Ch 5: The Rescue - Part 1

"Hey, we are down here. Can you help us out? We need help getting back up."

The priest yelled as loudly as he could. He did not bother asking if Camelia could help them since he lacked confidence in her.

Compared to someone unknown like her, it seemed like a better deal to ask help from a certified ranker…or so he thought.

But he was unsure if this ranker was a friend or a foe. He had taken out the monster far too easily to be a normal person, yet he did not look recognizable or flashy like other A-rankers.

Their savior walked toward the cliff and looked down. The light from the sun behind his face starkly contrasted with their hood, and no one could make out their features.

From what little Camelia and the others could see, they concluded that this man was young, maybe in their late teens or early twenties. And the man extended a rope down to help everyone up.

"A rope! We are saved! We can finally get out of this god-forbidden place. I want to go first. Hurry! Pull me up right now."

The priest grabbed the rope and waited to be pulled up. He looked up, hoping the saviors would pull the rope, but nothing happened.

After about five minutes of making a fool of himself, the priest looked awkward.

"Hey, are you not going to pull me up? Don't tell me that you want me to pull myself up. I can't! I am too tired."

The priest complained, and Camelia reached out to grab the rope instead. She wanted to test how sturdy the rope was before she started climbing.

She would have preferred to levitate up instead of choosing the rope, but her body could not handle a lot of magic right now. Using even a little left her winded, and Camelia wanted to conserve her strength.

As soon as Camelia grabbed the rope, she felt someone tugging at it from the other side, and she was being pulled.

"Hey, what the hell...this is not right! Why are you being tugged out while I am not… hey, come back here."

The priest tried to reach for the rope at the last second, but it was out of his reach by the point.

Camelia was dragged to the surface, and her arms hurt because she had to hold on to the rope tightly. She had never done such a physical activity before, which made her body ache.

Finally, she caught a glimpse of her savior once her face went up the wall, and her suspicion about her saviors being Zayne's relative became increasingly solidified.

"Hey, are you alright? Your magic…who are you?"

The person asked in a flat voice. Even the way he spoke and tilted his head reminded Camelia about Zayne.

But this question made her more than certain that this man was not Zayne.

The High Priest she knew would have recognized Camelia, no matter what form she took. After all, he could see her soul and determine who she was.

"Consider me as nobody. I need you to take me to the nearest temple, or at least where I can contact High Priest Zayne. I will repay you for this favor later."

Camelia asked, and she immediately noticed how the person in front of her stiffened for just a second before he suddenly looked confused.

"Hugh Priest Zayne? Who's that? I don't know anyone like that! Moreover, are you alright? You suddenly went missing, and it worried me so much…You do remember who I am, right?"

The young man asked as he placed a hand on Camelia's shoulder.

It made Camelia shiver since she could feel the familiar divine power interacting with her own. Even the slight rejection of her magic felt the same as Zayne's.

But despite all this, Camelia felt unsure about this man's identity. He felt like Zayne; he acted and looked like Zayne, but he was too young to be Zayne. Besides that, he did not seem to recognize Camelia.

"I am sorry, but do we know each other?"

She asked cautiously, and the young man before her clenched his teeth in regret and anger.

"Yes, we knew each other. We were quite close to each other. You might not remember it, but you were my fiancé. Does that ring a bell in your ear?"

The young teen asked almost desperately, and his feelings sounded real.

Despite being faced with such a predicament, Camelia could not remember anything.

"We were engaged? I'm sorry, but I don't remember a thing. I fear I will have to ask you to step back for now. This relationship is not going to work. I am not the same person you remember me being."

Camelia spoke with assurance, and the teen in front of her looked ready to almost cry out at her harsh words.

She knew she needed to feel bad for this man, but Camelia could not help but feel bad about stating a fact.

"No! I am afraid that I cannot do that. Our engagement is not something I can break off just because I want to. How about you stay with me for now, and decide if you still want a break up later. Staying by my side would be better than navigating the world alone."

The man asked Camelia in a somewhat calm but moist voice. He looked like he would cry any second as he looked at Camelia's face.

It creeped Camelia out, but she held her ground and did not let it bother her. 

Besides that, she was unsure if she should involve this man in her problem. The king and the council might be after her soon, but Camelia's magic felt sluggish. Her control over her body was also not perfect.

Camelia looked around, only for her eyes to fall on her reflection in the crystal, and Camelia flinched.

The face that looked back at her did not belong to her, but it was similar enough to her 'true' form to make Camelia look back again.