Chosen By The Lover's Constellation-Chapter 138: Children of Mana, Part Twenty-Two

Caroline staggered forward, her breaths coming in ragged gasps.

With trembling hands, she reached into her Inventory and retrieved a small healing potion.

Ignoring the pain shooting through her body, Caroline uncorked the vial and hastily downed its contents.

The cool liquid surged through her veins, numbing the agony and restoring some semblance of strength to her battered form.

[Not enough, but that should get me through to the city. Come on... Come on! Keep moving, Caroline!]

Her respite was short-lived.

As she stumbled on, her senses on high alert, a sudden rustling nearby brought her to a halt.

Before she could react, a group of cloaked figures emerged from the shadows, their eyes glinting with malice.

[Curses.]

With a surge of adrenaline, Caroline raised her sword once again.

The first attacker lunged forward, aiming a vicious blow at her neck. Caroline deflected the strike just in time, the blade grazing her skin.

Fueled by desperation, Caroline fought back with all the ferocity she could muster.

Each swing of her sword was swift and precise, cutting through the darkness with deadly accuracy. Despite her injuries, she refused to yield, determined to survive at any cost.

In a whirlwind of steel and fury, Caroline emerged victorious, her assailants lying defeated at her feet. Breathing heavily, she leaned against a nearby tree, her heart still pounding with adrenaline.

[Keep going... Just keep going.]

---

{Lianna}

The sound of insistent knocking echoed through the quietude of the night, rousing Lianna from her slumber.

Blinking away the remnants of sleep, she stumbled out of bed, her movements sluggish as she made her way to the door.

With each step, the urgency of the pounding grew louder, echoing the pounding of her heart.

Opening the door, Lianna was met with a sight that sent a jolt of alarm coursing through her veins. Caroline stood before her, her normally composed demeanor marred by a half-healed wound on her abdomen. Without a word, Caroline pushed past Lianna, stumbling into the room.

"W-What happened?" Lianna asked, her voice laced with shock and concern.

Enverna and Zura stirred from their sleep, their eyes widening as they took in the scene unfolding before them.

"I was attacked. That’s what," Caroline replied tersely, her annoyance palpable as she collapsed onto a nearby chair, wincing at the pain that shot through her body.

Lianna exchanged a worried glance with Enverna and Zura. Her fiance sat up, adjusting her clothes as she said:

"Did I hear that right? You were... attacked?"

"Yes," Caroline responded. "Would any of you happen to have a healing potion, perhaps?"

Lianna quickly pulled one from her Inventory and handed it over.

"Can you give us the-"

"Details? Obviously, I would not have come here if it did not concern you," she cut Lianna off. "Look, here’s what happened."

Taking a deep breath, Caroline began to recount the harrowing events that had transpired.

She spoke of the attack at the old chapel, Jack’s sudden arrival, and the ominous vague warning that Saren would soon be in control, whatever that meant.

With each word, the gravity of the situation weighed heavy in the air, suffusing the room with a sense of dread.

Enverna’s expression darkened as she listened, her mind racing with the implications of Caroline’s words.

"Jack is here, in Garriden?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, her thoughts already racing ahead to the threat that loomed on the horizon.

Caroline nodded grimly, her gaze fixed on the floor as she spoke.

"Yes. Correct me if I am wrong, but you two fought that man previously, no?"

"Twice," Lianna replied. "And... When the raid happened, at Telvan, I saw him."

"You mentioned he’d been standing out amongst the Fiends, right?" Enverna asked. Lianna nodded. "Could... Could he be the reason why the Fiends are gathering now in Garriden?"

The instant that question was dropped on the girls’ laps, the room went quiet. The implication wasn’t lost on anyone. The meaning of his presence was, if the dots were to be connected, obvious.

Of course, Lianna knew quite well what this meant. She had an event lined up by the end of the month, after all.

[So, he’s commanding the Fiends that are going to attack Garriden. Shit.]

Caroline shook her head, her expression grave.

"Whatever he’s here for, we can’t let him succeed."

"Yeah," Lianna agreed. "We need to come up with a plan."

"Maybe Olin can help," Enverna pitched. "If the church has traitors within their midst, he’d definitely want to know about it anyway."

"If you know any Constellation’s followers from Telvan who might be willing to help, you should probably reach out to them as well," Caroline suggested. "In the meantime, I will use my connections to see if I can find anything out regarding the church. We can’t disregard the possibility that Olin too may be working against us."

"What!?" Lianna pulled back. "B-But, he’s been helping me train."

"Train what?"

"The artifact," Lianna cleared up. By the look on Caroline’s face, it appeared she’d forgotten about that. "He’s been helping me control it."

"Hm..." Caroline’s eyes locked with Lianna’s for a moment. "Be that as it may, it can’t hurt to make sure." She stood up. "If the church has deemed me an enemy, then my home is probably not safe right now. I’ll check in downstairs and stay in one of the other rooms here. Tomorrow, I say we pay Olin a visit."

