Soulbound: Dual Cultivation

Chapter 490: Leaving the town for good

They moved the moment Lucas gave the signal, slipping out of the building in a tight formation, their steps quick but controlled as they merged into the restless motion of the town, and just as expected, the chaos caused by the explosions had completely shifted the guards’ attention away from anything else. Shouts still echoed from multiple directions, orders being barked, confusion lingering in the air, but none of it was focused on them anymore.

People were moving.

Guards were moving.

Everyone was moving.

And in that disorder, they became just another part of the motion.

Lucas stayed at the front with Patrick, both of them guiding the pace, their eyes sharp as they scanned ahead, while Darmian carried Sage Raph without slowing, his grip firm despite the strain, and the others followed closely behind, maintaining the formation they had established earlier. No one spoke. There was no need. Every step was driven by the same understanding.

Don’t draw attention.

Don’t break rhythm.

Keep moving.

A group of guards rushed past them from the opposite direction, their armor clanking as they pushed toward the northern side, completely ignoring the figures slipping through the streets behind them, their focus locked entirely on the explosions. One of them shouted as he passed, "All units to the north, move!" and just like that, any remaining doubt vanished.

The distraction had worked better than expected.

Lucas did not slow, his voice low as he said, "Stay steady, we’re almost out," and Lady Cecilia, moving beside Lady Isabelle, gave a small nod before stepping slightly ahead, her familiarity with the town now guiding their final path.

"This way," she said quietly, turning into a narrower passage that most would overlook, her steps sure as she led them away from the main flow of movement and into a quieter stretch of the town.

The noise began to fade behind them.

The streets grew emptier.

The tension shifted.

After a short distance, Lady Cecilia slowed and gestured toward a barely noticeable opening between two old structures, partially concealed by debris and overgrowth, something that would look insignificant to anyone who didn’t know it existed.

"There," she said softly.

Lucas’ eyes locked onto it immediately as he stepped forward, pushing aside the obstruction just enough to reveal the narrow entrance beyond, and as they moved closer, the hidden path became clearer, a small, concealed tunnel leading outward, its dark passage cutting beneath the town toward the outside.

Fresh air.

Freedom.

So close now.

Patrick exhaled quietly, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he said, "I’ll take this over the main gate any day," while Darmian adjusted Sage Raph slightly and muttered, "Let’s just get through it."

Lucas turned briefly, his gaze sweeping over the group, confirming everyone was still with them, before he nodded once and said, "We go in, one after the other, stay close and keep moving, no stops."

Lady Isabelle glanced once toward the path behind them, where the chaos of the town still echoed faintly, then back toward the tunnel ahead, her voice barely above a whisper as she said, "We made it this far..."

Lucas looked ahead, his tone steady as he replied, "And we’re finishing it."

One by one, they began to enter the hidden passage.

Lucas was the last to enter, his foot hovered just at the edge of the tunnel entrance, his body half-turned toward freedom, when the voice cut through the air behind him.

"Stop!"

It was sharp, unsteady, carrying more impulse than authority, but in that moment, it was enough.

Inside the tunnel, everyone froze.

Lady Cecilia stiffened. Darmian halted mid-step, Sage Raph still slung over his shoulders. Even Patrick, already a few paces in, stopped and turned slightly, his eyes narrowing as the tension snapped back into place like a drawn blade.

Lucas did not move immediately.

Slowly, he turned.

Standing a short distance behind him was a boy, no older than sixteen or seventeen, clad in the armor of the usurpers, though it sat awkwardly on him, like something he had not yet grown into. His hands trembled around the weapon he held, his stance uneven, his breathing shallow and unsteady.

Fear.

It was written all over him.

His eyes locked onto Lucas, wide and uncertain, and despite the weapon in his grip, there was no real intent behind it, only panic, only the weight of a decision made too quickly, without thought.

He should not have shouted.

And now he knew it.

Lucas’ gaze sharpened slightly as he took in the details, the hesitation, the lack of resolve, the unmistakable truth that this was not a hardened soldier, not someone driven by conviction, but a boy caught in something far larger than himself.

One strike.

That was all it would take.

The others knew it too.

