The cold night wind blew fiercely, striking the faces of Kaydan and Calverd as they continued to push their pace down the capital's streets. Their breaths came in ragged gasps, chasing the merciless pounding of their hearts.
The two youths kept running, leaving Arvin, who was disguised as an assassin, in front of the palace entrance gates, without glancing back even once.
Even though his legs kept moving forward toward freedom, Calverd's mind was left far behind. He was still haunted by a guilt that gnawed at his chest.
Horrific images of his lifeless comrades sprawled in pools of blood kept spinning in his head. They were all people who had fought alongside him, who had helped him escape from the underground prison, yet now their lives had been snatched away just as the exit was right before their eyes.
Amidst that tense escape, Kaydan realized something was wrong with his partner's running rhythm. He turned his head slightly, looking at Calverd's pale face, his eyes hollow and brimming with grief.
"Are you still thinking about those who died?" Kaydan asked, his voice piercing through the sound of their rushing footsteps on the capital's streets.
The question jolted Calverd out of his daze. He looked toward Kaydan, and from the look in his eyes, Kaydan instantly knew that his comrade was truly still shackled by the memory of the massacre that had claimed the lives of all their brothers-in-arms.
"Pour out all your sorrow later!" the gray-haired youth advised him with a firm tone that nonetheless harbored genuine care. "For now, focus on running until we reach the forest! If you let your guard down here, all of their sacrifices will be in vain."
Calverd swallowed a bitter lump in his throat. He could only nod in agreement, forcing his legs to run faster even as intense sorrow and rage waged a fierce battle within his mind.
I have to ask that invisible man later! Calverd thought, solidifying his resolve mid-stride.
The two youths continued to push their speed down the main road toward the nearest gate, desperate to leave the capital's territory at once. However, their escape was not entirely smooth. From the intersection ahead of them, a squad of royal soldiers on guard duty noticed the presence of the fugitives and immediately formed an encircling formation.
Kaydan wasted no time. He extended his right hand forward, summoning grains of sand that instantly answered his call from the road's surface.
Shhhk...
With one swift, lethal sweep of his hand, Kaydan used his sand, compacted by gravity magic, to strike the line of soldiers blocking their path. The high-pressure sand shot through the air like a storm of steel bullets.
"Ahhhh....!!!"
The agonizing screams of the soldiers echoed instantly, shattering the tense silence of the night.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
One by one, they fell. All the armed soldiers died and lay lifeless on the capital streets, their bodies and armor riddled with small, bloody holes from the deadly piercing sand.
And then, another wave of soldiers appeared from the side streets, attempting to attack from a different direction. This time, Calverd did not stay idle.
The indigo-haired youth utilized his telekinesis magic, seizing the soldiers' bodies and hoisting them into the air. He flicked his hand to the right with an incredibly swift motion.
Whoosh! Slam! Crash!
He hurled and slammed all of them with full force into the wall of a civilian's house. The impact was so severe that it caved in the building's wall, causing it to collapse instantly.
The street ahead of them was now wide open once more without obstruction. Without reducing their speed, the two youths continued their flight toward the capital's boundary gate looming tall in the distance.
Upon arriving at the open area situated right near the city gate, a new danger threatened from above.
Splat! Splat!
A volley of arrows tore through the night air, released simultaneously by archers already on standby atop the city walls.
Calverd reacted swiftly. He raised his hands upward, focusing his mana. In an instant, all the sharp, incoming arrows were forcefully halted by his telekinesis magic, hovering and coming to a complete stop in mid-air before they could pierce their bodies.
Capitalizing on Calverd's defensive momentum, Kaydan did not remain idle. He thrust his hand upward, and a wave of his sand magic surged upwards at a terrifying speed.
The sand swept the top of the wall clean, striking and annihilating all the archers stationed up there, killing them instantly.
While that brief battle raged on the inside, the situation outside the gate felt far more quiet. Alvein stood motionless right near the tightly shut entrance gate of the capital.
In his invisible form, the fairy listened closely. From behind the thick stone walls, he could clearly hear the screams of soldiers drawing their last breaths.
It seems they have arrived! Alvein thought with a sense of relief. I must prepare to guide them to the forest as ordered.
After ensuring there were no remaining troops in the vicinity, Kaydan and Calverd stepped forward, approaching the giant double iron doors that were still tightly shut and heavily locked.
Kaydan aimed his palms straight ahead, focusing his gravity manipulation magic directly upon the steel gates.
Screech...
The thick iron doors instantly screeched violently, resisting an invisible, massive pull.
Slowly but surely, the sturdy metal structure began to dent, bend, and crumple inward like a forcefully crushed piece of paper under the extreme gravitational pressure.
Bang!
A loud crash echoed as the ruined and deformed gates were torn from their giant hinges, slamming heavily onto the street surface.
Through the gap of the completely demolished gates, the vast outer area leading away from the capital stretched out before their eyes. The fresh breeze of the open wilderness blew in, carrying the promise of freedom.
Bathed in the bright moonlight, the two youths slowly stepped over the threshold of the collapsed iron gates. And exactly one step after crossing beyond the ruined gates, Calverd halted his steps and turned around.
The indigo-haired youth stood in silence, casting a brief look back into the capital he was now leaving behind. The sight within reminded him of this long, blood-filled night, recalling all those who had died to achieve freedom.
Calverd's chest felt incredibly tight. Unable to hold it back any longer, tears rolled down, wetting his cheeks.
Thank you so much for all of your struggles. Calverd said sincerely in his heart, offering his final respects from the deepest depths of his soul to those who had fallen. I will never waste this life you fought for.
Seeing his comrade fall silent, Kaydan also came to a halt. The gray-haired youth did not rush him. He understood the grief Calverd was currently experiencing.
With a calm face that nonetheless harbored the same sense of loss, Kaydan joined in paying respects to all their comrades who had died during the escape. He slowly closed his eyes, clenched his right fist, and placed it right over his chest as a sign of the highest respect.
The poignant silence of the night enveloped the two of them in front of the capital gates.
"Which one of you is named Kaydan?"