eyebrow and gave him a cursory glance. "And why should I answer you? Can't you tell I'm busy?"

"Busy? Busy doing what?" Freon's eyes twitched because he was clearly lazing about.

"It's war," another nearby friendlier fellow joined in and spoke. "With the empire's civil war, the Alzar Kingdom's trying to stomp out the empire once and for all. Honestly, I'm jealous of the people higher up. They don't understand the troubles of the little guys like us."

"War?" Freon's expression twisted. "You're not pulling my leg, are you?"

"I wouldn't make that poor taste in jokes," the man replied wryly. "Most of the Zino Kingdom's fleets are already headed north while the people are fleeing the countryside to enter the big cities. I heard some people taking a full week just to get into Firecast…"

"I've already been here for seven hours," the earlier carriage driver scowled. "If it takes any longer, all my goods will spoil! Damn it!"

"As you can tell, everyone's about to start rioting," the man explained. "There's been a few big fights outside the gates, so there's soldiers swarming the place now. It's mayhem! If I were you, I wouldn't try entering the city right now."

"Thanks for the advice, but we live here," Freon did not know whether to laugh or cry. He then sighed. "I didn't realize so much happened since we were gone… This… This really isn't good news."

Nassandra held her brother's hand tighter, inviting a sense of pity from everyone. Everyone felt the urge to comfort her, but what they did not know was… she was a Ten Dawn, one of the highest ranking officials in the kingdom! The man looked at her suspiciously and his eyes widened in shock.

"You… You're Ten Dawn Nassandra Adnire!"

"What?" the carriage driver spat out while his legs quivered. He dared to snub one of the Ten Dawns! Thanks to him, everyone in the surroundings curiously glanced in their direction. Even some soldiers caught on and started walking over.

"We're leaving!" Protector Avin flashed an irritated look towards the carriage driver before grabbing both Freon and Nassandra.

He casted his Rank 3 movement-type spell to form an invisible air corridor. With a single step, the three then abruptly 'disappeared' from sight and remerged a far distance away. Releasing the spell, Freon and Nassandra felt sick before violently vomiting. Since Avin's spell essentially accelerated them to ludicrous speeds, giving the illusion of 'teleportation', they were wrought with nausea. It took both training and practice to withstand the tremendous physical strain. Coupled with the high Magic Energy demand, that was why Protector Avin never taught it to Freon or Nassandra. It took the two siblings some time before they recovered.

In the meantime, Protector Avin released his Magic Perception. If his True Perception could encompass the entire capital city, then there was no reason that his Magic Perception could not do the same. In fact, it was specifically because his Martial Perception was piggybacking off his Magic Perception that his True Perception could gain such a range! Ignoring Shirley who may not be in Firecast presently, he recalled Yuna's aura. Since he met her once before, he could track her again. He then filtered out the tens of thousands of people and found her with pinpoint accuracy, even in the middle of the bustling capital city! That was the power of Magic Perception! However, he formed the slightest scowl when he placed his attention elsewhere.

"Come, I found your friend, Yuna," Protector Avin said.

"What about Shirley? Do you know if she's in the city?"

"She hasn't awakened her Core, so she doesn't have a Magic Aura. I'm not going to use my True Perception for something like that," his uncle bluntly stated since it was exceptionally exhausting! He was not about to risk himself for an outsider.

"Alright… How are we going to get inside the city? Are we sneaking in?" Freon wondered. Even if he considered himself a law-abiding citizen, waiting around for hours was not exactly fun. Furthermore, it was still unclear as to what the Zino Kingdom's stance on the Arcellius Family was. Would they let it rise up or force it to collapse again? Either way, it was a thorny subject that he wanted to avoid for as long as possible.

"Since we're already quite close to the city, I can just bring us over the walls. We'll have to do something about Nassandra's appearance though. She's too well known."

"You don't have any magic that can change someone's appearance or anything?" Freon replied.

"No… I don't know any magic that convenient," the man admitted. "Creating a general optical illusion is not hard but focusing the range to a single person while also altering their appearance is beyond my ability."

"How about this?" Nassandra interrupted. She then presented her grand disguise, which was effectively her clothes slightly messy, and her expression contorted uglily. It was no more than a child's attempt at fooling an adult. Anybody would see through it instantly. It would actually make her stand out more because of how conspicuous she would be. The icing on the cake was how serious she was!

