When Justin opened his eyes, he immediately realized that he couldn't move. Ropes bound his hands and feet tightly, leaving him in an uncomfortable position. Panic began to creep out as he realized he wasn't alone in this situation. He saw that his friends were also in a similar condition.
"Damn!"
Closing his eyes, Justin concentrated as he attempted to create an ice knife in his hand. However, his body seemed unable to summon ice powers as he usually did. Justin tried once more, but his efforts were in vain. It was as if there was some energy blocking the flow of mana within him.
"It's no use, Justin."
Justin quickly turned to the voice's source, and his eyes were wide open. He found Akio lying there, with his hands and feet bound. Despite his dire condition, the man appeared surprisingly relaxed.
"Akio! Help me get out of these binds!"
Akio sighed. "It's useless, Justin. I've tried countless times, but I can't break free. Somehow, I can't use my full power. It's like they drugged us."
Suddenly, Justin remembered the events before he lost consciousness. Just before he blacked out, he saw Sylvia appear and confront Jacob. However, Sylvia was not among them.
"Sylvia! Where is she?" Justin asked anxiously.
Akio sighed again. "Don't worry, she's in better condition than we are. She and Joanna are VVIP hostages."
Naturally, Justin raised an eyebrow. "VVIP hostages?"
...
In the dimly lit tent, Sylvia sat before a bowl of lukewarm soup placed on the table. Her face was pale, and her eyes looked weary from the profound exhaustion. The uncertain circumstances had taken a toll on her.
Sitting beside her was Joanna. The golden-haired girl showed a concerned look as she gazed at Sylvia. She gently tried to spoon-feed Sylvia with a spoonful of soup, but Sylvia didn't respond, her head hung low, and she seemed to have lost her appetite.
Worry began to creep over Joanna, and she said softly, "If you don't eat, you'll get sick."
Sylvia turned to Joanna with weak eyes and gave a concerning explanation, "They might have put something in our food, Joanna. The more we eat, the weaker we become. Can you use your powers now?"
Joanna hung her head in despair. She felt trapped in an increasingly difficult situation, and losing the ability to use her magical powers was a heavy blow.
However, in the tense silence, Jacob suddenly entered the tent. A grin spread across his face as he approached Sylvia. There was a hidden intention in his gaze.
"How's the soup, Miss Brown? Are you enjoying it?" Jacob asked.
Sylvia didn't answer, giving him a piercing look.
Jacob sighed. "Alright, I understand. But at least you should eat. You look very weak."
Still, Sylvia remained silent.
Seeing the suspicious gaze from her, Jacob pursed his lips. He then grabbed a seat at the corner of the table and sat in front of Sylvia. Their eyes met.
"Let's stop this nonsense," Jacob said. Taking her lukewarm soup, he finished it off without leaving a drop. "See, I ate your food. I didn't put any poison in it if that's what you're worried about."
"I won't eat anything you give me," Sylvia replied firmly.
The tent fell silent, and tension began to build between the two of them. Meanwhile, Joanna kept her mouth shut. She knew she had no capacity in this situation.
"Listen," Jacob said in a calm voice. "I see you have a lot of potential. Spending half your life serving a small guild is a waste. We, the Divine Ursine Alliance, have unlimited resources to support you. I will help you realize your potential."
Sylvia widened her eyes. Shortly after, she laughed. "So, you're treating me like this to make me join you?" She then spat. "To hell with that."
Faced with a resounding rejection, Jacob clenched his fists. However, he didn't give up.
"I know you hate me for what I did to your friends," Jacob said. "But believe me, I'm not as evil as you think. They're all fine."
"Like bound and confined in a small tent," Sylvia retorted.
Jacob gritted his teeth. "I had no choice. They are henchmen of my enemy, the one who trying to kill me."
Hearing that statement, Sylvia raised an eyebrow. Joanna reacted as well.
Jacob then told them what actually happened when they were ambushed by the elves. The sudden lightning strike in the middle of the battle wasn't a coincidence. It was because of Gavin Schneider.
