Escaping with worry

When the blue spear spell that hit Shui was cast, Nalos and Bartos were quickly alerted by it. They rushed out to see what happened and found Corin in the area, so Nalos asked him if he was the one who fired off that spell.

"That's right. I sensed someone lurking around and tried to catch him but he escaped."

Corin was being completely honest so there was no point that either of them could criticize. He thought this would at most make them more tense but he didn't know that Bartos came here to report that there was a chance they would be attacked soon.

Nalos and Bartos looked at each other with wide eyes but as he was out of the loop, Corin couldn't understand why.

"To think they could reach this far in here. Perhaps we really should consider evacuation."

"Excuse me Patriarch, but I'm not quite sure what you mean."

Corin entered the conversation in order to fill the blanks in his mind.

Nalos responded, "Bartos here, came to tell me that there was a scout in the late Soul Realm in the forest, and that we might get attacked. I didn't want to believe him but if you discovered him or another scout, then I have no choice."

'That useless trash!'

Corin immediately thought of the person who was in his room a few moments ago. He screamed in his mind about how that arrogant bastard was careless enough to get himself found out, but he didn't show it. There was only a pensive expression on his face like Nalos and Bartos.

"Bartos, now that it's come to this, there's something I have to tell you."

If this didn't happen then Nalos didn't know when he would ever tell this to Bartos, but now he had to.

"What is it?"

"The ones behind the assassination of our younger generation was the Clite clan, and the traitors in our midst are likely connected to them"

"What?!"

Corin never thought that he was afraid of Bartos, but the angry growl that came out of his mouth in response to Nalos, was enough to make him jump. Truthfully, he had only helped with sabotaging the escape charms that year and had no idea about the assassinations of the clan's youths prior to it happening. He, along with Kran, were only trying to ensure that Nathan became the next Patriarch by killing the main competitor that went with him, Shui. However, no matter how he explained it, Bartos' anger reminded him that he would never be forgiven.

"I didn't tell you before since we couldn't fight them yet, but if we really are going to get attacked, then Kalos definitely has a partner. It's likely not the Glaize clan but an outside influence. Bartos, can we use the protection array that you had set up?"

"Yeah, I have the main controller with me."

"Good. Keep it for now. We'll need to come up with a secret plan for the evacuation of the women and children."

Bartos took out a clear blue orb that easily fit in his palm. With this orb, someone other Shui could use the protection array. It needed a beast core as the base so Shui had to personally go out for it. He hadn't needed to hunt a beast spirit himself, he just asked Cin for one. To Cin, they were just spare snacks so he didn't mind giving up one to help his little brother out.

Bartos didn't tell Nalos that it was Shui who made the array, he only said that he had a friend who did it. Nalos didn't ask much about this friend either since he believed in Bartos. And since before now, even Corin didn't know about it, they believed the traitors wouldn't be able to find out, and they hadn't.

'I have to contact them.'

Now that he was sure that he wouldn't meet a good end if his past acts were exposed, Corin fully committed to being a traitor. He knew that he would be haunted by his ancestors, but he didn't think he had a choice. He knew that the Black Dog Bandits would attack with the Clite clan and that there was an expert in the Sky Realm among them so there was no way they would survive. He felt guilty that he needed to betray his dear friend, but his life was more important. There was no chance Kalos would let Nalos go but if he pleaded, then they might allow those below the Soul Realm to survive.

'I'm sorry Nalos, but this is also for the clan. We need to survive.'

While Corin tried to convince himself that his actions were for the benefit of the clan, Bartos asked a question that made him twitch.

"By the way, have you seen Shui? He should be around here."

"Uh, no I haven't."

A part of him wondered if Shui was the one who he had sensed, but he didn't show it. If it really was him then that scout would come back and inform him. However, in the current situation, Shui's death wouldn't make him happy because soon there would no longer be a clan for Nathan to become the head of.

After a couple more minutes of talking, Bartos went back to Lilia thinking that Shui had gone back ahead of him. However when he reached inside, he only found Lilia anxiously reading a page with the window open.

