"They already left...?" Mae whispered. Her tone had dropped to a chilling, absolute cold, sounding exactly like a person teetering dangerously on the very edge of losing her mind.
"Y-yes, they left a while ago," the stablemaster stammered, visibly shrinking back in fear.
Li stepped in, desperately trying to keep the terrified man calm while simultaneously managing the ticking time bomb beside him. "Thank you for the information. We'll be leaving now to catch up with them," he said quickly, before turning a pleading look on Mae. "Shouldn't we? We'd better do it quick before they get too far ahead."
Mae completely ignored his suggestion. Taking a deep, ragged breath, she leaned forward, locking her burning gaze directly into the eyes of the poor, trembling stablemaster. "Do you know exactly where they were headed?"
The man nodded rapidly, desperate to appease the volatile elf. "Y-yes! They are headed straight to the Weeping Mountains. They seemed entirely intent on climbing them."
Li's eyes went wide with sudden, genuine horror, but Mae didn't flinch.
"Where is that?" she demanded.
The stablemaster pointed a shaky finger. "I-it's north from here. S-straight north. You really can't miss it, on account of the perpetual rain."
Without uttering another word, Mae sharply spun on her heel and marched right out of the stables.
"Once again, thank you for the information, and I'm so sorry for any stress we caused!" Li blurted out to the baffled stablemaster before scrambling to follow her out.
"Hey, wait a moment!" he called out.
Mae, in fact, did not wait a single moment. She maintained a brutally fast, determined pace, heading directly back toward the city entrance they had originally come through. Li let out a frustrated sigh as he pushed himself to match her speed. It was an exhausting effort; given her natural elven agility, her fast walk was practically a full-on jog for him.
"Are you planning on going to the other stable to get your horses to chase after them?" he panted.
When Mae didn't bother to reply, Li refused to let it go. "You have to understand, where they are headed is not a normal area at all! Putting aside the constant, freezing rain, it's where The Grand Lotus, Joshua Ambrose, has his temple! It's an incredibly dangerous place where people get killed!"
That specific phrasing finally seemed to grab her attention.
"Killed? Not just 'die' to the elements?" she asked, her brow furrowing as she finally slowed her frantic pace just a fraction. "And who is this Joshua Ambrose? I know someone with that family name, but I've never heard of a Joshua."
"It makes perfect sense if you haven't," Li explained, grateful for the chance to catch his breath. "He has been a massive problem mainly just for our country. But he is someone who uses chi—remember I explained that to you a little bit earlier? He is an absolute master of using it, and his disciples are deadly with it as well. Anyone who actually manages to survive the harsh mountains and reach his temple? Unless he explicitly wants you there, you die. No exceptions."
Mae clicked her tongue in sharp irritation. "Then that's all the more reason for us to hurry over there, not slow down!" she snapped.
She instantly picked up her pace again, her muscles coiled tight as she actively forced herself not to break into a full-on sprint. She knew perfectly well that Li had absolutely zero chance of catching up if she did, and infuriatingly enough, she still needed their guide.
Li groaned, once again forced into a breathless, undignified jog just to stay at her side. "I know you're worried, but we still need to stop and think about this for a little bit!" he pleaded.
Mae vehemently shook her head, not even bothering to look at him. "There is nothing to think about. We go there, we catch up to them, and if they have already reached the temple, then I kill this Joshua to bring Xain back. That's that."
Li stared at her profile as if she were completely, hopelessly deranged. "Are you entirely serious right now!? And Xain? Could you please stop changing the name of the person you're looking for?" he demanded, thoroughly exasperated.
Suddenly, Mae dug her heels into the ground, coming to such an abrupt, rigid halt that Li nearly crashed right into the back of her. For a fleeting, hopeful second, Li thought, *Is she finally actually listening to me and giving this some thought?*
But then he noticed her wide, unblinking eyes were fixed dead ahead on the bustling street. Frowning, Li followed her intense gaze and saw something that immediately made him freeze in his tracks.
Standing a short distance away was... her. Or rather, someone who looked the exact same as Mae, just wearing entirely different clothes and sporting much longer hair.
"Huh? What's this? Who's that?" Li muttered, his mind struggling to process the identical faces.
The other elven woman had also frozen completely in place, her own wide eyes locked directly onto Mae in equal shock. The two people traveling alongside the stranger quickly drew to a halt as well, sensing the heavy, sudden tension as they followed her gaze.
After an entire, agonizing month of not seeing one another, the two twins had suddenly crossed paths once again, both desperately trying to accomplish the exact same goal.