The king was in a rage, shouting his commands. Maids rushed everywhere, horses ran in the dark with soldiers holding torches. In the city, in the forest, they were everywhere, searching for something, for someone.
Zephyr entered his room to find Septh and Ki sitting in the chairs, dead serious. "What's the matter?" He couldn't make a joke in this atmosphere. "The king gave the order," Ki spoke with a dark and serious face. Zephyr didn't know how to react. "Bang!!" A loud sound broke their attention. It came from the room next door, Ki's room. "Bang!!" Another sound, this time from Septh's. They looked at each other, already knowing what was next.
Four cloaked men gathered in front of Zephyr's room. One kicked the door open. "Bang!!!" They rushed inside, glancing around but finding nothing. One stood at the door to look for any watchers. They saw the door to the balcony open. Two rushed to the balcony, while one wandered around the room. Suddenly, he heard men being choked. He glanced at the door and found his comrade had disappeared. He turned to inform the other two, but they too were gone. Alert, he unsheathed his blade. A shadow appeared behind him. While the man struggled, Ki closed the door.
The king was having dinner with three other men: a priest, a cloaked figure, and a gentleman in formal, expensive attire. A knock disrupted them, and a soldier entered. Bowing, he whispered something to the king, who then slammed his fist on the table before standing. "YOU'RE ALL USELESS. GO AND FIND THEM," he shouted. "What's the matter, sire?" the gentleman asked elegantly. The king glanced at the cloaked man. "Your people failed." "Hmm, I guess I underestimated them," the mysterious man replied. "It's not that you underestimated them. They are already trained and aware of our plan. This is the consequence of not listening to me," the priest glared at the king. Richard (the king) stood up and walked out, leaving the three behind. The mysterious man followed. As the king left, he cursed, "EUSTONES BASTARDOS." "What's your plan now?" the gentleman asked. "I'll catch them myself," the priest replied. He raised his hand, and a knight in shining silver armor entered, kneeling down. With blond hair and an innocent, feminine face, the knight was commanded, "Catch them." The knight stood confidently, bowed, and left.
Sophie woke up to the commotion outside. She sat up in her bed, walked across the dark room, and opened the door. She saw maids panicking and rushing. She stopped one, demanding an explanation. "The king ordered us to search for Ki, Zephyr, and Septh. Other than that, we don't know why," the maid explained before rushing away. Sophie went back to her room, smiling.
One by one, soldiers rode their horses, holding torches, and scattered through the city and forest. Some citizens peeked through windows to view the chaos outside. Soldiers forced themselves from house to house in search of the three. The kingdom's heavy main gate was closing, allowing no one to enter. Soldiers heightened their alerts by guarding the huge gate, made of heavy wood and towering stone walls.
Kenji, wearing a cloak, walked in the dark as soldiers passed by him. In the distance, he saw a bar with light emitting from the door and window. As he reached his destination, the doorbell rang, announcing his arrival. All eyes in the bar shifted to him. He sat at the counter and ordered a beer. The bartender served him, and he gulped it down before raising the mug and slamming it on the table. "Now's the time," he declared. All the customers smiled and shouted, "Yeah!!!!" They left the bar, and Kenji joined them.
