“Okay Markus. I think I have deciphered all of the defensive magic circles.” Stella said confidently comparing her notes against her sister’s notes. At first, she had tried to use brute force to destroy the magic circle surrounding the mausoleum by destroying the symbols But she had severely underestimated the surroundings around Mount Terst and had almost killed everything on the mountain when the magic circle destabilized the surrounding mana.

'How was I supposed to know it was a naturally powered formation?' Stella thought to herself as she reviewed everything that lead up to this moment. She had never seen a formation quite this big before, but she had soon realized the benefits of tying a magic circle to the environment versus powering one with a mage's mana. It was almost impossible to break and could continue on so long as there was mana available. Stella realized very quickly what the main drawback was though; It was intricately tied to the environment. She had found almost thirty different symbols that were tied to seemingly random events and time. The time, place, location; even how much free mana was being absorbed by the formation were constantly being monitored. In fact, a majority of her time spent was identifying what triggered the symbols.

She then had tried to overload the interlocking magic circles by manipulating the symbols to give false readings, but instead, the formation just continued absorbing her mana. Where the mana went was a mystery, but nothing seemed to happen. After that, Stella took a very conservative approach to analyze the magic circle. Having Luna inside the mausoleum and recording the changes as she manipulated the magic symbols had allowed her to make a few assumptions that had greatly decreased the amount of time required. It was only after Luna started entering the mausoleum though that the local predators started taking really close notice of them, or so it seemed to Stella. The direwolves, while not fatal to a party their size, were still a threat they had to be wary of.

“Are we finally able to enter and exit safely?” Markus asked, a slight smile on his face. That was the Markus she knew; a confident, prideful man.

“Mhmm, we should be good to go. Everyone, please transfer your mana to me. There is only a small window of opportunity that we can take advantage of. One of the symbols seems to reset every other symbol on a daily basis. So long as I interrupt that, we should be able to gain access for at least an entire day. ” Closing her eyes, Stella focused on the magic formation in front of her. ‘Okay. I can do this. We’ve marked the relevant symbols, so we are good to go. Just have to erase these markings, and that one...and maybe that one. Or was it that one?’ Panicking, she almost opened her eyes, but a quiet voice reassured her, “You can do it sister, believe in yourself.”

‘Phew. I can do this. Everyone believes in me. I know what I have to do.’ Stella drew in a sharp breath and activated her skills with a low shout. “[Mana Link], [Mana Overdrive]!” A line of magic connected the party together and she could feel her mana. Although she was a Nightwalker Class, she had specialized in magic in lieu of close combat. This limited her options in assassinations and sneak attacks but allowed her to support her party in a variety of roles instead.

‘And…now!’ Opening her eyes, she quickly slashed her hand across a portion of the symbols that had floated in front of her, the symbols that she had deduced would destabilize the entire formation. As she slashed the symbols, she noticed the symbols flashing blue for a moment right before she slashed it, causing the symbols to glow a dark red. ‘Huh? Eh?’ The magic circle flashed dangerously and she unconsciously stepped back away from the circle. Her eyes widened with understanding as she realized what had happened. “It’s a mana loop! Someone else is tried to modify the magic circle when I broke it! Back up, quickly!” Stella grabbed Luna’s hand as she raced back to the team, a nervous look on her face.

Markus and Bishnir quickly stepped forward, grabbing their shields and shoving them into the hard, rocky ground. “Stella, do you mean to say someone was waiting for us to break the magic formation?”, he shouted quickly while looking at the surroundings.

“No way, I checked the mountain myself this morning before we started. There was only a pack of direwolf tracks around the perimeter of the magic circle! But they’ve been here since we’ve arrived.” Shavie yelled, bracing Bishner from behind.

Stella quickly hid behind of Markus; Luna watching the magic circle with interest. Stella quickly spoke to the entire party while trying to grab Luna and pull her behind of the large shield, “Without knowing what the other party tried to do, we really have no way of knowing how it will react!”

As they watched, the magic circle twisted; the symbols in the air moving about erratically. “The magic formation is about to overload, whatever happens will happen soon!” They braced themselves as the formation pulsed four times in rapid succession, and the whole formation glowed white for a moment, blinding them. Opening their eyes, they saw a young girl standing where Stella had been, her arm covering her face as though she was blinded as well.

Luna quickly flashed over behind the girl as she started to move, positioning her short sword so that it rested on the unknown girl’s neck. “Stand still. Who are you?”

