CHAPTER 181: CHAPTER 181 – ESCAPED

The night air on the high ground was crisp, filled with the quiet hum of life. Rows upon rows of trees swayed softly under the moonlight, their leaves whispering secrets with every faint breath of wind.

Carmilla’s eyes widened as she took in the scene before her. "So many trees," she murmured in awe. "And they’re... thriving. Not a trace of decay."

Mia crouched beside one of the massive trunks, her shadow coiling out from beneath her feet like living ink. It slithered across the soil, prying gently at the roots. What it revealed made her breath hitch.

"These root systems..." she whispered. "They’re strong—dense. Far more developed than anything we’ve managed to grow in the oasis."

Carmilla leaned closer, her crimson eyes glimmering. "You mean... this isn’t just luck?"

"No." Mia shook her head, tracing her fingertips along the tree’s bark. "These trees are cultivated. There’s a method behind this. Something... deliberate."

The discovery sent a rush of excitement through her chest, but she forced herself to tamp it down. If they lingered too long, the risk would be too great.

She straightened, her ears twitching slightly. "We can’t afford a large-scale search," she murmured, eyes scanning the darkened forest. "One wrong move and we’ll be caught."

Then—

Crack.

The sound was almost imperceptible, just a whisper of a dead leaf being crushed underfoot. But to Mia’s sensitive ears, it was thunder. Every muscle in her body went still.

Her feline ears flicked once. Slowly, she turned her head toward Carmilla. The blonde vampire hadn’t moved an inch. Her breathing was steady.

That meant only one thing—someone else was here.

Mia’s expression didn’t change. Calmly, she rose and said, in a quiet, casual tone, "Let’s take a look over there."

"Alright," Carmilla replied softly, following her lead.

They moved toward the edge of the high ground, the trees parting to reveal a clearer view of the distant lights below. As they stopped, Mia subtly turned her back toward the forest. Her hand, hidden behind her cloak, traced a sign in the air—we’ve been found.

Carmilla’s pupils contracted instantly, the faint red glow in her eyes dimming as every instinct screamed danger. The fine hairs on her arms stood on end. She resisted the urge to unfurl her wings.

The silence broke.

Whoosh—

The air split.

Mia reacted instantly. The shadow beneath her feet snapped upward like a whip, wrapping around the trunk of a nearby tree and yanking her sideways.

A fist cut through the space where her head had just been.

She rolled midair, landing in a low crouch. Carmilla lunged after her, narrowly dodging a second strike that seemed to appear out of thin air.

Yanlu straightened from his failed blow, eyes narrowing. His knife-hand gleamed under the moonlight as he assessed the intruder. He hadn’t expected her to dodge.

Alina, invisible beside him, also drew back slightly. Their silent communication was swift—a flicker of acknowledgment between two seasoned hunters. They had been discovered.

The two spies had sensed them long before the ambush.

Mia’s crimson eyes swept the empty space around them. "They’re using stealth," she muttered. "I can’t see them."

"Then we go up," Carmilla hissed, spreading her wings. "I’ll carry you—"

Shing!

A blade of light cut through the night.

Mia’s shadow snapped up defensively, catching the flash of the knife before it could reach her neck. The impact sent a jolt up her arm, and she gritted her teeth, rolling backward with Carmilla in tow.

They hit the ground hard just as another fist slammed down where they had been.

Boom!

The earth cracked, leaving a head-sized crater in the packed soil.

Mia’s breath came short and fast. She barely avoided another invisible strike, twisting away as a gust of displaced air ruffled her hair. Her mind raced. Two attackers. Both Tier 5, at least. Both fast—too fast.

Her agility and shadow manipulation kept her alive, but only barely.

If she were an ordinary Awakener, she would’ve been unconscious—or dead—after the first attack.

But she wasn’t ordinary.

"Let me down!" Carmilla shouted over the rush of air. "I can fight!"

"No." Mia’s reply was sharp, her tail lashing once behind her. "You’re my ticket out. Be ready to take off when I give the word."

Carmilla’s jaw tightened, her sharp fangs glinting as she bit back her frustration. "Fine," she growled. "But make it quick."

Mia’s eyes flickered with cold light. "Prepare yourself. We’ll fight our way through."

If they delayed any longer, reinforcements from the City Lord’s Mansion would arrive—and then escape would be impossible.

Carmilla’s wings flexed slightly, her muscles tensing. "Say when."

"Now," Mia whispered.

The shadows erupted.

