Clara's scream tore through the air, freezing everyone in place. My heart lurched painfully in my chest. I had to get to her, but Sammy and his n stood between and the pit.
"What was that?" Glenn Talbot's face drained of color as he peered into the darkness below.
I seized the mont of distraction, dropping to my knees in a show of cowardice. "Sothing's got her! I told you it was dangerous down there!"
Sammy Ashworth scowled at , suspicion darkening his features. "You said she'd be safe with her dark energy body."
"I thought she would be!" I kept my voice high and panicked. "Please, masters, we have to help her!"
Another scream echoed from the pit, this one more desperate than the first. It clawed at my insides, even though I suspected Clara might be faking to help our plan.
"No one's going down there," Sammy declared, stepping away from the edge. "If sothing in that pit can harm a dark energy body, we'd be fools to follow."
I wrung my hands, appearing devastated. "But we can't just leave her! She's just a child!"
"Monts ago, you were willing to send her down alone," Mr. Noble observed coolly, his dark eyes studying with interest. "Your concern seems... selective."
I swallowed hard, mind racing for a plausible explanation. "I... I didn't expect actual danger. I thought she would be protected."
Glenn laughed cruelly. "The pathfinder's grown attached to the little girl. How touching."
"I'll go," I blurted out, making my voice crack with fear. "Let go down and try to save her."
"You?" Saul Holt snickered. "What could you possibly do against whatever's down there?"
I hung my head. "Probably nothing. But I can try."
Sammy's eyes narrowed to calculating slits. "What's your angle, pathfinder? Why risk your life for a girl you barely know?"
"Because no one else will," I whispered, letting real emotion bleed into my voice. "And I can't live with myself if I don't try."
The n exchanged glances. I could see their thoughts clearly: let the expendable pathfinder go first. If I survived, they'd learn it was safe. If I died, they lost nothing.
"Fine," Sammy finally said. "But if you find anything valuable down there, it belongs to us."
I nodded eagerly. "Of course, master. I only want to save the girl."
"Before you go," Sammy added, his voice hardening, "tell again how you know this girl has a dark energy body."
"I told you, I worked for a scholar who—"
"No." He cut off sharply. "I don't believe you."
I froze, feeling the dangerous shift in the air. Around , the martial artists tensed like predators sensing weakness.
"The truth," Sammy demanded. "Now."
I lowered my eyes, desperate to appear harmless. "The girl... I've seen her before in Eldoria. People whispered about her strange abilities. I recognized her instantly."
"And why didn't you say so from the beginning?"
"Would you have believed if I'd claid to know a rare dark energy body user by chance?" I asked, letting my frustration show. "I thought ntioning the treasures would be more convincing."
A third scream erupted from the pit, this one fainter, as if Clara were moving deeper into the darkness.
"Ti's running out," I urged, moving toward the pit's edge. "Please, let go now. I'll tell you everything when I return."
Sammy hesitated, then grudgingly nodded. "Go. But Mr. Noble will check if you're lying when you return."
I bowed deeply, hiding the flash of alarm in my eyes. "Thank you, master."
As I turned toward the pit, Clara's voice suddenly called out, startlingly clear and strong. "No! Don't let him co down! He's the one I warned you about! He's Liam Knight!"
Everyone froze. My blood ran cold. What was she doing?
Clara's voice echoed again from the darkness. "He tricked you! He wants the treasures for himself! He's been lying to you!"
Sammy's expression transford into pure hatred. "Knight?" he snarled, lunging toward .
I stumbled backward, maintaining my pathetic facade while trying to process Clara's unexpected betrayal. "What? No! I'm just a pathfinder! The girl is confused!"
"She seed to know you well enough before," Mr. Noble observed, his fingers beginning to glow with a sinister light. "Let check his mind. I'll find the truth."
"Wait!" I raised my hands defensively. "Please! I'm not who she says I am! I can prove it!"
"How?" Glenn demanded, his massive hand already reaching for his weapon.
"Let go down there," I pleaded. "If I were really Liam Knight, would I be begging like this? Would I be afraid? Everyone knows Knight is powerful and fearless. Look at !" I gestured to my trembling form, my pathetic appearance.
Doubt flickered across their faces.
"Besides," I added desperately, "Knight would have attacked you all by now. He wouldn't hide behind disguises."
Sammy considered this, glancing at Mr. Noble. "Check him."
The ntal master stepped forward, his glowing fingers reaching for my forehead. I knew if he touched , everything would be revealed. I had seconds to act.
"Wait! Before you do..." I cried out, "Let at least say goodbye to the girl!" The desperation in my voice wasn't entirely feigned.
"Why?" Sammy asked suspiciously.
"Because..." I let tears well in my eyes, "she reminds of my sister who died. Please, just let take sothing of hers as a token to rember her by, in case... in case I don't make it back."
The martial artists looked disgusted by my display of weakness, but Sammy nodded curtly. "What do you want?"
"Just a strand of her hair," I whispered brokenly. "From her belongings."
Glenn snorted. "Pathetic."
Sammy motioned to Saul. "Get the girl's bag."
As Saul rummaged through Clara's small pack, I stealthily gathered my energy, preparing to act. When he produced a brush with a few strands of her dark hair tangled in it, I stepped forward eagerly.
"May I?" I asked, reaching for the brush. T his c$hapter@ is par^t of the co@l!l@ect-io*n on MV2&LE*M#P 2*Y#R!.*
Sammy nodded, contempt plain on his face. I took the brush, cradling it like a precious treasure. Then, moving with practiced familiarity, I quickly tucked it into my robe and bowed.
"I'm ready now," I announced, approaching the pit's edge.
"Not so fast," Mr. Noble interrupted, fingers still glowing. "I still need to verify your identity."
My heart hamred against my ribs. I needed a distraction, anything to avoid his touch.
Just then, Clara's voice called out again from below: "I demand to co back up! I want to kill Liam Knight myself!"
We all stared into the pit in confusion.
"What's she playing at?" Glenn muttered.
I seized my chance. "She's confused from fear. Let go down and bring her back."
"No!" Clara's voice was closer now. "I'm coming up! I've been in this pit before! I want to face him myself!"
To everyone's shock, Clara began erging from the darkness, dark energy swirling around her small form as she ascended toward us. Her face was a mask of hatred when she spotted .
"You!" she spat venomously. "You abandoned !"
I gaped at her, genuinely confused by her performance. What was she doing? This wasn't part of our plan.
"Child," Sammy addressed her as she reached the edge, "you claim this man is Liam Knight?"
Clara stepped onto solid ground, her eyes blazing with convincing fury. "Yes! He killed my parents! He pretended to help , but he only wants the treasures in the pit for himself!"
Mr. Noble's eyes narrowed at this unexpected developnt. "The girl seems quite certain."
"Check her mind," Sammy ordered, gesturing toward Clara. "See if she's telling the truth or if she's been bewitched."
Mr. Noble nodded and turned toward Clara, his fingers glowing brighter as he prepared to probe her thoughts. I felt the blood drain from my face. If he touched her, he would discover everything—our connection, my identity, our plan.
I had to stop him. But how could I without revealing myself?
As Mr. Noble's glowing fingers reached toward Clara's forehead, her small face paled with fear. Our eyes t for a fraction of a second, and in that brief mont, I made her a silent promise: *I won't let him hurt you.*
The ntal master's fingers were re inches from Clara's skin when I felt my expression change involuntarily, hardening with determination. Sothing had to give—and I knew exactly what it would be.
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