A New Life

I feel a bit worried as I see Atom being so determined. I saw what happened to him last time and I also saw that I don't have the powers to protect him. Inside the village there are only humans and I absolutely shouldn't use my power against them. However I get the idea that stopping him isn't going to work out either. I decide to just stay quiet about it for now.

The answer he gives to my question completely catches me off guard. I know he had been saying this stuff before, but I still can't get used to it. Before I thought I was having a misunderstanding about it all, but now that he says it this clearly it becomes more difficult to explain his behaviour with a simple misunderstanding. I feel very flustered and end up raising my voice a bit. We are still some distance away from the village, so I doubt that I will attract the village's attention though.

"Friend? I can't...! I exist solely for the purpose of serving humans! I can't be that close to a human that would make me seem equal to a human and that is absolutely unacceptable!"

While I say all that I look at Atom, but after saying it I realize that I am yelling at a human, which is unacceptable as well, causing me to look away, unsure of what to do.

My excited must have been contagious as Milly suddenly bursts out as well. She once again tries to deny her right to freedom, saying it is because she isn't an equal to humans. Each time we have this conversation it's like our arguments keep looping and this time, I feel like it's the same. This time, however, she does try to deny the idea of being or even "having" friends. I really start to wonder what made her think she is in any way below other humans. After finishing she suddenly turn away again. Based on what I've seen before so far, she probably feels guilty for speaking up. I slowly walk towards her to make sure she notices me before I speaking up, this time more composed.

"That would make quite sad if you wouldn't accept me as a friend. Being equal has nothing to do with it after all. I see you as my equal. Isn't that enough? Or do you need an order from your master before you can accept that you "can" have friends?"

My eyes widen as he answers my rambling. Even if I got it as an order I don't know if I can do it. I mean I would get an order from someone above me to act like I am an equal to them. That sounds like a contradiction. But as I try to find the words I see the first rays of sun light reaching us.

"I-I need to get the bag with your stuff."

Before getting an answer of him I walk off in the direction of the village where the bag is laying without looking Atom in his eyes.

(Milly will not respond to anything Atom says. She will only stop if Atom makes her stop by for example grabbing her. She will then stop even if Atom doesn't use force.)

For the first time, I finally get the feeling my words are getting to her. She falls in silence and for once she doesn't try to convince me that she is less than me or other humans. Unfortunately, lady luck doesn't seem to be on my side as suddenly through the covers of the trees in the forest rays of lights reach us. Noticing the light as well, Milly stops our conversation and simply runs off saying the will retrieve the bag she readied for me.

"Milly, wait!"

Seeing her suddenly dash off I awkwardly reach out my hand almost if I could have grabbed her from a distance. I won't let it end like this. Leaving my trusty backpack behind, I try and run after her, but my sudden movement causes a sharp pain in mine spleen. This causes some delay in my response, but I try best to ignore it and run off after Milly as fast as I can. Milly isn't exactly moving at a fast pace so it doesn't take long for me to catch up.

Even after calling Milly several times by name she doesn't show any sign of stopping or responding. It doesn't take that long for me to catch up and after being within arms reach, I grab her shoulder as gentle but firm as possible.

"Hold up Milly! I believe the supplies can wait, don't you think?! *Inhale* Right now this is more important! Are you really so against the idea of us being friends? What does it take for me to convince you that your purpose is far more than to serve humans."

As I make my desperate plea I walk around Milly to face her. I get down on a knee so I can look at her face underneath her large hat.

I try to get away from Atom as quick as possible while ignoring his words. The problem is that I still can't run, giving me a huge disadvantage as he seems to have decided to follow me. Although I notice that I can move quicker already. My heels seem to be healing. It is still not fully recovered, but it is at least getting better.

Atom keeps calling out to me with no end. I don't want to respond to his earlier words. Those thoughts of his are dangerous, but I doubt I could convince him otherwise. In all the years that I have lived there were a few more who like Atom tried to become my "friend". However none of them lived long. There were always people out there that wanted to obtain my powers and ended up killing that person that wanted to be my "friend". I can't risk that with Atom. However even if I explained that to Atom I doubt he would listen.

Atom quickly catches up with me and when he does I feel a little resistence coming from my shoulder. Atom placed his hand there to stop me. I could easily move forward with his weak gripe, however I doesn't matter. He would keep following me after that as well, making trying to escape futile.

"There is nothing to convince me. My powers are designed to serve humans and nothing more. I am supposed to dedicate my life to them. My whole life is designed to serve humans."

I feel oddly relaxed as I say all that, but I know that that feeling isn't real. It is just my outer appearance. Inside it is very different from that, but I have to show Atom that what he wants isn't possible.

"Remember... It is always those that refuse help the hardest that need saving it the most."

Just before I left on my journey, my mother left me that piece of advice. Since then I made it my mission to help anyone in need. And that I would do anything within my power to achieve that. I would not falter. I would not give in. Was all I did so far a sham? Did I just pretend to have helped people in need or did I just convinced myself to helped others? Why is the one person that seems to need help the most, the one I can't seem to save?!

