Raka moved swiftly through the ruins, Sarah still securely in his arms. Staying close to the broken walls and collapsed buildings to blend into the chaos.
Around them, echoes of distant fighting were heard, followed by occasional explosions that shook the ground.
"Are you okay, Sarah?" he whispered, breathing heavily from exhaustion.
"I-I'm alright," Sarah replied softly, though her voice shook slightly. It was obvious that she was scared; she just didn't want to worry him.
He kept to the alleys, ducking behind broken walls and wreckage and stopping every few steps to listen and check the surroundings.
The embassy was sweltering, making him sweat profusely. That, coupled with trying to maintain the mana shield, he was ready to drop at any moment.
At one point, he spotted a Vel'Mahl knight ahead, crouched over a wounded Dravareth soldier. Raka froze, holding his breath.
The knight raised his sword and struck down the soldier with a single blow.
Raka immediately pulled back behind cover, pressing against the wall and whispering, "Don't look, Sarah."
They waited in silence until the knight moved on.
He moved quickly after that, weaving through debris-strewn paths and ducking into shadows wherever he could.
He spotted a partially open path through a collapsed office wing and decided to cut through it.
They passed a broken window that overlooked another street, where a group of mages were exchanging spells.
As they reached the end of the hallway, Raka paused. Ahead was an alley—narrow, shaded, and perfect for getting through without being seen.
He hesitated only for a second before heading toward it. But just as they reached the entrance, the ground shook violently.
Cracks split the walls beside them, and with a groaning crash, the building next to the alley collapsed, completely blocking the path with rubble and dust.
Raka stumbled back from the falling debris, shielding Sarah from the dust cloud that followed. "Why does the world hate me," he muttered.
"We'll have to go around."
The only other way was across a more open street.
'If we go there, then there's a higher chance of being spotted…'
He hated the idea, but they didn't have a choice.
Raka looked both ways, making sure no one was around, and then sprinted across. His boots crunched broken glass as he ducked behind an overturned cart on the other side.
The lobby wasn't far. If they made it, maybe they could find help or just get far away from here.
But of course, things never go as planned.
Halfway through another alley, they had to press against the wall as a group of Vel'Mahl knights passed by only a few meters away.
One of them muttered something about the embassy being more fortified than expected. Raka held his breath and didn't move until they were gone.
The mana shield flickered again, and he cursed under his breath.
With the lobby so close, he decided to turn it off for now. Dissipating the shield back into a Shield Base.
They exited through a side door and found themselves in a scorched courtyard.
Even through the complete chaos, he didn't expect the central courtyard to look so… destroyed.
All the trees were either reduced to black stumps or completely incinerated, but what scared him the most were the giant stone pillars protruding from the ground. Each was at least 20 meters wide.
'This is it, the last stretch.' Putting Sarah down, he looked over the courtyard again.
Whatever happened here must have been so chaotic that all the fighters just left.
Taking a deep breath, he prepared himself for one last run.
But before Raka could lift Sarah again, he froze. Heavy footsteps approached from behind them, metal clanging ominously against stone.
'God fucking dammit!'
He spun around sharply, heart racing. Standing there, wounded and breathing raggedly, was a Vel'Mahl knight, sword already drawn.
Blood dripped slowly from the knight's armor, pooling beneath his feet.
The knight raised his weapon threateningly. "Don't move," he growled..
Raka quickly raised his hands, stepping protectively in front of Sarah. He couldn't stop his body from shaking but could talk somewhat clearly.
"Wait, please. We just want to get out of here!"
The knight hesitated but still kept his sword raised. "Stay where you are."
Raka swallowed hard, glancing back to see Sarah's fearful eyes locked onto the knight.
"Please," Raka pleaded again, desperation edging into his voice. "We don't know who you are, but I just want to get my sister out of here."
The knight stepped closer.
"S-she can't walk! Please! I just want to keep her safe!"
That seemed to do the trick as the knight stopped in his tracks. An uncomfortable silence followed, and Raka struggled not to lose strength in his legs.
