Ep.32 Secrets and Lies Part 2

"You guys need to leave... NOW!" The words exploded from Ms. Vera's mouth with the force of a thunderclap, making us all flinch.

"W-why? I-I don't get it. What's going on? Please—tell me something, anything," I pleaded, my mind drowning in questions. The vessel, the order, Maya's intended execution, Ms. Vera's sudden change of heart, our urgent departure—each mystery spawned a dozen more, creating a maze of confusion I couldn't navigate.

Ms. Vera cut through my spiral of thoughts with a voice sharp as steel. "I'm sorry, child. I don't expect you to forgive me, nor should you. I have wronged you these past couple months, plumping you up like cattle to the slaughter." Her eyes dropped, heavy with sorrow and regret. "I don't have time to explain. They're always watching... always listening, and soon they'll know I failed to do my job. They'll come to do it themselves."

She placed a hand on my shoulder, and I couldn't help but flinch away—a reflexive response to the violence we'd just witnessed. The gesture seemed to pain her, though she swallowed whatever words she might have said about it.

"Who are they? What do they want?" I demanded, frustration bleeding through my fear.

She straightened, withdrawing her hand. "There's no time to explain, child, and I'm afraid even if I wanted to, I wouldn't be able to. We don't have much time." Her expression hardened. "If you want to protect Rowan and Maya like you're always saying, grab them and listen to me."

I hesitated, frozen by indecision, until she barked, "GO, BOY!" The command jolted me into action.

I rushed to Rowan, who remained slumped against the wall where he'd been thrown. His injuries had left him barely able to move. Though my own body screamed in protest, I ignored it—I could endure any amount of pain if it meant keeping them safe. Ducking under his right arm, I helped him up, becoming his living crutch.

"W-what's going on, Kai?" he whispered, fear and worry threading through his voice.

I met his eyes with a steadfast gaze. "I don't know, but I do know we're still in danger and we need to leave... now." He nodded, accepting the gravity of our situation without further questions.

When we approached Ms. Vera and Maya, I witnessed something that twisted my heart. Maya, finally back on her feet and rubbing her bruised throat, caught sight of Ms. Vera's outstretched hand and immediately cowered, throwing her arms up to protect her face. This wasn't the confident, spirited Maya I knew—this was someone broken by betrayal, and the sight of it filled me with rage.

But Ms. Vera didn't strike. Instead, healing magic began to flow from her hands as she spoke softly, "It's okay, child... I won't hurt you anymore... I'm sorry." Each word seemed to drag her deeper into despair.

Maya slowly lowered her guard, but her eyes remained hard, a storm of emotions—anger, confusion, and heartbreak—brewing behind them. "Why?" she managed, her voice trembling as tears threatened to fall.

"Because I'm weak," Ms. Vera answered, the cryptic response hanging heavy in the air.

"Everyone's here now. What?" I pressed, impatience born of fear making my words sharp.

Ms. Vera moved to heal Rowan and me, her magic soothing our worst injuries. "I'll create a portal as close to the farthest town as I can. Once there, you'll have to figure out what's next. But whatever you do, don't stop training, don't stop getting stronger. A hard road lies ahead of you, with many powerful foes—people well past me in strength. You need to be strong enough to defeat them and anyone else who may come for you."

She paused, taking in our bewildered expressions. "I know you don't understand what's happening, and you're confused. If I could explain everything here and now, I would... but I can't. All I can say is, Kai—" her gaze intensified "—you're more special than you could possibly imagine. A life of nothing but hardship awaits you, and I'm sorry for it, but endure and keep moving forward... for them." She glanced at Rowan and Maya, who stood beside me like anchors in a storm.

Suddenly, her expression shifted to worry. "It's time to go. They're almost here."

Turning away, she extended her palms and began to chant under her breath. Pure mana coalesced in the air before us, expanding into a human-sized oval. A portal—yet another wonder in this world of magic that still managed to amaze me despite everything I'd seen. The beautiful white hue of the oval hung in the middle of the room, its otherworldly light casting strange shadows on our faces and making the moment feel even more surreal.

I found myself captivated by its glow, this doorway to escape—or perhaps to even greater dangers. But in this moment, any path away from here seemed better than staying to face whatever approached.