Chapter 15 We have to get her back!

Elara followed the faint whispers and emerged from the shadows into a cavern, deep in the mountains. The whispers got stronger. "You are doing the right thing. Come, bring me out. You will get the best of wealth and riches, armies at your command, many to worship you!" "You only need to dig me out and make good use of me. I will be your friend like no other. No one understands you like I do. With us, there will be no judgement, no condemnation. There will be no distrust between us!" The whispers became even more enticing as it drew her closer. She got to the middle of the cavern and knelt down. The whispers seemed to be coming from beneath the floor of the cavern.

Elara brought out her dagger and started to dig just above the point where the whispers seemed to emerge. Until a strange dark artefact was unearthed. The artefact pulsed with a malevolent energy and she was unable to resist reaching out to touch it. Unlike what she may have expected, there were sand particles in it. Rather, the amulet was pristine. Immediately, it latched onto her wrist and its dark energy seemed to course through her veins.

In addition, the whispers grew louder and seemed to come from her mind, filling it with thoughts of betrayal and ambition.

Lyra was gone

Meanwhile, the battle between light and dark magic continued although it was tilted in favour of the Heroes. They had not yet discovered the unexpected separation of Elara from the group. 

Devon had the sentinel carry Seline and began to retreat when he realised they were losing further advantage. The grievously injured Seline continued her struggle to maintain a grip on her life. 

Mad anger boiled in Devon's eyes as he snarled "We're not done yet!" 

He launched a desperate move and teleported behind Lyra just as she was about to unleash yet another spell. Before she and her allies could react, Devon grabbed Lyra and dissolved into the shadows.

"Lyra!" Zephyr screamed, stretching out his hand but he reacted too late. 

The battlefield gradually grew silent and the remaining dark forces fled. By now, the Sentinel had carried Seline and escaped even as Kael, Zephyr, and Thorne were distracted by Lyra's adoption by Devon.

They stood in the aftermath of the battle feeling lost. Even though they had managed to turn the ambush, they ended up paying a high cost which made their victory bittersweet. Lyra was no longer with them, taken by Devon.

"We have to get her back." Kael clenched his fists in anger. Thorne's eyes were filled with determination as he nodded. "We will. But we need to first regroup and plan what to do next."

"Where's Elara?" Zephyr's sudden question brought the attention of Kael and Thorne to the fact of the missing Elara.

"Over here." Elara's voice sounded as she emerged from the shadows in a corner. "I was chasing the fleeing forces." 

The other three gave no further thought to her excuse and did not spot any change in her. 

"Where's Lyra?" asked Elara as she looked around and did not see her.

"She's been abducted by Devon not long ago." Zephyr replied.

"Enough dallying." Kael spat out. "Let us return to the camp and consider our options."

The sun was setting over the Catalonian mountains as the Alliance Heroes regrouped and started their journey back to the temporary camp. They keenly felt the absence of Lyra. Even though she was the youngest and seemingly the least experienced member of the group, her presence was always comforting and gave them hope. Even though the path ahead was uncertain, they had to maintain their resolve. They now had an added objective to achieve. They would not only continue the battle against the darkness to retrieve the fifth fragment but they would not rest until they rescue their friend.

Planning the next steps

The Alliance Heroes got back to the temporary camp and took several moments to get their wounds tended. Losing Lyra was a big blow to Captain Mira and every agent there. They could see that the loss weighed heavily on the minds of Kael and the other heroes but they encouraged them not to lose hope. 

"You have faced insurmountable odds so far and emerged victorious." Mira put her hand on Kael's shoulder and stated. "I'm sure that all of you can do so again."

Elara gathered the other heroes around the campfire and said. "Let's first come up with a plan to rescue Lyra. Even though Seline is injured, Devon will not stop until they retrieve the sixth fragment. We cannot be sure that he will not harm Lyra in the meantime too." 

Thorne agreed. "Since Seline is injured, they may need a place to regroup. We can try to find out where they've taken Lyra. Our plans must be meticulous and cover any surprises. I can help track them down." 

Captain Mira spoke up. "I will also leave our best tracker with you, Milos." She pointed her head at a lean and rangy agent further away. 

"Thank you. We were caught off guard. That is something we have to work on. We should never be so caught off guard again. We have to fortify our defences." Kael added.

The Alliance heroes felt a growing sense of determination as they discussed their plans. They felt better equipped to face the challenges that lay in their path. They also resolved to better protect each other in the continuing battle against the darkness. This way, they can stand stronger and fight for the light.

With renewed resolve, the Alliance Heroes prepared for the next phase of their mission - to uncover the tracks of their enemies, locate and rescue Lyra, and retrieve the sixth fragment of the Pattena disk. Achieving each of these objectives was key in their effort to restore balance to the realms.

The next morning saw the Alliance Heroes and Milos setting out with steps filled with purpose in their bid to search for Lyra. Thorne and Milos as accomplished trackers led the way back to the clearing at the mountain top to try and trace the steps of the dark forces. The tracks led them even deeper into the Catalonia mountains. Even as they focused on their primary objective of locating and rescuing Lyra, they maintained their vigilance, knowing that the dark forces may strike at any time.

Glarion I am going to check for traces of the Lunarceptor.

Yunis and Aelarion arrived at the hidden sanctuary - a location shielded from prying eyes by powerful wards set by the Planon Alliance agents. They linked up with the agents who were eager to assist them in their mission. 

Now that they were reasonably safe from interruption, Yunis began to report more about the situation to Aelarion. "Mordak's forces are growing stronger by the day. Our allies here in Glarion are few and the Planon Alliance is stretched thin. Moreover, Mordak has been able to consolidate his political power to a very high level in Glarion compared to other planets. As such, even the authorities here may pose a threat in our bid to retrieve the Lunarceptor and stop Varrick before he hands it over to Mordak or his mages."

Aelarion nodded with a serious expression. "I understand all this. I already know about Mordak's growing influence in Glarion. Our first task is to find Varrick. As a Dark Enchanter, he won't be easy to track."

"This is where we need your help the most. You have an unparalleled ability to navigate between realms and your skills in shadow walking will be invaluable." Yunis smiled. 

"Every magical device has a signature. And this is especially true for dark artefacts. We can begin by tracing the magical signature of the Lunarceptor. I am certain I can find its trail and follow it." Aelarion cleared a space in the middle of the room and instructed. "Make certain that no one disturbs me. I am going to check for traces of the Lunarceptor."

Aelarion then crossed his feet together in a yoga pose, closed his eyes and went into a meditative state. He sent his mental energy into the shadow realm and started systematically checking the realms for traces of dark artefacts using his own dark power to sense for the dark aura around such dark artefacts.

He began with the planet of Platymus and saw faint traces of the Lunarceptor as it existed in the past. Of course, he found no traces of it there in the present. He could also not find it in Cantrus either in the past or present. However, he noticed something odd.

Within the mountains of Catalonia, he established the traces of a dark artefact that became stronger recently. In fact, it was getting stronger as time went on and it seemed to be borne by a lady wearing a shimmering cloak. "Hmmm. Interesting." He muttered, wondering who the lady was and what she was doing in the shadows since she didn't seem like a regular dark warrior.