Finally, the knight spoke. "If you wanted to keep your family safe… Why go to a nation at war's military base?"
Hearing this, Raka made a confused expression, "This isn't a military base. This is an embassy for refugees."
"An… embassy?"
Now they stood in a standoff. The knight's breathing was ragged, every exhale sounding like it took all his effort.
His armor was dented and scorched, the once-pristine emblem of Vel'Mahl barely visible beneath the grime and blood.
'An embassy? That doesn't make sense.' He thought.
They had been told that this location was a military site. The Sentinels had detected a strong mana trace—the residual energy belonging to the Sunpiercer.
When their scouts got close, they reported signs of recent fortifications: new barrier runes, reinforced walls, and mana suppression zones—all the signs of a hidden military base.
There hadn't been time to confirm with full recon. The Sentinels gave the order to strike. The order was to obtain the Sunpiercer at all costs.
He did find it odd how many unarmed people there were, but he thought they were just unprepared. I mean, who would expect a surprise attack?
But looking back, he realized how many children there were. How odd it was that dozens of unarmed personnel were put in an unmarked base.
How so many ran instead of fighting, how easily he struck them all down.
'It can't be..' He thought.
But now there's this kid.
Carrying his wounded sister. Terrified. Not armed, not armored. Not even trying to fight.
Everything about them screamed wrong place, wrong time.
His hand trembled slightly, sword wavering in his grip. His instincts told him to end it—to fulfill the mission with no hesitation.
But how could he do that when he now knew that he had been killing innocents?
He lowered his sword. "You… you said this was an embassy?"
Raka gave a cautious nod, still standing protectively in front of Sarah.
"Yeah. It was a place for people who lost their homes. We-we were just here for a contest. I was supposed to watch over her." His voice cracked slightly at the end.
The knight looked past him at the girl on the ground. Her bandaged leg, her pale face. She clung to Raka's leg, watching him with wide, frightened eyes, her tiny fingers trembling.
He stepped back a little, sword still in hand, but his body language showed that he no longer viewed them as a threat.
"Karthzion made no announcement of such a place," the knight muttered, more to himself than anyone else.
"There were no diplomatic markers. No banners or flags. Just sudden mana spikes and a hidden base. It looked like an obvious trap."
Raka didn't respond. His brain was also starting to piece together the situation. Karthzion said the embassy was created as an act of goodwill, an alliance.
But if what the knight said was true, then why didn't she announce it?
'Could she have known that… No, she wouldn't do that. Right?'
The knight let out a tired breath. "To think Dravareth would hide civilians in a place like this.."
"We didn't know anything," Raka said quickly. "We thought it was safe."
The knight's grip tightened on his sword before finally lowering it completely. He stood there for a moment, processing all the information that he had just gathered.
Slowly, he sheathed his blade. "I'll take you to the lobby. From there, you'll be closer to the outer gates. But if you're lying…" He didn't finish the sentence, but the message was clear.
Raka didn't move immediately. He hesitated, then asked, "You're really helping us?"
The knight gave a short nod, grimacing. "I don't like killing kids. And I don't fight people who don't even know what they've been caught in."
He turned and started walking, limping heavily. His armor clanked with every step, and his left leg dragged slightly, leaving a faint trail of blood behind him.
"Follow closely," he muttered. "If someone sees me with you, I won't be able to protect you from both sides."
Raka carefully lifted Sarah again, adjusting her weight in his arms.
He glanced at the knight's back, wary. Neither of them trusted the other.
But for now, they didn't have a choice.
Raka tightened his grip on Sarah, struggling to keep pace behind the wounded knight as they crossed the crumbling ruins.
Despite the blood staining his armor, the knight moved with surprising sharpness, a faint shimmer of mana trailing behind him.
'Cloaking magic.' Raka realized, the spell barely concealing them amidst the chaos.
If they weren't in a life-or-death situation, he would have loved to see how the cloaking magic worked.
