Chapter 68

After looking at the bodies, Sofia let out a small sigh of relief upon seeing that her brother was not among the unfortunate deceased lying carelessly on the ground. With renewed hope, she ran towards a tent where injured people were entering and exiting.

Although she did not find her brother Martin in the tent, Sofia did find another of her brother's colleagues, whom she knew. He was being treated for several moderately deep cuts on one of his hands, so she quickly approached him.

"KEVIN!!"

Sofia called out loudly as she quickly walked towards the young man sitting on a simple wooden bench while being treated, who turned to look at her in surprise.

"Sofia!!!"

"Kevin, where's my brother?"

Sofia's question put a complicated look on Kevin, a handsome young man about 20 years old, with wheatish skin and black hair. He lowered his gaze with a bit of pain, hesitating whether to speak.

"What happened to Martin? Tell me!!!"

"Martin was in one of the deepest tunnels when the collapse happened, and it's unknown what happened to him…"

"And when do they plan to rescue him?!!!"

"That's the thing, the foreman gave the order to write off the deepest tunnels and instead rescue the machinery from the more accessible ones," Kevin commented sadly, causing Sofia's face to pale to the point of resembling a sheet of paper, filled with terror and sadness.

"SON OF A BITCH!!!" Sofia exclaimed in anger and helplessness, but she quickly realized something and asked urgently.

"Kevin, do you know where to find an earth mage who can reach the tunnel where Martin is?"

Upon hearing Sofia's words, Kevin shook his head and said resignedly, "I don't know anyone like that. An earth mage that powerful is someone very distinguished, not someone a simple miner like me would know."

"You might not know, but that son of a bitch foreman surely does," Sofia wanted to run out and confront the foreman again, doing whatever was necessary to force him to cooperate, but at that moment Kevin exclaimed.

"Wait, Sofia, don't risk it like that, it's not worth it. Even if the foreman might know someone like that, I highly doubt he'll be willing to tell you, especially now after this incident. Besides, even if he introduces you to an earth mage, it would be pointless. I heard the foreman say he was giving up on the deepest tunnels because the cost of rescuing the machinery would be higher than buying new ones. And from what I've heard, that machinery is worth several dozen high-grade mana crystals..."

Upon hearing Kevin's words, Sofia felt as if a block of steel had fallen on her head, draining her strength and extinguishing the flame of hope she had managed to keep in her heart. After all, even a few intermediate mana crystals were a fortune to her, let alone dozens of high-grade ones.

Sofia fell to her knees, feeling her mind sinking into an abyss of despair, tears streaming down her face like an endless torrent. Fear, sadness, hatred, and helplessness filled Sofia's heart as she screamed and cursed the world for her misfortune, her small and delicate fists pounding the ground.

Why was it always them? Why did life seem determined to make them suffer? Why her brother Martin, an honest, good, and hardworking young man? Why did someone like him have to suffer such a misfortune, while a useless gambler like Jose was fine? Why did the world hate her small family so much, which only wanted to survive honestly amidst so much misfortune? What had they done to deserve something like this?

After a while, as her head filled with endless unanswered questions, Sofia's body was overcome with exhaustion, feeling the impact of the relentless marathons she had run everywhere trying to find her brother. Without any strength left and feeling completely defeated, Sofia sat down on the ground, staring blankly into the starry sky, trying to lose herself in its beauty and vastness.

But seeing the sky beautifully adorned with stars and galaxies of all kinds reminded Sofia of the hair of a certain handsome, wealthy, and generous young man, someone who undoubtedly had more than enough capital to pay a mage to rescue her brother.

With more fear of falling into absolute despair than hope of receiving the help she needed, Sofia rose from the ground again, resolved to try every last possibility before giving up, even if it meant risking her life and sacrificing everything.

"..."

Kevin silently watched Sofia's inconsolable crying, wanting to say something to his great love, someone he had silently loved for a long time but had never had the courage to confess. But no words came out, as if an insoluble knot had lodged in his throat, leaving him speechless at such a crucial moment while watching Sofia cry and slowly fall into a pit of despair and sadness.

"See you Kevin, thanks for your help…" Sofia said goodbye in a resigned voice as she slowly walked towards the exit of the tent, mentally preparing herself for what she was going to do, while thinking about where she could find that young man.

"Wait Sofia, what are you planning to do?" Kevin asked, a bit worried about Sofia's state, who turned to look at him with a somewhat lost expression and commented.

"I'm going to try the last alternative."

"Don't do anything crazy, Sofia."

"I have to do it, I have no other choice..."

After saying that, Sofia ran off, using the last reserves of mana she had left to strengthen her tired legs, thinking about where she could find the young man with starry hair, leaving Kevin behind, who again was left speechless and unable to move.

Sofia, after arriving back in the city almost out of breath, ran with her last strength to the places she had recommended to the young man to spend the night, but she did not find him anywhere. Not giving up, Sofia started to think furiously about where he might be and decided to look for him in the romantic spots she had mentioned while guiding the young man through the city.

...

In Aranta, the Garden of Celestial Whispers is an enclave of romance and stellar contemplation. A garden situated on a gently elevated hill, far from the hustle and bustle of the main streets, appearing as a labyrinth of flowers with intoxicating scents and benches hidden among arches of climbing roses, where the dome of the sky stretches wide and clear.

The most coveted place in the Garden was undoubtedly the Lovers' Lookout, a beautiful gazebo with a large intricately worked dome and metallic ornaments forming spirals and geometric designs, connected by pathways flanked by smaller arches, all embellished with flowers and climbing plants of different colors, which, together with the luminaries that adorned the garden, gave it a magical and enchanting appearance at nightfall.

In a small corner of the platform of the large gazebo, there was a group of four people made up of 3 women possessing an ethereal beauty, who were gathered around a handsome and elegantly dressed young man whose hair seemed to blend with the starry celestial vault.

Sitting on one of the benches was Erik, who was gazing at the starry sky with a look almost lost in his thoughts, while at his sides were Sigrún and Eleonora resting their heads on his shoulders while holding his hands, intertwining their fingers resting on their respective legs.

On the ground, in front of the bench where Erik was sitting, lay a beautiful white apron with exquisite gold and silver embroidery on the corners, on which Seraphina was resting her head on her hands on one of Erik's knees with a peaceful and relaxed expression, her eyes closed, fully enjoying the small moment when she 'let herself be convinced' by Erik to not act so professionally for a moment.

"This is a great place for a vacation..." Erik commented softly as he looked at the celestial spectacle.