elapt1c/ElapticAI-512 · Datasets at Hugging Face

text stringlengths 0 149M
But
It s fine. Calm down. Let s take some deep breaths, okay? In out
Eve did as I said, taking deep breaths. Her piercing, hateful stare was gone. I could surmise that whatever had been affecting her likely Salas s power was dispelled.
Okay, let s clarify some things, I said. You are, without a doubt, Manaria s ex-lover and maid?
Yes.
And because of that, you hate me?
I thought I did, but now I m not so sure. I don t know why I felt that way
Right, so it looks like you had a form of hypnosis cast on you. Don t worry, none of what you did is your fault.
I hugged Eve tightly and felt her sag in my arms with her head facing down.
I don t belong by Lady Manaria s side anymore. My presence was a problem, so I left her
I know.
I left Sousse and worked as a maid in various places. Then then Eve looked up suddenly, as though remembering something important. Ms. Rae, you need to go back to the dorm now!
Huh?
May and Aleah are in danger!
Wh-what?! Her sudden urgency bewildered me. But her next words quickly pulled me back to reality.
The one who put the suggestion on me was Lana!

***

Rae!
Miss Claire I could only let out a weak murmur as Claire burst into the room. I moved to hug her, and she reciprocated, squeezing me tight once before looking me in the face.
Is it true May and Aleah were kidnapped? she asked.
Yes I let my guard down. I m so sorry
Crying wouldn t achieve anything; now was the time to think and formulate a plan. But I just couldn t. My emotions were like a tempest, and my mind wouldn t work. Just the thought of what May and Aleah might be going through left me paralyzed. If something were to happen to them, I
Calm down, Rae. You re not the only one at fault, Claire consoled me.
But but I should ve been more careful. How could I have left them home alone? How could I have put off dealing with Eve until now? How could I have let this happen?
Rae, look at me.
Miss Claire? As I lost myself to panic, she looked me square in the eye with her powerful gaze. She had to be as worried for May and Aleah as I was, if not more, yet her eyes had lost neither her determination nor the light of reason.
Rae, if we re to get our children back, I need you. Come back to me. Show me the strong Rae I know and love. She spoke slowly, choosing each word with great care. I could feel her trust in me reflected in those words. She didn t blame me in the slightest. The only thing she felt was a sincere desire to rescue our children, together. That realization washed over me, calming me down.
Forgive me. I m okay now, I said.
Thank you, Rae.
No, thank you, Miss Claire.
I wiped my tears with a handkerchief, then gently slapped my cheeks with my hands to motivate myself. Let s do this!
Let s confirm what we know first, Dole said, stroking his moustache. Are we certain May and Aleah were kidnapped?
Almost one hundred percent certain. According to Eve, Lana is definitely involved with Salas in some way, I replied.
Eve had told me of her first meeting with Lana in Euclid. Eve past.
That was when Lana said, Wow. That s, like, rough. I know some magic that can help with painful memories, though Wanna try it?
Eve refused at first, but she eventually gave in to Lana s persistence under the condition that the magic not go too far. The one who ultimately cast the spell on her was a silver-haired, red-eyed person with a handsome face. Her memories after that were a jumbled mess.
Eve had been used. Salas had likely taken advantage of her feelings for Manaria to control her, making her believe she was both from Euclid and Lana s friend.
The neighbors say they saw Lana take the girls outside, I continued, but the gatekeeper was knocked unconscious
Hmm Dole continued to stroke his moustache.
There was also this letter left in their room, I said. The sender of the letter was one Salas Lilium.
Have you read it? he asked.
Not yet, I wanted to wait for Miss Claire, I replied.
Go ahead and open it, Claire urged.
We looked inside to see:

Rae Taylor, Claire Fran ois, you have until sundown to come to the specified location. Bring no one else, or the lives of your children will be forfeit.

