Parallel Memory

“I know you won’t, Hiro.”

Yui said.

She felt sorry for worrying her brother. She didn’t know what Hiro had been through but from how he got here, she knew that he had come to rescue her.

“Sorry to ruin the moment but we need to go before other people get here!”

!!!!

Hiro was startled by the sudden voice. Though Yui didn’t look surprised by her presence. Hiro was so overwhelmed with emotion that he forgot to pay attention to other things.

“Okay!”

Knowing that this place was not safe, Hiro stood up and began running with Yui, Elysia, and the other person. When they were outside the abandoned warehouse, Yui began introducing the people that were with her.

“Brother, this is my friend Elysia. And this person is the one who rescued me. She is the sister of Elysia, Julia.”

Yui introduced.

He was surprised to see Rank-A mana aura emanating from the person named Julia, but he was grateful for her help.

“Thank you for rescuing my sister.”

Hiro said, bowing slightly in gratitude. Hiro felt a wave of gratitude wash over him. He had never met the woman before, but she had saved his sister.

“I am Hiro, Yui’s brother.”

“It’s my pleasure to help. Anyway, they dared to kidnap my sister. Humph! I was too easy on them”

Julia replied. She was angry at those people who dared to kidnap her sister. While she said that she was too easy on them, they were all killed mercilessly by her.

Elysia nodded in agreement. “We knew we had to do something to help. We’re just glad that we were able to get to Yui in time.”

“I don’t know how to thank you enough.”

He said.

“No need to thank me.”

Julia said.

The group quickly made their way out of the abandoned warehouse. As they walked, Yui filled Hiro in on the details of her escape and how Julia and Elysia had helped her. Hiro listened attentively, grateful for their help and relieved that his sister was safe.

*****

“Ahhh… “

Yui slowly opened her eyes, her vision blurry as she tried to make sense of her surroundings. She was lying on a cold concrete floor, her hands and feet bound, and her head was throbbing with pain.

As she regain consciousness, she realized that she was in a dimly lit room, with no windows or doors visible. The only source of light came from a single bulb hanging from the ceiling.

She struggled to sit up, her head spinning as she tried to remember what had happened. Suddenly, it all came flooding back to her. She and Elysia fought with three black men and she lost her consciousness in the middle of the battle.

She looked around frantically, searching for Elysia, her friend who had been kidnapped with her. She saw her lying on the ground a few feet away, still unconscious.

Yui quickly crawled over to her, concerned about her friend’s well-being. She shook her gently, trying to wake her up.

“Elysia, wake up!”

Yui said, her voice trembling with fear.

“Please wake up.”

Elysia’s eyes slowly fluttered open, and she looked around dazedly.

“Yui? What happened? Where are we?”

“I don’t know.”

Yui said.

“We were kidnapped, and I think we’re being held in some sort of basement.”

Yui answered as she tried to tell what she had found out.

“We have to find a way out of here,”

Yui said, determination in her voice. I don’t know why they kidnapped us but it could not be anything good.

Elysia nodded. However, she still had something up her sleeves as she didn’t seem that worried about her situation.

“Don’t worry! My sister should be on her way to save us.”

“Your sister?”

Yui asked confusedly. She knew that Elysia had a sister working for The Authority but she didn’t know what she meant by coming to rescue her. As she remembered, when they fought the kidnapper, the space was isolated with no way to send any signals.

At the moment, their storage ring is taken and they have no weapon nor a device to communicate with others.

“Hehe… Don’t worry! As long as I am in some kind of danger, the artifact that is with my sister will know. It should have been activated the moment they closed that isolated space.”

Elysia explained. Her life force was connected to the artifact that her sister was carrying. Luckily, her sister was still working in the city and could save them.

Yui’s worries lessened as she listened to Elysia’s words. But that didn’t mean that she was going to wait for others to rescue her.

She looked around the room for any possible exits or weaknesses in the walls or floor. She also searched for any objects that could be used as weapons or tools to help them escape.

At the same time, Yui also knew that they had to be prepared for any eventualities, in case Elysia’s sister was not able to reach them in time.

“Keke… The preys are awake!”

One of the guards said. His rank was only at D but it was plenty to watch over two Rank-E girls. Moreover, he had many other guards with him though they were also at Rank-D and Rank-E. However, it was impossible for Yui and Elysia to escape from them.

“Just lie there quietly!”

The man said as he went back to play cards with his fellow guards. They were not worried about other people discovering them either as the place was very isolated.

Yui and Elysia also just waited quietly as they could see no chance for them to escape. There were over 15 people guarding the place, and their strength was equal to or stronger than theirs.

They knew that they stood no chance. Moreover, their weapons and artifacts were taken away from them. Their only choice was to wait for someone to save them.

*****

“The target has appeared! Kill the hostage!”

Victor commanded. He told his guard to take care of Yui and Elysia the moment Hiro made his appearance. He has no use for them and he believes that he should get rid of the evidence of his crime as soon as possible.

As for using her to threaten Hiro, he had never thought that he would lose. He didn’t need to think about countermeasures since he believed that victory was inevitable.

“Yes, Master!”

The guard answered. He knew better than to question Victor about his decision. In his position as a small guard for Victor, all he had to do was follow his commands.

“Sorry, little girls but your time is up!”

Yui was held by the guard in his arms and lifted. Yui glared at the guard and showed no fear.

As the guard tried to hold onto Yui, she used her knee to strike him in the stomach, causing him to double over in pain. She then pushed him away, freeing herself from his grasp.

“Looks like we have no choice but to fight!”

Elysia nodded in agreement.

Yui quickly stood on her feet and joined Yui in fighting off the guards.

‘YOU B*TCH! I will kill you!”

The guard screamed in anger.

Yui fought the Rank-D guard with her bare hands while dodging their attacks and striking back with precise kicks and punches. Elysia also helped Yui with her magic. Even though her power had decreased without her wand, it was still useful.

-BAM! -BOM!

The guard who had no proper training was unable to keep up with Yui and Elysia who are proficient at fighting. It was still possible for them to fight Rank-D guards despite their difference in rank.

“Hey, what are you guys doing? Help me!”

The guard called for other guards. He never thought that he could not handle two girls. He was humiliated, but more than his little pride, he understood that he must fulfill his master’s will.

-BANG!

Just after the guard called for help, the door to the basement burst open. Yui and Elysia thought that more guards were coming and were on their guard.

“Where is my sister?”

Instead, a woman’s voice called out.