Freedom Awaits

"While Celesia and Lina slowly woke up, they found themselves inside a dark room dimly lit by flickering candlelight. The walls were covered with black drapes, and the floor was carpeted with old rugs. They were tied to heavy wooden chairs, and the atmosphere carried a sense of gloom and dread.

Celesia whispered softly, 'Lina, are you awake?'

Lina murmured, 'Yes, I woke up moments ago.'

'Can you shape a dagger with air serra?' Celesia asked.

Lina replied, 'No... I can only shape arrows at the moment. What about you?'

'I can't sense any water here, and the fluids in my body are low, so I won't be able to shape it. But don't worry, I'm sure there's a way.' Celesia said optimistically.

Lina began trying to untie the ropes, but to no avail. Celesia looked around, searching for an idea.

Celesia shouted, 'Hey... is anyone there?'

A man opened the door angrily, saying, 'What do you want, little one?'

Celesia said with a faint voice, 'I feel thirsty. Could you give me some water?'

The man scoffed, 'Very well, I'll fetch some water, as you must stay in good condition.'

A new voice interrupted, saying, 'Stop... do you want them to escape?'

A woman in a long black cloak entered, her face hidden under an ornate silver mask. She was followed by guards who stood silently in the corners of the room. The woman advanced towards the girls with deliberate steps, her footsteps echoing ominously.

The woman said calmly and ominously, 'Welcome, heiress and count's daughter. Let me guess, you want water to shape a dagger or something similar and facilitate your escape.'

Celesia and Lina exchanged quick glances but remained silent.

The woman smiled wickedly, 'No need to worry. You won't find a way to escape from here. You are in my grasp, and I won't allow anything to disrupt my plans.' The woman stopped in front of Celesia and removed her mask, revealing a face with light pink hair and green eyes. 'I am Marquess Domont, and my aim is to overthrow the Emperor and Crown Prince, and use you to achieve that.'

Celesia asked boldly, 'Why? What have we done?'

Marquess replied, 'It's not what you've done, but what you can do. Your powers can be the key to my plans. If you cooperate, we can overthrow the Emperor and Crown Prince and achieve justice.'

Celesia bravely said, 'We won't help you with anything!'

Marquess smiled dryly. 'You have no choice in this matter. You will work with me whether you like it or not. But let's start with the basics.' She gestured to a guard who brought a bucket of water and placed it next to Celesia.

'Here is the water you requested. Use it wisely, but remember, any attempt to escape will have dire consequences.'

Celesia began to sense the water and quickly thought about how to use it to her advantage. She looked at Lina with understanding and began to formulate a plan to get out of this predicament.

With renewed confidence, Celesia said, 'We'll see, Marquess, who will have the final say. Don't forget you're messing with danger itself.'

At the same time, Lina gathered her energy, ready to use air serra as effectively as possible when the opportunity arose.

Lina asked quietly, 'What do you plan to do?' as she watched the guards and the Marquess attentively.

Celesia replied optimistically, 'We'll need time and focus. We have to stay calm and take advantage of any opportunity that comes our way.'

In the far corner of the room, Marquess looked at the girls with a mysterious smile. She knew she had control, and Celesia and Lina's unique abilities could be the key to her malicious plans.

The Marquess said calmly, as she walked around the room with heavy steps, 'Have you thought about my offer? I want nothing but cooperation. And you will be part of my plans.'

Celesia exchanged a look with Lina, then answered firmly, 'We won't cooperate with you.'

Marquess approached Celesia and pressed her cheek. 'Do you think your non-cooperation will hinder my plans? I can use you even if you don't cooperate with me.' Marquess's face was filled with malicious looks.

Lina shouted, 'Stay away from her!' and created a whirlwind that pushed Marquess away from Celesia.

Marquess looked astonished, 'Oh, how intriguing, you have powerful abilities. But...' Marquess struck the ground, and suddenly stone pillars appeared in front of Lina.

Celesia thought, her expression showing surprise, 'Earth serra?'

Marquess said seriously with scary looks on her face, 'You shouldn't mess with me, little one.' Lina felt scared of those looks.

Marquess continued, 'I'll give you some time to think about my offer. But remember, every decision has its consequences.'

After Marquess left the room with her guards, Celesia and Lina were trapped in the dark, thinking about the available options.

Lina asked quietly, trying to offer a plan to deal with the difficult situation, 'What are we going to do now?'

Celesia answered firmly, 'We need to stay calm and keep evaluating the situation. We have to be ready for any opportunity that may arise.'

As Celesia and Lina were bound in the dark, threads of hope and optimism colored their minds despite the dark situation they found themselves in. They knew they were in a precarious situation, and the decisions they would make now would be crucial to their future.

While the girls continued to think, a faint and slow voice suddenly came from behind the wall they were standing next to. A familiar voice softly said, 'Are you there?'

Celesia and Lina looked at each other in surprise, then turned to the new voice. The voice was coming from a small hole in the wall, indicating that someone was trying to communicate with them.

Celesia responded with excitement and eagerness, 'Yes, we're here. Who are you? How can you help us?'

The mysterious voice grew clearer, 'I am a secret guard of the Empire. I know what happened, and I'm here to help. I have a plan to rescue you, but you must be ready.'

Lina replied confidently, 'We're ready.' She was ready to start the rescue plan immediately.

Celesia asked quietly, curious and eager, 'What's the plan?'

The secret guard quickly and cautiously replied, reflecting the challenge they faced, 'The plan is simple. I'll open a small gap in the wall for you to descend into a secret tunnel that leads outside the palace. There, the Imperial guards will be waiting for you along with the deputy commander.'