“Umm...would you believe me if I say I am just a passerby?” the young girl said shakily.

Kicking the back of the girl’s knee, Luna brought her down to a kneeling position. “Don’t tell any lies. Who are you?”

“Luna! Stop it! You won’t get any answers that way.” Stella rushed over, evaluating the girl in front of her. Tears had popped up in her eyes, her light brown hair catching the sunlight. Her grey eyes were looking at each of them, and Stella realized that the look of pain had been replaced by fear. Quickly scanning the girl, she could tell that everything she wore was of high quality and that her headband and bracer were heavily enchanted if her senses were correct. It would be hard to tell in a city environment, but out in the woods, those two equipment were practically glowing in her senses. Stella could feel traces of magic around here, confirming that she was a magic type class, even though she was wearing an archer uniform. She frowned, as there was no real benefit of wearing clothes not suited for your class. ‘Was she trying to hide her class?’

Closing her eyes, she lightly stated for the party to hear “I, Stella Sharman, request the status of the person in front of me.” She watched as the girl wiggled uncomfortably, her mana leaving her body as it combined with Luna’s and the surrounding mana. Words combined in front of her, but quickly jumbled as a thin golden line of mana was suddenly released from the girl; somehow obstructing most of the words from fully materializing.

Isabella Freal

Apprentice Cleric

‘I’ve never seen that happen before,’ Stella thought to herself. But the girl's name and her Class was more of a surprise. Before she could say anything however, Luna quickly hit the back of the girl’s neck, causing her to faint.

“Look at her last name and class!” Stella said quietly, evaluating the now unconscious girl.

“An Apprentice Cleric? What would she be doing out here?” Shavie said as she poked the girl. Turning to Luna, she idly remarked, “I thought you said it was almost impossible to see a Cleric outside of the Healing Halls?”

“It should be,” Luna replied carefully. “And they are usually well protected too. In fact, the Healer Hall in the Alcudian capital rivaled the Royal Keep in some ways. But you should look at her name instead.” She and her sister had gone and scoped out most of the places in the capital, or at least the places that pure demons were allowed to enter. Even she was surprised at how many places she could go unobstructed, so long as she had a reason to be there. Even the Healer Hall was open to pure demons, although there were time restrictions and a multitude of status checks. She had gotten lucky when a carriage had broken a girl’s leg, and she had offered to help take her to the Healer Hall. It had shocked her that she was able to enter and leave without any issues, as well as the healer’s generosity to heal those injured for free. She did not press her luck though since she had recognized the Imperial Sigils surrounding the deeper portions of the building.

The girl's name though was important, at least for her. “Freal. Isn’t that the last name of the Royal Family?”

Markus perked up at that question. “It is. The king announced his name and everything before we fought. Does that mean what I think it does?”, he said as he looked at Stella.

“Mhmm, I think that is what she was doing, to begin with. I think she was trying to teleport into the mausoleum the same time I was trying to break into the mausoleum. Since we disrupted the sequence, it must have transported her here outside of the mausoleum entrance instead of inside. The other flashes must have been it teleporting the rest of her party to different areas.”

“So we have at least four people nearby, and an unconscious Apprentice Cleric. Can we enter today?” Markus said briskly, the idea that there was an unknown, but likely hostile group of people nearby not sitting well with any of them.

“Not today at least. Tomorrow at sunrise would be the earliest we could enter.” Eying the magic circle in front of her, she could tell that the many formations surround the mausoleum were currently behaving erratically. She knew from the past few weeks that the formation would promptly reset itself at sunrise. If she believed the books Luna had borrowed from the library, it had something to do with a new start and second chances.

“Let’s set camp then. I want everyone ready for battle. Stella, release your skills; we’re done for today,” Markus said after a moment. “Wake her up after we set up camp as well. We need to gather more information from her.”

---

As Bishner started a fire, Stella and the girls were still arguing about who will lead the interrogation. “No, I’ll do the talking,” Luna said, arguing with her sister and Shavie. Bishner tried to volunteer as well but was shot done by all three of the girls. “I may have been a little heavy-handed,” she said, ignoring the pointed look from Stella while trying to stop Shavie from taking her fun away. “But I am the best one for interrogating a person. Shavie, you are better at torturing people for information, which is the exact opposite of what we want to do.”

“Fine. But I call dibs next. You know...” Shavie continued to argue with Luna, as Stella walked over to Markus who was keeping watching over the unconscious girl.

