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THIRD POV
Somewhere within the Sarion Dynasty, Yami arrived, his presence barely disturbing the flow of the surroundings, until he unexpectedly crossed paths with Eren.
"Eren sama."
The calm, measured call made her flinch.
She turned sharply, eyes widening as the familiar figure came into view. For a brief moment, she simply stared, caught off guard by his sudden appearance.
"Y... Yami san?"
She exhaled, placing a hand over her chest. "Phew, you scared me."
She laughed weakly, brushing off imaginary sweat as her composure slowly returned, though the surprise still lingered in her expression.
"Apologise, I didn't mean to."
"No problem. Just drop the 'sama' act already."
"Ok. So are you guys ready?"
"Yep. We were waiting for you all along."
"Well, I'm here. We leave at your call."
"Midnight, okay?"
"Good. I'll be waiting."
"No. You have to come inside the building and break me out when everyone's sleeping."
"Will your crew be there?"
The question sounded risky, but the task itself wasn't impossible.
"We'll visit them once you get me out."
"Alright. Hang tight. I'll be there. Be ready, I won't wait for anyone."
With that, Yami turned away and vanished.
At midnight, he slipped into the castle's depths like a shadow given intent. His presence left no sound, no disturbance, footsteps swallowed by stone.
Guards passed by without sensing him, wards failed to react, and locked doors were bypassed as if they had never existed.
He moved through the corridors with practiced ease until he reached the room Eren had described.
Inside, the girl waited in silence. Her back was straight, hands clenched tight, every second stretching longer than the last. She listened for footsteps, for the faint scrape of a door, for any sign that he had arrived.
Instead, a voice echoed softly through the room, coming from nowhere and everywhere at once.
"You're ready. That's good."
Her body stiffened. Her heart jumped.
"Wh... who's there!?"
"Calm down. It's me."
The air shifted, and Yami revealed himself, standing only a few steps away. The tension drained from her shoulders as she exhaled sharply.
"Stop doing that."
She muttered, rubbing her arm.
"It's not necessary."
"Let's go get the crew."
"Yeah. They're outside the castle."
Yami teleported them outside, and she led the way to some bushes behind the castle.
"Kaval, Gido, come out."
She wisphere, summoning them. Two men walked in. Kaval is an average male with blonde hair. Gido, on the other hand, is a tall and strong-built man with a goatee with brown hair and eyes.
"Eren has told us about you a lot. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Yeah.."
"Let's get out of here first."
The squad of four departed the city under cover of night and set up camp deep within the forest, far from any traveled path. The trees rose high and dense around them, their leaves whispering softly as moonlight filtered through the canopy.
Yami took the first watch, seated apart from the others, his gaze fixed deep into the cosmos.
By morning, back at the kingdom, panic had already taken root. She was gone. Corridors filled with hurried footsteps, voices overlapped in alarm, and search parties were dispatched in every direction, combing roads, villages, and forests alike.
Meanwhile, the group pressed onward through the woods. The forest grew thicker, the air heavier, every sound amplified by the quiet. Without warning, Yami halted mid-step.
"What's wrong, Yami?"
Eren asked, immediately noticing the shift in his posture and the sharp change in his expression.
"There's something I want to tell you."
"What's it?"
"I'm not a human. I'm someone's clone."
<>
"A clone?"
"Yeah. I'd like you to meet my master before we continue."
"O... okay."
Yami teleported them into the Second Hall, where Asteri, Hinamatsuri, Shinn, Eto, Elafria, Elaine, and Atlas were gathered, clearly in the middle of a discussion. The air shifted the moment the space warped. One by one, they turned their gazes toward the sudden arrivals.
"What is it, Yami?"
Shinn asked. Yami ignored him and stepped forward, guiding the group ahead.
"Master, meet Eren. She hails from the Sarion Dynasty."
He said evenly.
"Sarion...?"
Elafria repeated softly, the name lingering on her tongue.
"What is it, Elafria?"
"Nothing much. Used to be my home town."
"Oh, that's new. Do you wish to go back?"
"Never. I'd like to see your dreams come true."
"Dreams are irrelevant to Young Master. He can make anything happen."
Elaine replied with her cute voice.
(Still floating, cute, and eyes shut. xd)
"Forgive me, Lady Elaine."
"So... you're an elf."
"Yes, my name is Elyun Grimwald. My father is Elrald Grimwald, an uncle to Elmesia El Ru Sarion. These two are my adventuring party Kaval and Gido."
She introduced properly.
"It's a great honour to meet you, Your Highness."
"Well, welcome to Star Island. Feel free to do what you want."
"I wanted to ask..."
Yami's words were cut off by Asteri.
"Granted. I'll inform you if I need anything."
"I'll be waiting for that. Excuse me for now."
The squad was teleported back to the forest. All the commotion happened in a few minutes, but the air around them now was different.
"So that was your master?"
Eren asked.
"Yeah... the quiet, long-haired kid and the one who talked to me first are both his clones. There are two more in different locations."
"... magnificent..."
"Oh, and he's an otherworlder. Just like the floating princess and the red-haired guy."
"Heh? It'll be interesting to know how they all got along."
"They came from the same world."
(Can't get around it:(
"C... c.. came? That's not possible."
"Believe me, it is. Now, where shall we head to Eren?"
Not wanting to drag the boring discussion any further, Yami changed the subject.
"Umm... I don't know. How about we explore some caves or anything."
"Well. We need to go buy something atleast, don't we?"
"Oh, I almost forgot. You're right. What we have currently won't be enough for the long run."
"Good. Let's head to the nearest kingdom and buy stuff, ok?"
"Umm."
Eren nodded in acknowledgment, and with that, the squad turned and headed downward toward the Western States.
...
...
...
To be continued...
