Chapter 3

Getting Yunara alone was easy. It made her feel terrible that she was essentially kidnapping the little girl. No one stopped either of them and even Yunara smiled the whole time following along like the sweet three year old she was.

Sure as a five year old child must have made it easier, but it just felt wrong. Really, really wrong.

"Something wrong Saranie?" Yunara asked her with a curious look after she had sighed.

'So carefree.' Just a small thought. "Nothing is wrong. I just want to show you something…" 'ugh' "There's this wonderful spot I know that I can show you… magic."

"Magic!" The little girl started jumping around her while screaming in delight. Not what she wanted, but looking around the adults in the street were mostly ignoring them.

'I'll bring her back after I check and then I'll head to the next part.'

Yunara wouldn't be the only thing she would test her theory on.

---

Even though the orphanage was near the edge of the town, she couldn't do it there. Witnesses were a no go. Clearly there were few people that would listen to a three year old, let alone stop her. Considering how Fredjah is, even he wouldn't take her seriously. There was a chance, but little to matter.

It was a run down shed that she had found in the past around the age of eleven. An older building made out of mud and stone, covered and taken over by nature as vines covered the hole she had found back then. Five teenagers were a tight fit, so two children had more than enough room.

Rusted tools, a simple large stone used as a table, rotted mat on the floor that was more vines than anything else and three stone chairs. It was a good hangout, but right now it was nothing more than a terrible shelter, considering the holes in the room that leaked in sunlight. Even if an adult wanted to get in they would need to break down the door which would more than likely destroy the building. Though she never knew why anyone would leave this building standing instead of putting something more useful here.

"Sit there Yunara." Saranie commanded the little girl who quickly nodded, ran and tripped over a vine.

"Ouch!" Yunara started to tear up and sniffle.

Before she could cry, Saranie walked over to her. "It's going to be alight. Don't cry, I'll heal you up." It was a small bump. Something she could easily handle. Casting a small heal to enhance natural healing while removing the pain with her mana was easy. There were many children who had injuries worse during the war. Then she patted Yunara's head. "Does it hurt?"

"It… it doesn't! Thank you Saranie!" Then she quickly wrapped her arms around Saranie squeezing tight.

"Yes, yes. I still want to show some more magic- oh okay." Quickly releasing her hands, Yunara backed away and nodded vigorously. Happily making her excitement known.

Saranie created different colored lights with her mana, making her way behind the girl who was sitting in the chair. There she bit her lip to then use her lifeforce and cast a diagnostic spell on the girl. While she was distracted by the light show, Saranie noticed nothing wrong with the girl.

Though she was checking from bottom to top as it was recommended by her teacher years ago. The body gets more complex the higher you go, with the brain being quite complex. But that was the point she recognized a problem. There was a blood vessel in her brain that was enlarged. While she never dealt with this problem before, she was aware that it presented a problem with everything else being fine. Using her own lifeforce to add to the distraction and to reduce the size of the blood vessel safely stretched her abilities greatly. It took half a bell to get it all done and the little girl barely realized how long that took.

---

While Yunara was disappointed that Saranie had stopped and said they were heading back to the orphanage, Saranie thought about her next move. Their walk back wasn't as eventful, something Yunara made sure to vocalize to her. A lot. Making it difficult for Saranie to even think.

"Pweeze!"

"No."

Saranie had been polite before, but just repeating the same thing over again did nothing. One word responses were good enough for this child. To move forward with her plans, Saranie would need to change how she was getting rid of the little girl. Instead of dropping her off at the orphanage and hoping that one of the caretakers would notice her, she would instead sneak in and put the girl to sleep.

"Okay, I will show you something in your room if you stay quiet from now on."

It took a lot longer for Yunara to answer. Saranie looked to her and noticed the girl was no longer next to her. But that was the wrong move to make. Looking to where Yunara had been, left Saranie to have a cloth wrapped over her face as she was picked up, moving at a high speed. Even spooked like this, Saranie could have fought her way out. With her training, even in a small body like this it would be nothing. The thing was Yunara. There was no way she would let the little girl die just after she had saved her life.

So to stay awake, Saranie cleared her mind with mana, removed the drug from her system, and gave herself clean air to breath. The person carrying her didn't even notice her use of magic, so it was unlikely he was a professional.

The journey didn't last too long. Less than a quarter of a bell easily. Down the street from where they were, to the left down a road, then a right down another, two right turns in back alley ways and through a door where the one who grabbed Yunara was already knocking on the door in a precise way.

The door swung open, no one spoke, the two kidnappers walked in. The room was dark other than a candle on a wooden countertop. They went behind it, down a hatch in the floor, where there was much more light.

