Chapter 30: Escape
Akane let out a slow breath, staring at the red-haired girl in front of her. Something about Raya still felt off, but right now, she didn't have the luxury of picking apart every suspicious detail. She could interrogate her later. Right now, escaping was the most important thing.
"Fine," Akane said at last, crossing her arms. "We'll get out of here first. But don't think I trust you yet."
Raya grinned, looking far too pleased with herself. "Wouldn't dream of it, Princess."
Akane scowled. "Don't call me that."
"Yes, Your Royal Grumpiness," Raya shot back, already moving toward the door.
Akane muttered under her breath but followed, watching as Raya pressed her ear against the heavy wood. The hall outside was silent. The guards had likely assumed Akane would stay put until Prince Toma returned. Idiots.
"Alright, we're clear," Raya whispered, easing the door open and slipping out. Akane followed, keeping close to the wall as they moved swiftly down the corridor.
The palace was eerily quiet aside from the distant murmur of voices. The torchlight flickered against the stone walls, casting long, wavering shadows. Every hallway looked the same—opulent and overwhelming, but in a way that felt cold and unfamiliar.
"Where exactly are we going?" Akane whispered.
"Anywhere that isn't here," Raya whispered back.
"Wow. Brilliant plan," Akane deadpanned.
"Well, excuse me, Princess, for not having an escape route memorized," Raya shot back.
Akane barely stopped herself from arguing further. She had definitely had conversations like this before, but that didn't make sense. She didn't know Raya.
The thought was still nagging at her when they turned a corner and froze.
Ahead of them, an eerie glow filled a large chamber, flickering and shifting like water. A portal.
Akane barely had time to process it before girls—dozens of them—began stepping through. Some were dressed in elegant silks and fine embroidery, their eyes darting around nervously as they were ushered forward. Others trembled as they clutched at each other, clearly overwhelmed. The room was bustling with movement as more women arrived, glancing around in confusion as guards stood watch.
Akane's stomach twisted.
"They're bringing them here," she whispered, barely able to keep her voice steady.
Raya inhaled sharply. "Damn it," she whispered. "They're still bringing more in."
Prince Toma's guards stood on either side of the portal, their monstrous, masked faces unreadable as they gestured for the noblewomen to move forward. Shiryian guards stood further back, watching impassively, their hands on their weapons. It was a sickening assembly line of stolen lives.
Akane's fingers clenched into fists.
"We need to go," Raya whispered urgently.
But before they could slip into the flow of the arriving girls, a voice barked out behind them.
"You two—halt!"
Akane turned sharply to see a pair of guards striding toward them. One frowned, eyeing them suspiciously. "Who are you? You're not part of this last batch."
Akane's heart pounded.
Raya moved fast.
She let out a high-pitched giggle, twirling a lock of her red hair around her finger as she turned to face them. "Ohhh, you caught us! Guess we got a little lost, huh?" She swayed slightly, tilting her head and flashing a flirtatious smile.
Akane barely stopped herself from gaping at her.
The guards hesitated, thrown off by her sudden shift in demeanor.
"Lost?" one echoed, skeptical.
"Yep! Got so distracted by all the handsome guards around here," Raya purred, stepping closer.
Akane nearly choked.
Raya, still smiling, looped an arm around Akane's waist and pulled her close. "She's just so nervous, y'know?" she said, giving Akane a squeeze. "And I just had to make sure my dear friend here got settled in properly."
Akane stiffened but forced herself to play along. She dropped her gaze, pretending to be a nervous girl swept up in the chaos.
The guards exchanged glances, still wary.
One of the guards narrowed his eyes at them, his gaze lingering on Raya a little too long. He smirked, tilting his head. "I don't remember seeing either of you in this last roundup." His eyes roamed over Raya appreciatively. "I would have remembered taking you."
Raya giggled, twirling a lock of hair around her finger as she leaned in just slightly. "Ohhh, I bet you would have," she purred.
The guard's smirk widened, but his companion looked less convinced. "Something isn't right—"
Raya giggled again, but Akane could feel the tension in the way her grip tightened. "Ohhh, well, we're definitely supposed to be here. But, if you don't believe us…" Raya's eyes flicked toward the portal. "Why don't we go check with Prince Toma?"
The guards immediately stiffened at the suggestion.
It was the perfect bluff. None of them wanted to risk interrupting the Prince over something trivial—especially not over a pair of pretty girls who, at worst, were simply out of place.
One of the guards grunted. "Fine. Just get moving."
"Of course!~" Raya chimed.
Before he could bark another command, Raya grabbed Akane's hand and stepped forward, dragging them both into the flow of kidnapped girls. Akane barely had time to process what was happening before Raya suddenly whipped them around—
And leaped straight into the portal.
"Hey—!"
The guards' shouts rang out behind them, but the portal swallowed them whole.
The world ripped away.
A rush of cold air surrounded them before their feet slammed onto solid ground.
Akane stumbled, but Raya caught her wrist, steadying her. The portal behind them flickered once—then vanished.
Akane sucked in a breath and turned to take in their surroundings.
The city stretched out before them—massive, grand, and terrifyingly wrong. The towering buildings gleamed under the light of lanterns and torches, but the streets were anything but peaceful.
Shiryian and Prince Toma's soldiers moved in controlled lines, rounding up terrified women, shoving them toward more flickering portals that had been set up in different areas.
Raya exhaled sharply, her jaw tight.
"I know this place," she muttered, voice low and angry.
