Chapter 265: I won’t leave you here

"Xavier." Nyx called to him, her voice trembling. "Please... come back to us."He finally looked up, meeting their tear-filled gazes. A faint, weary smile touched his lips. "I will," he said softly. "Once she’s free, I’ll find you all."

The words weren’t a promise. They were a conviction.

Theron, standing beside Seraphine, placed a gentle hand on her arm. "He’s right. The longer we stay, the more danger we bring to him...and to everyone else. The prisoners need guidance. I’ll go with the others. If they meet resistance, I’ll handle it." Lucas quickly left the Empress for a while and unlocked the restraint on Theron’s neck...so he could help protect the girls and the other prisoners. The restraint around Theron’s neck was easy for him to unlock. He threw it away the moment he unlocked it.

Seraphine turned to Theron, her tears now flowing freely. "Theron..."

He gave her a smile. "I’ll keep them safe,"

Lira called out softly, "Xavier, we’re leaving. Now."

Lucas didn’t answer. He was already back to the Empress, his eyes were already closed, his Qi gathering again as he turned back toward the lock. The celestial runes glowed brighter, reflecting in his sweat-soaked hair like molten gold.

Theron lingered for a moment longer, glancing back at the Empress. Then he turned and followed the others, his silhouette vanishing into the passage. Leaving Seraphine with Lucas, trying to save the Empress.

Lucas pressed his hand once more to the glowing restraint, whispering through clenched teeth, "Just a little longer, Your Majesty... hold on."

The moment Nyx and others slipped out of the dungeon’s heavy door, she led the way, her eyes darting from shadow to shadow. The others followed close behind, guiding the frightened captives through the halls.

They knew the way...straight ahead through the lower corridors, then a turn that would lead them toward the cellars where the secret passage to the sewers waited.

"Stay close," Lira whispered sharply, turning to the frightened prisoners who trailed behind her. "Don’t scatter, whatever happens."

"I told you this was too easy," Nyx muttered under her breath as they moved down the narrow hallway. "They’ll come soon."

"They already have," Theron said grimly as the sound of marching boots echoed ahead.

They all froze.

From the far end of the corridor, a group of guards appeared, they raised their elemental weapons at once, and one of them shouted, "There they are! Stop them!"

"Get the prisoners behind us!" Nyx barked, moving forward as frost began to gather around her hands. "We’ll clear the path."

The first clash was immediate and violent. A guard lunged at Theron, but he parried and sent the man flying with a burst of raw strength. Lira spun to the side, a ribbon of fiery Qi bursting from her palm and cutting across the corridor, setting one of the banners ablaze. The flames roared to life, illuminating the chaos.

"Keep moving!" Seraphine cried, waving the prisoners toward the corner. "Don’t stop, just move!"

Nyx darted past her, grabbed a blade hanging by the wall and sliced through another guard’s armor with a surge of lightning. The man convulsed and fell to the floor, his armor sizzling. "They just keep coming!" she shouted, turning toward another wave that emerged from a side passage.

Mirielle clenched her fists, her eyes glowing faintly blue. The air around her began to ripple as she summoned her water Qi. A rushing wave burst forth, crashing into three of the guards and throwing them off balance. "Now!" she shouted to Theron.

Theron didn’t hesitate. He ignited white light, and drove it down with a thunderous strike. The ground trembled, and the wave of energy slammed through the corridor, knocking several guards unconscious.

"Go, go!" he yelled. "They’ll regroup in seconds!"

Nyx turned just in time to see one of the freed prisoners, a man, fall to the ground as a guard’s spear pierced his side. She screamed and hurled a shard of ice that struck the guard square in the chest. He crumpled instantly, but the damage was done. The young man gasped for air, his hands clutching at the wound.

"Get up!" she said, kneeling beside him, but his eyes were already glassy.

Another scream rang out. A second prisoner, an older woman, was cut down as two guards broke through the chaos. Lira turned, her face twisted with rage. "No more!" she shouted, and the air around her erupted into blazing heat. Flames surged down the hall, engulfing the attackers. The smell of burning armor and smoke filled the air.

Selene grabbed one of the trembling prisoners by the arm. "You can mourn them later!" she said harshly. "Move now before they all die for nothing!"

Nyx panted as she dragged another injured captive forward. "How many were there behind us?"

"Too many," Mirielle said bitterly. "We need to reach that cellar now."