Cage lined the walls. Not only were there children, but people about her age. Even if her eyes were partially open, it was clear that no one had hope. Broken bodies and minds.

Both of them were dropped in different cages. It looks like they were trying to even out the number of people per cage. Yunara was put closer to the door on the left side, while three cages down on the same side Saranie was set in that one.

There were seven people, including her, in this cage. Two boys about ten years in age, a teenage girl, a woman and two men around twenty and thirty. It was hard to tell for her as the older woman was moving closer to Saranie to put her in her lap. For right now it gave Saranie time to think as the woman believed her to be unconscious.

Well to start, this had never happened before. Nothing like this happened in her memories to her. There was a time that her allies found a place like this during the war, but it was much larger with both soldiers and vulnerable people. Though that place looked a lot more different. So either her mind was creating this place or the past could be affected more than just what she remembered. Once again her plans were changing.

There was one thing Saranie did think about. Saranie had lived through the war. It wasn't all that long ago in fact for her. Two weeks ago about. It was tough considering all that is and was happening to her, but she should have kept an eye out for anything. When a lapse in concentration can lead to an entire squad killed in front of her eyes- She couldn't keep going with that memory right now. It was too painful. But she should have been more prepared, more alert, more…

Good news was that Saranie had the option to save everyone here. She knew where this place was and could easily find it again. That is of course if she could affect the past and this whole thing is real. Something for later. At least it was something that made her feel a little better.

Right now though, with everyone in cages, still awake, she could wait it out a little longer. Her plan is to break herself out of this cage and Yunara, while leaving the others behind. It wasn't like she didn't want to, but right now she was just testing her powers and throwing a lot more people who would otherwise not be out on the streets might get Yunara or her past self killed. That was an outcome she didn't want and had to avoid until she had more information.

Then that would be her plan. Once she gets Yunara out, she would bring her to the orphanage. Like earlier, use magic to make her sleep. Then go about her other idea.

Saranie 'woke up'.

---

"Little one, are you hurt?" The woman holding her in her lap asked Saranie.

At first she was going to speak but stopped herself. There was no need to and she had seen her fair share of children who just didn't talk.

"You said there were no injuries." One of the men sitting close by in the corner asked this question.

The adults had spoken before in hushed voices. Saranie just didn't deem it necessary to pay attention to it, but now she was.

"What's your name? You can call me Ullen." It was nice to see that the woman was more focused on Saranie as if she was any child.

Saranie could pick up in the way the woman spoke that she was used to young kids. Maybe a teacher or someone who had younger siblings. Maybe even her own child. Based on her clothing, this woman did have money at one point. Sure it wasn't the best of clothes, but it had color that was still fresh and bright in this basement.

"So are you hurt?" The man leaned in closer, careful not to get too close.

While at first Saranie thought this man was frustrated or angry at the woman holding on to her, she was mistaken. This man was clearly trying to be kind to Saranie. Patience. That was something she had learned long ago at the orphanage when dealing with younger kids. He was worried about her safety. So that frustration she noticed earlier was directed at those who held him against his will. He was a fighter and that made her first evaluation of this place incorrect as he wasn't the only one. The other man in the same cage, plus a few others as she looked around.

If there was one thing she was worried about, it would be a certain type of person. Someone who believes that this life, locked in a cage or living like a slave, is better than being free. Someone who cannot live on their own. Begging or hoping for that not to be taken away from them. People who fear being free. She had seen it many times over in a variety of places. Especially-

Memories are triggers for this ability. Avoiding terrible memories are for the best right now.

Saranie shook her head while holding back her past.

"It's going to be okay, little one." The woman holding her was caressing her head at the moment.

Saranie didn't notice right away, but the other man was currently watching the hatch in the floor above. She could see his lips moving and recognized that he was counting. So the events of tonight were so common that he could count out their patrol? She would love to have had this man in her squad. Details and patience.

Since there were no guards down here, possibly due to the smell, Saranie stood up. There was still some time left before night. Her plans required it to be night and a distraction wouldn't be so bad. Thankfully she was here.

"…give her time." There was a moment where she wasn't paying attention, only to hear a small bit from the man talking to the woman. They were both looking at her.

Then the bell went off in the city.

The man who was looking towards the trap door turned towards the others in the cage while the one next to them seemed to turn towards her cage.

"We have a bell before they get back." Different cages around this basement area buzzed with activity.