Akane turned to her, pulse still racing. "Where are we?"
Raya's hands curled into fists.
"Junrai," she said grimly. "The capital of Princess Ukyo's Country."
The air behind them shimmered again, faint at first, then growing stronger—the portal was reactivating.
"Move!" Raya hissed, grabbing Akane's wrist and pulling her into a narrow alleyway just as the portal burst open again behind them. They pressed against the rough stone wall, barely daring to breathe.
Two armored figures stepped through.
"Where are they?" one of the guards growled.
"They came through here. I know they did." The other—the one who had been so taken with Raya—scanned the street, his lips curling in irritation. "That redhead… she was toying with me." His grip tightened on the hilt of his sword. "Find them."
Akane felt her pulse quicken. If they were caught now—
Raya nudged her, signaling silently before creeping further down the alley. Akane followed, their steps careful and quiet as they slipped through the labyrinth of narrow streets.
The city was suffocating under the occupation. Shiryian soldiers and Prince Toma's men patrolled in pairs, their presence heavy in the capital. And yet, just as Raya pulled Akane into another passageway—
A shout rang out. Then another.
The clash of steel followed.
Raya and Akane stopped just at the mouth of the alley, peering around the corner.
A group of Junrai men, faces hardened with fury, had ambushed a patrol of Shiryian soldiers. They weren't just fighting—they were desperate, attacking with whatever weapons they had. And the Shiryian soldiers, caught off guard, struggled to counter the sudden assault.
"They're fighting back…" Akane whispered.
Raya exhaled sharply. "Yeah. And we need to get out of here before this whole place turns into a war zone."
Raya tightened her grip on Akane's wrist, pulling her back as the street ahead became a battleground. The Junrai men were putting up a hell of a fight, but there was no telling how long they'd last against trained soldiers. They couldn't stay here.
"Come on," Raya muttered, leading Akane away from the fighting and deeper into the winding alleyways.
"Where are we even going?" Akane hissed, barely keeping up.
"Away." Raya glanced over her shoulder. "I know this city."
And she did. Every turn, every narrow side street—they weren't random choices. Whenever Ranma had attended events at Ukyo's palace, he had always snuck out to explore the city, slipping into the crowds, learning the way its people moved. Disguised as a civilian, he'd learned where to eat the best street food, where the merchants whispered secrets, and—most importantly—where the guards rarely patrolled.
Now, that knowledge was keeping them alive.
They slipped through shadowed pathways, avoiding main roads where patrols marched in tight formations. The glow of lanterns flickered above the streets, but Raya kept to the dark, moving with purpose.
Then, she spotted it—an old drainage grate nestled at the base of a crumbling building.
"Here." Raya knelt and yanked at the rusted bars. They groaned in protest but gave way. A damp, foul-smelling breeze rose up to greet them.
"You have got to be kidding me," Akane groaned.
"Would you rather be back there?" Raya shot her a look before dropping down into the tunnel.
Akane hesitated but followed, landing with a soft splash into ankle-deep water. "I hate this."
"Yeah, yeah," Raya whispered. "Keep moving."
They waded through the narrow tunnel, their footsteps echoing against the stone walls. The air was thick and muggy, but Raya kept them going, following faint markings on the walls—old carvings she'd once found and memorized on one of her excursions. Royal life had never really suited Ranma. It wasn't long before they reached another grate, this one loose enough that a solid kick sent it clattering open.
Fresh air rushed in.
Raya climbed out first, offering a hand to Akane as she hauled herself up after her. They emerged on the outskirts of the city, just beyond the towering outer walls. The fields beyond stretched into the wilds, where the dense tree line of The Lavender Woods began.
The moon bathed the trees in silver light, their purple flowers glowing faintly in the dark. The scent of them was heavy in the cool night air, a stark contrast to the filth they had just crawled through.
"We're out," Raya murmured.
Akane, still catching her breath, took a long look at the sprawling forest ahead.
"Now what?" she asked.
Raya's lips pressed into a determined line. "Now, we figure out how to bring this whole damn thing down."
Akane crossed her arms, still catching her breath. "Yeah, but how?" she asked, her voice edged with frustration.
Before Raya could answer, the sound of rustling movement in the tall grass caught both of their attention. They ducked low, eyes scanning the tree line. In the moonlight, they spotted small groups of people slipping through the outskirts of the city, just as they had.
Whispers drifted through the night air. "There's a resistance forming in Shiryia…" "They say they have a real chance against Prince Toma's forces…" "The leader used to fight against King Gosunkugi… helped the Goddess herself…"
Akane tensed. "What did they say?" she whispered, turning toward Raya.
Raya's brows furrowed as she listened, catching more murmurs from another hushed conversation nearby.
"They're planning to regroup on the edge of Shiryia," someone whispered. "With that soldier leading them, we have a fighting chance. He went against Gosunkugi before—he'll know how to fight this new threat."
"Who's leading them?" Akane pressed, stepping forward, no longer caring if she was overheard.
One of the escapees glanced at her before murmuring, "A man called Shinnosuke."
Akane's breath hitched.
"Shinnosuke?" Her voice wavered. "That's impossible. He's… he's dead."
But the escapees shook their heads. "No. He's very much alive—and he's gathering everyone willing to fight."
Akane's heart pounded. The boy who had once sworn to protect her, who had given his life—she had thought—to ensure she survived… was alive?
She clenched her fists, determination lighting a fire in her chest.
"Then we're going to Shiryia," she said firmly, glancing at Raya. "We need to find him."