Luckily, Mel managed to heal Kristen enough so that she could walk on her own. Cold's arms were starting to get sore from carrying her such a long distance.
The night was setting in quicker than Cold had anticipated. He thought the day would last a few more hours, but the sun had decided to take an early rest. At first, Cold thought that everything would be okay. They've traveled when it's dark before, everything should be fine.
When the moon had settled in, Cold and his friends finally made it to Cadleigh. But at the first town they passed through, something was off.
"What in the..." Kristen commented when they first spotted the place.
The houses reminded Cold of something lost at the back of his head. But what was clear was that something bad had happened to this village. Cracks were on the walls, there wasn't a single lamp or candle, and certainly not a person in sight.
"Does Cadleigh have towns like these?" Cold asked Solla who shrugged. "Granted, I've never been to Cadleigh before," she replied, "But knowing Cadleigh, I'm pretty sure they don't have improperly maintained towns. Even if nobody lives there anymore."
"If that is the case, then something must have happened here?" Kura guessed.
"We should just keep going until we reach the capital," Rayn reminded, "That's where we can help the most people."
Cold opened his mouth to agree, but the sound of Mel's blade being swiftly drawn stopped him.
"Is there something, Mel?" he asked and turned to face the girl, but she wasn't where he thought she was.
"Mel?" Kura called, but there was no reply.
"We better find where she is," Kura decided.
"I'm right here," Mel called as she sheathed her knives.
"What were you doing?" Cold inquired. But Mel didn't reply and just continued through the town.
"I'll go talk to her," Rayn suggested and raced after Mel.
"I think we should move quickly," Kura suggested.
Just as Cold was about to reply, something at the corner of his eye drew his attention. He tried to spot it in the trees, but there was nothing.
"What is it, Cold?" Kura asked.
"N-Nothing I guess," Cold replied, "Let's just keep going-"
There was a high-pitched scream. It was loud, so Cold guessed that it was close.
"Solla!" Kristen exclaimed as the three of them quickly sprung into action.
Cold scanned the town, trying to spot the blacksmith girl. But he couldn't see her anywhere.
"Cold! Kristen!" Kura cried. Cold turned around to see what she was crying out about. But he didn't see her there or anywhere.
"Kristen?!" Cold called out.
"Watch out, Blockhead!" came her reply.
Cold's eyes dashed around, trying to figure out what's going on. But he didn't see anyone, not even his friends.
"Rayn! Mel!" he tried again.
Immediately, Cold felt himself being pushed as something whizzed past this ear.
"Stay alert, Cold," Rayn appeared behind him.
"What's going on?!" Cold raised his spear. But Rayn didn't reply. Instead, he was gone.
Then Cold felt it. It felt like the spiky leaves of the growth back at Wintershold but more prickly. Those spiky things sliced at Cold's skin, forming cuts all around his body.
"Cold, run!" Kristen cried as Cold noticed something behind him. Using his spear, he parried the knife ordered to slash him before breaking into a sprint down the neighborhood.
Now, Cold could better see figures moving through the treetops and the roofs of buildings. They reminded Cold of the shadows they encountered back at Freushia, minus the glowing eyes and air-like movements.
About half a dozen figures leaped from the sky towards Cold. In a matter of seconds, they'd surrounded him and attacked Cold with an assortment of weapons.
As he slashed his spear around and tried his best to dodge, Cold couldn't help but feel his fear rise. The lessons of the middle-aged man came back to him, this time highlighting the one weakness of the something arts—solo fighter.
Miraculously, Cold managed to survive a wave of attacks and managed to retaliate some himself. After a while, the noise died down and Cold was surprised to find that he was alone with some unconscious bodies.
"Come on. This way," said someone, tugging Cold's elbow. It was a blonde girl with pink eyes. She was in some kind of pink and white battle gear with a lot of layers. Her attire reminded Cold of Kura's, so he guessed that this girl was a magic user too.
"Who are you?" Cold asked as he followed the girl through the town.
"Yuuli," she replied, "You must be here for the Call of Cadleigh, right?"
"I-I thought I already answered the call?"
"Then why are you out in the open? Where's your squad?"
"It's a long story," Cold replied, "By the way, have you seen my friends?"
"Your squad? No, you're the only one we've spotted for miles," Yuuli replied as she turned around and swung her pink and silver mace. Some kind of ball of light came out of the end, running for a figure chasing the two.
