Dawn of Uncertainty

Evening settled over the land while Avra's search team continued their tireless hunt for Adira's missing sister. Their footsteps echoed through narrow alleys and deserted streets, their torches casting eerie shadows against the walls.

Meanwhile, inside the towering structure of the Ariadne tower, Lady Eshe's unexpected appearance at Damayanti's office sent ripples of surprise through the quiet halls. Her anxious demeanor caught Damayanti off guard, especially considering Lady Eshe's usual seclusion following the tragic loss of her husband.

Damayanti who was seated behind her desk, regarded Lady Eshe with a mixture of concern and confusion.

"What brings you here, Lady Eshe? Is everything alright?" Damayanti inquired. 

Lady Eshe, her usually composed demeanor fraying at the edges, clasped her hands together nervously.

"I fear for my son, Lucius. Have you seen him? Is he with you or His Majesty?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"No, Lady Eshe. His Highness left just a short while ago. Lucius wasn't with him," he replied, his tone tinged with concern.

Without a second thought, she rushes outside his office and begins racing down the hallway. Her mind consumed with worry for her son, she barely noticed the figures hurrying through the hallway. Suddenly, she collided with someone, nearly stumbling to the ground. When she looked up, her heart skipped a beat as she found herself face to face with the king, his expression mirroring her anxiety.

"Your Majesty," Lady Eshe gasped, her breath coming in short, frantic bursts.

"I... I'm sorry, I didn't see you."

Themis, his usual regal composure momentarily faltering, reached out to steady her.

"Lady Eshe, what's wrong? Are you with Princess Ayira?" he asked, his voice tinged with concern.

Lady Eshe's breath caught in her throat at the mention of Adira.

"No, Your Majesty," she replied, her voice trembling.

"I... I was looking for Lucius."

Themis's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Lucius? Is he missing as well?" he asked, his worry deepening.

Lady Eshe nodded, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Yes, Your Majesty. It seems both our children are... are gone," she choked out, her voice breaking with emotion.

A heavy silence descended between them as the weight of their shared concern hung in the air. Lady Eshe's distress spilled forth in a torrent of words, her frustration and fear bubbling to the surface.

"What is happening in this world?" she exclaimed, her voice trembling with emotion.

"First, my husband, now my son... Why must we endure such suffering?"

Themis's expression softened as he reached out to comfort her. Damayanti emerged from his office, drawn by the commotion in the hallway.

"What's going on here?" he questioned, his voice laced with confusion.

"And why are you still here Your Majesty?"

Themis turned to face Damayanti, his expression grave.

"Adira and Lucius are missing," he stated simply, the weight of his words hanging heavy in the air.

Damayanti's eyes widened in shock at the revelation, a sense of dread creeping over him.

"Missing?" he echoed, his mind racing with the implications of such news.

Lady Eshe, her eyes brimming with tears, nodded in confirmation, her voice trembling with emotion.

"Yes, Damayanti. Both of our children have disappeared," she choked out, her distress palpable.

Without a moment's hesitation, Damayanti sprinted through the corridors of the palace, his mind racing with urgency. He knew that time was of the essence, and every passing second brought Adira and Lucius closer to danger. As he reached the mage quarter, he burst through the doors, his eyes scanning the room for the mages who could aid in their search.

"Find the princess and the holy saint," Damayanti commanded, his voice ringing out with authority.

"We need to locate them immediately."

The mages, taken aback by Damayanti's sudden appearance and urgent tone, exchanged worried glances amongst themselves. But they wasted no time in springing into action, their hands moving swiftly to gather their belongings and prepare for the task at hand.

"What is happening? Adira's sister disappeared, and now the princess and holy saint?"

"I still don't get why Adira's sister is so important that His Highness sends out 30% of his soldiers and mages to find her."

"Argh! This is really stressful."

"So exhausting..."

Mages and soldiers exchange remarks as they leave the Tower of Ariadne and begin their search for the missing princess and holy saints.

As the first light of dawn painted the sky with hues of pink and gold, the mages and soldiers returned to Damayanti's office, their faces drawn and weary from a long night of searching.

Themis and Lady Eshe, their anxiety palpable, awaited their arrival with bated breath, hoping for news of Adira and Lucius's safe return.

However, the grim expressions worn by the search party told a different tale. As they entered the room, their shoulders slumped with defeat, and the weight of their failure hung heavy in the air.

"We're sorry, Your Majesty, Lady Eshe," one of the soldiers spoke up, his voice tinged with regret.

"We searched tirelessly, but we found no sign of the princess or the holy saint."

Lady Eshe's frustration boiled over at the news, her voice rising with anger as she addressed the weary group before her.

"How dare you return empty-handed!" she shouted, her words echoing off the walls of the chamber.

"Continue the search until my son and the princess are found. Do not return to me until they are by your side!"

The mages and soldiers exchanged uneasy glances and then prepared to venture out once more, the weight of their task hung heavy upon their shoulders.

Avra search team arrived at the tower with heavy hearts and weary limbs, Mike, Avra, and Zagan made their way inside. 

As they entered Damayanti's office, they were met with a surprising sight. Lady Eshe stood in the center of the room, her presence commanding attention despite the turmoil evident in her eyes. Zagan, unfamiliar with the noblewoman, leaned in to whisper to Mike, seeking clarification.

"Who is she?" he asked in a hushed tone, his curiosity piqued.

Mike, recognizing Lady Eshe from previous encounters, replied in an equally low voice

"That's Lucius's mother. Lady Eshe."

Zagan nodded in understanding, his gaze lingering on Lady Eshe for a moment longer before turning his attention to Damayanti, who awaited their report with a concerned expression.