Quietly they chipped and carved at the bars. It was slow and looking at the cage she was in, they had a long way to go. They must have not been working on this for too long considering the lack of wear on the bars or maybe the kidnappers replaced the cages. All these people could be just as new as the cages. There was no way to know without asking, but she didn't want to make herself known.

That was one thing Saranie didn't know yet and she planned to test it. What happens when she goes to a future memory? That answer will present itself later.

---

Everyone went back showing no emotions as dinner came in. The bell chimed as dirty, partially rotted, crops made their way in the basement. There was a pile near her cage and the one across from hers. From there, her group passed vegetables to the others. Then water was poured down a tube from upstairs. The metal tube was attached to both sides of the basement. It was hard to tell, but it seemed like a bucket of water was the amount they got. It didn't look clean and when Ullen brought her over with the young boys, the taste was awful.

'Children drink this?' Her anger must have presented itself as Ullen commented on it.

"I know it doesn't taste good, but you need to drink it." Ullen cupped some of the water for Saranie to drink.

One of the boys drank some in front of her, to show her it was fine. Even that child was looking out for her. So she drank the water, smiled at everyone, then lied down.

Even when she fought in the war, during winter when morale was at its lowest, never had she dealt with something like this. Food was fresh as it was hunted; water was created by anyone who had a handle on their mana and there was a lot; supplies for fires and structures were low, but everyone worked together to stay alive and fight. This was how a terrible farmer treated their livestock. Feeding them food that rots to weaken and demoralize. That was something she had never seen done to her enemies. They were either killed or treated fairly.

Outliers existed, but she had never seen, heard of it, or been a part of it.

---

Once night came and everyone started laying down to sleep, Saranie prepared herself.

She was fully aware that not everyone was going to sleep. She could even hear Yunara earlier crying out for her, but since they were so far away they never saw her. Although Ullen asked her if that was her name, Saranie just shook her head. No need to affiliate herself with that girl there for right now.

She got out of Ullen's arms, standing up. The boys were laying with their backs to her back. So they didn't wake up, but Ullen did. Her questions were reasonable, but Saranie didn't care right now.

From what she had seen earlier, the bars on the cages would need more time to be manually wilted down. Her magic could handle it silently if she played for time, but she put herself on a time limit. Afterall she didn't know how long this ability would allow her to be here, so she planned to handle everything today.

Two things needed to happen quickly. The bars on the cages needed to go, as well as they needed another way to get out of this building. Shock and awe, not just for the kidnappers, but for the city. That was her plan.

Biting her right pointer finger and lip, Saranie had enough lifeforce to work with. Coating her finger with raw magical lifeforce, it lit up the darkened basement with the rainbow colored lights. She cut the bars to her cage to get her out. As soon as she was out, there she used her mana to create a heavy mist. There were a few that were calling out to her at this point, so she needed to hurry.

The mist covered the basement in a heavy fog. There she used earth magic, well her lifeforce, to create a pillar with a ramp near the entrance to the basement. Even if earth magic wasn't her best attribute, she was precise with years of service behind her. Then Saranie controlled raw lifeforce to cut the floor above her, so that when it fell it would land on the ramped pillar so everyone could run out. More and more voiced, not just from the basement, started appearing. The fog made the confusion worse, but this was her plan.

Once the floor fell, a few people fell along with it. Now she needed to move really fast here. Sending out her raw lifeforce along the cages, hoping no one was holding on to the bars, she cut through them. There were a few yelps, but it should be fine. They'll be fine. At least she told herself that.

Bars holding the cages together dinked on the ground signifying that it was time. There Saranie sent a large amount of raw mana and lifeforce up at the ceiling of this building when she was below the hole she created earlier. Just like when she was buried under mud, the force shot up literally blowing the roof off the place. Then she guided the fog upwards once she was upstairs so that everyone in the basement had clear vision.

It was a little funny to Saranie that the noise calmed down in that moment when the only thing she could hear was the bells from outside ringing at the explosion she created. A quick turn of events happened as three of the kidnappers were quickly assaulted. The metals bars were used as weapons and soon everyone was working together to escape. Kids were carried, those too weak held on to whoever pulled them along, while those willing to fight led the fighting efforts to escape.

There was only one more thing Saranie needed to do.

"Saranie!" It was a scream from Yunara over the mess that she had made. The girl was still looking for her, but thankfully she didn't spot Saranie.

Fights started to break out and the guards were trying to break in. From the sounds Saranie could hear, there was a larger fight going on outside. That must mean that more of these kidnappers had control of this area then.

Since the guards were here and everyone was making their way up the ramp she made mostly unharmed, it was time for Saranie to leave. She made her way north through the streets towards the lord's mansion.