The specified location was a slum on the outskirts of the imperial capital outside the range of the anti-demon barrier.
This is most certainly a trap. Dole furrowed his brows.
But what choice do we have? Claire asked. They have May and Aleah hostage.
I understand, but it s too reckless to go without a plan.
There s no time to plan anything; it ll be evening soon, Claire said, a bit more impatiently.
Don t rush this, either of you. You know how twisted Salas is. There s no guarantee May and Aleah will be safe even if we do what he says.
Still
I know. Even I wish for nothing more than May and Aleah s safety. But it s precisely because we wish for their safety that we need to do everything we can before we act. Dole was our voice of reason, calming us both. It helped to have someone with many more years of experience at times like this.
He continued. We can assume you two have no choice but to go alone, as they ll likely be watching our movements. That means you will have to manage without backup.
Right, Claire said.
We don t know what he ll demand, but it likely won t be good. The most important thing is to not give in to his demands until you can negotiate May and Aleah s safety.
What if he threatens them? I asked.
You mustn t give in, even then. I know it sounds harsh, but if you let him hold all the cards, all four of you will be beyond saving. We have to avoid that at all costs, Dole said firmly. I ll teach you how to counter some of the things he might demand. There s not much time, but do your best to memorize these ploys.
Please do, Father.
Please do.
With that, Dole taught us his negotiation techniques, making full use of our remaining time.

Rae, I have a request to make of you, Claire said out of the blue. Having received Dole s instruction, the two of us were hurrying to the location Salas specified.
I refuse.
You haven t even heard what I have to say yet.
I can guess what it is, and I refuse.
Rae Claire frowned. I knew what she wanted to say: If it comes down to it, let me be the sacrifice.
Like I would let her.
If you sacrifice yourself, I ll follow you shortly after, I said.
You mustn t!
That s what I might have said in the past.
Rae?
But that s not an option anymore. Let s make sure the four of us make it home together, Miss Claire.
Yes, let s.
To save a life at the cost of another would leave permanent scars on the survivor s heart. I didn t intend to give such scars to my daughters, nor to Claire. We would take two back and return home as four. I would make sure of it.
We re almost there, Miss Claire.
Yes.
The designated location was a half-crumbled, dilapidated house. Perhaps once a grander structure, its size stuck out like a sore thumb against the surrounding slum. Of course, that didn t change the fact that it was in tatters now.
I ll enter first, I said.
Be careful.
I opened the door to the smell of dust and the sound of a voice.
Took you long enough, Ms. Rae.
The one waiting for us in that place was Lana Lahna.


(2) chapter number given is likely out of range: 0
Chapter: 10







Intermission: Papa's Voice (Lana Lahna)

But

It s fine. Calm down. Let s take some deep breaths, okay? In out

Eve did as I said, taking deep breaths. Her piercing, hateful stare was gone. I could surmise that whatever had been affecting her likely Salas s power was dispelled.

Okay, let s clarify some things, I said. You are, without a doubt, Manaria s ex-lover and maid?

Yes.

And because of that, you hate me?

I thought I did, but now I m not so sure. I don t know why I felt that way

Right, so it looks like you had a form of hypnosis cast on you. Don t worry, none of what you did is your fault.

I hugged Eve tightly and felt her sag in my arms with her head facing down.

I don t belong by Lady Manaria s side anymore. My presence was a problem, so I left her

I know.

I left Sousse and worked as a maid in various places. Then then Eve looked up suddenly, as though remembering something important. Ms. Rae, you need to go back to the dorm now!

Huh?

May and Aleah are in danger!

Wh-what?! Her sudden urgency bewildered me. But her next words quickly pulled me back to reality.

The one who put the suggestion on me was Lana!

***

Rae!

Miss Claire I could only let out a weak murmur as Claire burst into the room. I moved to hug her, and she reciprocated, squeezing me tight once before looking me in the face.

Is it true May and Aleah were kidnapped? she asked.

Yes I let my guard down. I m so sorry

Crying wouldn t achieve anything; now was the time to think and formulate a plan. But I just couldn t. My emotions were like a tempest, and my mind wouldn t work. Just the thought of what May and Aleah might be going through left me paralyzed. If something were to happen to them, I

Calm down, Rae. You re not the only one at fault, Claire consoled me.

But but I should ve been more careful. How could I have left them home alone? How could I have put off dealing with Eve until now? How could I have let this happen?

Rae, look at me.

Miss Claire? As I lost myself to panic, she looked me square in the eye with her powerful gaze. She had to be as worried for May and Aleah as I was, if not more, yet her eyes had lost neither her determination nor the light of reason.

Rae, if we re to get our children back, I need you. Come back to me. Show me the strong Rae I know and love. She spoke slowly, choosing each word with great care. I could feel her trust in me reflected in those words. She didn t blame me in the slightest. The only thing she felt was a sincere desire to rescue our children, together. That realization washed over me, calming me down.

