“We still have to worry about the guards though.” Rai said.

“Do we? Unless they got our descriptions, we should be fine to just go wherever we want to go. As long as we act like citizens...”

“I’m gonna call that wishful thinking, but we can try it. If anything goes even slightly wrong, then you can use your invisibility to get us out.”

“Yep! Have faith in me, and I’ll keep you safe.” Sin declared.

“Then let’s go. The druids’ coven is supposed to be around the back of the Tree of Life, so we can go around the right side since we’re already towards that end of the Keep.”

“Roger that.”

Rai stood by the exit, waiting for Sin to finish paying for her tea. Once she’d done so, the two of them left the pub.

At first, Rai felt a little awkward trying to act natural in a place where he probably wasn’t wanted. But with a few nudges from Sin, he found his groove and walked naturally alongside her. They both kept their hoods up, to avoid being identified.

The areas that they were walking through seemed far more robust than anywhere in the main city of Draconis.

What surprised Rai was that the children here all played together.

One would think it natural to see such a normal thing, but Rai found it surprising because of the preconceived mental image that he’d built up of noble families. He would’ve seen anything associated with the majority of them to be cold and unkind. To see groups of kids playing outside their houses together, it reminded him of Acies. Of a time when he looked forward to doing just that whenever he accompanied his mother or Jin to the town.

The pure innocence of children playing together was soon broken down the further they walked through the residential area. As they came to the other side of the houses, closer to the Tree of Life, Rai noticed security getting tighter.

More and more guards appeared out of nowhere. His home region’s noble area in the capital was clearly better defended than Aurum’s capital was. Though, Rai attributed that to the Chancellor’s undying wish to save as much money as he possibly could. He probably cut spending on security once he realised that there was very little crime in the city to begin with.

Of course, Rai and Sin’s encounter with B.D. made it clear that the Chancellor viewed the world through money-stained glasses.

Or perhaps there was something more sinister going on behind the scenes...

Rai wouldn’t know, for now at least.

As they walked, Rai’s battle instincts lit up. But there was no one around them with the intent to kill... which confused Rai.

“Do you feel that?” He asked Sin.

“What?” She replied.

“That... in the air... you don’t feel it?”

“What on Zenith are you talking about, Rai?”

“You don’t feel it in your Domain either?”

“Rai, my Domain’s been going this whole time, I don’t feel anything nearby. Can you explain what you’re talking about please?”

He didn’t reply.

For the moment, Rai concentrated. He closed his eyes and waited.

That’s when it peaked.

Instantly, Rai whipped his head to look up at the Tree of Life.

In a window, behind closed off bars, was Father Tully.

He looked down directly at Rai.

Rai couldn’t see that far very well, but he knew that it was definitely Father Tully.

“We have to go. Now. Get us out.”

“Wh-”

Rai grabbed Sin’s hand.

He stared her directly in her eyes.

“Trust me.”

Sin was reluctant for a moment, before she nodded her head.

In that instant, Rai’s world turned greyscale.

His surroundings began shimmering like heat waves in a desert.

Rai gently pulled Sin along with him. They had to leave, and Rai knew it. He didn’t know what danger was about to befall them, but he had to trust his instincts.

Slowly, but surely, Rai realised that they were previously being surrounded.

The guards were hidden behind the houses that they walked past, and followed the both of them quietly. The reason Sin couldn’t feel them in her Domain was that they’d kept their distance, Rai realised. It was only after they’d begun walking back along their path that he noticed them multiple houses down the road.

Clearly, Rai and Sin were pegged as spies, thanks to Father Tully.

Fortunately, Sin was able to get them out of there with her Domain.

Soon, however, Rai would realise just how much trouble they’d manage to avoid by acting early.

As they encroached on where Rai and Sin once were, the guards quickly realised that they’d been evaded. Instantly, the guards backtracked. They began running back along the path that Rai and Sin had followed back. With all of their bulk, Rai and Sin would get crushed under them if they kept moving in the same way.

Rai yanked Sin to the side, roughly pulling her into him against a wall.

They narrowly avoided the guards’ stampede.

Since they couldn’t talk like this, Sin had to follow Rai’s lead. She trusted him to lead them out to safety, but she felt something different in her Domain. It was like a massive presence had entered her range, and she felt how dense it was compared to all of the other guards that just went by them.

Quickly, Sin let down the invisibility spell.

