Unknown L (Book 1) [Editing]

~~ I Don't Like Surprises ~~

Emilia beckoned to L, and they made their way towards the trees surrounding the hill. L watched Emilia pick her way through the trail, and although it was covered in leaves and twigs, she didn't make a single sound. They walked far enough in that they couldn't even see Gart or Lort anymore; then Emilia suddenly stopped, and L raised a brow questioningly.

"This looks like a good position to start from. So, I'm going to teach you how to move silently, and then you're going to sneak up on Brycathlen. He knows we're going to use him but not what we're going to do exactly."

L wasn't entirely sold on the plan they eventually came up with. She knew just how good Bryce's senses were.

"I don't think this is gonna work, but I'm willing to give it a go."

Emilia nodded encouragingly and began to teach L how to move silently. It was mostly Elf magic. Which for L consisted of observation and digging deep just like Bryce had taught her before. It took three attempts this time, but she finally got to the standard Emilia was happy with and easily crept up on Bryce. She managed to get by the rest of the group without alerting them either.

Bryce was pretty happy with her progress.

"That was great! If you can creep up on me, then you'll find it so much easier sneaking past Demons if and when we might need to. Now, onto your speed, and you should be able to get this one no problem after that performance."

Bryce took L all around the peak and surrounding trees to teach her how to move faster. It was similar magic, and she now found it a little easier to dig into the core of her mind to learn this ability.

"Over time and with practice, you'll be able to apply abilities within seconds of learning about them." Bryce explained as they ran past the group for the tenth time.

The only difference this time was that they were slightly blurred and L had to stop a few seconds later to keep herself from falling over. She leaned against a nearby tree and steadied herself, trying to blink away her disorientation.

Bryce walked over with a cheery smile plastered on his face.

"You're doing really well. Soon moving this fast will be just like walking or running as you did before. You'll be able to adjust speed and how you see the things around you, but that will come in time. For now, we just need you to be able to move quickly and silently."

L looked up at him, and she took a deep breath, stepping away from the tree.

"I can't see that happening any time soon, but does this mean we can go straight to get Robbie now?"

Bryce's smile faded, and he looked out through the trees. "Yes, it does, but it also means things are about to get more dangerous. I want to make sure you're ready for anything that might happen next."

L understood the meaning behind his words, and she reached into her jeans pocket for her note while she spoke.

"I don't know what we're going to find, but I know Robbie is alive, I just know it, so please st-" L stopped abruptly when she came to a shocking realisation.

She rummaged in every pocket she had and ignored Bryce's questions. She raced back to their little camp as fast as her new ability would take her.

Tipping her bag upside down, she went through every piece of clothing and item she had brought with her, but she couldn't find it. She sat back and stared blankly at her belongings. She could hear the others' firing questions and Bryce trying to quieten them, but L wasn't present to any of it.

Her mind raced back to her last night in the forest when she'd fallen asleep on the sofa. To when she'd tucked her note under the cushion. She never retrieved it before she left. How could she have left it behind? It had always been with her wherever she'd gone, even if she'd had to hide it in her sock. How could she have not noticed until now?