Celesia said with joy, 'My brother!'

Lina continued in astonishment, thinking about the movements of the guards and the strict security of the Marquess, 'And how do we ensure that no one is watching us?'

The secret guard replied in a firm tone, showing the challenge they faced, 'I'll try to keep you from being discovered as much as possible. But you must be quick and precise.'

Celesia began to shape a dagger from the water bucket and untied them.

The guard asked quietly, but steadily, 'Are you ready?'

Celesia answered firmly, looking at Lina with a hopeful glance:

"Yes, we're ready. Let's begin."

At that moment, the secret guard began executing his plan, slowly opening the gap in the wall to reveal a dark tunnel leading outside. The two girls cautiously followed, confident that this was their path to freedom and rescue.

As they hurried through the tunnel, both breathed with relief and exhaustion. They knew the road ahead was long and challenging, and they hadn't completely escaped the Marquess's danger yet. Nevertheless, they felt hopeful and optimistic about returning to their freedom amidst the surrounding darkness.

When the Marquess reached the room and didn't find the girls, she screamed in anger, "The girls have escaped! Guards, spread out and search every corner!" She meticulously searched the room until she discovered the gap. A malicious grin spread across her face. "You won't escape because you're in my playground now." Quickly, she created a fissure in the ground to access the tunnel, leaping inside and swiftly moving forward.

Meanwhile, Celesia and Lina continued running. Celesia, catching her breath, said, "We've been running for so long and still haven't found the way out."

Lina replied, "We must be inside a large castle."

They kept running until they noticed light at the end of the path. Celesia exclaimed happily, "That must be the exit, Lina. Let's hurry." But as they approached, a stone wall suddenly closed off their path. They stopped, trying to catch their breath.

They heard footsteps approaching and turned to see the Marquess behind them. She muttered in frustration, "You've tired me out. I didn't expect this bold move from you two. Almost managed to escape, didn't you? Now, I'm not sure what to do with you. You've truly angered me."

Celesia retorted seriously, "And what if you're angry? Do you think you'll get away with what you've done?"

The Marquess was surprised and exclaimed, "What?!"

Celesia bravely continued, "Lina, let's attack." Lina nodded, saying, "I'm ready."

Lina gathered the winds, forming a powerful storm. The Marquess attempted to hurl rocks at them, but the winds directed them back towards her. Meanwhile, Celesia searched for an opening or escape route when suddenly, they heard a crashing sound in the wall. It was the Imperial Knights with Felix. One of the knights smashed the wall using enhanced serra, allowing Felix to swiftly freeze the moment towards the Marquise. She was surprised to find him behind her in an instant.

Felix used his ice breath to freeze the Marquess, who exclaimed anxiously, "I can't move my body anymore! I can't use my serra to free myself. How can I be defeated by a child like him?"

Celesia ran towards Felix and hugged him. Felix placed his hand on her head and said warmly, "Don't worry, I'm here now. Sorry for being late."

The Marquess looked at Felix in disbelief, "Is this the Archduke Ryoger's son?"

Felix loudly ordered the knights, "Knights, put the Marquess in the cell and chain her with sera-absorbing stones."

Both Celesia and Lina boarded the carriage with Felix to return to the Imperial Palace. All traitors were also transported to the central prison for trial the next day. On their way back, Celesia asked Felix, "How did you know we were kidnapped here?"

Felix replied, "Luckily, the Crown Prince noticed your hair tie found in the garden and the arrow embedded near it, so one of the knights tracked a carriage heading quickly towards the mountains, knowing where you were kidnapped. Thank God you weren't hurt. Everyone was very worried about you."

Celesia and Lina smiled at each other happily. Moments passed until they arrived at the Imperial Palace, where everyone awaited them. The Empress ran towards them and embraced them, her eyes filled with tears, "Thank God you're safe. I was so worried something bad would happen to you."

Celesia and Lina felt the warmth and returned the embrace. The Emperor and Henry watched the scene and the Emperor said, "Happy to have you back safe and sound. Thanks to you, we managed to overthrow the traitors and of course they will be punished according to the law."

Henry approached Celesia and hugged her, saying anxiously, "Thank God you're okay. I would have gone mad if something happened to you."

Celesia tried to reassure him as she leaned against him, "Don't worry, I'm fine now."

Celesia and Lina were taken to their rooms to rest after this long and difficult day. Meanwhile, Henry and Felix discussed the events that had unfolded, while the Emperor went to the cell where the Marquess was.

Edward said, "It's been a long time, Marquess Domont."

She smiled arrogantly, "Haha... Indeed, Your Majesty."

Edward said with a chilling tone, "I didn't expect someone as smart as you to make such a reckless move. It was a fortunate coincidence for me. I've always wanted evidence to put you behind bars. Thankfully, the girls weren't harmed, or else you'd be dead now."

The Marquess scoffed, "So you suspected me all along. In the end, you're a sharp one, and fooling you wasn't easy."

Edward replied sarcastically, "Your days of tricks are over, Marquess Domont." Then he left the cell calmly.

Night fell, and Celesia and Lina soon drifted off to sleep. The number of knights around the palace increased, and everyone remained prepared for any emergency after this incident. Morning came, and the trial began. The session lasted an hour before the judge announced, "Marquess Domont and her accomplices are sentenced to life imprisonment in the northern prison."

Thus, Marquess and her entourage were sent to the prison in the cold northern mountains, and peace and security gradually returned to the Imperial Palace. Celesia continued her studies and her life, with Lina by her side helping her, hoping that one day they would achieve their dreams.