Freyheart's fiery aura flickered with restrained fury as he stood in the aftermath of what happened in the vilge. Right as Sera arrived, two more powerful auras swept the surroundings, signaling the arrival of Isabel (Luis's grandmother) and Bane.

  Isabel descended gracefully as her Phoenix wings disappeared. In her arms, she held a sleeping Lira. Bane nded next to Isabel, his energy feeling heavy, seemingly exuding raw power.

  Isabel spoke, "Freyheart, Sera, what happened here? I saw Lira running in the streets, panicked, and then sensed yours and Sera's aura from afar."

  Freyheart stepped forward, crouching down to comfort his daughter. "Bck Talons they came in undetected. They took Adryn and Kael, but Sera managed to recover them."

  "I captured the soldier, but he was able to call for reinforcements," Sera continued.

  Isabel's gaze softened as she saw the figures of Luis and Aelina, who looked like they had been hit hard, their clothes messy and dirt-streaked from the ground. Her gaze darkened a bit when she looked at the lifeless body of Taran, feeling guilt that an unreted person had to be involved in the Phoenix Cn's mess. Isabel moved near Aelina and signaled for Luis to come to her. "Come here, my dear, let me help."

  Luis didn't hesitate and moved forward. Fmes danced around Isabel, golden and gentle. The fire exuded a sense of warmth that made Luis and Aelina calm down.

  "The fire won't burn; it will heal you and help you feel more rexed," she said as the fmes moved to them.

  The fmes stopped all the pain in their bodies. The fmes felt like a warm embrace, momentarily making them forget all their worries. They felt a sense of renewed strength within themselves.

  Luis looked at her with a flicker of hope. With slight hesitation, he asked, "Grandmother… can you help Taran?"

  Isabel's expression darkened as she pced a hand on his shoulder while still holding Lira. "I'm sorry, Luis. His spirit is already gone."

  Bane stepped forward before Luis or Isabel could continue speaking. "Sera, let me interrogate the soldier. Send one of the Xoliti Cn members with me. We'll figure out how they were able to get in undetected. Also, get the rest of the cn members into your shadow prison. We need to get out of here."

  Sera nodded and looked at Freyheart.

  Freyheart's voice rang out. "Fmeborn Connection." An invisible pulse radiated out of him in a 2 km radius with clear instructions. "Everyone, please don't be afraid of the shadows cwing at your feet. Enter them voluntarily. We've been discovered, and we need to leave. Spread the message outward. If you have the Fmeborn Connection blessing, use it as well and repeat everything I said."

  Sera's shadow prison was very weak at pulling enemies in herself. She could cover the entire 5 km radius and try to drag everything in, but after 10 meters, unless it was voluntary, she wouldn't be able to drag anyone in. This was why Freyheart needed to inform everyone.

  Freyheart's blessing would only contact those who were part of the Phoenix Cn or those he had designated to inform. He was only able to designate ten individuals who were not Phoenix Cn members, but he didn't need more than ten right now.

  Inside the Shadow Prison

  The shadow prison was an endless void of darkness, shaped into multiple rooms with different designs and sizes. Two men appeared in a dark chamber. It was surrounded by walls made of shadows on all sides. There was a soldier bound in the middle of the room, bck tendrils holding him immobile.

  Bane's eyes glowed red, and the room lit up slightly as he sent out a fire that formed a semicircle in the air behind the soldier. The fmes were suspended in the air but moved as any normal fire would.

  The Xoliti Cn member stood on the side, having done nothing, waiting for Bane to instruct him.

  The soldier's eyes darted in fear as Bane approached him. Bane activated a golden fme, the same as Isabel's, that flowed and healed the soldier's wounds, mending his broken limbs. The soldier felt the pain go away, but unlike with Luis and Aelina, there was no warmth—only a sinister feeling because he knew the Phoenix Cn's torture methods.

  Bane had a childlike, wide grin across his face. "We can't have you passing out before the fun begins."

  The soldier couldn't keep his composure and started trembling, the weight of the shadows and Bane's sadistic gaze making him panic more and more.

  Isabel crouched near Luis and Aelina as she pced Lira on the ground with Luis supporting her. "The shadows won't hurt you. They will take you to your parents. You'll be safe with them."

  Luis and Aelina gnced at each other but allowed the shadows to envelop them. They reappeared in a rge room next to both of their parents, who seemed to have already entered before them. Luis's parents held Kael, and Aelina's mother held Adryn. Both their parents rushed toward them when they saw Aelina, Luis, and Lira appear.

  Sera's focus remained razor-sharp as she made sure everyone was entering the shadow prison, her aura slowly draining. "I can maintain this for 10 hours with everyone inside. Also, Freyheart, there are three kids not going into the shadows 4 km east. Go and make them go in."

  Freyheart quickly got up and flew east at full speed. Isabel pced a hand on Sera's shoulder. "Ten hours is enough. We should head south near the Wrift Caverns. There are two towns on the way that have some more cn members. After taking them, we can regroup at the caverns and set up barriers with the Xoliti Cn members."

  "I have the cn members recorded from the towns you're talking about. We shouldn't use any blessings in those towns. I'll teleport to them one by one and get them into the shadow prison. We shouldn't leave much evidence."

  As Sera noticed the st kids enter the shadow prison, she also used her blessing on Isabel and Freyheart, signaling them to enter as well.

  Before entering, Isabel made the golden fire move to Sera, making her feel refreshed and charged with energy. "Good luck."

  Sera nodded and waited for them to enter. Sera did a headcount in her shadow prison one st time before moving, making sure all 80 members across the five vilges were there. Sera grinned inwardly as she felt a rush of adrenaline spike.

  "It's been a while since I've had to run. The chances of a legendary or mythical-tier person chasing me… make it exciting."