One last time, we make sure that no one is nearby. They are probably looking for us already, and every second we can keep our position hidden from them before we finally reach the surface counts. Especially since they will soon know where exactly we are. In the distance, we can feel some presence, but they are too far away to pose any immediate danger to us. So we focus our attention on the rocky surface, which is no different from the rest of the walls around us. A cave passage like any other. Except for the fact that behind it lies the exit to the outside, which we recently discovered after years of searching. It's the only way out we can take without resorting to the Organization's teleportation devices, which are far too heavily guarded. If we had gone to the teleportation room, they would have caught us long ago.

My sister places her hand on the rock and, from the outside, nothing happens for the next few seconds. She just stands there with her eyes closed. But I know that at this moment, she is fully concentrated on running thin threads of ice through the rock to find the mechanism that locks the exit. More time passes, and the tension inside me rises immeasurably. Drops of sweat form on my sister's forehead from the effort she has to put into her concentration and magic. It's such incredibly delicate work that most people probably can't even imagine it. It would probably be easier if we just destroyed the wall, but that would alert our pursuers. And it's not unlikely that the exit is reinforced with magic that would react to an attack. Should that be the case, we would hardly be able to break through it in the short time we have before someone comes running. Something we really want to avoid. We don’t want to fight. Because we are still recovering from the exertions and aftereffects of the special training we had to undergo just a couple of moments ago.

Finally, mechanical noises can be heard, and my sister staggers back a step. I immediately stand behind her and hold her steady as the rock slides forward and then to the side. The first rays of daylight we have ever seen outside of a mission shine toward us. Birdsong reaches our ears, and before us lies a veritable sea of green and brown. Trees stand side by side, seeming to burst with life, in stark contrast to what we have been taught all our lives. But all this is behind a gathering of figures that are all too familiar to us.

"If it isn't Ice Cat and Fire Cat. We've been expecting you," greets us the woman who, just this morning, praised our achievements in front of all the other blades of the Organization, as she always does.

"It's really impressive that you managed to open the exit without destroying it. Not to mention that you somehow managed to free yourselves from our control and surveillance. Something that no one has ever done before. But did you really think you could escape so easily? Although we didn't expect it, we were waiting for you here, just in case. But I can well imagine that such a feat as opening the entrance without the magic normally used for this purpose must have made even you spend a lot of energy. After all, this is no ordinary rock. Anyway, it proves once again what you are capable of. However, it also reveals how dangerous you are when you get out of our control. And what do you do with two beasts that no longer obey their masters and for whom even the strictest training is useless? You eliminate them."

As always, this woman loves to hear herself talk. But we know how to use the time she wastes with her chatter. I try as best I can to supply my sister with my magical energy. If we, and especially my sister, weren't already so exhausted, the presence of the adults would be less of a problem. It only becomes really dangerous if they hold us up for too long, and reinforcements arrive. But apparently, one of the other adults suspects what we're up to.

"Enough talk, we have to take them out before they recover. Don't underestimate them. They're a threat to us for a reason."

"I am sorry!"

Typically, this woman would never allow herself to be silenced so quickly. But that means the man in front of us is in a position that demands her respect. Combined with the magical energy and sheer pressure emanating from him, there can really only be one conclusion. An existence we have become all too familiar with during our time with the Organization. One of the most powerful blades in the Organization. A godslayer. And one who not only has to obey the orders of adults like us, but is himself one of them. Fortunately, he is the only one of his kind in the group in front of us, but the others should not be underestimated, nonetheless.