Under City 1

Whilst the raid team was busy traversing the seemingly bustling tunnel, Back at the Marchen's main mansion where Leonard and Lenneza live, is a small child age of 6 running around the halls of the mansion. 

"M-my lady slow down!"

Jane, who was attending Lorraine, followed the energetic child down the halls, even though Jane was young she was still not even close to a young child's vigour. 

"huff… my lady!"

Lorraine wasn't running around aimlessly, she was playing with Jane, but Jane didn't expect herself to be this slow, maybe it's because of the dress?

No, today's clothing isn't made of cotton so it's very light, especially since cotton gets heavier when it's wet and Jane is sweating pretty much right now. 

"I… I give up!"

Jane couldn't catch up with Lorraine at all, so she just gave up. The fact that she's sweating a lot is embarrassing as well so she ought to stop at any moment anyway. 

"J-j-jane couldn't run a-anymore?" Lorraine innocently tilted her head. 

"Yes… yes, my lady. Huff… huff…"

Jane wiped the sweat off her head, Lorraine was an energetic child, the moment she opened up to Jane she would play along with her. 

This was the first time they played tag, mostly because they played with a ball in Lorraine's room. 

Jane took a look at Lorraine and saw the sullen expression on her face, Jane's heart skipped a beat. 

'My lady is so cute!!' Jane thought. 

"Okay, how bout this, my lady."

"Mu?" Lorraine looked at Jane. 

Lorraine's big eyes were sparkling as light shone on sea waves, she was simply sparkling. 

"Let's play hide and seek!" 

Jane enthusiastically said so. That way she could play with Lorraine without sweating too much. For Jane, Lorraine was simply too energetic. 

Lorraine looked at Jane with sparkling eyes. 

"H-h-hide and s-seek!"

Lorraine raised two of her fists indicating she was excited, for Jane, this was so adorable that she almost had a nosebleed. 

"Okay, my lady~ I'm going to count up to a hundred. You better be hiding before I catch you~"

"Mu!" Lorraine nodded 

"Okay! One… two…"

Lorraine wasted no time and bolted out of there, the mansion is big so she had a lot of places to hide. When she was going upstairs to the second floor she stumbled on Leonard's room. 

"brother… "

Leonard has been busy these days, but he still keeps seeing Lorraine even if it's just an hour of his time. And now, he isn't visiting at all. 

"hmm…"

Lorraine's thought process was simple, Leonard is probably doing something sketchy. So without further ado, she went inside Leonard's room. 

Lorraine remembered that when she woke up after she escaped the cell she cried waterfalls, she wanted Leonard who wasn't there to be by her side, Leonard was the first to give her warmth of course she's the very first person she'll try to find. 

"Oof!"

Lorraine climbed to the bed, it was Leonard's bed. His bed is wide as a luncheon table for an extended family. This is also the bed where Leonard had to endure Lorraine's constant crying because she couldn't be left alone. 

The moment she woke up that day, Lorraine couldn't sleep without Leonard. Well until Leonard also made Lorraine sleep with Lenneza. 

"hm?"

Lorraine was scurrying around the bed, till she bumped on a pillow, it felt… solid. Lorraine curiously took the pillow and shook it vertically. 

What came out was a rectangular smooth notebook, Lorraine stared at it curiously and then opened it. But to her dismay, there are only boxes written on it, a black box and a white box in some rhythmic pattern. 

"W-w-what is this?"

Lorraine furrowed her brows, she couldn't understand what was written in the notebook. Then she remembered. 

"H-h-help s-shiya!"

Lorraine called out a name, not even moments later a wisp made of bluish light came hurtling down towards Lorraine. 

"My… my… child why did you call me?"

"I-I n-need help!"

Lorraine asked with an expecting gaze, it was innocent and childish as expected from a young child. 

"Ha… Lori you can't keep asking me to come out because you wanted to…"

The wisp named Shiya sighed in resignation, she looked at the notebook and her brows furrowed. 

"Ah… I remember. Your brother… Leonard was it? He did write these things."

"mm!" Lorraine hummed. 

"I think… it just represents one and zero."

"H-how?"

"The black box represents one and the white box represents zero," said Shiya

"eh…?"

Lorraine doesn't understand, what Leonard placed down was meant to be cryptic and it rightfully did so. Seeing that Lorraine doesn't understand, Shiya chuckled. 

"Don't worry about it Lori, remember I'm the spirit of light? If I ever knew what those mean, I'll tell you!"

"r-really?"

"Of course!"

Shiya said delightfully and patted Lorraine's head, shiya took a good look at the notebook once again. 

"Okay, I fully remember its contents," Shiya said. 

"Mm!" Lorraine hummed. 

Lorraine placed back the notebook on the pillow and arranged it back neatly. 