Explosions still sounded in the distance, their echoes rolling like distant thunder, and ash rained slowly from the sky, making every breath feel heavier.
Every few steps, the knight would halt, close his eyes, and send out a faint pulse of mana that rippled across the ground.
He was checking for enemies using the mana detection skill.
From what he heard, that skill would only work if you had more mana than those around you or if there wasn't anyone actively seeking you out.
He's pretty sure there was another stronger version, but he couldn't remember the name.
They slipped through the courtyard's shattered edge, the massive stone pillars casting eerie shadows over the battlefield.
The knight guided them through narrow alleys and broken pathways.
At one point, they had to duck behind an overturned carriage as a group of Vel'Mahl soldiers rushed past, too focused on the battle ahead to notice them.
It felt like they might actually make it.
Until the ground exploded nearby.
'Seriously, again-?!'
The shockwave hit before Raka could react, the force slamming into him.
His feet left the ground, and he was losing his hold on Sarah. His heart froze as they were about to tumble through the air.
But before he could be thrown away entirely, a gauntleted hand seized them both in a crushing grip.
The knight, gritting his teeth, grabbed them with one arm and slammed his sword into the ground with the other.
The force of the blast tore at them, pulling at their bodies like a raging storm, but the knight held firm, holding them still against the surge.
The knight's mana shield surrounding them flickered and strained under the pressure, but somehow it held.
When the wind finally died, Raka tightened his grip around Sarah, it was only after a moment that his ears stopped ringing.
He looked up and saw the knight still standing protectively over them.
Without a word, the knight yanked his sword free and pressed onward.
They stumbled into the lobby minutes later. The once grand space was now wide and ruined, with shattered pillars and fallen chandeliers.
Dust hung thick in the air, and the giant windows that lined the far wall overlooked what was left of the embassy grounds—a wasteland of fire and ruin.
All three stood there, panting, and finally began to process everything that had happened.
Without speaking, the knight lifted his hand. Mana pulsed around his wrist, and with a flick, a glowing map appeared in his palm. It shimmered faintly, the lines etched with light strands, marking paths through the ruins.
He pointed at a narrow, winding path barely visible through the debris. "Head east. Stay low. You'll reach the old maintenance tunnels. They'll lead you straight to Dravareth's outer lands."
Raka nodded, making sure to remember everything that he was telling him.
The knight suddenly staggered and dropped to one knee. His breathing was harsh, rattling through his battered chest plate.
"Go," he rasped. "I still need to complete my mission."
That surprised Raka. Even after helping them, after finding out that his army had killed hundreds, maybe thousands of innocents. He was still loyal to the end.
Still, he had helped them.
"Thank you... for helping us,"
He gave a short grunt, gathering his breath as he prepared to battle again.
"What's your name?" Raka asked.
The knight looked up at him, surprised. After a long pause, he finally said, "Kisurra."
Raka gave him a shaky smile. "Thank you, Kisurra."
He helped Sarah hop onto his back to carry her more easily, looking back at Kissura one last time. He gave the man a nod of respect, which was returned.
But just as he was about to leave, Raka's entire body locked up, frozen mid-step as an icy chill raced down his spine.
Every hair on the back of his neck stood on end. Sarah also tensed up, her breath catching in her throat as her eyes widened.
Kisurra must have felt it too. The knight turned sharply toward the shattered windows, and Raka's eyes followed.
Outside, the horizon had transformed into a furious, blinding orange.
A massive sphere of light swelled larger with every heartbeat and consumed everything in its path.
Trailing behind the light was a colossal wall of dust and debris, surging forward like an unstoppable tidal wave.
"Run!"
The explosion raced toward them faster than anything he had ever witnessed.
Acting purely on instinct, Raka summoned the Shield Base one final time just before the wave hit the lobby.
The device flared weakly, but a yellow mana barrier flickered into existence around him and Sarah just as the monstrous wave of fire and destruction slammed into them.
The world went white. Then came the deafening roar, drowning out everything else in a tide of obliteration.