Freon burst into laughter and felt all his stress disappear. "Thank you for that, Nassandra," he said while rubbing her cheeks. Afterwards, he tied her long black hair into a ponytail, giving the girl a vibrant look.

"Is that your idea of a disguise?" Avin asked skeptically. "In my eyes, she hasn't changed at all."

"How many children are there in Firecast?" replied Freon. "Assuming she doesn't intentionally give herself away, most people wouldn't pay attention to her. It should be good enough."

"Up to you."

Following that, the group travelled to the city walls, and using a bit of magic, they hopped inside. It was done smoothly enough that no one noticed a thing. They proceeded to take a carriage according to Avin's directions and arrived… in front of a large mansion! This was the one of the most luxurious property in the Hochlaegen District, almost extravagant enough to label it the residence of an Engelsheft Family! The beautiful architecture, coupled with the expansive garden and impressive fleet of servants made Freon frown. He was aware of Yuna's background and upbringing. While incomparable to Gunther's investigation results, Freon believe Yuna descended from a humble lifestyle, much like himself. There was no way to reconcile Yuna and the massive mansion in front of him now, so he instinctively glanced at Avin.

"I made no mistake," his uncle replied simply. "You can look for yourself."

Freon turned back to see Yuna and Shirley stepping out together. For a second, the boy questioned his eyesight and rubbed his eyes. Just what was going on? Why were the two of them together? Why was Shirley here? His incredulous and stunned expression would have earned much mockery from Shirley, but she was too busy talking to Yuna to notice.

"I'm sorry that you have to leave so early," Shirley said apologetically.

"No… It's fine. You were kind enough… to let me stay for dinner…" Yuna denied.

"It's all that Inari's fault! My brother was worried sick when he disappeared suddenly without saying anything!" the girl shouted. "Why do I have to babysit a grown man?"

Yuna smiled, thinking that Shirley and her teacher must have a great relationship. She added, "I shall take my leave here… Lady Shirley."

Nodding, the girl returned, "Be careful on the way back. You can come visit anytime you want."

"I shall!" Yuna whispered quietly with a smile.

The two girls walked over to the mansion gates when they simultaneously caught sight of Freon and his group. The two sides were equally surprised and speechless. It turned so quiet that one could hear the whistling wind… Everyone questioned their vision! That was unsurprising considering their last interaction was months prior! The last time Yuna saw Freon was during the fight at the latter's home. When the house collapsed due to the spell, Thirty-Six Falling Meteors, she suffered heavy injuries and fell unconscious. Similarly, Shirley and Freon last saw each other in the Arkfell estate, after making their questionable plan against the Whispering Shadow. Ultimately, the two never knew what happened to the other!

It was hard to understand exactly what kind of emotions everyone was feeling, but Nassandra and Avin stepped aside. Yuna wept slowly, feeling an immeasurable sense of relief from the bottom of her heart. Like a mountain was lifted off her shoulders, she felt her stress vanish like the wind! She had few friends to begin with, so she treasured every one of them. Seeing Freon illuminated her dark world again! Freon felt awkward seeing Yuna and lacked the know-how of how to comfort her. Although he knew Gunther was behind the attack, he never knew why. But he understood that Yuna was collateral damage, caught up from his ties with the Arcellius Family. Hence, he felt guilty. He was the reason she suffered! While the two were caught up in their own thoughts, a cloudy-faced Shirley smacked Freon!

"Wha- What are you doing?" Freon reflexively shouted.

"I should be telling you that! How dare you show up like nothing happened? Where have you been? How come you disappeared for months? Don't you know Yuna's been worried sick? The poor girl came to visit me practically every other day just to see you again!"

"Lady… Lady Shirley, please!" the girl cried tears for a different reason now.

"I know I'm in the wrong but hitting me wasn't right either!" he fired back. "Seriously, who would greet someone by hitting them? That's something a barbarian would do!"

"Hmph. You deserved it," Shirley smirked. "Treat it as punishment for tainting a maiden's heart."

"I really don't know what you're talking about…" Freon sighed. "I forgot how tiring it was to talk to you… Forget it…"