[The Church of Arbor attacked us.]

A scowl remained in Athos' face. His emerald eyes seething with anger, brows arching in annoyance, and his fists were clenched in frustration. His hope for a safe escape from Anima, the capital city was now gone.

The involvement of the Church of Arbor and the appearance of a Calamity in the city was a river they couldn't cross. Even if they did escape, divine punishment would follow them anywhere.

In addition, Athos' inability to use foresight made him even more nervous, the feeling of uncertainty was overwhelming and it seemed that the only likely means of escape was death. He hated to admit it, but their adversaries thoroughly planned for their demise.

[My prince, please do not lose hope.] Omri patted Athos' back gently. He saw Athos' face darken and turn pale.

[But my parents… I don't want to leave without them! If it is Fated, then…] Tears started to well up on Athos' eyes.

[...I would rather die along with them.]

Omri then wrapped his arms around Athos and gave him a hug. [Prince Athos, please do not think of such useless things!]

Omri's embrace tightened.

[There was a reason why their majesties wanted you to escape, they wanted you to survive and live on.] Omri felt his shirt get wet with Athos' tears.

[Do not throw yourself away like that, Athos!]

Omri was familiar with Athos' situation when his adopted parents had to protect him from the House of Fidelis. Omri had to choose; to live and survive in peace with his adopted parents or be killed by his blood relatives. He chose to move forward with the Cura couple and in turn, lost his paternal parents when House of Fidelis crumbled. It was a decision that made him carry the burden of his existence.

[My prince, when I swore to you to become your shield, I remember my parents… The sacrifices they've made, the hardships I've had to go through, and the guilt… all of it to keep me safe and alive.]

Omri then bent down and held Athos' face gently with both hands. He stared at Athos' crying face and gently wiped the tears with his hands.

"Please do not carry the burden alone. No matter what happens, I'll protect you and I'm always here for you." Omri smiled at Athos gently, his eyes expressing genuine concern.

*Dong*

*Dong*

*Dong*

The solemn moment was broken by the loud bells of Anima's Clocktower. It was now 2:00 in the afternoon and the ringing snapped both Omri and Athos back to their senses.

"Brothers and sisters! Assemble! It is almost time for the Great Judgement, march onwards to the central plaza!"

A man in a gray Seditio robe rallied the officers on the street. The robed man caught a glimpse of Omri and Athos, then approached them with haste.

[My prince, please keep calm and settle down.] Omri glanced nervously at Athos, he saw a hint of panic in the child's eyes as Athos hastily wiped his face.

[I'll do the talking, you don't need to to worry.] Omri patted Athos' head.

The robed man then reached out and grabbed Omri's shoulder. "Brother, what are you doing? Children should stay at home. Are you planning on bringing your little brother with you to witness the Great Judgement?" The robed man gave Omri a suspicious look.

Omri swallowed his nervousness and replied back in an earnest manner. "My little brother got lost in the alleyways and was terrified of the city, he just moved in with me last night. I just found him earlier and I'm bringing him back home."

"Ah, troublesome kids." The robed man sighed then looked at Athos with an amused expression. "Hmmm…"

A haughty grin suddenly formed on the man's face.

"Though it is not bad for the children to see the birth of a new world. You should come with us and witness its greatness, little one!" He then grabbed both Omri and Athos on their shoulders. "Let us march together to the plaza and solidify our brotherhood!"

Omri and Athos were stunned as they were dragged away.

**

There was a slow but steady march of Seditio officers along the main street. The sound of people walking towards the distant central plaza caught the attention of curious onlookers. Some joined into the parade while some residents saw through the intimidation and opted to shut their windows and curtains at the sight of it.

At the rear of the formation, however, there were two individuals who slightly stood out. It was a pair of worn-out brown-haired siblings, the parade leader took an interest in them and requested them to participate on the said march.

[My prince I'm sorry I got you dragged into this. We should have taken the alleyways instead of the main road...] Omri said telepathically while glancing at Athos with an apologetic stare.

[...]

Athos was deep in thought and was not able to pay attention to Omri's words. He was thinking of the information that the robed man had said earlier.

'Why were they gathering at the central plaza? And what is The Great Judgement? Sunset is just a few hours away, we really need to r-'

[My prince!]

Athos' trail of thought was disrupted by Omri's telepathic message. He then glanced at Omri, there was a glint of hope in his eyes.

[It's the blood bond! I-I just felt Miss Sagitta's bond resonate in my chest! I think she's safe… I-I can't feel Sir Turris' though.] Omri frowned a bit before continuing.

[I can feel the bond's throbbing getting stronger. I think she's tugging it on purpose.] Omri's eyes widened.