“Markus, let me handle talking to her. Luna already made a bad impression, and Shavie is Shavie.”

“Hey! We heard that you know.” Shavie and Luna turned to look at them both, unhappy that Stella was trying a different tactic.

“Markus. Even barring her last name, she needs to live. We need healers back in Trent. You know there hasn’t been an actual healer class in Trent for millennia, and every race bordering us keeps their shamans and healers on a tight leash. The entire army couldn’t even break into the Healer Hall back in Terpii, so we can’t even bring those Human Clerics back with us. I would almost say let’s just forget about the sword; we need her instead.” Stella said quickly, knowing that her sister and Shavie would be interrupting soon.

Stella held her breath, hoping that Markus would agree with her. “Fine. We need the information. If her party is weak, then we’ll go after the sword. If not, we’ll retreat.”

Letting out a sigh of relief, she quickly bent over the girl and held a stick of incense to her nose. The strong odor of the smoke quickly roused the girl, who startled as she opened her eyes. “Isabella Freel, Apprentice Cleric. You aren’t exactly a passerby.” Stella said quietly as she sat across from her, startling the girl even further. “And your equipment is top notch too. So tell me, why are you out here, in the middle of nowhere.”

“Well…” Isabella hesitated to say but quickly eyed the steel bracer the other girl held in her hand. “That's mine!”

“Was yours. Now, not so much,” Stella lightly said, fiddling with the bracer. She knew it held a secret, but she still could not figure out how the equipment worked. “How about this, you tell me what I want to know, and I’ll give you your clothes back.”

Stella watched as the young girl glanced downward, and realized that she was almost naked, as she only had her underwear and the green cloak on. Pulling the cloak close, her face turned bright red, noticeable even by the firelight. “Don’t worry, I undressed you myself. I did pack the pendant away though since it seemed like it was something that is easy to track. Now, think of it as a game. You tell me what I want and I’ll give you back your stuff.”

As Isabella struggled to make up her mind, Stella almost felt bad using her skills, [Truth Seeker] and [Good Friend] on the poor girl. It was an unusual set of skills for a Nightwalker to have, and even her sister did not believe those were a true Nightwalker skill. The best reason anyone could come up with was that it would help get close to unsuspecting targets. Although it worked both ways, as she felt sympathy toward the girl and the situation she was in as well. A curious skill.

“I can’t tell you party secrets. Anything else is fine though. Can I please have my shirt and pants back at least?”, her grey eyes welling with tears. Grabbing the clothes in question, she was about to pass them over until a hand stopped her. Markus grabbed the clothes and set them down in front of the girl. “Answer a question first, little human Isabella. Are you part of the Alcudian Royal Family?” Isabella flinched as Markus stared at her intently.

“You are scaring the girl, Markus!” Stella watched as Luna smacked Markus in the back of the head, quickly scooping up the young girl clothes. “Now, don’t you worry about the ugly looking man over there. You don’t have to be afraid of us, you know.” Luna smiled brightly, handing the clothes over to the stunned girl.

“He’s not ugly though…” Isabella whispered almost silently as she hid in her cape to change; Luna and Shavie had to clutch their stomachs and point at Markus; seemingly making fun of him for having an admirer. Markus for his part just twitched his eye at their fun and sat down near Bishner instead.

Waiting for Isabella’s head to pop back out, Stella spoke slowly for the girl. “We already know who you are. I’ll make it an easy question for you. Are any of your party members an Imperial Scion?” She frowned as the girl shook her head in denial. “Can you tell us their names then?”

She hesitated, but Stella pushed the matter. “We know there are four other people. It’s just their names, nothing else. Names aren’t a secret.” Stella had been in enough parties to know what could and could not be asked, especially under an oath.

“...My aunt Paige, Miss Zenith, Mister Tyler and Mister Nick,” Isabella said after a moment. Luna grabbed a worn book from her side and flipped through the pages, trying to match the names to a person. Isabella’s eyes widened as she saw the Alcudian royal symbol on the cover, as well as blood. “At least two Warriors types then. Zenith and Nick aren’t on this list.”

“Isabella, what countries are Nick and Zenith from,” Stella asked quietly, but the girl continued to stare at the book. Stella turned to Luna, and whispered quietly, “where did you get that book from?”

“From the king of course. It’s not like Markus was going to go loot his opponent for spoils. That’s practically our job.” Luna said off hand, stopping after she realized why Isabella was staring at it. “Crap.”