"What news do you bring?" Damayanti asked, his eyes searching their faces for any sign of hope.

"We searched high and low, but we found no trace of Adira's sister," Avra replied. 

While Avra was busy talking with the priest, Zagan's gaze shifted to Themis, and then found himself locking eyes with the ruler of the kingdom.

"Zagan," Themis began, his voice tinged with worry

"were Adira and Lucius with you when you set out on your search?"

He shook his head slowly, his expression troubled.

"No, Your Majesty," he replied.

"They wished to accompany us, but Avra deemed it too risky and insisted they remain behind."

"Don't tell me Ayira is missing," he quipped, smirking. 

"Yes, they are..." 

His smile faded as he began to realize what Themis had said...

"Ayira... and Lucius?" he stammered, his voice barely above a whisper. While Mike and Avra exchanged worried glances.

The three silently exited the chamber, lost in their thoughts and weighed down by the burden of worry, a familiar voice pierced through the heavy silence.

Startled, Mike, Avra, and Zagan turned to the source of the sound, their hearts skipping a beat as they beheld a figure they had not seen in days.

"Where's Ayira?" the voice, unmistakably Adira's, echoed through the hallway, its urgency cutting through the air like a blade.

Their eyes widened in disbelief as they laid eyes upon their friend, It had been days since they had seen Adira.

Adira?" Avra gasped, her voice tinged with disbelief.

"You're... you're here?"

"Where is she?" she pressed, her voice trembling with emotion. 

"I need to find them. I do not want to lose any more important people in my life." she continued.

Her words hung in the air, the weight of her anguish was palpable. The three exchanged solemn glances. They understood all too well the fear of losing those they held dear.

Avra stepped forward, her voice gentle yet resolute.

"You won't lose them, Adira," she assured as she stepped forward. 

"We'll find them together," she added. 

"Can I join the search?" She responded, shocking the three, who exchanged worried glances. 

"You are not well, we ca-"

"Im fine!" 

"But adira-"

"I'm fine, I promise"

"Let her" Zagan intervened as he watched the two being cut off by Adira's desperation to join the search team.

"It is much better for her to roam around rather than confine herself in her room," he added. 

Mike exchanged a glance with Avra, finding agreement mirrored in her eyes. With a heavy sigh, Mike turned to Adira.

"If you're willing, we'd be grateful for your help in the search," he stated. 

Adira smiled with a trace of exhaustion and grief in her eyes, but she was still eager to find and locate her two missing friends.

Earlier that day, as Avra's search team was heading out to find Adira's sister, Lucius, and Ayira secretly followed them without being noticed.

"Are you sure this is okay? We might get punished if Damayanti and your father find out."

"We're already following them, so there's no reason to quit now."

"But Ayira..."

"Shhh, they might hear us. And Lucius, just think about it." She then faces the frightened Lucius on her side, grasping her garments out of stress.

"If we go back now, they will be angry, so what difference does it make if they are angry tomorrow?" She goes on, insinuating what will happen tomorrow if the king and priest find out they sneaked out. 

Ayira glanced ahead, her heart sank at the sight that greeted her. The familiar figures of Avra's search team were nowhere to be seen. Panic surged through her veins as she realized that they had lost track of the group.

"L-Lucius, they're... they're gone." Ayira stammered. 

 Lucius scanned the deserted streets and before he could voice his concern, Ayira's hand closed around his own, her grip was firm.

"We need to find Avra," she declared and with a nod of agreement, he tightened his grip on her hand.

Without hesitation, the two set off, their footsteps echoing through the empty streets as they hurried to catch up with Avra's search team. Despite their efforts, the familiar figures remained out of reach, leaving them alone in the shadowed alleys of the town. 

Suddenly, a faint sound caught their attention, drawing their gaze toward the dense woods that bordered the edge of the town. Voices drifted through the trees, their words indistinct yet tantalizingly close.

"We should check it out," she suggested as she took a step toward the woods.

But before she could take another, Lucius reached out, his hand halting her in her tracks.

"Wait," he cautioned, his voice low with concern.

"It's dangerous to go into the woods alone, especially at a time like this."

"It's not too scary, and if those voices are from the search team, we'll be safe."

"But what if it isn't? What shall we do?"

"Ey, don't be like that, just follow me" she stated. 

Despite Lucius's warnings, Ayira's curiosity, and her stubborn resolve, she insisted that they investigate the source of the voices, convinced that it might indeed be Avra's search team. Lucius, unable to dissuade her, relented, his grip on her hand tightening as they ventured towards the woods.

As they walked deeper into the forest, the voices grew louder, echoing through the trees with an eerie clarity. Her heart raced with anticipation, her steps quickening as she led the way, with Lucius close beside her.

Finally, they reached a clearing where the voices seemed to originate. She took a step forward, But before she could react, her foot slipped on a patch of moss-covered ground, sending her tumbling to the forest floor. With a gasp, she reached out instinctively, her hand grasping for something—anything—to break her fall.

Lucius was caught off guard by Ayira's sudden slip and was pulled down with her, their hands still intertwined as they crashed to the ground in a tangled heap.

As Ayira winced in pain, her hand instinctively reaching to massage her sore backside, she froze as she felt the cold touch of steel against her neck. Her heart pounded with fear as she looked up to see a menacing figure standing before them, a sword pointed directly at her throat.

Lucius's eyes widened in terror as he took in the sight, his instincts screaming at him to protect her at all costs. Without a second thought, he reached out, pulling her close to him in a protective embrace, his arms wrapping tightly around her trembling form.

"Please, don't hurt her," he pleaded, his voice trembling with fear as he faced the looming threat before them.