The boy sprinted through the twisting tunnel, claws striking the wet stone as he propelled himself forward.
His breathing was ragged.
Blood trailed faintly behind him from the wounds across his body.
Then—
The tunnel suddenly opened into a wide underground intersection.
Several round drainage tunnels branched off in different directions, like the holes of a labyrinthine maze.
The boy skidded slightly as he came to a stop.
His glowing blue eyes darted from one tunnel to another.
His ears twitched rapidly.
Listening.
Behind him—
Footsteps.
Voices.
They were getting closer.
He glanced into one of the tunnels.
A faint glow revealed a barrier blocking the passage further inside.
Dead end.
His ears twitched again.
Closer.
Without a second thought—
He turned toward a different tunnel.
Dark.
No visible barrier.
No light.
Nothing.
He dashed inside instantly.
At that exact moment—
The pursuers burst into the intersection.
The six men stopped abruptly, eyes scanning the branching tunnels in confusion.
"Damn it!"
One slammed his fist against the wall.
"Which one did the brat take?!"
Another growled in frustration.
"He must be hiding in one of them!"
Then—
A slow set of footsteps echoed behind them.
Serethra entered the chamber with calm, deliberate steps.
Her eyes swept the tunnels once before she spoke softly into the darkness.
"Darling…"
Her voice floated through the sewer, smooth and teasing, yet carrying a dangerous weight.
"You're making this difficult."
She tilted her head slightly.
"If you keep this up…"
"…you might get me into a little bit of trouble."
The men remained silent as she continued.
Her voice was gentle, almost affectionate.
But the meaning behind it was anything but.
"And if you do manage to escape…"
Her faint smile returned.
"…you should keep in mind that I'll simply replace you with a certain someone else."
The words hung in the air like a blade—both a threat, a warning, and advice, all at once.
Deep inside the dark tunnel—
The boy's jaws clenched tightly as her voice echoed through the passages.
His claws dug harder into the stone, but he didn't slow down.
Serethra's voice continued drifting through the tunnels.
"And don't forget…"
Her tone softened slightly.
"…our deal."
Serethra stood calmly at the center of the intersection, her purple hair swaying lightly in the damp air of the sewer.
Her eyes slowly scanned the branching tunnels.
Then she spoke, voice steady and commanding.
"There are eight paths."
She raised a finger, pointing toward the tunnels one by one.
"You six will each take one."
Her tone remained calm, yet every word carried authority.
"Search every inch."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"When you find him, restrain him immediately and contact me."
A faint smile touched her lips.
"I will personally come collect him."
She then gestured toward the two remaining tunnels.
"I'll search the last two myself."
The men straightened instantly.
"Yes, ma'am!"
Without wasting another second, they split apart—boots splashing through the foul water as each rushed into a different tunnel.
Within moments—
The intersection fell silent again.
---
Deep inside one of the tunnels—
The boy ran as fast as his wounded body allowed.
His claws scraped against the damp stone floor while his tail flicked sharply behind him for balance.
He turned sharply around a corner—
Then suddenly stopped.
His eyes widened.
A barrier glowed faintly ahead of him.
Dead end.
His jaws clenched tightly.
His ears twitched.
Behind him—
Footsteps echoed faintly through the tunnel.
The man who had entered his path was getting closer.
The boy's glowing blue eyes scanned the tunnel quickly.
There was only one entrance.
The one he had come from.
Going back wasn't an option.
Not with them there.
His breathing grew ragged, chest heaving rapidly.
But he forced himself to calm down.
Slowly—
He slipped into a narrow shadow between a cracked section of wall and a collapsed pipe.
His body pressed tightly against the cold stone.
He controlled his breathing, forcing it to become quiet despite the pain tearing through his chest.
Closer.
The footsteps drew nearer.
The boy's glowing eyes dimmed slightly as he melted into the darkness.
Waiting.
The boy pressed himself deeper into the narrow shadow beside the cracked wall, forcing his ragged breathing to slow.
His ears twitched.
Footsteps.
But—
Not from behind him.
From the **other side of the barrier**.
His body immediately tensed.
Voices followed.
Low.
Unclear.
The boy's glowing blue eyes narrowed as he listened.
Then—
A hand suddenly pressed against the glowing barrier.
The surface of the spell rippled like disturbed water.
For a brief moment—
The barrier **opened**.
Just enough for someone to pass.
