26 || A Crisis Occurs! The Princess's Secret?

The streets are almost promptly filled with cheerful dancing, merry singing, and delightful consumption of local treats. As the evening floods in, the elite from Riversword and beyond find their way into the castle's great hall. Shuyren and Di helplessly mingle with various noble families who are quite interested in their rise!

Many had brought their young but talented sons and nephews in a sad attempt to woo Tara. She, almost expertly, dodges lingering conversations and declines offers to dance. Thankfully, keeping Viyen company is a welcome and useful excuse to not interact. Leiana had given that tip of having someone to stick with during events like this.

Varying young men didn't have enough courage to say hello to Leiana, let alone seek courtship. It helps that Yaoyang is hooked to her arm and shooting daggers at any who approaches her unless they introduce themselves to him.

He doesn't seem to mind the women, at least those that flirt with Leiana, quietly greeting them. On the other hand if any of them show the slightest intent of pulling Yaoyang away they are met with an icy smile and terrifying gaze.

Tara, tired of maneuvering around supposed suitors, gently tugs Viyen to the dance floor. Viyen, being taller, takes the lead as they had practiced throughout the week. A circle forms around them and they quickly become the center of attention. They dance happily for a time before Tara senses that something is off.

A single backstep from Viyen was all it took.

There is the familiar flash of light and the lurch of quick movement as a transportation array appears beneath their feet. Before Tara can cry out or anyone can take any real action, the two vanish into thin air. There is a burst of movement and shouts as the crowd turns into a frenzy to search for them.

Tara instinctively wraps her arms around Viyen as they shift through space. The milliseconds they stop another array is activated underneath. Two more jumps occur, the distance growing greater each time, before the travel ends well outside the borders of Riversword. Now the two girls are encircled by five cloaked figures with wooden masks.

"Don't move," Tara announces aloud, steel in her voice as she guards Viyen.

"You really think you're in a position to make demands?" One of them sneers. In the next beat white light clashes with red, as Tara appears before the one that had spoken. Her fist strikes them in the gut through their aura. They go flying into the air, blood spurting past their lips, as they collide with a tree which splinters on impact.

"I wasn't talking to you." Tara barks.

"You brat!" Another one calls out, brandishing a sword. They charge at her but Tara makes no movement to dodge and welcomes the swing. Tara catches the blade with her right hand as she counters with a palm strike with her left one.

Ember Gather pierces through their defenses and sends them skidding backwards. They're stronger than the first foe as they were injured but not down. They take a step to retaliate, only to have their body suddenly carved by three bright as amber slashes.

As they crumble, their companions move to grab the unguarded Viyen. They attempt to snatch her but are blown backwards by the now visible cyan barrier that guarded the young princess. Tara has found a way to use Wolyung's innate ability, the mental bubble shield! With them confused and Viyen protected, Tara makes easy work of their assailants.

She quickly collects their spatial rings after they were unconscious, taking Viyen's hand and spiriting her away with Sunny Dance. Now that she is a low tier Bone Crystallization, Tara can easily cross two hundred yards in an instant. By the time the would-be kidnappers are awake, they two are long gone.

Following animal tracks, Tara quickly leads them to a waterfall. Luckily enough, a large cave is hidden from view behind it. Tara immediately begins tracing different concealment arrays with protective runes as the centerpiece.

"W-who do you think they are?" Viyen asks, her voice shaking as she watches Tara work. Tara places one final part to keep the cool night out.

"Two of them had similar auras to Yaoyang and Kwang's family line. The other three seemed sharper and wilder like Aural Beasts, so I think they were animus?" Tara answers honestly.

Her ability to read and identify energy has grown a lot recently to the point where she can differentiate between families. Viyen's face looks panicstricken. Why would the Long family work together with animus to kidnap her?

"You're certainly worthy of being my sister's peer," Viyen quickly remembers what she had just witnessed. Tara laughs lightly at this with a shake of her head.

"No, they were simply too weak. All of them were mid tier Skin Igniting and they probably thought it was enough to capture because you don't practice any techniques. Why is that by the way?" Tara asks, finally finishing the symbol work. She's already going through her pack and spatial ring, glad Beiling had imparted the knowledge of being prepared when adventure arrived.

Viyen blinks at Tara owlishly. "You didn't try to look at my aural ports?"

"I took a peek when we first met. You have a seal on you like I do. Though yours is a lot more complex than mine. However, it's rude to peek at someone's cultivation unless given a reason, like combat or if there's aggression." This was one of the rules the Eight Sword Academy instilled into its students so that way their curiosities didn't lead to future trouble.

