Chapter 117 So close to freedom

Chapter 117 So close to freedom
The courtyard erupted into chaos the moment the group hit the ground. Dust and debris from their landing still hung in the air as Vandal surged forward without hesitation. Elder Shekini's limp form was slung over his broad shoulder like a sack of grain. The elder's breathing was shallow but steady.

Sabine stumbled beside him. Her legs moved only because Vandal's iron grip on her arm dragged her along. Her eyes were glassy and unfocused. The final image of her mother seared into her mind like a brand: crimson tears streaking down that resolute face, the silver armor crumbling, and the deafening explosion that had sealed Matron Clara's fate.

"Mom..." Sabine whispered hoarsely. The word was barely audible over the pounding of their feet. The last battle cry still echoed in her ears. It was a fierce, defiant sound that had shattered something deep inside her. She tried to wrench free and turn back toward the crumbling tower, but Vandal's hold was unrelenting.

"Not now, Sabine!" he growled. His voice was raw from the earlier chokehold. Sweat beaded on his white hair, which was matted with dust and blood. "She bought us time. We waste it, and her sacrifice means nothing!"

The others kept pace, their faces grim. Sera used her echo to stir winds around them, trying to boost their sprint. Jaclynn clutched her side and winced with every step. She seemed to have broken a rib in the fall. Chan gripped his sword, his eyes darting back toward the building. The explosion's aftershocks still rumbled through the stone beneath their feet, sending cracks across the courtyard tiles.

They made a beeline for the far side, aiming for the shadowed archway that led toward the back gates. The open space offered no cover. Pristine lawns were trampled under their desperate flight, and ornamental fountains lay shattered by falling debris. Shouts rose behind them. More guards, drawn by the cataclysmic blast, poured from side entrances and elevated walkways.

"There! It's them!" one bellowed, pointing with a glowing spear that seemed to be an echo weapon.

"Stop them!"

A squad of at least twenty Resonance Council enforcers gave chase. Their boots thundered across the stone. Some leaped from balconies, using bursts of wind or earth resonance to close the gap. Arrows laced with crackling energy whistled past. One grazed Jaden's shoulder and drew a hiss of pain.

"Keep moving!" Vandal shouted. He shifted Shekini's weight to free one hand. He channeled a quick pulse of his own energy, sending a ripple of force that knocked two incoming projectiles aside. Sabine ran mechanically now, her legs pumping, but her heart was not in it.

Every stride replayed the moment: her mother's tender words, the ancient tree tattoo blooming across her skin, and the way those silver shields had slammed down like the hand of fate itself. "I love you very much." The memory clawed at her, threatening to pull her under.

They weaved between marble statues and low hedges. The back gate loomed in the distance, a massive iron-reinforced portal flanked by watchtowers. If they could reach it, breach it, and disappear into the sprawling city beyond...

\---

High above, in the shattered remnants of the upper floors, Grand Elder Ragab stood amid the wreckage. His face was a mask of barely contained fury. The explosion had rocked the entire Resonance Council complex. Chunks of the third and fourth floors had collapsed inward. Dust choked the air, and the acrid scent of scorched metal and blood filled his nostrils.

"Damn it all," he muttered. His fists clenched at his sides. This level of destruction would not go unnoticed. The other three Grand Elders were undoubtedly already stirring, their powerful senses attuned to such disturbances.

He needed a story, something plausible that would explain this destruction and commotion. More importantly, he needed those treasures back. The vault breach and the missing artifacts all traced to that white-haired boy and his ragtag group.

Ragab's eyes narrowed as he descended through the debris. His heavy boots crushed stone underfoot. He had sent his wives, Lady Safura and Lady Hamisa, to handle the intruders personally, backed by elite guards. They were powerful enough to end this swiftly. Yet here the building stood, half-ruined.

"Safura! Hamisa!" he called out. His voice boomed with amplified energy and shook loose more dust from the ceiling. "Report!"

Weak groans answered from beneath a pile of collapsed masonry on the third floor. Ragab's expression darkened. With a surge of raw power, he levitated massive slabs of stone and twisted metal aside as if they were paper. Two bloodied, battered figures emerged from the rubble.

Lady Safura lay slumped against a fractured pillar. Her once-fierce eyes were dulled with pain. Deep gashes marred her arms and torso, and one leg was twisted at an unnatural angle. Lady Hamisa fared little better. Her elegant robes were torn to shreds, burns and bruises covered her exposed skin, and a nasty gash across her forehead still oozed blood. Both women looked as if they had been through a meat grinder.

"What in the abyss happened here?" Ragab demanded. He hauled Safura upright with surprising gentleness for his massive frame. He channeled a trickle of healing energy into them, enough to staunch the worst of the bleeding.

Safura coughed, spitting blood. "That... prisoner. The old woman. She was stronger than we anticipated."

Hamisa winced as she sat up, clutching her ribs. "Those brats came for her. They somehow broke into the dungeon we gave to the pious clan members and freed her and the other woman."

"When we tried to stop them and capture the boy, she... she used some kind of forbidden technique."

"She sealed us in and triggered that blast to bury all of us."

"We... underestimated her." Safura rasped. Her voice lingered with hatred.

Ragab's mind raced. Both his wives were Stage 13, yet they were injured to this extent by one woman.

"For her to be that dangerous, her identity is not simple. She must be an elder of the Unseeing Faith Sect."

"Why go through all that trouble to free her and why did they rescue just her and the other Unseeing Faith elder unless..."

The pieces clicked into place for Ragab. The timing, the target of the rescue, and the specific dungeon told the story. Those ants were probably remnants of the Unseeing Faith Sect. They never intended to go for the vault treasures. Their objective was to rescue their elders.

His hatred ignited like oil on fire. A low, guttural growl escaped his throat. "Unseeing Faith filth. They dare infiltrate my domain?" His aura exploded outward, cracking the remaining walls. The other Grand Elders would demand answers, but now this was personal. Recovering the boy, Vandal, the white-haired thief, would yield the treasures and expose this sect connection. He could spin the narrative perfectly: captured infiltrators from the sworn enemies of the Resonance Council.

"Rest here," he ordered his wives, already turning away. "I will bring them back, either all dead or one alive."

Without another word, Ragab blasted through the nearest shattered window like a living juggernaut. His massive form levitated into the air. Dark resonance coiled around him like storm clouds. From this vantage, the courtyard unfolded below. Tiny figures sprinted desperately toward the back gate, pursued by a wave of guards. The white hair was unmistakable.

A predatory smile split Ragab's face. He descended like a falling mountain, the air warping around his descent.