Hope started to return to Athos and Omri's faces. The thought of obtaining another ally would increase their chances of escape.

Bonds were mutual connections that form when two or more Threads of Fate come together.

There were three types of bonds. The most common one was the Familial Bond, this is formed when individuals marry and produce offspring causing a link between blood relatives.

The second one was Blood Bonds. This is a bond formed when two or more individuals exchange their blood for the basis of a compromise. The blood exchange also serves as a link between Threads of Fate. Should the bond be violated, a penalty will be applied depending on the terms agreed by its contractors.

Lastly, was the Covenant Bond. A contract imbued with Fate that is written or documented, the individuals who signed the said contract will have their Threads of Fate forcibly linked. Should the bond be broken, divine punishment or death will befall the violator.

'Omri said not to lose hope. If Sagitta is alive, then, she might know what happened to mother and father after I left.' I sighed. 'If the blood bond is resonating then she's within the area.' I felt a renewed sense of hope.

[Omri, we must Sagitta as soon as possible.] I glanced at Omri with a determined face.

[As soon as the parade reaches the next block, I'll cast a stealth enchantment. Hopefully, no one will notice our disappearance here in the rear.]

Omri looked at me with a worried expression.

[But, my prince your mana hasn't yet recovered yet, will you-]

[I can manage, that's why we need to find Sagitta within this hour or less. You said you can sense her right? Then let's use that to find her quickly.] I then held onto Omri's right hand and gripped tight.

[I don't feel any sorcerers or witches from the Church nearby, we should be safe. If in any case, something happens, you can carry me, right?] I gave a sheepish smile to Omri as he nodded in agreement with a hesitant face.

[I can see an alleyway up ahead, we'll go there in 5 seconds.] I took a deep breath then counted down.

[5, 4, 3, 2, 1… Now!]

I activated two enchantments, haste, and stealth at the same time. I felt my vision blur for a bit, but I had to endure this until we got out of the parade.

Omri and I ran as fast as we can and entered the narrow alleyway. The noise from the main road was silenced as we moved further away, eventually stopping near a narrow cul-de-sac.

"Phew, we made it." I sat on the ground to catch my breath. I looked at Omri who looked as equally exhausted as me and was lying on the ground.

"Haaa… haaah. My prince, the bond…" Omri held both his hand on his chest. "It is pulsating… I feel like Miss Sagitta is close."

Omri finally managing to catch his breath, sat up. He then took a deep breath and concentrated on his breathing.

"I'll invoke the bond now."

A faint light started to appear on Omri's chest. Then it started to glow golden.

"Though we are not bonded by blood. I wish to see you, Mother." Omri slowly closed his eyes to concentrate. "Where are you?"

Then I saw it, a thread as red as blood manifest from Omri's chest. The thread grew long and floated above our heads. Eventually, the thread exposed its entire length. It was leading us to a narrow descending footpath just a few steps away from the cul-de-sac.

"My prince, can you see it?" Omri then looked at me with anticipation.

Unfortunately, since Omri was only a half-Moira he wasn't able to see bonds, he can only feel them. It was my turn to lend him a hand.

"Yes, and it is very vibrant, I'll help you find Sagitta." I got up and extended my hand to Omri. "Follow me."Omri stood up and held my hand gently.

We then walked down to the footpath near the cul-de-sac. We had to take a bit of time as the steps were steep, the air in the pathway was cold and damp. The skies were still cloudy and it made the pathway a lot darker. It was an ominous sight as the blood bond floated above our heads. Thankfully only I was able to see it.

As soon as we reached the last step, we felt a field of mana in front of us.

"What is this? Is this a warding barrier? I looked at Omri with a puzzled expression. "This is a bit...excessive." I knocked on the barrier. It felt like a thick wall of glass.

"This is Miss Sagitta's protection ward, for it to be this strong…" Omri paused and frowned.

"Prince, may I borrow your sword? I just need to disable it." Omri then looked at me in the eyes, it was full of resolve.

"Alright, I'll let you take care of it." I then pulled out the shortsword from my spatial inventory and handed it over to Omri. I then stepped back to make room for him.

I saw Omri take a deep breath then calm his nerves. His right hand then held onto the sword and proceeded to cut his left hand with it.

"I Omri Fidelis, request for safe passage. I offer proof of my blood as a token." He then smeared his blood at the barrier.

The barrier shattered like broken eggshells. We felt the field of mana disappear. Omri then cast a healing spell on his wounded hand to stop the bleeding.

"We can pass now my prince. Let us go."

~~~~~

To be Continued.

~~~~~