The lack of resolve she showed seems gone now. Is this how someone how is crying out for help? What can I really do at this point? I'm running out of ideas as the determination I thought I once had is slowly fading. Just like my determination is fading so is the strength in my legs as I drop on my knees still holding on to Milly's shoulders. I-I am gonna give up? I-I can't give up here. I can't give up... I won't give up!

"Really Milly!?"

Out of reflex my grip on Milly's shoulder suddenly becomes a bit more firm as I slowly rise to my feet.

"Is that what your parents told you? To serve us humans and nothing more?! And if that's so why is that up till now you have done almost nothing of the sorts when it comes to me? You keep refusing to do what I ask so does I don't believe you only serve humans. So tell me... Please tell. What is holding you back? Am I that unreliable?"

Atom then suddenly falls to his knees. Is he alright?! But before I get the words over my lips he stands back up causing only some stuttering to be heard from me. He seems really determined about it. However I really shouldn't give in. I would only cause trouble for Atom down the road.

What he then says hits me rather hard. He tells me that I haven't been anything more than trouble to him causing him to feel the need to ask if I see him as unreliable. Of course not! The unreliable one here is me. I have been only causing him trouble indeed and even in the fight he had with the chief I did nothing to help him. Without a pact I am useless.

As I try to open my mouth to tell Atom that he is wrong and that it isn't his fault I stop myself again. I would only end up hurting him more probably and isn't this the perfect chance to get him to safety? I feel a bit bad about this, but it is probably for the best.

"Just go home already. The supplies I got for you are over there. You should be able to find them yourself."

I point to where I left the supplies and shake Atom's hand off my shoulder and try to move towards the village.

(Milly will now use physical force in case Atom will still try to stop her. However she isn't very strong so in case Atom would use actual force on her he will still win. In case he doesn't stop her she will go into the village although she will hide herself from everyone inside it.)

My hands are still shaken as I make my best effort to convince Milly one more time. After saying my piece I strangely feel a pressure lifting. I look Milly in de the eyes waiting for a response with a new resolution.

It only takes a few seconds as Milly seems to struggle with given an answer. Her response, however, quickly crushes the resolve I build up. It wasn't much of a surprise but she brushes of my help and advice, shakes of my grip and once again makes a run for it. She did show me where she left the supplies but at this point that is the least of my worries. I'm sorry Milly, but as I said before I can't go home like this. I take a look in the direction Milly pointed. After a brief delay, I go and grab my knife and chase after Milly.

In order to help Milly, I need to tackle the root of the problem. I need to know what's going on in that village. I follow Milly in the village, probably not able to catch up to her before reaching the village itself.

I manage to make it into the village, however I do feel a bit bad for Atom. Hoping he will give up I focus myself on the situation at hand. Even though this is all going according to plan I realize that there are a lot of things that I need to keep in mind. First, I am wearing my hat this time, so I should be extra carefull if I don't want to be found. Second, I have no clue where those guards from before live. That is making this a lot more complicated. So what do I do first? Should I wait for them to get out of their houses or should I just go home and tell "him" what I supposedly did?

I can't really go around with my hat. Maybe I should just go home. I make my way as quiet as I can to the house where I have been staying for the last I don't know how many years. I feel pretty nervous even though I was here yesterday as well to get Atom's supplies. But unlike last time I don't have to hide this time. I just have to show myself and take the blame for those soldiers so they can be with their families. Taking a deep breath I place my hand on the door to open it. However as my hand touches the door I can't help but worry about Atom. I look around me as if suspecting to see him.

(In case Atom does show himself Milly will keep trying to convince him to go home.)

I slowly pick up the pace as I run for the village. So far I haven't encountered Milly yet, even though she wasn't that fast, to begin with. I must have lost quite some time to go pick up my knife. Now with only my knife in hand, I run with not nearly the same speed I can usually maintain. Because I'm not sure what to expect in Milly's village I feel a bit anxious without my backpack but at this point, there isn't much time to sort out supplies. As I reach the entrance of the village the air suddenly changes.

I scan the area of the village's entrance but I'm unable to spot Milly from this position. After checking the area I'm unable to find a soul. The village gives me an anxious feeling as it looks like a ghost time. After reminding myself why I came here, I pick a random direction and once again make a run for it. House after house, and still not a person in sight. After a while, I stop in an open place to grab my knees and catch my breath. "O-Oke... Now what?!"

(Atom choice the route leading to Milly by chance)

The streets are pretty empty. Even more so than last time we were here. But that might mean that I am still in time to help the guards. I was secretly a bit scared that it might have been too late already, but I hope this silence means everything is still okay. When I look back once more I do see Atom in the back. I don't know if he saw me already though. Instinctively I look back to the door once more and then back to where Atom is. I really don't want him walking around here. However I get the idea that I am not going to convince him otherwise. He keeps getting himself in trouble. The problem is that if I go inside now I will probably be restaint again and there is an even worse scenario... Should I really risk that...? The possible outcomes scare me. At moments like this I wished that I knew how to write... Then I wouldn't have had to meet him in person and just write him, but that isn't an option. Maybe I should try to negotiate with "him"...?