“Rai.” She whispered. “We have to go along the side roads. There’s a really strong guy on the main road. Much stronger than we can deal with right now.”

“Got it. Put the field back on.”

The greyscale view returned instantly.

Rai led Sin down a side road, which took them around to the edge of the Keep. It would take a little longer, but this was probably the best way for them to leave without causing a huge problem.

There were no guards on this road, since they’d all clearly been pulled to join the chase for Rai and Sin on the main roads.

Quickly, Rai started speed-walking as he pulled Sin along.

She matched his pace as best as she could.

Through the passing side roads, Rai caught a glimpse of the ‘strong guy’ that Sin mentioned.

Based on his build, Rai didn’t think he was that strong. But he trusted Sin’s judgement, and acted with that information taking priority over his own shallow judgement. Sin’s Domain felt for more than what the eye could see, so Sin’s assessment was probably correct.

Rai took the opportunity to steal a few more glances at the guy...

Who then looked directly back at him, staring into Rai’s eyes.

He mouthed something at a guard near him. Then, moments later, Rai heard the guards clamouring towards him and Sin.

They’d been figured out somehow. Just like Sin said, that guy was more trouble than they could probably handle right now.

Rai stopped in place.

Sin bumped into him.

He turned around, and tapped her shoulder, or head, twice. He couldn’t tell because Sin’s hood was up so her shoulder and head both felt the same.

The world’s colour returned.

“No matter what happens, you have to maintain the invisibility spell, and make sure that you keep yourself attached to me with your gravity magic, okay?”

Sin nodded.

“I will. Now go. Do what you need to do.”

“Oi! I see em! YOU TWO, STAY RIGHT THERE!” A guard shouted from down the road.

Greyscale once more.

Rai waited for Sin to hold onto him. Then came the gravitational pull.

A bunch of guards began to run down the side roads to where Rai and Sin were. He heard the sound of their boots on the cobble, and their metal armour clanging against the chain links of their chainmail.

Rai’s concentration was intense.

Sin maintained both of the spells, and held on to Rai.

That gave Rai the freedom to do exactly as he needed.

Stormflow.

*BOOM!*

Lightning struck.

But, thanks to Sin’s invisibility, no one could see it.

It took a minute to run to the Keep’s only entrance and exit from where they were. Once they reached the exit, Rai flew through it. He ran, and kept running.

After a few minutes, Rai stopped running. He stopped just near the library that they first visited when they came to Draconis.

Sin released her invisibility spell, bringing colour back to Rai’s world.

He nearly burst out laughing when he saw Sin’s hair. Her hood was no longer up, and her hair was completely on the fritz. The aftermath of Rai running in Stormflow hit Sin in the form of a windswept hairdo.

She took a few moments to fix her hair as best she could, but at this point the only thing that could really fix it was a full wash.

As Sin gave up trying to fix her hair, Rai couldn’t hold himself back from laughing. Her arms flopping to her sides in defeat were hilarious to him, and he made that clear by attracting more attention to them than they needed with his loud laughter.

Sin decided to just tuck her hair into a hairband and leave it at that for now.

As Rai calmed himself down, Sin thought about their next plan of action.

“We’ve been chased out of the Keep, but we got more or less all the information we needed anyway. Maybe we should just wait in our room at the inn?”

Rai centred himself, and then readied his nerves to speak without laughing again.

“G-... good idea. We can use one of our rocks and just wait in that room for Ms. Talvier to open the portal.”

The two of them made their way to Dragonstail, which was nearby. On the way, they heard whispers of a crazy guy breaking into the Keep, and of spies of some kind infiltrating the clan. But that was all they heard. There wasn’t a single thing identifying either of them.

That brought relief to the both of them.

As they entered the inn, the bartender looked over at them. The inn was just as empty now as it was in the morning.

The barkeep ignored their presence and continued about his business, which was absolutely nothing. Rai and Sin quietly went to their room, numbered ‘2’. The door was unlocked.

Sin called forth her keystone rock while Rai closed the door behind him.

She tapped it against the same wall that they exited from before, and the same door appeared in it.

Rai and Sin walked through, entering the empty room on the other side.

The portal wasn’t there.

“It’ll be an hour or so, I think.” Rai said.

“Yeah... what do you wanna do until then?”

“I... have an idea.”

Rai kissed Sin. She returned it even deeper.