Son Of Fate

An Emergency Lockdown!

It was already evening...

Marcus, Anne, and Arthur had arrived at the agreed-upon location. Leon and Rebecca joined them shortly after, but Alf and Reena were running late.

When they finally arrived, Alf appeared anxious, with Reena enjoying a creamy strawberry crepe dessert.

"Alf, you're late. What happened?" Marcus asked, his expression showing concern.

"We were starting to worry!" Rebecca added.

"Sorry, but I overheard something important while gathering information in the local pubs," Alf replied, looking around cautiously.

"What did you hear?" Marcus inquired, his eyes widening with curiosity.

Alf gestured for Marcus to wait and said, "I don't think I should talk about it here. Let's find somewhere with background noise."

"Follow me," Alf ordered as he led the way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They found themselves sitting in a diner, occupying a long family-sized table in the corner.

Marcus, Anne, Arthur, and Reena sat on one side, while Alf, Rebecca, and Leon sat on the opposite side. Leaning over, Alf whispered cautiously, making sure no one could eavesdrop on them.

"According to what I heard, there might be another war potentially brewing against the Crusader Kingdom," Alf disclosed, his voice filled with concern.

"Wait! Alf, are you certain?" Marcus asked, his eyes widening in shock.

"Hold on! I'm not finished," Alf interjected, gesturing for Marcus to wait.

"Apparently, this town is the closest to the border of the Crusader Kingdom. And because of that, it's going to be put under lockdown!"

Everyone at the table wore worried and shocked expressions.

"During the lockdown, the 'Thorny Rose' Royal Order will be dispatched here to investigate all recent foreigners for potential spies from the Crusader Kingdom, including us!" Alf revealed, causing Marcus to freeze in disbelief.

Everyone present knew that Marcus was a former leader of the Crusade Holy Order in the Crusader Kingdom, and he was now a wanted fugitive with a massive bounty on his head. Anne shared the same fate.

Sweat began to form on Marcus's face as everyone else mirrored his shocked expression. Marcus desperately attempting to come up with a plan.

"Alf, have you checked if the town's borders have begun the lockdown protocol?" Marcus asked, hoping for a glimmer of hope.

"No, but I'll do it right away," Alf replied, clenching his staff and closing his eyes in intense concentration. Suddenly, a green crystal crow with red eyes flew out of the crystal atop his staff. Only Alf could see the crow as its vision was linked to him. The crow soared through the ceiling and scouted the entire town.

Alf's face contorted in panic as he relayed the dire news.

"Guys! This is bad, really bad! It doesn't look like there's a way out, and the knights have already been situated on the borders of the town!"

"We need to get out of here quickly and try to outrun them," Rebecca suggested impatiently.

Anne anxiously banged her hands on the table and leaned in closer.

"What about the kids? And all our equipment and bags?" she asked nervously.

Rebecca paused, reconsidering her initial suggestion.