-Callen-

  No time to think or block. I tried the first idea that came to mind. I opened a void gate and dove in without making an exit. The flames of the explosion burned the back of my clothes and stung my flesh before the gate collapsed. Slowing myself to a stop, I looked back on the gate and found it missing. Looking around the darkness, I saw the various goods that we had stored in this place, but now for the first time I was just as trapped in here as all of my goods. I noticed that the slaver boss had also woken up while floating in the void and was trying to get my attention. Didn’t seem like an issue I needed to address immediately; instead, I sat down to reach out and update Callia.

  My report was interrupted as a dreaded pressure settled on my soul. Reflexively, my eyes snapped open looking for danger only to make contact with IT. However, this time there was nothing passive about IT. The mob boss who had been floating outside the sanctuary started squealing as his flesh convulsed and swelled. Blisters and welts formed on his skin and then popped, leaving the flesh ball coated in pus and blood. All the while his screams morphed from human terror to some kind of inhuman nightmare. The sound seemed to resonate in my skull, making me unable to concentrate.

  The EYE focused its attention on the already damaged barrier, and again its pressure rose with ravenous determination. I fought against the psychic wails of the slaver and pushed back against the EYE. I pushed and pushed, but as the barrier cracked, my consciousness collapsed.

  -Callia-

  One second was all that it took to turn dread to relief, but the reverse was also true. Seeing the explosion, I dropped to my knees in terror, but mere seconds later, Callen was reporting how he got trapped in the void. However, before he could even finish that, I felt sheer overwhelming terror echoing from Callen. The next second a pressure that he had once described to me when I acquired void affinity clenched down on my soul.

  I closed my eyes while clutching my chest and focused inward, bringing my consciousness into our space. Every second felt far too long, but I opened my eyes into the void, and I was greeted by a scene out of some horror movie. The once sturdy and reliable golden screen separating us from the darkness was riddled with cracks; ink-like shadows condensed on the cracks, seeping in and forming into multilegged bug-like blobs of darkness.

  I ran forward, summoning my bow into the void from my hands in the real world. Without hesitation I emptied my first quiver into the shadows, but the arrows had no effect, harmlessly sinking into the darkness without even leaving a ripple. Normal arrows had no effect, so I started trying everything I had: power shot, growth/decay, tracking, and vital target, and each sank harmlessly into the shadows. The shadows were inches from Callen as I gave a prayer begging for unblockable work.

  I nocked the arrow and let it fly. A flash of golden light on the arrow gleamed against the darkness of the void. It pierced a shadow, making it wail and writhe on the ground. Again and again I sent more arrows following the first, each bearing a similar light as the ink-like shadows continued to swarm regardless of my efforts. As I fought, I felt a weariness that went deeper than any I knew. The golden light on my arrows faded as I reached my limit. I collapsed to my hands and knees, crying for help in desperation as the shadows finally reached Callen.

  A tidal wave of light erupted from Callen’s chest as something emerged from his soul. I felt the presence fill me with strength and assurance. The shadows dissolved like mirages, and the cracks in the golden barrier of the sanctuary filled in, and the barrier gleamed with light. A gentle voice whispered like words in the wind.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  “A shame I had to repurpose your gift, but this will be more helpful to you than another skill.” The light of the presence gave the feeling of home and happiness, and immediately I recognized the light even if I couldn’t remember the first encounter. I had met it before when I acquired the unblockable arrow. The light finally began to dim as the voice whispered again.

  “Thank you for calling me in time, daughter. Much still depends on both of you.” With that, the light faded back into Callen. I crawled over crying into his chest as it gently rose with steady peaceful breaths.

  “Idiot, I’m supposed to be the one with bad ideas. You should’ve just run; staying and fighting like an absolute idiot didn’t make you any more innocent than running would’ve!” I gently punched Callen’s arm in dissatisfaction. The grunt of pain and groan seemed to finally stir the idiot awake.

  He sat up in a daze, but seeing my tearful face, he tried to hold me only to pass through me like a ghost. The idiot forgot I could only mentally enter the void, whereas he had physically entered it. “You better have a plan to get out of here because I won’t tolerate even a minute without contact from you while you are still in here.”

  “Ah, right. Well, I thought about it and realized that it wasn’t actually that complicated. I just need to make a wand for you to use on the outside, which should open a gate for me to exit through.” I nodded while looking back out into the darkness, noticing a floating meatball coated in pus writhing in place. Looking over to Callen, he finally seems to notice and looks at me perplexed.

  “What is that?” He raised a hand intending to banish it into the dark, but I stopped him.

  “I think it might be the slaver you sent into the void. This didn’t happen to the weird chimera earthkin guy, but then again, we weren’t attacked while he was floating around.” He just looked at me blankly; clearly whatever happened wiped his memory of whatever had just happened. Gradually I settled in to explain the situation as I understood it. Honestly, without Mr. Meatball to remind me, I would’ve completely forgotten to let Callen know about my use of the chimera scientist as a distraction. On reflection my choice of distraction back then might’ve been excessive. Most of the fish people couldn’t even keep up with me, so I didn’t even really need it.

  Eventually, I accepted that I had to leave Callen in the void while he made the void gate wand and brought my mind back to the physical world. Looking up, I saw Eland heroically beating down a bunch of guards who were surrounding us. I took a moment to admire his determined expression before realizing that he might need help.

  Clash between authorities

  Eland watched as the club that Callia was dragging him to exploded. She dropped to her knees in despair before closing her eyes tightly, seemingly tuning out the world in despair. Eland knew how close bonded twins cared for each other, so he could only sympathize with her plight. That didn’t, however, mean that the trouble was over. In fact, the captain of the guard, who had been least affected by the blast, noticed him and Callia off to the side. The man drew his sword, rallying all the relatively unharmed guards to rush over and surround them.

  “You there, turn over that girl; she is associated with the terrorist bomber who just blew up the building!” Eland’s expression darkened as a claim that was as solid as a confession of guilt came from the idiot's mouth. Eland clearly understood that the explosion was likely the generator box exploding, and the fact that the man recognized Callia meant he knew about the twins who had been dragged into slavery before they even entered the city. Instead of surrendering, Callia Eland revealed his insignia as vice captain of the Imperial Guard.

  “I am the Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard. You will stand down and surrender for questioning or consequences.” Eland boldly stood against the guards as more and more began to encircle the group. The captain seemed hesitant at first, but with so many men backing him, his confidence surged.

  “Bullshit! I know it's a fake. Men, arrest them both now!” Eland confidently called down to Callia.

  “Ser Callia, I give you permission to avenge your brother. I only ask you to leave the captain alive!” Eland raised his weapon confidently, ready to fight alongside the girl, but she didn’t stir in the slightest. The guards who hesitated at his permission, seeing the complete lack of response, were emboldened and started rushing Eland from every side. Eland quickly found himself fighting defensively as dozens of elite guards fought with intent to wear him down into submission. The battle dragged on for nearly half an hour with more than a dozen guards crippled or killed, but Eland sweated profusely, fighting doggedly to keep the enemies' weapons from striking the critical blow.

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