The Lightning Mage

41 | The Truth, Revealed

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The door opened, revealing a compact room, with a small metal table in the middle. Cydney was sitting down, back hunched and clad in an orange jumpsuit. Her hair was pulled into an uncharacteristically messy ponytail, but she seemed clean and unscathed otherwise.

"Cinna!"

Cydney spun around, relief washing over her dark, round eyes.

"Lyn," she said with a small smile.

As Lyn approached, she tried to stand up, but chains rattled—her hands were cuffed to the side of the chair, gluing her to her seat.

Lyn's eyes twitched. She turned to the guard standing behind her.

"Hey, release her," she snapped.

The guard shrugged. "Sorry, ma'am, protocol."

"Did you not hear what I said?" Lyn clenched her fists and stepped towards the already cowering man. She definitely would have landed a punch on the guard if not for Cydney's hurried comment.

"It's okay, Lyn. Let's- Let's just talk."

Lyn relented and plopped down on the chair opposite Cydney. Leaning forward as far as she could, she asked, "How are you, Cinna?"

"I'm good."

Despite saying that, Cydney looked as though she had not slept at all; her eyes were puffy and droopy, while her body was curled up like a clam, making her appear even smaller than normal. "I'm just... tired and hungry, that's all. They did get me food and a bed, so I guess it's not too bad."

"I'm sorry it had to be like this, but I swear, Cinna, I swear I will get you out." Lyn stretched her arms out towards the petite woman. "Emily managed to get her guild to sponsor a team of lawyers. They're Dawn Avengers, so they definitely know what they're doing. If there's any group that can go against the QA, it's Dawn Avengers."

"She did? That's so nice of her," Cydney said, her eyes remaining lifeless as she forced out a smile.

That wasn't a reaction that Lyn had expected. She frowned. "What's wrong, Cinna?"

"Nothing, it's just..." Cydney let out a sigh. "It's just that nothing is going according to my plan. Nothing ever goes according to my plan. It's too exhausting. I don't know what's gonna happen after this, and I'm too tired to try and figure it out. I just..." She closed her eyes. "I just want this whole thing to end."

Cydney's quivering voice—filled with so much grief and resignation—pierced into Lyn's heart. "Cinna, I promise you. I'll get you out, and then I'll get you home. I promise. This is all my fault, and I will make it up to you, no matter what."

A soft chuckle escaped Cydney's throat. "What are you talking about, Lyn? How is any of this your fault?" Her dark irises glazed over. "And also... there's nothing you can do to get me home."

Lyn wanted to argue, but she did not know what to say. "W- Well, the least I can promise you is getting you out of here. We have a team of lawyers from Dawn Avengers, and I am willing to supplement more if needed, so we're ready to get you out. Afterward, we... we will figure it out together, okay?"

Cydney nodded, even though she did not look like she believed in it. "Sure, but you're here about something else, right? Did they ask you to convince me to take the truth serum? To help them with the case?"

Cydney's knowing remark stunned Lyn for a while. Swallowing a lump of guilt in her throat, she admitted, "Y- Yeah... I'm so sorry, Cinna... I- I really didn't want to put you through that but they told me..."