This man was an experienced awakener, and it was not like that he made a mistake summoning lightning that resulted in dozens of people's deaths.
"Gavin has no problem with us or the Unity of Guardians," Jacob said. "Someone must have ordered it."
Sylvia remained silent, trying not to look interested. Joanna, however, seemed increasingly curious about his story.
"Of course, it's not Justin Law. This guy is just a puppet. He's inexperienced and very naive. Do you know who that guy is?" Jacob asked. "Yeah, it was Klaus. He's the one who wanted to kill me, my crew, and even his own cousin. He's the bad guy."
Bam!
Jacob and Sylvia were surprised when Joanna suddenly pounded on the table. The girl was angry that her big brother was called a criminal.
"Liar!" screamed Joanna. "Brother couldn't have done that. He's the one who protected us all this time! You're the real bad guy!"
Joanna started grabbing Jacob's collar and hitting his chest repeatedly, calling him a liar. But Jacob enjoyed it instead. He continued to provoke this girl.
"Ha ha ha ha ha! Get angry all you want, little bitch. But your brother is the real killer. Maybe I'm a bastard, but I wouldn't have the heart to finish off my fellow human. In fact, he's the one who killed Noah and Vincent. This person pitted the two of them against each other. He's the fucking villain here."
"Liar!" screamed Joanna.
The girl began to shed tears. She could not accept the fact. Naturally, Sylvia immediately pulled Joanna up, separating her from the man who made her cry. But she couldn't do much because her body was too weak.
"Shut up, asshole!" snapped Olivia.
Jacob ignored her. He continued to provoke Joanna.
Of course, it made a commotion and attracted people outside the tent. Two of Jacob's men entered. Seeing a girl grabbing their boss' collar, they immediately pushed Joanna until she fell down. Sylvia quickly hugged Joanna.
"Get your hands off, bitch!"
Jacob smiled with satisfaction after he had bullied the girl.
"This girl needs to be disciplined. You know what you have to do, right?" Jacob asked.
"Yes, we do, boss."
One of the men pulled Sylvia, thrashing her while she was being separated. Another took the rope and tied Joanna up, but she fought back by biting him.
"Arrrrgghh!"
Joanna gave the man a piercing look.
"You!"
The man raised up, about to unleash a slap on Joanna. But someone held his hand.
"Stop it. You don't have to do that to a woman."
Edward appeared out of the blue. He gave a piercing look, causing the man's guts to shrink.
"That's enough. You two get out," Jacob said.
Two of his men quickly left the tent.
"Do you have to do this?" Edward said to Jacob. "Didn't we have the deal?"
"Well, sorry. But the situation is out of control," Jacob replied, shrugging his shoulders.
Meanwhile, Joanna still had that hateful look on her face.
Jacob sighed. "Alright. It looks like my presence here is unwanted. I'll leave you two alone."
He then left the tent with quiet steps.
Edward lowered his shoulders as he looked at his cousin's weakened state. He felt guilty for everything that happened. When he tried to touch Joanna gently, she deflected his hand and would not look at him. Sylvia remained silent, not fully understanding their complicated relationship.
Joanna finally decided to speak, her voice filled with anger, "Why are you taking his side, Edward? I thought we were family."
Edward bowed his head in regretful silence and said in a low voice, "Sorry."
He knew that whatever he said would not be enough to calm Joanna down. The girl was really very dear to her older brother. After letting go of his worries, Edward turned to leave the tent.
As he was about to exit, Joanna, with a trembling voice and full of confusion, asked, "Is what he said true?"
Edward nodded his head gently. "He's right," he replied with a heavy heart. "Klaus wants to kill us."
Joanna gasped as she got the answer. She was completely shaken, and Sylvia hugged her immediately.
Edward left the tent with a heavy feeling in his heart.
Suddenly, he heard a commotion outside. Anxious voices and hurried steps filled the air.
And then, a short-haired woman with a pale face approached him. She seemed to be sweating and panting as if she had just gone through a very difficult situation. Edward immediately asked her, "What happened, Ava?"
The woman looked at Edward with fearful eyes and said, "We were attacked."
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