“That’s Father’s book,” Isabella whispered, tears gathering in her eyes.

“It’s okay. She just borrowed it from him. He can have it back when Alcudia pays the ransom.” Shavie said in a playful voice. Isabella’s eyes hardened with hate as she pulled the cloak closer around her body, her hands slightly shaking. Stella felt her skill weakening and was confused about what was wrong.

“You liars! You killed him and the rest of the capital! Everyone was killed after the fall of the Royal Keep!” She cried, tears falling slowly from her eyes as she stared daggers at everyone around her.

Stella frowned. Her skills were still active, meaning that Isabella was telling what she believed was the truth. “No Isabella. The King was taken to Evidia. The rest of the city is under martial law.”

“Nu-uh. Aunt told me that the Royal Capital had to be changed to Castle Lidale since the capital is now a dead metropolis after the blood sacrifices. Mister Tyler said that father was killed in battle because the generals under the king were all demoted to Fallen Generals since they all survived while the king had died. Even Mother might not survive, not since she was struck by a Nightwalker’s poison.

“Blood sacrifices? Nightwalker poison? What are you talking about Isabella?” Stella was shocked by her statements.

“Tell us from the beginning. Everything.” Markus stood up from where he was sitting, frowning all the while.

--

It took a while for Isabella to calm down, and Stella even had to use [Mana Overdrive] in order to sustain [Good Friend]; otherwise, it was improbable that the girl would have told them anything. “Are you sure about this symbol Isabella? This is very important.” Stella stressed heavily after hearing Isabella’s second-hand count of the deserters. She could tell that Isabella was trying to fight her skills off, but the girl obviously had no real training in how to defend herself from a mental skill.

“Mhmm, Aunt Paige went into great detail about how the symbols and blood sacrifices work. She said that the symbols will increase some characteristic like speed or power, but she didn’t know what price was being paid in response.”

Everyone looked at Markus with worry, as the symbol the girl had drawn matched what Markus had engraved on his back. Luna spoke gravely, “And you said the royal capital was massacred? No one was spared?”

“That’s what Mister Tyler said.” Isabella nodded shakily, her forehead damp with sweat.

Stella noticed the girl was starting to experience mana poisoning and whispered to her quietly. “[[Heavy Slumber]].” Isabella closed her eyes, and the party glanced at each other.

“No worries you said. The Senate wouldn’t start another war for no reason. Bah!” Luna yelled angrily. “Well how about confirmed instances of demons using blood sacrifices and a massacred capital, Markus? And let’s not forget that the royal family is practically on their deathbed, seemingly poisoned by a Nightwalker. Gee, I wonder how many of those are out here in the rear.” Luna and Stella were worried about that last part, as they were supposed to be the only Nightwalkers in the country at the moment.

“...she’s delusional. Trent has never employed blood sacrifices to fight. We don’t have the population for it.” Markus said, trying to dispel his worries.

“We don’t, but obviously all of our neighbors do! Or do you think there is another reason that Evidia was trying to resist the army when we came through?” Luna paced back and forth as she organized her thoughts. Even Bishner and Shavie were having a hard time believing that the Senate would do something like this.

“The symbols Markus. She knew what that symbol looked like and did.” Stella said after a moment. She worriedly looked at Markus, seemingly staring through him at the symbol on his back. “It grows as more people are sacrificed. That’s what she said. How many people have that symbol, Markus?”

“Markus. You said you were feeling better than ever a few nights ago. Are you sure it's not from the symbol gaining power?” Luna said quietly, her voice echoing in the silent campsite.

Markus closed his eyes to think. “...The Senate said they had been researching this symbol for a few millennia. I don’t know much about it otherwise. I can confirm I have become more powerful after having it though. But blood sacrifices? I refuse to believe that is how the symbol works,” he declared strongly. “After we get the weapon and bring back the girl, we’ll confirm how the symbol works. Bishner, refuse all communications from both the Senate and generals. We’ll go straight to my family and set everything straight.” Markus knew that this would have serious repercussions, for both Trent and the rear.

Fiddling with the girl's equipment, he handed them to Stella for safekeeping. “Shavie, keep an eye out for the girl’s party. I refuse to believe they are that weak if they are able to have a Cleric in their party.”

“Everyone else, get some sleep. Shavie and I will keep watch tonight. At first light, we’ll use the girl to break into the mausoleum. After that, we’re going to have a long day of traveling.” Markus sat down by the fire, thinking about many things that night.