Draven stepped through calmly, his hand lowering as the barrier sealed again behind him.
Vaelith followed next, still carrying Lucifer and Elenya carefully in her arms.
Lyriana stepped through after her, eyes immediately scanning the dim tunnel.
The cultist came next.
And finally—
Aldric.
The moment he stepped inside the tunnel, he wrinkled his nose in disgust.
"Unbelievable," he muttered loudly.
"We escaped an army, fought half a damn city…"
His boots splashed through the foul water as he walked.
"…and we're still walking through sewer sludge."
He glanced around the dark tunnel with irritation.
"This better lead somewhere soon."
Draven didn't respond.
He simply continued walking deeper into the passage.
Hidden in the shadows nearby—
The boy watched them.
Completely still.
The group continued deeper into the tunnel, the faint echo of their footsteps mixing with the slow trickle of sewage water along the channel.
Aldric was still complaining.
"…I'm still saying it," he muttered irritably, stepping over a broken section of stone. "After going through all of this, we'd better be able to get on an airship."
His red eyes narrowed.
"Because if we can't—"
Suddenly—
He vanished.
In the next instant he **reappeared beside the cultist**, their faces barely an inch apart.
His red eyes stared straight into hers.
"—then I'm going to make sure a certain **rat** pays for making me behave like one."
The cultist didn't even slow down.
She kept walking as if nothing had happened.
"You know it wasn't my decision alone."
Her voice remained calm.
"It was a general decision."
She glanced ahead down the tunnel.
"Everyone agreed to it."
Her eyes shifted slightly toward him.
"It's not like I forced it on anyone."
Then she added flatly—
"And no one else seems to have a problem with it."
A brief pause.
"Except you."
Aldric stared at her for a moment.
Then he scoffed.
"Oh, don't start pretending like you didn't enjoy suggesting it."
He leaned back slightly, walking beside her now.
"You've probably crawled through more sewer tunnels than all of us here combined."
His grin widened faintly.
"Feels like home to you, doesn't it?"
Ahead of them—
Draven continued walking without reacting to the argument at all.
Vaelith followed quietly with the children.
Lyriana sighed softly under her breath.
The cultist still didn't look at Aldric.
"Strange," she said calmly.
"For someone complaining so much…"
"…you're still walking through it."
Behind the cracked wall in the shadows—
The hidden boy watched the group carefully, his glowing blue eyes fixed on them while his ears twitched at every word.
The group continued deeper through the narrow sewer tunnel, the sound of dripping water echoing faintly around them.
Then—
A figure suddenly stepped out ahead.
One of the men searching the tunnels.
He froze the moment he saw them.
Draven and the others stopped as well.
For a brief second, everyone simply stared at each other.
The man's eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Who the hell are you people?"
Aldric looked at him with a bored expression.
"We could ask you the same thing," he said casually.
Then his tone sharpened slightly.
"So you'd better ask nicely."
His eyes glimmered faintly.
"I'm already a little irritated—"
Before he could finish—
Lyriana moved.
**BOOM**
Her fist shot forward like lightning.
It punched straight **into and through** the man's chest.
Blood exploded outward, splattering across the damp stone walls.
The man's eyes widened in shock as Lyriana's arm remained buried through his torso.
She grabbed his hair with her other hand and pulled his head down.
Then—
She leaned forward.
And bit into his neck.
The sound of tearing flesh echoed through the tunnel as she **drank**.
The others simply watched.
The man's body twitched weakly before going limp in her grasp.
After a moment—
Lyriana pulled away.
Blood stained her lips.
She released the corpse.
The body dropped heavily into the sewage water with a dull splash.
Aldric blinked.
"…Really, Lyriana?"
He raised an eyebrow.
"Were you that hungry?"
"You didn't even hesitate."
Lyriana wiped the blood from her mouth with the back of her hand.
"We need to get rid of anyone we come across."
Her voice remained calm.
"That way we can do what we need to do without any mishaps."
She glanced briefly at the corpse floating in the water.
"And I haven't eaten in a while."
Aldric shrugged.
"I guess that's fair."
But then—
His eyes slowly shifted toward the cracked section of wall further down the tunnel.
Right where the boy was hiding.
A faint grin spread across his face.
"Oh."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Then we can't let **this one** off."
Hidden in the shadows—
The boy's heart slammed violently in his chest.
A crushing pressure suddenly filled the tunnel as Aldric's gaze locked directly onto him.
He had been found.