Sophie was walking in the dense forest, two soldiers behind her holding torches. "Stop!!" a voice came from the shadows. A young man stepped out, glaring at them. It was Zephyr. Sophie smiled at him. Zephyr's eyes widened. "What are you doing here?" he asked with concern. "Follow me." Sophie grabbed Zephyr's hand and started to walk, but Zephyr didn't move. Sophie glanced back at him. His face was down. The torchlight wasn't enough to reveal his expression. "Sorry, Sophie. But..." Zephyr hesitated. "You're leaving? I know," Sophie cut him off. Zephyr immediately looked at her. She stepped closer to him and whispered, "I'll help." Zephyr was surprised. "But what you're doing is against your father's order," he asked with concern. "Yeah, I know. He has never been impressed by me anyway. That's why I decided..." She stepped closer, their lips almost touching. "I would rather help the person I love." This statement made Zephyr's heart race. He stood there, thoughts running wild. The two soldiers realized what was happening. "Hey, is that a bird, hehehe," one of them shifted both their attention to the darkness. "Oh, I thought that was a squirrel," the other replied. "Heheheh." A rustle in the branches broke the moment. Both Sophie and Zephyr glanced at the source and saw Ki sitting in a tree. Below him, Septh blushed, hiding behind the tree. "Sorry to bother, but someone is approaching," Ki glanced into the distance. Zephyr grabbed the torch from Sophie's guard and put it out. They all hid in the trees' branches and bushes. The light reached their destination. It was soldiers searching for them. "Are you sure you saw a light here?" one asked. "I swear, I saw it for a second and it disappeared," another replied. "This part of the forest is deep. We should go back. I don't want to accidentally enter that Mystic Forest," a third soldier spoke. "You believe in that myth?" the other teased him. Their voices slowly faded away. "I know it doesn't exist, but I won't bet my life to see if it was real."
Ki and the others emerged from their hiding place. Sophie grabbed Zephyr's hand and squeezed it. "Please let me help you," she pleaded. "How could we trust you? You are his daughter, after all," Ki cut her off. "That's true, but..." Sophie looked to the ground, saddened. Zephyr saw this and spoke for her. "Let's just trust her for now." Ki and Septh glanced at each other. "Fine," Ki sighed and stood up. Sophie led them to a huge wall separating them from freedom. They spotted a soldier waiting for them. Zephyr recognized him as a guard he befriended. The group approached him. Zephyr and the soldier clapped hands. "Hey, don't forget about me once you're out," the soldier teased Zephyr. "Don't worry, I won't," he replied. Both laughed. The soldier whistled, and a rope dropped from the top of the wall. The soldier faced Zephyr. "Good luck." Zephyr stared at him before saying goodbye. Septh climbed first. She reached the top, and two soldiers assisted her. They guided her to the other side of the wall, where another rope was attached for descent. Septh climbed down cautiously. Before Zephyr climbed, he turned to face Sophie. "Come with us," he said, filled with hope. Sophie stepped forward, leaning on his chest. "I'm sorry, but..." Sophie smiled. "I'm the king's daughter. I can't." Zephyr understood. Taking her would enrage the king more, tightening the search and using all his power to find them. "Then..." He touched Sophie's face. "I'll come back for you." Tears streamed from Sophie's face as she hugged him. They bade their goodbyes, and Zephyr climbed the wall. Septh reached the bottom, seeing a carriage waiting with food and drinks packed. A merchant with white hair, a tophat, and a white mustache welcomed her. "Please, feel free to hop in," he said. She waited for Zephyr and Ki to come down. Zephyr finally reached the bottom. "Where is Ki?" Septh asked. Zephyr glanced up, seeing no sign of Ki. The rope was being pulled up. Both recalled Ki's words. "No," Septh whispered. "No, no, no, please no," she added. "You already know what I'm thinking, right?" Ki's face flashed in Zephyr's memory. Zephyr grabbed Septh's hand and dragged her to the carriage. "Zephyr, what are you doing?" Septh raised her voice. Zephyr pretended not to hear and kept pulling Septh. She struggled, resisting, freeing herself from his grip. "No, please!! Zephyr!! Let's wait a minute!! He promised me! He did!!" Zephyr faced Septh and shouted, "He will not!!" Septh was shocked. "How can you say that?" Tears started to flow. "HE'S YOUR FRIEND!! How can you leave him like that?" Septh was angry. "You're right. He is my friend..." Zephyr turned around. "And I trust him," he whispered. He then climbed the carriage. The merchant, worried about being heard, urged them to be quiet. Septh glanced up the wall. With no choice, she boarded the carriage. The horses started to pull the carriage away. Both Septh and Zephyr's faces were pained and saddened as the carriage carried them away in silence.