"What's wrong?"

"Ba-Ba-Bartos, where's Shui?"

Bartos immediately got a bad feeling when Lilia asked this so he quickly took the page in her hand and read it. It was from Shui and was very direct. It said that they should escape as soon as possible using the items he sent along with the page, and that he wouldn't be able to come with them. Bartos didn't know if Shui really wasn't able to leave or if he didn't want to leave, but that wouldn't change what had to happen.

"Barry, why do I need to escape?"

He was supposed to talk to the Patriarch about how to do the evacuation but in the message he sent, Shui hinted at the possibility that there would be enemies and traitors working to close off their escape routes so they had to do it as soon and as quietly as possible. Lilia held onto his shirt with a teary expression so he explained it as softly as possible.

"We might be attacked. I need you to escape with the baby. I'll ask my other apprentices if they want to leave with their families and you'll all go together."

"Wait, wait, slow down! What about you?! What about Shui?!"

"I'll stay behind. If Shui's still here, I'll help him escape."

"But you-"

"I can't leave.... I'm sorry."

Bartos tore off her hands from his shirt, kissed her forehead and went to talk to his apprentices. They were only a small fraction of those that needed to escape, but there wasn't any other group which he could convince in a short amount of time. Lilia stretched out for him but her hands didn't reach. She understood what it would mean for Bartos to stay behind. Despite all that had happened, he wanted to die with the clan.

If he was going to die then she wanted to die with him, but she knew her role as a mother. Kate had left the nest but there was another chick left for her. In the future, she would need to be much stronger in order to raise him, so just for this moment, just for a little while, she silently cried.

When Bartos came back with his other apprentices and their families, Lilia was holding the baby with a gentle smile on her face. Of the apprentices, Yur would go with the group of women and children while the rest stayed behind with Bartos. Yur was forced to take this duty since there needed to be someone who could help them survive outside the clan. He wanted to be able to die with his master too, but when Bartos almost got down on his knees to beg him, he gave in.

The ones who were supposed to escape still had tears in their eyes, but Lilia alone seemed serene despite her puffy eyes. Instead of Bartos, she was the one who calmed them.

"I know this is hard for all of you, but we have to go. This isn't our battlefield. If we really want to help, then we need to leave so that our husbands, sons and fathers can fight with peace of mind."

She was surely hurting as well, but Lilia was the one who forced herself to be strong enough to lead. Looking at her like this, Bartos smiled. He was proud that she was his wife.

There weren't enough cloaks for everyone, but there were enough 'Hide' talismans. Bartos' group were already familiar with talismans so they had no problem getting them to work. Though it would be easier to escape under the cover of night, the plan was to escape to Cyrus so they had to leave before the sun set.

After being sent off by those that remained, the escaping group quickly and carefully made it down the plateau. Not everyone had enough stamina for this trip and there was no way they could borrow a carriage, so they supported each other. Just as Shui predicted, Yur noticed a few shady figures around the village at the base of the plateau, but none of them noticed the group so it was mostly smooth sailing.

Once they were near the gate to Cyrus, Yur started worrying. Even if they paid the required fees, it would certainly be suspicious if a group as big as theirs walked into the town. They likely wouldn't be prevented from entering, but it might alert any enemies that were in Cyrus. As Yur worried about this, he noticed a young lady standing in front of them outside the gate.

She wasn't the type to drag away your gaze from whatever you were doing, but once you spotted her you would find it impossible to look away. In a simple knee-length blue dress, she seemed to possess both the kindness of a mother and the loyal virtue of a wife, along with the sexual appeal of a lover. As the ideal for all housewives, everyone was stunned when they looked at her. Yur was the only one who should have recognized her but even he found it hard to compare the anxious sister to the splendid woman in front of him.

The lady pinched the edges of her dress and bowed.

"I'm here to welcome you on behalf of the Master. Are you familiar with the name 'Shui'?"