Chapter 58 - Ethereal Battlefield Rescue

Elijah managed to lead his team—Matt, Jenny, Zython, and his two demon pals—to the ethereal battlefield without a hitch. He knew the way like the back of his hand. Matt, however, couldn't help but grumble.

"Why didn't I go with my family?" he muttered. "I feel like I just got lumped in with the problem children."

Elijah smirked knowingly. "Because you two have big mouths and an uncanny ability to curse."

Jenny scoffed. "That is so unfair. I have never—"

"—cursed out loud in the last five minutes?" Elijah cut her off.

Matt snorted. "I mean, that's a fair assessment."

Zython chuckled. "And yet, you two made the cut. I suppose even the reckless have their uses."

Jenny rolled her eyes and whispered an incantation under her breath. In an instant, the group shimmered, their forms blending into the surroundings. Elijah and Zython managed to knock out a few guards with little effort, and Jenny proved to be particularly useful by covering them with an invisibility spell.

Zython gave her an appreciative nod. "You really are a useful little witch. Ever consider dating a demon?" He waggled his eyebrows.

Jenny recoiled. "Ew. No."

Matt immediately stepped in front of her, cracking his knuckles. "Try that again and I'll rip those horns off your head."

Zython just laughed. "Relax, lover boy. Just testing the waters."

Elijah silenced them with a look. "Focus. We're about to enter the battlefield. Remember the rules: act like a trainee if anyone sees you. Guards and trainees don't have cuffs—prisoners do. If we have to, we knock Bastian out. He won't recognize us."

That sobered them up. The thought of Bastian not knowing who they were was unsettling, but they had no choice.

They reached the grand entrance, the heavy doors towering over them. Elijah cracked his neck, signaling that the real game was about to begin.

"Once we're inside, split up. We don't want to be here long enough for our faces to start aging," he said. "Ten minutes. Find Bastian, meet back here."

Everyone nodded, and they slipped in.

The battlefield was a controlled chaos, stretching endlessly like a twisted gladiator arena designed for torment rather than entertainment. There were angels—some sparring, some training, and some collapsed in exhaustion. Others looked barely alive.

Zython was the first to encounter trouble. A trainee stopped him, eyeing him suspiciously. "I've never seen you in here before."

Thinking fast, Zython gave a lazy grin. "Brand new. Just got here. Looking for my classmates."

The trainee narrowed his eyes. "You're late. The next horde is coming soon. You'd better be on the front lines."

Zython nodded, forcing a grateful look before slipping away. He'd rather not find out what 'the next horde' meant firsthand.

Meanwhile, Matt and Jenny pressed against a marble column as a guard passed by. They held their breath. Once the coast was clear, they moved forward and spotted a group of angels crouched together.

Jenny grabbed Matt's sleeve. "That group looks beaten up. If Bastian's here, he'd be with them."

Matt frowned. "We can't reach Elijah from here. Damn it."

Jenny set her jaw. "Only one way to find out. We approach. If they're guards, we run."

They took careful steps, their bodies tense with anticipation. When they got closer, Matt's stomach twisted. One figure, crouched low, looked familiar. The messy brown hair, the broad shoulders—even bruised and battered, he was unmistakable.

"Bastian?"

The figure turned sluggishly. His piercing blue eyes met Matt's… but there was no recognition. His face was blank. His lips parted slightly, as if he was struggling to form words.

"And who are you?"

Matt froze. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me."

Before he could say another word, a ripple of tension spread through Bastian's group. Their eyes zeroed in on Jenny and Matt's wrists—bare, unchained.

"They don't have cuffs," one of them muttered.

"They're not prisoners."

Bastian slowly stood up, muscles tensing. "They're guards or they part of the hordes."

"No, no, no," Matt said, waving his hands. "We're not either. We're here to save you, dumbass—"

A sharp whistle cut through the air. One of the prisoners lunged.

"RUN!" Jenny shrieked, grabbing Matt's arm and yanking him backward as Bastian and his group surged toward them.

They sprinted, dodging between marble pillars and broken training equipment as the prisoners pursued, their faces set in grim determination. Jenny flung a hastily conjured spell over her shoulder, creating a brief barrier, but it wouldn't hold long.

"They're actually trying to kill us!" Matt panted.

Jenny glared at him. "What gave it away?! The murderous expressions or the fists flying at our heads?!"

They swerved around a corner, nearly colliding with Zython, who took one look at the rampaging prisoners and groaned. "Really? You had one job."

"We found Bastian!" Matt gasped. "Only problem is, he wants us dead!"

"Typical."

The prisoners closed in.

"Not to be dramatic," Jenny wheezed. "But I think we're about to die."