The Flower Is Finished

We did everything we could to get them all out. Yet, as the others moved forward, my gaze drifted toward the corner of the room.

She was there.

Her figure stood still, as if carved from silence itself. She looked deeply tormented—her eyes vacant, unfocused, staring into nothingness. My body stiffened the moment I realized what I was seeing. She did not look at anyone in particular. She merely stared at the room, as though her will to live had already been torn away by force.

"What did they do to that young girl?" I whispered, my voice barely audible.

Without realizing it, my feet began to move. Step by step, they carried me closer to the woman whose gaze remained empty and lifeless.

I ignored everything around me. I ignored the others. I even ignored Farrel, who was shouting my name from behind.

The armor I wore pressed tightly against my body, but it did nothing to restrain the surge of emotion inside me. She continued to stare forward, unmoving, as if her soul had already left her body. It was as though life itself no longer had any meaning to her.

"My lord… please give us a way out."

Suddenly, a middle-aged woman clutched my leg. I lowered my gaze in surprise. Her condition was dreadful. Wounds were clearly etched across her face, and even in the dim light, they were impossible to miss. Yet despite everything, there was still something in her eyes—hope. A fragile hope, as if she longed to be released from the pain that bound her.

"I will help as much as I can," I said softly.

The moment the words left my mouth, she began to cry, her sobs breaking through the silence.

Her torn clothing and disheveled hair left me speechless. I slowly lifted my gaze and examined the surroundings. This place was deep underground, a chamber with almost no light. The walls felt ancient, as though they had stood here for thousands of years. Moisture clung to the stone, and the air was heavy with a damp, suffocating stench.

I turned my attention back to the young woman who had been standing there earlier.

She was gone.

"Where did she go?" I asked quietly, scanning the room.

"Xanders, we need to find a way out!"

Farrel suddenly tapped my shoulder. I turned to him and nodded.

We began to move carefully. Some of them were clearly exhausted, their steps weak and unsteady.

"Please stay calm. No one cry," Farrel shouted firmly.

The women we had rescued immediately fell silent.

"If you want to survive, then cooperate."

Farrel repeated himself, his voice filled with urgency. I led the way toward the exit, my senses alert.

The sun had not risen yet. The cry of the Kael birds had not been heard. That meant we still had time to get them all out.

"Are we going to take the same route as before?" Farrel asked.

I stopped walking.

"We don't have any other choice."

I moved forward again, and the others followed.

When we reached the first path we had taken earlier, Farrel turned toward me.

"How many soldiers are left?"

"There are two," he replied. "But both of them are badly injured."

I nodded slowly.

"Let them escort the survivors away. We will go back inside."

There was no other option. If we waited or turned back, their injuries would only worsen. I could not guarantee their safety if we hesitated.

"This is the right time for them to leave the palace."

"Can we really infiltrate again?" Farrel asked.

I fell silent for a moment. My thoughts were in turmoil.

Is he truly Farrel… or not?

"We can," I said quietly. "We must."

Farrel nodded in agreement.

"You two," he said to the remaining soldiers, "take them and find a place to hide. It is not safe to leave the area yet."

The two soldiers exchanged glances.

"Do you know of a safe location, sir?" one of them asked.

Farrel hesitated.

I searched my memory. There was only one place that came to mind—the cliff we had used as a hiding place before.

"Leave through the back of the palace," Farrel finally said. "There is a narrow path rarely used by humans. It is mostly traveled by animals."

"So if we entered through the water, we return through the forest behind the palace?" one soldier asked.

Farrel nodded.

"Yes. That path is dangerous. Wild beasts roam there. Work together and make it to the cliff safely."

Farrel explained while drawing a rough map on the ground. The soldiers studied it carefully and nodded in understanding.

"This is where we part," Farrel said. "Please protect them."

I stared ahead, watching as they slowly disappeared into the darkness.

Only Farrel and I remained.

We slipped back inside, moving quietly. Suddenly, a rooster crowed loudly, echoing through the air. Dawn was approaching.

We ran.

"Do you have a plan?" Farrel asked after we had gone some distance.

Ahead of us stood a massive steel door. A heavy lock secured it from the outside.

"Does this not seem strange to you?" I asked.

Farrel stopped and turned toward me.

"I do not think this door leads where we need to go."

I examined the door carefully.

"This door opens inward. If we push it, it will come toward us. That means this is an entrance."

I paused.

"It could be a trap."

Farrel stepped back and placed his hand against the wall.

"You are right," he said. "If I had opened it, a blade might have pierced my heart."

He withdrew his hand.

I examined the chamber more closely. Stone statues lined the room. Three pairs of statues faced each other from opposite sides.

"I found something, Xanders!" Farrel suddenly shouted.

"Be careful," I warned.

But Farrel pulled on an uneven surface of one of the statues.

The ground trembled violently.

"Are we going to fall even deeper?" Farrel asked.

Before he could reach me, the floor beneath him collapsed.

"Aaaaa—Xanders!"

"Grab the statue!" I shouted.

Farrel managed to clutch the statue's arm just in time.

Below him was not open earth, but another chamber—deeper and darker than the one we stood in.

The room was long and narrow. Only one side remained intact, while the area near the door still offered enough space to stand.

"Xanders, help me!" Farrel cried. "We do not know what lies below!"

I nodded and forced myself to think.

I reached for my waist. Earlier, I had tied a rope there.

I removed my armor piece by piece and grasped the rope firmly.

"Farrel, I will help you," I shouted.

"You have to," he replied, his voice trembling.

I crawled to the edge and threw the rope toward him.

It was too short.

I clicked my tongue in frustration.

"Can you move closer to the other statue?" I asked.

He hesitated, then nodded.

"I will try."

He moved slowly, using only his hands.

"Ahhh—!"

One of his hands slipped.

"Farrel!" I shouted.

"I cannot move anymore!" he cried.

Several minutes passed. His breathing was heavy and uneven.

"Let me throw the rope again."

I tried once more. The rope nearly brushed his fingers.

"You need to get closer," I said.

He glanced downward, fear filling his eyes, then crawled forward once more.

"I have no strength left," he said weakly.

I inhaled deeply.

"Alright," I said firmly. "When I throw the rope, you must push yourself and catch it."

"So you want me to let go… and jump?" Farrel asked, disbelief clear in his voice.

I offered him a faint smile.