Just like that, she walked out, but not before throwing Lianna one more distrusting glance.

Lianna sighed.

"Holy shit... Jack’s here," she murmured. "I mean, I guess I should have expected that, but... Fuck."

"Don’t worry," Enverna told her. "Whatever he’s up to, we’ll put a stop to it. We still have a score to settle with him anyway."

---

{Caroline}

The following morning, the bustling streets of Garriden were alive with activity as Caroline, Lianna, Enverna, and Zura made their way through the city.

The air was filled with the hum of conversation and the scent of food from nearby stalls, but beneath the surface, an undercurrent of tension simmered, a silent reminder of the looming threat that hung over them.

As they walked, Caroline gently pulled Enverna aside, her expression curious as she spoke.

"How is Lianna handling the artifact?" she asked quietly.

Enverna glanced over her shoulder thoughtfully to where Lianna walked alongside Zura.

"She’s managed to activate it on her own," she replied, her tone tinged with a bit of... pride. Something that made Caroline raise a brow. "She even used it to control a Fiend during a test she performed. But, she’s still trying to work out its limitations."

"Is that so?" Caroline nodded along, her eyes flickering with a hint of apprehension. "Now more than ever, we need to ensure that Lianna remains under our control," she said firmly, her voice low but resolute. "We can’t afford to risk her betraying us."

Enverna’s gaze faltered for a moment, a flicker of doubt crossing her features before she quickly masked it with a nod.

Caroline did notice, of course.

"I understand," she replied, her tone solemn. "I’ll keep a close eye on her."

Caroline studied Enverna for a moment, her expression inscrutable, before giving a curt nod of approval.

"Thank you," Caroline murmured, her voice tinged with a hint of skepticism as she returned Enverna’s nod. "I appreciate your diligence."

Enverna offered a small smile in response, but Caroline couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t quite right.

She studied Enverna’s face, searching for any sign of deception, but found nothing to confirm her suspicions. Yet, the seed of doubt had been planted, and Caroline couldn’t ignore the gnawing uncertainty that tugged at her conscience.

She couldn’t help but wonder if Enverna was truly being honest about her intentions towards Lianna. If she truly was just Enverna’s pawn, or if there was more to their relationship than she was letting on.

[God forbid... She actually likes her.] 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

The mere suggestion sent chills down Caroline’s spine.

[I’ve walked that path myself. Trusting one of them cannot end with anything but betrayal.]

Lost in her thoughts, Caroline barely noticed the faint sound of laughter up ahead. Frowning, she glanced up to see Lianna walking alongside Zura, her expression lit up with amusement even though Zura didn’t look like she’d said anything.

"Tsk." Caroline clicked her tongue.

Her thoughts were interrupted as they arrived at Olin’s chapel, their footsteps echoing against the cobblestone streets as they approached the weathered building.

But as they walked through the entrance, the girls tensed up.

"He’s not here," Lianna observed, her brow furrowing in concern as she scanned the empty church.

Caroline’s lips pressed into a thin line, her gaze sweeping over the deserted surroundings.

"This isn’t right," she muttered, her voice tight with worry. "He normally does spend his time here. Unless he went out for breakfast or something."

Before they could ponder the implications of Olin’s absence any further, a familiar voice cut through the silence, causing them to turn in surprise.

"Yo, Cat Pack, how are we?"

"Vayn?" Enverna exclaimed, her eyes widening in recognition as the woman emerged from the shadows, her expression grim.

Caroline hadn’t met this lady yet.

Vayn nodded curtly, her gaze darting between them.

"Yeah, just wanted to let you know something. I was here just a bit ago, trying to see what Olin was up to."

"Spying on him?" Caroline asked.

"Uh, yeah," Vayn shrugged. "You could say that. Anyway, Olin was captured," she explained. "Some folks in hoods ambushed him and dragged him away before I could intervene."

Instantly, fear gripped their hearts like a vice.

[Was it the church? But, why- why would they attack him!?] Caroline wondered.

"We need to find him," Caroline declared, her voice steely with determination as she turned to face her companions. "We have too few allies as it is. We cannot afford to lose anyone."

"Agreed," Enverna replied. "Vayn, did you see where they took him?"

"Yep," Vayn replied. "Tailed them the whole way. We’re going to have to act fast, though, it’s obviously been a while since I did that. Come on. I’ll take you to his position."

[Thank Saren,] Caroline breathed, relief flooding her heart at Vayn’s words.

Saying that left a bad taste in her mouth but she was still a believer.

Determination fueled her steps as she fell into line beside the others, ready to follow Vayn to Olin’s location.

With a renewed sense of purpose, the group set out, their resolve unwavering as they embarked on their mission to rescue the other Constellation’s Follower.