"Shadow Art – Thousand Shadow Spears!"

The ground beneath her feet rippled as if a black ocean were breaking through the surface. Dozens—no, hundreds—of spears of condensed shadow burst outward, streaking toward the unseen enemies with lethal precision.

The forest exploded into light and motion.

Clang! Crack! Boom!

Sparks sprayed across the darkness as Yanlu slashed through the barrage, his ghostly blade cutting down shadows faster than the eye could follow. Alina ducked and weaved, her fists glowing faintly as she smashed spear after spear aside.

Each impact sent ripples of energy through the air, shaking branches and scattering leaves.

If not for the ghost armor protecting them, they would have been shredded by the barrage.

When the final spear faded, Mia staggered, her chest heaving. The shadows around her trembled, thinner than before.

Her face had gone pale. The Thousand Shadow Spear was a devastating technique—but it devoured energy. In one breath, she had burned through nearly all of her power.

Carmilla’s gaze flicked downward. "Mia! Your things—!"

At her feet, the shadow pool shimmered and collapsed. Several objects clattered to the ground—small blades, bits of clothing, and a few sealed containers. Among them, something round rolled free, glinting faintly in the moonlight.

"Leave them!" Mia rasped. "Take me and go!"

Her voice was hoarse, desperate. The shadow storage she used was an extension of her power, and with that power spent, everything hidden inside had fallen out.

Carmilla didn’t argue. She darted forward, scooping Mia into her arms, wings snapping open.

Whoosh!

The vampire leapt skyward, air rushing past as the ground vanished below.

Mia twisted mid-flight, her remaining shadow tendrils lashing downward. She pulled two items from the dirt—an oddly shaped stone etched with faint markings, and a folded scrap of parchment, a small painting tucked within.

Of all the things she could have left behind, that little painting was the one she refused to abandon.

Not even the thunder spirit beast egg mattered as much.

The painting was from her sister.

She would never leave it behind.

Below, Yanlu and Alina burst from the trees, their invisibility dissolving as they looked up at the night sky.

"Damn it!" Alina hissed, slamming her fist into the ground. "They’re gone!"

Yanlu’s jaw tightened. "She’s strong," he admitted quietly. "Too strong for a standard spy."

They had underestimated her agility—and her control. Few Tier 5s could react like that, even fewer could fight two opponents to a standstill and escape.

Before they could say more, the air shimmered. A ripple of energy spread through the clearing, and a familiar figure appeared behind them.

Both soldiers dropped to one knee.

"Lord Luciel," Yanlu and Alina said in unison.

Luciel’s eyes swept the damaged clearing. The air still crackled faintly with shadow energy. "Where are they?" he asked, his voice calm but heavy.

Yanlu lowered his head. "They escaped, my lord. Flew away before we could intercept."

Luciel frowned. "Flew?"

"Yes," Alina said bitterly. "One of them has wings."

Luciel’s gaze rose toward the sky, where only the faintest trace of energy lingered before fading entirely. "So that’s how they slipped through."

He sighed, crossing his arms. "That was always the risk. Anyone who can fly will be difficult to contain."

The silence that followed was heavy.

Yanlu bowed his head deeply. "Please, punish me, my lord. If I had gone all out from the start, they wouldn’t have escaped."

Luciel waved a hand. "Punishment can wait. You did your duty."

His eyes fell to the ground where the remnants of the skirmish lay scattered—shreds of cloth, shards of shadow residue, a cracked blade... and one round object nestled among them.

He knelt, brushing away the dirt. The object was smooth and faintly luminescent—a perfectly round egg, pulsing softly with energy.

"An egg?" Luciel murmured, turning it over in his palm.

Alina stepped closer, squinting. "It looks like a beast egg, sir. I’m not sure of the species—it’s unlike anything I’ve seen before."

Luciel studied it, feeling the faint hum beneath his fingertips. A soft static prickle ran through the air. The shell was warm.

"Thunder energy," he said quietly. "Faint, but real."

Yanlu’s eyes widened. "A thunder spirit beast...?"

Luciel’s mouth curved faintly. "Perhaps." He straightened, the egg cradled carefully in his hand. "We’ll keep it safe. When it hatches, we’ll know for certain."

He turned, the night wind stirring his hair.

"Sometimes," he said, almost to himself, "luck finds us in strange ways."

The others said nothing.

As Luciel walked back toward the City Lord’s Mansion, the faint crackle of electricity shimmered across the surface of the egg—like the echo of distant thunder.