"My lady~"

But then, Lorraine heard a looming voice, she tried to get off the bed but it was too late. The door in Leonard's room opened wide and Jane was already there looking at Lorraine. 

"hahaha! My lady, I've seen you"

"aww"

Jane and Lorraine continued to play such games but Jane had to always fix what Lorraine moved, nonetheless, Lorraine had fun. 

—Back at the wide underground tunnel. 

"Huh, no wonder they had such a smooth ride. This shit is big." Leonard commented. 

The underground isn't just a tunnel, there are people around working and they all look legit jobs. From multiple wooden boxes some with fragile posts on them being carried with forklifts, from trucks with multiple boxed goods. 

"Oop, that's a box filled with magic stones."

"You could feel that?" Lenneza curiously asked. 

"You're saying like you don't."

"..."

Leonard made Lenneza shut up, he's been making fun of her for the last 15 minutes since the road is quite long. 

"Honestly, should've taken the fucking car Rens."

"ugh… don't blame me you talk too much."

"Should've hit me when you had the chance. Hahaha!"

Everyone could hear a vein popping out of Rens' forehead, Lenneza isn't the only victim of Leonard's constant bickering. 

"Shut your bald ass up!"

In the end, Lenneza couldn't take it, she screamed in front of Leonard. 

"Sure cutting board, why not."

Lenneza's jaws fell to the floor, she was speechless by this absolute audacity of Leonard. The air became so chilly that Rens and Markus are getting scared of what is about to happen. 

"Woah there, your forehead is shinier than our future right now could you calm down?"

Lenneza couldn't even close her jaws anymore; she was speechless. Just when something was about to happen a passing jeep stopped beside the four. 

"Are these kids you managed to find?*

The man in the jeep asked. 

"Yes." Rens sighed. 

Markus and he had their fingers on their foreheads, what they were feeling was genuine. So the man in the jeep nodded. 

"Hop in, where are we taking these kids anyway?"

"Both have a high talent for magic, so…"

"Ah, I get it, Sir Osbourne's lab." 

The man said nonchalantly. This made Markus and Rens look at each other, giving an inward nod. Sir Osbourne was the man who needed the kids. 

"Sir Osbourne? That name is sick as hell."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"What? His name is cool, why are you looking at me like that?"

Leonard was the first to comment on Sir Osbourne's name, it isn't exactly disrespectful but the man who's driving the jeep almost knocked his head. 

"Anyways, Sir Osbourne was taking a break, he just managed to make a breakthrough after all."

Leonard leaned towards Lenneza.

"The name Osbourne sounds familiar."

Lenneza nodded at Leonard's words, Osbourne is a name that she heard before, she just couldn't put her finger on where she heard of it before. 

Leonard was the same, before he regressed he heard Osbourne's name, not only once since it was familiar. 

The jeep drove till the end of the tunnel, which revealed a city, an underground city. 

"All this is under Roshen?!"

When Leonard yelled Rens knocked his head, and he was definitely holding back. 

"Shut it!"

"Ah! What would you do when you dented my beautiful smooth round head?! Will you pay for it?!"

Markus was really trying not to laugh at this point, Even the jeep driver was holding it in. 

"I'm only here because uncle told me he'll teach me magic. Remember I could report you for domestic abuse for denting bald heads!"

"Hahaha!"

Markus just started laughing, he couldn't hold it anymore, even the Jeep driver was cackling. Lenneza however wasn't laughing, her atmosphere was absolutely chilly. 

"When will we meet Osbourne?"

"Sir Osbourne for you kid. It's cool how you manage to get them in here without them struggling?"

The jeep driver looked at Rens and Markus, his face was completely relaxed. 

"Why would we struggle? Uncle said he'll teach us magic."

"..."

"..."

"My ugly sister is also learning magic, why are you looking at me like that?"

Leonard looked at the Jeep driver who had an approving look, he looked at Rens and Markus with admiration. 

"Without violence huh, that's rare. Not a lot of young'uns would be willing to come with them."

"The slums are trash, why would we want to stay there? I mean look at my sister, she's beautiful, if she gets older she'll be more beautiful, if I can't protect her I'll surely regret it."

Lenneza looked at Leonard momentarily and looked away again. The jeep driver looked at Leonard with a bit of awe. 

"A loving brother, I see, I see. Keep protecting your sister, kid."

"Of course, I will!"

Leonard gave a strong and firm look whilst raising his fist. Lenneza, who had been looking at the city since earlier, looked at Leonard again. 

"Didn't you call me ugly earlier?"

Leonard snapped back his head towards Lenneza. 

"That's your nickname, always will be."

Before Leonard could prepare for it, he was pinched in his sides, completely putting him in agony for a minute. After seeing that reaction Lenneza looked back at the window and smiled. 

'I'm Beautiful huh…'

Lenneza just looked outside with a blush.