Ci: Those damn creatins! I’ll freeze you all to the bone!

Akeru: W-Wait!

Itsuki: Wait?! I think they want to kill us!

Akeru: Ci, run!

Ci: Did you not only give me orders...but orders to run?!

Akeru: Think about it; this is our mess. You’ve been locked up in that tower…they have been waiting for this.

Itsuki: That’s a good point…and what if they have anti-magic cells like Cleo had?

Ci: I highly doubt that even the highest skilled Mage could pull that off…only a few of us are even able to cast that. Nonetheless, you make a fair point.

Akeru: Watch for us in your tower; we will come back for you!

Ci: Like I need two children to come to retrieve me from a tower!

Ci quickly floats away as the AWF shoots fire spells at her to no avail. Itsuki and Akeru got in defensive positions as Itsuki shot his Pyro spells at the group. Then, the AWF turned their attention to the two and shot at them with various spells. Akeru was protected with her ring as Itsuki summoned his katana and blocked the low-level attacks.

Akeru: These are the Federation…?

Itsuki: Kind of a joke, honestly-

The two instantly fall to their knees with their eyes widen.

Akeru: W-What happened?! Why didn’t my ring protect me?!

Itsuki: I can’t move!

???: Obviously…Gravity does that to you.

The two looked to see the jeweler walking from behind them. He then walked in front of them, and he looked down.

Akeru: You! You are with the Federation!?

???: Yep… lock them away. We can use them as bait.

Itsuki: Bait?!

???: According to our sources, you are with the Ice Witch…and the Twilight Witch.

The AWF members cuff the two and lead them to a vehicle out in the distance. They throw them both in and close the iron hatch, driving to an unknown location.

Akeru: I don’t understand…she said it would protect me from magic; why did it not work?

Itsuki: She did say most types of magic…but I have never heard of Gravity before. I didn’t see it in my books anywhere.

Akeru: Where…are your books?

Itsuki: S-Shit, I left them in the ice tower!

Akeru: You idiot!! Aurora said to keep them safe!

Itsuki: I-I was too focused on leaving; I dropped them and then forgot about them!

Akeru sighed as the two were transported to a steel-based mobile base. A door opens to let the vehicle in as the AWF members take the two out and throw them in two completely different cells, far away from each other. Itsuki tried to cast something, but nothing worked.

Itsuki: Great…so I was right about them having anti-magic-related things. But if that is the case…how…?

Akeru sat against the wall in her cell. She still had her ring, but she rested her head against her knees.

Akeru: How do we get out of this mess…where did they even take us? I don’t think we can get a rescue from this place.

The two stayed in their cell, looking around and thinking of a way to escape. Then, near Itsuki’s cell, he could hear two members of the AWF talking down the hallway.

Guy 1: Did you hear the good news?

Guy 2: Good news? About what? The Ice Shackle?

Guy 1: That and the Sand Beast Key!

Guy 2: Sand? Isn’t that Archerd’s territory?

Itsuki: Archerd?! That’s Cleo’s assistant! So he is with the Federation?!

Guy 1: Yeah, apparently that dumb Sand Witch hid it in her treasure temple and sent two fools to get it all…but they stole it all!

Guy 2: Bet she didn’t see that coming! What a joke, so the Key was in the treasure?

Guy 1: Yeah, he and their guard captain retrieved it from the pile before she noticed!

Itsuki: That captain was part of the Federation too?! How many of them are hidden like that?! Not to mention that jeweler was with them too...

Guy 2: We will get rid of those Witches at this rate! That dumb Ice Witch thinks that she is protecting the Ice Shackle, but what she doesn’t know is that we already-

Jeweler: What are you two idiots doing…

Guy 1: Ah! Gavolt!

Guy 2: S-Sir, we were just-

Gavolt: Yelling the news throughout the base…keep it down, we have prisoners who can hear you…I could hear you from far away.

Guy 1: S-S-Sorry, sir!

The two stormed off as Gavolt walked away from them, sighing heavily. Itsuki mumbled in his cell.

Itsuki: So that means…they’ve been stalling her this entire time, and she never noticed…

Itsuki kept trying to use magic, but it kept failing.

Itsuki: Damnit…I need to find a way out of here…there has to be something!

Back at Akeru’s cell, she couldn’t think of anything to help her escape. The cells were all steel…and even if she escaped, how would she get out without alerting anyone?

Akeru: This sucks…hopefully Itsuki finds a way out…and I hope Ci makes it home, alright…