Rebellion: Prince of Dawn

Chapter 15.2: Distant Dreamers

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ILIAS VAN PAYNE

After taking a moment to assess the situation, I think I was able to figure out what happened.

The beam of light that consumed Gilead must've been some sort of mana incident. There were instances when mana gathered that it would do something random instead of forming a labyrinth. But these were few and far between.

I've never heard of a mana incident teleporting people before but there was a first for everything, I suppose.

This mana incident Gilead was caught in must've teleported everyone to random places in the world. Maybe it wasn't random, but I didn't have enough information on that.

What's my next move?

My stomach answered with a growl.

Fine, what's my next move after I eat?

Mother, Jaime, and Doria—I hope they were somewhere safe.

If everyone was teleported, I should start looking for anyone in Gilead. It would be impossible if I was the only one transported east.

There was also the money problem. I hid all the savings I got from the State Jynixst Exam Program under my bed and I only had enough loose change to last me a week.

Never have I regretted saving money.

As I wandered through Shoya trying to find a decent and cheap tavern to eat at, I heard a commotion from the nearby market street.

"Listen, Girl," a shop owner announced. "If you want food, pay for it. And don't stand in front of my shop if you're not going to get anything."

"Please, Sir, I don't have money and I'm starving," the green-haired elf girl said. "It's just one apple. I'll help with work."

"It's one copper piece for an apple. If you don't have money, go hunt rabbits or sell your pretty sword. It'll fetch you enough to buy hundreds of apples. Now, let's have a talk with the soldiers, shall we?"

"Wait, no. Please. I won't take the apple."

"But you attempted to."

The shop owner had a quick reaction time and was able to catch the copper coin I tossed him.

"I'm buying the apple for her," I told him. "It's not stealing anymore."

The owner tsked and sat back in his chair. "You better keep your girlfriend in check, Boy."

"Yes, sorry about that."

Jaime practically leapt onto me when she recognized who I was. "Ilias!" she cried while hugging me on the floor. "I thought I was all alone."

"It's okay. Neither of us is alone anymore."

"What happened? Why are we all the way in the east?"

"It'll take a while to explain. We're both hungry so let's grab something to eat first."

When I woke up in the forest, I managed to catch a bird so I was only moderately hungry. Jaime, however, probably mustn't have eaten anything since yesterday. The moment we sat down in a tavern and got our food, she wolfed down her meal and even ate the sides I couldn't finish.

"So what's our next move?" Jaime chewed with her mouth full.

"We have to travel back home. We need to ask for help too because there are other people from Gilead scattered everywhere."