Forgive me. I m okay now, I said.

Thank you, Rae.

No, thank you, Miss Claire.

I wiped my tears with a handkerchief, then gently slapped my cheeks with my hands to motivate myself. Let s do this!

Let s confirm what we know first, Dole said, stroking his moustache. Are we certain May and Aleah were kidnapped?

Almost one hundred percent certain. According to Eve, Lana is definitely involved with Salas in some way, I replied.

Eve had told me of her first meeting with Lana in Euclid. Eve past.

That was when Lana said, Wow. That s, like, rough. I know some magic that can help with painful memories, though Wanna try it?

Eve refused at first, but she eventually gave in to Lana s persistence under the condition that the magic not go too far. The one who ultimately cast the spell on her was a silver-haired, red-eyed person with a handsome face. Her memories after that were a jumbled mess.

Eve had been used. Salas had likely taken advantage of her feelings for Manaria to control her, making her believe she was both from Euclid and Lana s friend.

The neighbors say they saw Lana take the girls outside, I continued, but the gatekeeper was knocked unconscious

Hmm Dole continued to stroke his moustache.

There was also this letter left in their room, I said. The sender of the letter was one Salas Lilium.

Have you read it? he asked.

Not yet, I wanted to wait for Miss Claire, I replied.

Go ahead and open it, Claire urged.

We looked inside to see:

Rae Taylor, Claire Fran ois, you have until sundown to come to the specified location. Bring no one else, or the lives of your children will be forfeit.

The specified location was a slum on the outskirts of the imperial capital outside the range of the anti-demon barrier.

This is most certainly a trap. Dole furrowed his brows.

But what choice do we have? Claire asked. They have May and Aleah hostage.

I understand, but it s too reckless to go without a plan.

There s no time to plan anything; it ll be evening soon, Claire said, a bit more impatiently.

Don t rush this, either of you. You know how twisted Salas is. There s no guarantee May and Aleah will be safe even if we do what he says.

Still

I know. Even I wish for nothing more than May and Aleah s safety. But it s precisely because we wish for their safety that we need to do everything we can before we act. Dole was our voice of reason, calming us both. It helped to have someone with many more years of experience at times like this.

He continued. We can assume you two have no choice but to go alone, as they ll likely be watching our movements. That means you will have to manage without backup.

Right, Claire said.

We don t know what he ll demand, but it likely won t be good. The most important thing is to not give in to his demands until you can negotiate May and Aleah s safety.

What if he threatens them? I asked.

You mustn t give in, even then. I know it sounds harsh, but if you let him hold all the cards, all four of you will be beyond saving. We have to avoid that at all costs, Dole said firmly. I ll teach you how to counter some of the things he might demand. There s not much time, but do your best to memorize these ploys.

Please do, Father.

Please do.

With that, Dole taught us his negotiation techniques, making full use of our remaining time.

Rae, I have a request to make of you, Claire said out of the blue. Having received Dole s instruction, the two of us were hurrying to the location Salas specified.

I refuse.

You haven t even heard what I have to say yet.

I can guess what it is, and I refuse.

Rae Claire frowned. I knew what she wanted to say: If it comes down to it, let me be the sacrifice.

Like I would let her.

If you sacrifice yourself, I ll follow you shortly after, I said.

You mustn t!

That s what I might have said in the past.

Rae?

But that s not an option anymore. Let s make sure the four of us make it home together, Miss Claire.

Yes, let s.

To save a life at the cost of another would leave permanent scars on the survivor s heart. I didn t intend to give such scars to my daughters, nor to Claire. We would take two back and return home as four. I would make sure of it.

We re almost there, Miss Claire.

Yes.

The designated location was a half-crumbled, dilapidated house. Perhaps once a grander structure, its size stuck out like a sore thumb against the surrounding slum. Of course, that didn t change the fact that it was in tatters now.

I ll enter first, I said.

Be careful.

I opened the door to the smell of dust and the sound of a voice.

Took you long enough, Ms. Rae.

The one waiting for us in that place was Lana Lahna.

(2) chapter number given is likely out of range: 0

Chapter: 10

Intermission: Papa's Voice (Lana Lahna)