ShadowBound: The Need For Power

With the days that followed, Serah and her team set their minds and strength to the preparations for the raid on Drosmir's underground chamber. Two days after their meeting, Serah herself had made the long trip back to Ilis to report directly to her father.

In the great hall of the castle, she laid everything bare before King Tharion—the discoveries they had made, the prisoners they had taken, and finally, the plan she had decided to put into motion. The King, though visibly pleased that his daughter had finally pushed the mission into forward motion, frowned deeply at the mention of the raid itself. To him, the scheme sounded far too reckless, the risks unbearable. He had not forgotten the carnage of the Bleeding Smile raid and feared a similar outcome awaited his daughter. Therefore, much like Elira before him, he pressed the point of reinforcements.

Serah, however, would not bend easily. She made it clear that too many soldiers would turn stealth into chaos, subtlety into a declaration, and the raid would surely fail before it began. Her words and fire collided with the King's unwavering caution, and thus father and daughter clashed in long debate. Back and forth they went, the King's wisdom against the Princess's resolve, until at last a compromise was forged. Serah would accept her father's men, but they would not step foot within Drosmir's chamber. Instead, they would hold the perimeter, awaiting her signal, only to join in should she deem it necessary.

Though Tharion still wished to press the matter, he knew well enough there was no further swaying his daughter once her decision had been carved in stone. With a heavy sigh, he relented, granting her the final word.

With that matter settled, Serah also ensured the three thieves—Ubbe, the mute, and the smirker—were brought before the King. They were cast into the dungeons of Ilis to await judgment. The King, in his sternness, had first suggested their deaths as punishment and precaution alike. Yet reason overtook wrath after consideration, for if the raid were to falter, it could very well be by falsehoods uttered from these prisoners' mouths. Thus, alive they remained, caged but not silenced, for their usefulness had not yet ended.

With these affairs concluded, Serah returned swiftly to Heyh. No sooner had she reunited with her companions than the group departed again, this time for Fina, a city rising from stone and dust at the northernmost edge of Zone 16.

Upon their arrival in Fina, they secured a modest bungalow. It was small, hardly more than a roof and walls, but it was enough to house the five of them, and in its cramped quarters they made their base of operation.

In the days that followed, Serah and Jorin ventured farther still, pushing to the very edge of Zone 16, where the sands gave way to the borderlands of Zone 17. There, using the map Ubbe had provided, they found the place they sought. On a distant ridgeline, nestled like a scar in the earth, lay the entrance to Drosmir's chamber: an old mining shaft, half-buried beneath sand and stone, its mouth concealed but not forgotten.

They did not dare to approach too closely, wary of hidden eyes. From afar, they studied, scanning, observing. Yet day after day, the entrance lay still and lifeless, no men posted, no sign of movement, no clue of what awaited below.

Still, Serah and Jorin were not disheartened. They continued their watch in silence, sharpening their vigilance as each day passed. While their eyes remained fixed upon the mine shaft, the rest of their hours were spent in rigorous preparation—combat drills, sharpening steel, testing armor, gathering every piece of equipment they would need.

The days slipped by quickly, and with the date of the raid drawing nearer, none of them allowed themselves even the smallest breath of complacency.

***

"You know, this is our third day here in Fina, and we still haven't seen even the slightest movement. Makes me wonder if there's even going to be an auction at all," Jorin muttered, his voice low as he peered through a foldable telescope. From behind a large boulder that kept their position concealed, his eyes were locked on the hidden entrance in the distance.

Beside him, crouched low with her crimson hair falling around her face, Serah studied Ubbe's map. Her fingers moved slowly over the markings, tracing paths with calm precision. "I get your frustration, Jorin," she said evenly, not bothering to lift her head, "but there's nothing we can do right now except wait."

Jorin sighed and folded the telescope shut before lowering himself to her level. "Or," he countered, "we could just head into the entrance now and find out once and for all if this is really the place."

"This is the place," Serah replied firmly, her tone leaving no room for doubt. "Have you already forgotten the footprints you found?"

Jorin clicked his tongue, scowling slightly. "Of course I haven't. But those footprints led nowhere. They just stopped at a point that made absolutely no sense."