From within the tunnel, Tom’s grip tightened slightly. Darmian shifted his weight just enough to be ready. Patrick’s eyes flicked between Lucas and the boy, already understanding what had to be done, even if no one said it aloud.

Because now the boy had seen.

The tunnel.

The escape route.

If he lived, the secret would not.

The boy swallowed hard, his voice coming out strained as he said, "Y-you... you’re the ones... from the station..." but even as he spoke, his hands shook more, the weapon lowering just slightly as doubt crept in.

Lucas said nothing.

His expression did not change.

But behind his eyes, the calculation was already complete.

Kill him, and the path remains hidden.

Spare him, and everything they just fought for could unravel.

A simple but necessary choice.

And yet...

For the briefest moment, Lucas hesitated.

Behind him, in the silence of the tunnel, every pair of eyes rested on him, not questioning, not interrupting, but watching, knowing that whatever decision he made next... would decide more than just the boy’s fate.

Lucas’ step forward was slow, deliberate, carrying a weight that pressed down on the space between them, and as his eyes locked onto the boy’s, something in his gaze shifted, not into anger, not into hesitation, but into something far colder, far more terrifying in its quiet control. The boy froze completely, his breath hitching as that look met his own, and in that instant, whatever fragile resolve he had tried to hold onto shattered entirely, because what stared back at him was not just strength, but something deeper, something that felt inevitable, like a force that could not be resisted once it decided to move.

Lucas did not make any attacking move or imply that he would, he simply stood there, his presence alone enough to suffocate the boy’s courage, and when he finally spoke, his voice was low, steady, and utterly devoid of uncertainty as he said, "Listen carefully," each word measured, each syllable carrying a quiet threat that needed no embellishment. The boy swallowed hard, his body trembling as he nodded instinctively, unable to look away, unable to do anything but listen.

"If anyone else finds out about this tunnel," Lucas continued, his tone unchanged, yet somehow growing heavier with each word, "if even a whisper of it reaches the wrong ears," he paused just long enough for the meaning to settle, his gaze never leaving the boy’s, "I will come back for you."

The silence that followed was suffocating.

Lucas took one more step closer, just enough to close the distance further, his presence now overwhelming, and added quietly, "And when I do, there will be no second chance."

The boy’s composure broke completely.

He nodded rapidly, almost frantically, his voice failing him as he tried to respond, only managing a strained, "I won’t... I swear... I won’t tell anyone," his grip loosening on the weapon as his hands shook uncontrollably, fear now the only thing keeping him rooted in place.

Lucas held his gaze for one final second, as if weighing the truth of his words, before he finally stepped back, the pressure lifting just enough to allow the boy to breathe again, though the fear did not leave him, it lingered, etched into his expression.

"Go," Lucas said simply.

That was all it took.

The boy did not hesitate, turning immediately and running, his steps uneven at first before gaining speed as he fled, disappearing into the maze of the town without looking back, driven entirely by the terror that now followed him.

Lucas watched him for a brief moment, his expression unreadable, before turning away without another word.

Behind him, the tension in the tunnel finally broke.

Patrick let out a quiet breath, a faint shake of his head following as he muttered, "You’re either merciful... or dangerously confident," though there was no real disapproval in his tone.

Darmian adjusted Sage Raph on his shoulders and said nothing, but the glance he gave Lucas carried understanding, while Tom simply exhaled, the tightness in his posture easing slightly now that the moment had passed.

Lady Isabelle looked at Lucas for a second longer, her eyes softer, as if she understood something the others did not, before she turned and continued forward.

Lucas did not respond to any of them.

He simply joined in the tunnel and led them towards the other end.

One by one, they followed, moving quickly through the narrow passage, the darkness closing around them as they pushed forward, leaving behind the chaos, the danger, and the town that had nearly trapped them. The air grew cooler as they advanced, the sounds of the outside world fading with each step until all that remained was the echo of their movement and the quiet rhythm of their breathing.

And then...

Light.

They emerged from the other end of the tunnel into the open, the vast stretch beyond the town welcoming them with a sense of freedom that none of them spoke about, yet all of them felt.

Behind them, the town still stirred in confusion, unaware of just how close it had come to holding them.