Tara pulls out a small stone table that has a fire inscription etched into it's circular grooves at the center. Placing it down a short space away from their tent, the table began to glow and a comfortable warmth flowed over them. Tara sits down before Viyen who was looking hesitant. Without a word, Tara reveals her ears and tail to show that Viyen has her trust.

Viyen, in turn, did a few small hand symbols that had been taught to her. The illusion fell causing her hair to shift from all black to aqua blue with only a streak of black.

Fangs appeared from a lopsided smile as she removed her veil. Tara couldn't help but hold up her hand and flex; Viyen laughs and mirrors her with claws appearing.

"Oh no fair!" Tara pouts, crossing her arms. Viyen rolls her eyes as she retracts her claws.

"The original regent was said to be a powerful animus loved by water spirits. The easiest mark of that heritage is our family's eyes which an ancestor came up with a technique to hide them. When the blood is strong though, they look like mine." Tara nods at Viyen's explanation, having a similar understanding seeing Viyen's eyes change in the light.

"Your true appearance isn't the reason you can't practice though?" Tara asks as she prepares some food for them.

"When I was younger it was discovered that my aura points are currently locked. No matter what expert came to break it, their auras were too weak. We were never sure who did it."

"You mean you think someone placed the locks on you? They weren't naturally occuring?" Tara growls before cursing as she overcooks the meat in her anger. Viyen nods as Tara thinks on what she's now learned. Tara prepares a simple meal of meat, veggies, and rice even going so far to pull out silverware and plates. These had cost a lot of contribution points surprisingly from the academy's marketplace. They eat in silence as Tara processes everything that's happened the last few hours.

"Can I see?" Tara holds out a hand, once the food is finished. By making physical contact it would be easier for Tara to investigate Viyen's aural ports rather than make a passing glance. Forming a physical connection will also make it easier for her to understand what she's dealing with.

Viyen gently holds onto Tara's hand with her own as Tara's aura overcomes her.

Tara is first brought before Viyen's physical port within her heart. Tara can't get a clear view of the aural port. The purple light of physical energy violently crashes in between the links of incalculable chains. Whoever placed this restriction was very powerful, a faint energy outside of the aura present within the chains. When Tara places her hand over them a lock materializes. If it's broken, the chains will likely disappear, that's the feeling Tara gets.

The next place is the mind which upon entering Oorun appears by Tara's side. A similar view was before them locking down the magenta mental energy.

Tara had been mulling over what Viyen had told previously. No matter what expert faced these locks, it wasn't enough to break them. Was it because their aural energy was too divided even if they were empowered by elemental energy?

Wolyung guides Tara to Viyen's soul point, the hardest to access of the three, to find it equally blocked off.

"I'm going to try something." Tara tells Viyen, mind pulling back for a moment with her guardians in place. Viyen cups her hands around Tara's and the tremble of fear is present. "It'll be alright!"

Tara places herself before Viyen's heart again. If a person's single aura can't break through these locks then how about three different auras? Soul Beads, she had learned from the page on their evolution, were condensed aural essence of a powerful fallen Aural Beast. Oorun and Wolyung had grown as she had with the extra power of their own Twin Sphere energy.

The trio begins to channel their energies against the locks and are met with a surprising amount of resistance. It takes a few breaths before the barrage of aural and Twin Sphere energies break the locks! The chains rapidly disintegrate but, as Tara recalls her guardians within her, she notices wisps of lunar energy are eagerly gathered into Viyen.

Almost instantly, Tara witnesses a change in her friend. The air starts to bend as Viyen's body begins to accumulate world energy even without taking a stance. As if in a trance, Viyen's eyes glaze over as she rises and approaches the edge of the cave. Tara's about to stop her when a mist begins to form and cyan energy begins to converge around Viyen.

A bubble forms around Viyen. She forms a symbol for water and sword with her hands, causing the rush of world and Water energy to continuously gather.

Tara can only watch as this happens. Using her lunar mind she's keeping track as Viyen begins to form her aural threads. The bubble begins to boil and steam causes a haze to form within the cave. It pops suddenly and Tara watches as the Water-based world energy doesn't disperse but changes into an incorporeal formless being floating above Viyen.

A spirit? Tara thinks to herself. It shifts into that of a badger and then reforms into an animus with a similar appearance to Viyen. In the next beat the figure floats Viyen towards Tara before fusing into her friend with a grateful smile on it's lips before disappearing completely.

***

Miles away from the duo, a booming voice scolds the five would-be kidnappers.

"You imbeciles! How could you let her get away? Months of planning wasted! She's not even a practitioner!" They bow before this person's feet in apology. One of them even explains why the situation had suddenly changed!