Main characters never die?!

Chapter Eleven - Almost every cat is out of the bag

The water was clean and clear so it was easy to see. There were a few fish but the population wasn't large. Eiran pointed in the direction of the cave with his free hand and we started swimming. We tried to go as fast as possible without exhausting ourselves too much, although I felt he could go faster if he let me go. But his grip was firm and determined, making me feel safe.

The moment my whole body was submerged in the water, all kinds of memory filled my head but his hold kept me grounded in the present. I would have taken a deep breath if possible, but instead I just shook my head to clear my mind. I will solve this mystery and save my father!

I was afraid I wouldn't be able to hold my breath long enough, but once we reached the entrance the ground wasn't far away. I felt immense relief when I could take a deep breath again. We lay on our backs for a few moments and just took a few deep breaths without doing anything else.

Then he jumped to his feet and offered his hands to me. I accepted and allowed him to pull me up. But he didn't let go of my hand and neither did I.

As we started walking, many thoughts raced through my head. I accepted my family after some time and I appreciated our servants, but I wasn't good at letting others get close to me. I accepted that I was dead and I had to live out my life here until I die again but... I was scared. What if I woke up somewhere else after death and my memory is still intact? The more people I love, the more people I will desperately miss. I am not confident I can endure any more pain and loss.

I know it's natural to lose people as we grow older and face all the pain and loss but what happened to me was not natural. It was too much at once and I know it traumatised me. And yet, he felt so right and natural. But I still have time, after this, we don't have to see each other ever again.

But now is not the time to dwell on this. I have to focus on this mission. We went through a long, cold and plain tunnel. Wind came from somewhere so we were shivering in our wet clothes. It was uncomfortable but at least it meant there was another entrance.

After a while, noises reached our ears, but it was not something pleasant to hear. We looked at each other and started moving faster. We heard crying and begging in pitiful tones.

As I read many stories I expected what I saw but it still scared me. There were many women and children, and some men too sat in thin, dirty clothes behind the bars on the hard, wet ground. Some of them cried, some pleaded to be let go and some glared angrily and begrudingly at the guards. The young children were hidden and held by women, possibly by their mothers. Human trafficking. I am not surprised, just disappointed.

It would be nice if we had time to think and coordinate our attacks, but there was nowhere to hide so we were spotted immediately. Eiran drew his sword and stepped in front of me. I appreciated his gesture, but our opponents seemed like ordinary swordsmen so I could fight them. Naturally, his skills were incomparable to mine, but I was able to help, and if I helped even a little it was still something. We need to get the victims out of their miserable state as soon as possible. I held my sword in front of me and prepared myself.

„I watch your back!" He looked at me over his shoulder and gave me a gentle smile.

„Okay!" We were surrounded by many huge, muscular guys with swords, daggers and all kinds of weapons. We were greatly outnumbered but I weren't afraid even for a moment. It would be a tricky situation if I was alone, but with him by my side, knowing his abilities, it looked like a walk in the park.

As promised I protected him from any sneak attacks, but he did most of the work. I don't think it even took him 30 minutes to deal with them. He was incredibly strong and agile, but used his head when fighting. There was no useless movement. He even made it look like something light and graceful. But I knew from experience how gruelling work it was to train your body and get to that level.