Unfortunately, the figure dodged her attack and closed in on them. Springing in front of Yuuli, Cold tried his best to fight the guy, but he was on another level of swiftness. He easily came in close and pointed a knife at Cold's throat.
"Hyah!" exclaimed someone as a loud explosion-like sound was heard. The figure dropped dead in front of Cold as a man with a gun—much bigger than Kristen's—stared at them with a wild expression.
"Aulia, he says there are more!" Yuuli told the man. He had black hair and dark eyes, possibly black. His clothing was dark blue and silver with a lot of knee pads and guards. His pants were also filled with many pockets, though Cold wasn't sure what he'd store in those since his weapon was that big gun.
"We have to get him out of here first," Aulia told Yuuli, "We can get the others after he's safe. Come on!"
"No, I need to make sure my friends are okay!" Cold argued.
"Boy, don't make this hard for us. The rest of our squad are trying to get your friends too. Now if you want you and your friends to see another day, you will come with us and do as we tell you to," the man said with so much certainty that Cold was convinced of his every word.
Yuuli continued to pull Cold away from the town as Aulia shot bullets at anyone who came close. The three of them were running incredibly fast, even by Cold's standards.
The trees of Cadleigh didn't help honestly. There wasn't a clear path anywhere, so they had to run through the many roots, fallen leaves, and twigs. And if it weren't for Yuuli's shield, dozens of bullets would've hit them already.
"What are these guys?" Cold asked as they ran.
"Wintershold assassins. They guard the outskirts of Cadleigh, especially at night."
"Why?"
"To prevent warriors like you from joining Cadleigh!" she grunted as she swung her mace at an incoming spear, knocking it off course.
"Aren't their forces big enough to annihilate Cadleigh? Why would they need to stop-"
"Just keep running, boy!" Aulia exclaimed.
Cold kept his mouth shut.
"Aulia," Yuuli grabbed the boy's shoulder before pointing her mace at the incoming assassins, knocking them backward. "We're not gonna make it."
"What do you-"
"There are more up ahead and everyone is spread too thin."
"And I need to get to my friends," Cold argued.
"Take this," Yuuli handed Cold some kind of dark blue gem the size of his thumb. "It should protect you until you reach the capital. When you're there, tell the king of the situation here."
"Yuuli..." Aulia muttered as he caught an incoming enemy by the shoulder and bashed his head on a nearby tree.
"Go!" Yuuli pushed Cold, "Keep running that way! You'll see a great building soon!"
Cold pushed his legs to run. The little square gem beat like a heart as Cold grasped it tighter.
Then, he felt something wrap around his ankle causing Cold to fall, accidentally releasing the gem and his spear.
Cold glanced behind him as he was dragged backward. A woman with dark robes and a necklace with a black star hanging around her neck raised her arms. He couldn't see her full face, but Cold could vividly see the woman's crooked smile under her hood.
A gasp escaped Cold's lungs as the woman looked familiar. Even without seeing her face, Cold knew very well who she was.
"Give us back our memories!" Cold exclaimed as he quickly got up and swung a punch at the woman. Swiftly, the woman dodged his attacks, sidestepping as she waved her arms.
The woman cackled as she continued to dodge. Sometimes, Cold would feel something coil around his ankle or wrist that momentarily broke his momentum.
As Cold fought the woman, the events of that moment came back. How the woman had raised her arms to perform her spell. How Mel had thrown her knives at the woman as she was charging up. How Kura had mentioned something called, "Dark Arts."
"You've caused us a lot of trouble!" the woman sneered as something wrapped around Cold's ankle and pulled him away from the ground, leaving him dangling and vulnerable.
"I shall finish what I have started," the woman smiled maniacally as she raised her finger. As she slashed towards Cold, he could feel his skin begin to open. To his surprise, he felt the stinging pain on his chest which was someplace well protected.
The woman continued to slice at Cold's limbs, leaving open cuts that didn't seem fatal but were drawing a lot of blood.
Cold's mind raced as he thrashed around, trying to find a way out. It shouldn't end like this. Not when there were so many questions left unanswered. Who's gonna tell him the recipe to those macaroon things Mrs. Wilters had mentioned if he died?
"Succumb to our power," hissed the woman as more rope things wrapped around Cold. His movements were quickly shortened and eventually, his view. The last thing he heard before losing consciousness was the consuming cackle of the woman with a black star necklace.