"Yes," Serah said, finally lifting her gaze, her expression thoughtful, "but think about it. Does it really make sense for the buyers to ride openly through the wastelands, all the way from wherever they're coming from, just to arrive here in plain sight?"

Jorin raised an eyebrow, his lips tugging into a skeptical half-smile. "No, that would be reckless. Attracts too much attention. This entrance would've been discovered ages ago if people were walking right up to it in broad daylight." His tone was edged with certainty.

Serah's lips curved into a knowing smile. "Exactly. Which means the only logical way to travel from a crowded city or town to a deserted place like this—without ever being noticed—is…"

"Through a secret passage," Jorin finished, realization dawning across his face.

"Yes. A secret passage," Serah confirmed with a nod.

Jorin leaned back slightly, piecing it together. "That would explain the footprints. Their sudden and unreasonable disappearance."

"Exactly," Serah said, her eyes narrowing with focus. "Wherever those footprints end, that's where the secret passage begins. And if we can find it, we'll have a far better chance of slipping past the entrance unseen."

Jorin tilted his head, curiosity lighting his features. "How exactly does that help us get inside?"

"We use the passage to find a suitable buyer," Serah explained calmly. "Someone whose identity we can steal. If one of us can pass as a buyer, we'll get what we need—most importantly, the token required to pass the guards."

Jorin tapped his chin, considering her words. After a moment, he gave a slow nod. "You've got a point. But even if we manage that, how are all five of us supposed to get through? No buyer shows up with four attendants trailing behind. That'll raise suspicion instantly."

"Not all five of us will go in as buyers," Serah said, her voice steady but carrying the weight of unspoken plans. "Only three. The other two will…" She trailed off, pausing with a quiet sigh. "You know what, we'll figure that part out after we've found the passage. Once we regroup with the others, I'll explain the rest." With that, she rolled up Ubbe's map and tucked it securely into the side of her boot.

Jorin pushed himself up with a grin, the sharp edge of anticipation in his voice. "Alright then, princess. Let's get moving. The sooner we find this passage, the better."

***

Right after that, Serah and Jorin made their way back to the spot where Jorin had discovered the strange footprints the day before. With the night sky now swallowed by heavy clouds and no trace of the moon to light the plain, the land was drowned in darkness. The two moved like shadows themselves, slipping across the open terrain without a sound. They carried no worry of being spotted; the vast emptiness around them was theirs alone.

When they reached the end of the trail, Jorin crouched low, his eyes scanning the soil. His fingers brushed over the faint marks, the impressions of feet that had simply ceased to continue. He traced the final patterns with deliberate care before glancing up at Serah.

"This is where it ends," he said in a hushed tone, his voice carrying a weight of frustration and curiosity.

Serah's crimson gaze swept across the barren land around them. Her instincts prickled. She paced a few small steps, crouched low to the ground, and tapped her fingers against the dirt as though feeling for something hidden beneath. Her lips pressed into a thin line before she called quietly, "Jorin."

He raised an eyebrow at her tone.

"Raise an earthen wall," she ordered, her voice calm but laced with certainty.

Jorin tilted his head slightly, questioning her reasoning, yet he obeyed without hesitation. With a subtle motion of his right hand, the ground behind them shifted. In silence, stone and soil surged upward, forming a solid earthen wall that towered in the darkness. From afar, it would appear as nothing more than a jagged shadow rising from the land.

Satisfied, Serah turned her attention back to the ground where she crouched. She stretched out her hand, and with a flick of her wrist, flames bloomed in her palm. Their glow lit her face with a fiery hue as she pressed the fire against the soil. Instantly, the flames rippled outward, streaking across the ground like veins of molten light.

The fire carved its way in a perfect pattern—lines sparking into existence as if revealing what had always been there. Within moments, the flames had formed a wide rectangular outline etched into the dirt, and down its center ran a single straight line, splitting the rectangle in two.

Jorin's eyes widened slightly, astonishment breaking his usual composure. "Well, damn," he muttered, voice low with surprise.

Serah's lips curved into a smirk as she straightened, her crimson eyes glinting in the firelight. "Guess we found it quicker than we thought."