Chapter 14- Rescue~1

A past etched in scars.

Shelly and Eve once lived among the elves. But for Shelly, the only good memory of those days was her elder sister.

They never knew their mother. Raised by a single father, they lived in poverty—not just struggling, but drowning in it. Their hometown, already suffering from barren land and an isolated location, was no place for a decent life. Traders rarely bothered to come, and people left whenever they could, searching for work in far-off lands.

Their father should have done the same. Should have found a way to feed his daughters. Should have protected them.

But all he did was gamble.

And when gambling wasn't enough, he stole.

Shelly still remembers the nights when men would come knocking—furious, shouting. Her father would laugh, drunk, and tell them, "Luck wasn't on my side today. Try again tomorrow."

Tomorrow never changed.

He only gave them a roof, nothing more. Food? They had to earn it themselves. Shelly and Eve worked wherever they could, sometimes cleaning, sometimes carrying loads heavier than their small bodies could handle. Their hands were rougher than they should have been. Their stomachs were emptier than they should have been.

Then, one day, their father lost big. Too big.

The men who once shouted at their doorstep now entered without hesitation. The house reeked of sweat and alcohol, and their father slumped on the floor, muttering, "Take whatever you want. Just clear my debt."

Their fate was sealed with those words.

Shelly still remembers Eve's grip on her wrist, tight and desperate, as rough hands dragged them away.

"Let go of my sister!" Eve screamed, kicking, biting. But they were weak. Starved. The men laughed.

Shelly remembers the fear in her sister's eyes. Not for herself. For me.

Then the earth trembled.

A deafening roar as the town shook, buildings crumbling like brittle wood. People screamed, running, as the ground cracked open. The men holding them staggered, lost balance—Eve didn't hesitate.

"Run, Shelly!"

Shelly ran.

She didn't think, didn't look back. Just followed her sister, her feet pounding against the dirt. Behind them, screams of pain, the town falling apart. But there was no relief—only the sound of pursuit.

They were being hunted.

For days, they ran. Their bodies ached, hunger gnawed at their insides, and sleep was a forgotten luxury.

"Eve... I can't," Shelly gasped, collapsing to her knees.

Eve pulled her up. "You can," she said, voice firm despite her exhaustion. "If we stop, we die."

But death wasn't the worst thing waiting for them.

Shelly saw it in Eve's eyes. The horrors she understood but couldn't put into words. The reason her sister refused to let them rest.

So they ran.

Through forests, over hills, past rivers that reflected the moonlight like a cruel mockery of peace. Until, one day, the trees thinned, and before they stretched a land they had been warned about all their lives.

The human realm.

Eve hesitated only for a moment.

Then she tightened her grip on Shelly's hand and whispered, "It doesn't matter anymore."

And together, they crossed the border.

....

"And so your sister was captured by the church members, huh?" Carlisle heard the story from the girl. 

There were tears in her eyes which she didn't try to hide.

They were sitting in a jeep, heading towards the church where Eve was captured all those years ago.

Shelly thought that her sister was dead. She has heard infamous rumors about the human churches. That they capture elves and torture them.

Eve sacrificed herself so that Shelly could live a better life.

She lured the church members away from Shelly so that the little sister could live for both of them.

"It should have been me...Eve was better than me. Faster, stronger...more intelligent." Shelly muttered under her breath as she looked at her hand, which Eve kept holding until they were cornered.

Shelly believed that if Eve had been in her place, then she could have been much more useful to the young master.

Carlisle leaned back in his seat. Crossing his arms, he said, "Tell me, Shelly, once you recover your sister, what do you plan on doing?"

The little elf's head was leaning down. The very possibility of saving her sister...meeting her again, filled her chest with inexplicable elation.

However, while retaining her composure, she told him, "I will let Eve decide."

Carl suggested, "Then what if she wants to return to her hometown."

"I won't let her." Shelly's stance was clear. Her eyes held a certain firmness that relayed more words than she verbally did.

Carl hummed and turned silent. He really wasn't sure what he would do once he recovered Eve, if he did so, so until then, he decided to relax his mind.

....

[After half an hour]

Thanks to the fact that the church was not far away from Ravenshade main house, they were able to reach there within a few hours.

Victor and Carlisle haven't told his family members about their little excursion that's why they need to return before dawn.

"Do you see it?" Victor asked as Carlisle used the binoculars to look at the temple situated in the middle of the small town.

Carlisle nodded, "Yeah, I do. There are several entry points we can exploit."

While the two brothers were engaged in discussing the plan, Shelly was lost in her thoughts. 

Several memories flashed through her mind when Shelly gazed at the church. She vaguely remembers the day when Eve pushed her into a cart that was about to be taken away. 

Looking at the church, she clasped her hand and prayed, "Just a few more minutes..."

Soon Carlisle got up and said, "I think I know what we can do to enter the church without getting caught."

Victor raised his brows. He wasn't actually expecting his brother to come up with a plan so soon.

Although he wasn't sure if he would be following the plan that Carlisle formed—considering this was his first mission—the older Ravenshade was surely going to listen to what he had to say.

....however, once Victor listened to Carlisle's plan, all he could say was,

"Perfect."

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