---

“Can you make the girl open the formation?” Markus said after watching Isabella struggle to get free. He could tell Stella was hesitating to force the girl, but they needed to get things moving and fast. The magic circle ahead of them had finally settled down and were floating peacefully in the air. “We need to move, and fast. Her party has to be close by now.”

“I can. It’ll just take a little more time,” she replied. Dawn had come quickly, and Markus was ready to head back. The more he thought about what Isabella had said, the more worried he became. He had known that their main enemy employed blood sacrifices regularly, and was worried about what that meant for his own country. Luckily, the others in his party had not gone past the frontlines; as they were being used to boost his attributes at the time. Leaving them behind as he and the rest of the army advanced to close the portal, they had missed the scenes he had seen, and he hoped that the others in the army did not spread the word about the conquered portions of Trent. “I just need to figure out what words she needs to say to disable the formation.”

Death is approaching. Markus stopped for a second, then followed his instincts.

“We need inside the circle, now!” Shoving Stella out of the way, he grabbed the girl and shoved the girl's arms into the magic circle, causing her to scream in agony as the dense mana ripped her skin apart.

“Markus! Stop, you're going to kill the girl!” Stella screamed, the others puzzled by his sudden actions. Blood ran from the girl's arm to the symbols floating in the air; the symbols blocking them lit up bright blue as the girl's blood mixed into them. An entrance slowly appeared in the barrier separating them from the true mausoleum entrance, although it flickered unsteadily.

“ISABELLA!” Two voice screamed out from behind them as two women ran into the clearing.

“Aunt! Help me!” Isabella cried, her voice layered with pain.

“I’ll hold them off. Get inside, quick!” He realized the formation was slowly opening as the girl's blood mixed with the symbols. The formation receded, and he noted that she had to be touching the floating symbols in order for the blood to mix. “Bishner, hold the girl. Stella, let us know when we’re able to pass through. Luna, Shavie, to me!” He hesitated but activated the symbols engraved on his back. He trusted his gut feeling and realized the warrior in front of him was strong.

The sun shining in the west quickly moved overhead, causing the others to realize something was wrong. ‘What type of Skill is that?’ He noticed the warrior had locked onto him, her eyes hard with hate. He watched as she mumbled something to the mage beside her, and they quickly separated, the warrior heading straight for him.

Death. He stopped in place and raised his tower shield, narrowly saving him from being impaled by the Warrior on her first attack. The Warrior knew the skill [Blink]! Quickly parrying her attack, he went on the offensive; knowing full well that the skill she had used would not work on a fast moving opponent. He focused his attention on her, trying to gauge how much mana she had left. ‘It takes a lot of mana to use that skill, so she shouldn’t be able to use attacking skills for the moment.’

Taking a chance to look to his side, he realized that Shavie and Luna were having a hard time fighting against the mage, who had elected to fight in close combat against the two fighters. Streaks of bright green mana hummed around her as she ran toward the formation, Shavie and Luna moving to dodge the attacks. ‘A wind mage, and a close combat specialist to boot.’

Markus quickly dodged an attack aimed at his neck and slashed back with his blade, regretting that he was using a one-handed weapon. Block, parry, slash. He had forgotten how much work it was to fight against a technical opponent such as the woman in front of her. She had excellent form and was fast; her weapon moving naturally as it raced toward his vitals, forcing him to be constantly on the defensive. ‘It’s like I’m fighting my dad’, he kept thinking to himself. ‘She’s a natural Warrior. I have to stop her from getting into her rhythm.’

Bracing himself, he quickly realized that she was constantly moving toward Bishner and that she was pushing him back toward the Mage. ‘Does she think the Mage can hold off three people at once?’ Taking a quick glance at their equipment, he realized that both were wearing some rather impressive gear; almost as impressive as his own when he was still on the frontlines. “If the guards of an Apprentice Cleric is wearing equipment like this, then what does the Imperial Family outfit their Scions in?”

“Shavie, Luna. Hold that Mage off. They’re aiming to rescue the girl!” He shouted between attacks. He heard a “tch” from the Warrior as she stopped in place, intent on trying to exchange attacks instead of passing him. He realized that she was slowly getting stronger as the sun reached the zenith above them, a line of sunlight gathering over both her and her weapons. ‘What type of warrior class is that?’ he thought to himself as he blocked yet another attack, this time noting his shield was starting to warp under the heat and pressure.

