202 GOT CAUGHT
Lord Kabana's face paled as realization struck him. "The secret fortress," he muttered.
The two men exchanged a glance, and Gubana immediately abandoned his sparring with Leo.
Without a word, Gubana and Kabana rushed toward the hidden mine that housed their most guarded secret. Leo and Rabama trailed close behind, concern etched on their faces.
Hanna on the other hand disappeared.
When they reached the fortress, the sight that greeted them was grim: every guard lay dead. The gate was opened. The stone structure was gone.
Gubana surged inside, his fury barely contained. "WHO TOOK MY CODEX?!" he roared, his voice echoing off the stone walls.
Kabana's gaze swept the carnage. "Who could have done this?"
Then, amidst the wreckage, they spotted Siphonia lying unconscious on the ground. Leo hurried toward her, but Gubana was faster, scooping her up roughly.
"Wake up!" Gubana barked, shaking her.
Siphonia groaned, her eyes fluttering open. She winced as she tried to focus on her surroundings. "What happened?"
"My Codex," Gubana snarled, his tone venomous. "Where is it?"
Siphonia's eyes darted around the chamber, searching. Hanna was nowhere to be seen. "Hanna," she croaked. "Hanna and the brides... they took it."
"Liar!" Kabana snapped, his voice filled with disbelief. "Hanna would never steal from me!"
"But Hanna isn't here to defend herself, is she? Why?" Leo interjected.
Gubana hesitated, his face a storm of doubt and anger. "Where is Hanna?"
"She was with me only moments ago," Kabana muttered, then turned to Gubana. "What should we do now?"
"First, we kill the thief," Gubana declared, his hand tightening on Siphonia's arm.
Before he could strike, Leo leapt forward, his dragon talons flashing as he separated them. "Touch her again, and you'll fucking regret it," he warned, stepping protectively in front of Siphonia.
Gubana glared at him, his rage simmering. "I'll kill you both!"
Kabana cautioned, "We should reconsider this. The girl is the governor's niece."
"I don't care who is behind the theft of my Codex…" Gubana ranted.
Leo smirked. "Shouldn't you be more concerned about finding your precious fucking Codex instead of apportioning blame here?"
Gubana paused, his anger redirected. "Where is the Codex?" he demanded.
"With Hanna," Siphonia said firmly.
Kabana clenched his fists. "No, Hanna would never betray me!"
Gubana ignored him, already barking orders. "No one leaves this mountain with the Codex! It's not so easy to bring the huge stones away without anyone noticing."
"And what about these two?" Kabana asked, gesturing to Leo and Siphonia.
"We'll deal with them later," Gubana growled, storming out with Kabana at his heels.
As their footsteps faded, Rabama turned to Siphonia and Leo. "Now, what really happened here?"
Siphonia sighed, sitting up. "Hanna took the Codex. She had help from those Selection Brides. They planned to do this all along, whether we helped her or not."
"Hanna wouldn't lie to me," Rabama said, his voice conflicted.
"Maybe she didn't lie, not completely," Siphonia shot back. "You already know she was eyeing the treasure."
Rabama slammed his hands against the ground, cracking the stone tiles. "Why does everyone care so much about that stupid stone book? No one even understand it!"
Leo's control panel flickered to life, pulling his focus. His eyes widened in realization. "Wait… there's something beneath us. Powerful magic."
Siphonia glanced at him with curiosity. "What's going on?"
"I'm not sure yet," Leo muttered, crouching down. "Let's find out."
They began to dig. Within moments, they uncovered a glowing crystal, its energy humming softly but unmistakably powerful.
Siphonia stared at the stone, mystified. "What is this?"
Leo's gaze narrowed. He immediately recognized it. With swift precision, he stored the crystal in his magic storage, ensuring its preservation. He knew exactly what it was—this was the power source that activated the Giga Codex.
Without it, the Codex was just an inert stone tablet.
"We'll talk later," Leo said, his voice low as he stood up.
----
They made their way back toward the fortress, the situation was tensed.
Lord Kabana and Gubana had returned from their search with frustration. Despite their efforts, they had failed to find Hanna.
Gubana's sharp eyes locked onto Siphonia as he approached. "You're working with Hanna. Tell me, where is she now?" His voice was cold, demanding.
Leo stepped forward, his tone unwavering. "If she was working with Hanna, she would have left already. Hanna wouldn't have knocked her unconscious. She must've used her as a scapegoat for her theft," he reasoned convincingly.
Gubana paused, considering Leo's words. It made sense. "Where is she, then? Hanna," he demanded, the urgency in his voice rising.
"We've sealed off the entire fortress and the surrounding mountains," Lord Kabana interjected. "There are magic alarms along the perimeter. She can't escape without triggering them."
"Then she must still be in Eoloth", Leo reasoned.
"Then what do we do with them?" Kabana's gaze shifted to Leo and Siphonia.
"Put them in the dungeon until we find Hanna," Gubana decided, his voice firm.
Leo's eyes hardened. "You can't lock me up unless you want another fight. Do you really want to get tangled up in that mess right now? Let me help you look for Hanna instead."
Gubana hesitated. He knew that imprisoning Leo would be a futile effort—Leo was simply too strong to be contained. But Kabana has an idea.
"We keep the girl in our dungeon. Lilleo Gullee would not leave without the girl then he can help us find Hanna", he whispered to Gubana.
"Fine," Gubana muttered with frustration. "You can help us find Hanna, but the girl stays in the dungeon. She's our insurance against you leaving."
Leo gave a sharp nod, his eyes still calculating. "Agreed."
"What?" Siphonia protested but she had no say in the matter.
"You'll be fine with the governor of Sodom behind you. They'll not dare anything bad happen to you", Leo added.
"Don't worry, stay put for a while. I'll make sure you won't be made uncomfortable here", Rabama told her, placing his hand on her shoulder to reassure her.
"Alright," she replied her eyes on him appreciatively.
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