Chapter 154: Kidnap (2)
Dazed and barely conscious, Pandy managed to see the man turning to leave while Wina lay motionless on the ground.
Realizing his small body couldn’t possibly fight back, the squirrel launched himself toward the village to get help.
Meanwhile, Arion let out a soft, frightened cry in the man’s arms.
The man furrowed his brows. "Don’t cry. You should be with your mother, not burdening an innocent father."
But Arion—who until now had only ever cried softly with little resistance—suddenly thrashed. His wails grew loud, his tiny arms and legs flailing in protest.
The man, clearly inexperienced at holding a baby, panicked. He glanced around nervously, afraid someone might see him.
Fumbling, he tried to fix the blanket slipping loose, but his clumsy hands only pulled it further open.
That was when he saw the baby’s arm. His expression shifted to confusion. He reached out and touched it. The skin looked and felt like bark, nothing like a human infant’s.
"This isn’t a human child... not even a devils!"
...
Pandy, the small white squirrel, darted low through the air until he reached the front door. Squeezing through a gap, he rushed inside and found Gara about to enter his room.
The squirrel squeaked with all his strength, urgently explaining what had happened to Wina and Arion.
Gara’s eyes widened, panic flashing across his face. Without hesitation, he spun on his heels and bolted out of the house.
Inside the room, Rea and her two children had overheard enough to understand.
Quickly, she gave instructions, Becky to find Madha, Taly to fetch Fian, and poor injured Pandy to stay behind and watch over the other two babies.
Then Rea followed after, heading toward the mountain.
She soon caught up to Gara, who had already found Wina lying unconscious.
"Mom! Mom, wake up!" Gara shook her gently.
Wina wasn’t gravely injured; she had simply fainted. Which meant Gara couldn’t rouse her with his water.
After a few tense moments, Rea squeaked, pointing back toward the village.
From that direction came the sound of multiple footsteps. Soon Madha appeared, followed by Emir and several guards.
"Take Lady Wina to the clinic," Emir ordered at once, steadying the situation with practiced authority.
Meanwhile, Rea leapt onto Gara’s shoulder and pointed toward the trees.
"The culprit went that way," Gara said grimly.
The guards carried Wina back home, while Gara, Madha, Emir, and two others gave chase in the direction Rea had shown.
In the thick forest, Gara and Madha’s agility was obvious. They moved swiftly through the terrain, both seasoned by experience on these paths.
Even Emir, with his years of service as a guard, was slower than the two.
"We’re close," Gara muttered, his eyes sharp, predator-like, ready to tear down anyone standing in his way.
No one responded. They all kept running.
At last, a familiar figure appeared before them. Rea squeaked again, confirming that Arion’s scent clung to this man.
Water burst from Gara’s palm like a pressurized jet, slamming into the man and hurling him back into a tree.
"LOKA! You’ve truly lost your mind!" Gara growled, more beast than man.
Madha grabbed him, knowing full well Gara could kill someone in an instant if he lost control of his Talent. Meanwhile, Emir and the guards rushed in to restrain the man, Loka.
Dazed from the sudden attack, Loka barely resisted as the guards bound his hands. His eyes, however, slowly rose to meet Gara’s furious glare.
"I did this for you, Gara!" Loka shouted.
Gara clenched his fist, then relaxed it. From his palm, a sphere the size of a human head formed, water spinning with lethal force.
With a snap, it shot forward, not to knock Loka back this time, but to wrap tightly around his head, cutting off his breath.
Loka’s head was trapped inside the sphere of water. He clawed desperately at his own face, but the water clung to him, unmoving. The more he struggled, the closer he came to the brink.
Everyone watched in horror. It was a slow, terrifying death, and none of them could do anything about it.
"Gara, let him go. You can’t kill him. The guards will take care of this. We still have to find your child."
Emir’s words broke through the haze. Gara blinked as though waking from a trance, then let the water crash to the ground.
Loka gasped violently, gulping down air as if he’d never breathed before.
"I’ll continue searching for my son," Gara said coldly. "Vice-Captain, handle him."
Emir nodded. Gara turned to leave, but stopped when Loka’s strained voice rose behind him.
"Gara, you don’t need to look for your child. Live freely... live however you want."
The words hit Gara’s ears like a bad joke.
What parent would give up their own child for the sake of freedom?
Perhaps some would, but not him. Never him.
But Loka wasn’t finished. "I know everything. I know those children are nothing but a burden to you. You’re still young. You shouldn’t be stuck raising triplets. Since their mother abandoned them, it is not wrong for you as the father to give up on them too."
"What do you say? Why would I give up on my children?" Gara’s brows furrowed. There was something suspicious here.
And then Loka told them about his conversation with Narin, when he had visited her in the prison at Falopo Town.
That day, Narin had spoken with a trembling, anxious voice. "Loka, you believe me, don’t you? There’s no way I committed the crime Kian, Mohan, and the villagers accused me of.
Kian cornered me and claimed I prepared that poison because he sided with Mohan. Our team’s been stuck in the village for months with no progress. Mohan wanted to prove his worth, so he pushed Kian into blaming me."
"Is that really true? But Kian and Mohan—" Loka had faltered, torn between belief and doubt.
"They’re not who they used to be. Their careers are on the line. Remember when they didn’t stand up for you? They let your rank drop without lifting a finger." Narin’s voice was firm, her eyes steady.
Loka’s gaze had wavered. Doubt took root in his heart. Narin clearly made up a story but Loka didn’t know the truth.
"Oh, and... can I ask you a favor?" Narin’s expression softened, her eyes wide, pleading like a helpless puppy. She hoped her charm would work, but her haggard appearance blunted the effect.
Even so, she pressed on. "I... I want to apologize to Gara."
...