“Markus, back up quick! She’s gathering mana and a lot of it!” Stella yelled from behind, protecting Bishner back as he held the struggling girl. Her eyes widened as she looked at the sun above, and watched as magic circles started to form in the air. “She’s a Warrior Mage! Get back here, now!”

“What!” they all yelled in disbelief. Markus quickly bashed the Warrior with his shield and threw the shield at her waist, shoving her back toward the forest they had left from. A Warrior Mage, and a Combat Mage. He realized that the intel they had gathered from the girl interrogation and the king’s book must be off.

Shavie and Luna both used their skills to slow the Mage down, trying different curses and skills to stop her from getting close. They both disengaged once the Warrior started heading their way to help the Mage. Markus stepped next to Isabella and pushed her into the formation, her screams increasing in volume. “Sorry! But we have to get into the formation before that attack lands!” The formation ripped his arms, blood gushing from his wounds as well. He hoped that it would not affect the symbols, and thanked the stars that the formation did not explode. Both of their blood fully combined with the symbols, and the formation flickered out of existence around them. They hurried in, Markus walking forward as he held the whimpering girl until they all had gone through. The blood faded from the symbols fast as she was pulled out of the formation and closed quickly behind of them. The Mage threw blades of wind at them while yelling for them to get away from the girl, but she dared not fire them at Markus for fear of hitting Isabella. The symbols in the air flashed with a faint glow as it absorbed the mana from the attacks. ‘It can absorb her attacks. Good, at least that has not changed.’

He let out a breath as the formation fully closed and tossed the girl back to Stella. “Put something on her wounds and shut her up. Something’s about to happen.” Stella stepped forward and applied lotion on the girl’s wound, silently apologizing about the rough treatment she had endured.

“Hurt her any more and there will be hell to pay!” The Warrior screamed from behind the condensed wall of mana. Both of them tried different attacks, but the formation absorbed the power behind them with ease. They all knew how strong the magic circles around the mausoleum were and relaxed as the formation protected them from their attacks.

As the sun reached the zenith, the warrior shouted out loud while pointing her sword straight above, attracting everyone's attention, “Oh, Goddess of the Solstice, Smite my enemies with your heavenly fire!” They watched as the magic circles above flashed dangerously, and compressed into a line of pure, deadly mana. Swinging her sword down, she screamed [[Mystic Inferno]]!

The formation surrounding them shuddered as the golden beam of mana dropped from the heavens, striking directly above them. He shuddered as a line of mana surrounded him and his party, seemingly avoiding the Apprentice Cleric in their midst. “It’s a controlled attack! She trying to direct the attack only to us,” Stella cried as she recognized what the mana around them meant.

“Can we attack from the inside?” he yelled, the attack above deafening his hearing.

“No, we can’t. The wall of mana is fully condensed. We’re more liable to be transported outside if we try to attack right now.” Luna yelled as she had tried that many times before.

“Oh, what now!” Markus swore as he watched the warrior do a weird gesture, tracing out a symbol in the air in front of her, the sun above splitting into three different parts in the sky. “[Holy Sun Dog], [[Blessed Sun Ray]]!. The suns in the sky shot out beams of light, trying to overload the magic circle. “How much mana does she have available to use?” The formation held steady, glowing a golden yellow after the attacks were finished.

“She doesn’t have a lot of mana Markus, she’s getting it from a deity! A god must be watching over her, Markus; there’s no other way to account for her skills and spells.” Stella had noticed that the Mage was looking in fear at the Warrior as much as they were.

“Will the formation hold? Can it take another attack like that?” Shavie asked shakily. She had never seen an attack like that. The ground outside was glowing red with heat while other spots the stone had turned into glass.

“Yes. Look, the sun is heading back to the horizon now. Markus, we need to go. Hurry up and decide what we should do.” Luna said after a moment, realizing that her shadow was elongating. She eyed Paige and Zenith, who were arguing outside the mana shield. If the girl hadn’t lied, there were at least two others heading this way. Luna silently calculated her odds that they would be able to leave alive, and they did not look good.

“Head into the mausoleum. We’ll grab the sword, then we’ll attempt to destroy the formation from the inside, which should teleport us far away from the mausoleum.” Markus answered briskly, motioning for Stella to pick up the girl so they would be able to enter the inner chambers and the treasury. They had to leave, especially before more reinforcements arrived.