Theron blocked another swing from a halberd, twisted his wrist, and broke the guard’s arm with a crack. "Then move! I’ll hold the rear!"

Selene looked back, her eyes bright with fury and grief. "We’re not leaving you...."

"You will if you want to save the rest!" Theron shouted, shoving her forward. "Go!"

The corridor was chaos...firelight, the crackle of lightning and frost. Two more guards fell as Nyx and Lira struck in tandem, their powers intertwining in a violent burst of heat and light.

The surviving prisoners stumbled forward, clutching each other as they made for the turn ahead, they all moved because there was no other choice.

Back in the dungeon, Lucas’s breathing was heavy, his fingers trembling as he traced the glowing symbols that shimmered faintly across the Empress’s restraint. Each rune pulsed with celestial energy, its light deep and almost alive, like the heartbeat of some ancient spell. Sweat dripped down his forehead and rolled across his cheek, but he ignored it, his entire focus fixed on the lock.

"Xavier, hurry," Seraphine whispered in a harsh tone, glancing nervously toward the entrance of the dungeon. Her hand was clenched around waist, her eyes darting from shadow to shadow as if expecting Ken to appear at any moment. "He’s going to be here soon... you know what will happen if he finds us here."

Lucas didn’t respond. His eyes stayed fixed on the runes, his lips moving silently as he tried to understand the flow of energy binding them. His hand glowed faintly with spatial Qi, flickers of silvery light dancing across his fingertips as he pressed them against the metal ring that clasped the Empress’s neck.

"I’m trying," he muttered finally, voice low and strained. "This isn’t an ordinary seal... it’s celestial. Every time I try to break one rune, two more activate in its place."

Seraphine moved beside him, her expression tight with fear and frustration. "Then destroy it! Cut it off....We don’t have time to think..."

Lucas turned his head sharply toward her, his gaze intense. "If I do that, I could kill her. You don’t understand how delicate this is... one wrong move and the entire restraint could release all its energy at once. It’ll crush her spirit core before she even gets to breathe again."

Seraphine bit her lip hard, her eyes flickering toward the Empress. The older woman stood motionless inside the cell. She looked pale, drained of all strength, yet there was no fear in her eyes...only calm acceptance.

The Empress finally spoke, her voice soft but steady. "You are wasting your breath," she said to Seraphine. "He knows what he is doing. If there is a chance for me to walk out of here alive, it lies with him."

Seraphine turned to her, eyes widening. "Your Majesty, with respect, you cannot just sit there!... If he finds us."

The Empress’s lips curved into the faintest smile. "If he finds us, then I will face what I must. But until then, let him work."

Lucas’s hands moved again, the glow from his Qi intensifying as he pressed his palm against the lock. "I’ve tried everything," he muttered under his breath. "Spatial displacement, phase shift, dimensional cut..." He clenched his teeth, forcing his Qi deeper into the metal. The lock vibrated violently, humming with celestial resonance, and a jolt of power shot up his arm, burning his veins.

The air around the restraint shimmered, bending faintly as if reality itself was being stretched. For a brief second, the runes flickered, and Lucas’s heart leapt. He felt it...an opening, small but real. He pushed his Qi harder, ignoring the pain.

But then, as quickly as it appeared, the opening closed, and a surge of celestial energy blasted out. Lucas was thrown backward, slamming into the floor with a dull thud. The Empress gasped softly as the restraint glowed brighter for a moment before settling again, mocking his failure.

"Xavier!" Seraphine rushed to his side, helping him up. His arm was smoking faintly, the skin seared where the backlash had hit him. He winced but shook his head. "I’m fine," he said hoarsely, even though his voice trembled. "He’s done something to the space here. My teleportation...nothing works. I can’t phase through it either. The entire cell’s surrounded by a celestial barrier. He made sure no one could take her away."

The Empress looked at him quietly through the bars. "If that man truly sealed this place with celestial power, then only another celestial can break it," she said softly. "You cannot bear that burden alone."

"I don’t care," Lucas replied, stepping closer again. His hands trembled, but his gaze burned with determination. "If there’s even a chance I can undo it, I’ll take it. I won’t leave you here."

Seraphina’s breath hitched as she looked between them. "Xavier... what if he’s already here?"

He didn’t answer her this time either. He just pressed his hand back against the lock, eyes narrowing as the faint hum of energy filled the dungeon once again. The Empress’s gaze softened as she watched him...this boy she barely knew, fighting so desperately for her freedom when even her own son had turned against her.