Even though I am imagining all kinds of scenario's in my head, in real life it is only a few seconds that I stand there. Not knowing whether Atom has spot me already I decide to run around the building for now. Maybe I should just try to observe him for now and see what happens. I rush (at least as fast as I still can go) around the building and while doing that I try to see if Atom is directly following me which would indicate he saw me already. This is by far the biggest house in the whole villages so he shouldn't be able to spot me easily if he didn't already. After reaching a new hiding spot I turn around and look in Atom's direction again. However it is only after quite a few seconds that I notice a big mistake in my plan. I quickly take off my hat while holding the bells to prevent them from making noise. It wouldn't be very effective to secretly spy on Atom if my hat is sticking out from my hiding space. I hold the hat now in a position that prevents Atom from seeing it from where he stands.

For a few seconds, I'm panting like crazy as if I have just run a marathon. Lucky for me nobody seems to be around to see me. After a few seconds of displaying a pathetic side of myself, I pull myself together. I take another look around the area and once again, there seems to be no one around.

Navigating myself is going to become a problem like this. I see nothing but houses, so I'm going to need a plan. After another look, I spot one house being significantly bigger than the rest. Considering the state of this village this house seems surprisingly well maintained. Since I don't have any other great ideas, I decide to start my investigation from here. I slowly walk up to the door of the large house. Once at the door I quickly realize that simply knocking on the door and asking questions probably isn't the best way to handle this. After all, most people here were already out to kill me. After weighing my options I decided to walk to the side the house, hoping to find a window from which I can enter.

I see Atom walking towards the door. What does he want to do here? Now that I think about it I don't really have a clue about Atom's goal. He needs to go home to his own village in order to grown up as he said, but staying here won't accomplish that. And if the problem were the supplies then I managed to solve that as well. Or did he maybe not find them and is looking for me to give it to him? I almost panic having made such a mistake, but after thinking for one more second I realize that that should be impossible. I noticed that the bag was still there when I came here. I didn't hide it that well after all, so the problem can't simple be that it isn't there anymore and I can't imagine that Atom is unable to find it. Then does it have to do with him calling himself my 'future master'? That might be, but I still don't think that is a good idea as I don't want him to get in trouble for it or see him slowly change over time...

Waiting to see what Atom is going to do I see him walking away from the door instead and coming this way. Did he find me?! No wait... again. I keep jumping to conclusions. I move further to the back of the house and wait for Atom's reaction, hopefully without being seen. As I walk past it I notice that like yesterday the window to the library is still open. I get the idea that that room is rarely used as no one seems to have noticed it being open. I heard 'him' say before that all windows should be closed for safety so I doubt there is another reason for it to be open and it was probably forgotten. I think at least.

Strolling along the side of the building I notice a window being upon to the side of the building. Wait a minute... Did I see something just now? This odd village is probably starting to play tricks on me. Seeing a village with nobody in it is probably making my mind imagine actual people walking around. I shake my head to bring myself back to reality and then carefully pull myself up from the windowsill. With just a part of my head sticking out I scan the room inside of the building. After a quick glance, I see nobody in the room. Seeing no immediate danger, I pull myself up and jump inside.

This seems to the library and also smells a little like one. Bookcases filled with books are stacked against the walls of the room. This is just a hunch but I don't think these books see a lot of use. Nor by the citizens of the village nor by the residents of this house. It quiet. It's like the opposite compared to the events that took place when soldiers went after me. Taking careful steps I advance towards the door. This is the door leading inside of the mansion. It is still closed, but carelessly opening it, could lead to unwanted trouble. I place my ear on the door and close my eyes hoping to get a sense what is behind the door.

Atom seems to notice the open window as well, but suddenly he seems to decide to go in. Why does he do that?! Not knowing what to do I even allow him to do so while not making any move myself. I should probably have stopped him, so why am I still standing here?! I move back to the window silently. Sreta! I turn back hiding myself again. As I looked inside I almost met with Atom's eyes, but managed to move back quickly enough. Phew... Atom eventually moves towards the door inside and places his ear against it. I should stop him!

... But even though I tell myself that I don't move an inch at all. I will have to go into the house myself again as well. My body tries to scream to stay here, outside of the house. If possible even far away from here. I take a deep breath. I have to stop Atom. I move to the window again preparing myself to come get Atom. I look into the building again, but too late... Atom went into the hallways already...

(Atom will not hear anyone in the hallways. In the hallways Atom will find a lot of door leading to a lot of rooms. If he decides to check them he will find many unnecessary rooms, multiple bedrooms and bathrooms for example, but also rooms that contain treasures or weapons. However they don't seem to be guarded. In case Atom does not decide to enter the hallways Milly will hide from him again instinctively.)

As I place my ear against the door, I don't seem to pick up any noises. All I can hear is my own heart going berserk from the suspense. Stealth isn't quite my specialty, but considering the situation, I can't risk storming the place. If any of the people here are like that chief guy I fought yesterday, things could go bad fast. I swallow my spit that has collected in my mouth and then wipe away the cold sweat from my forehead. I take a deep breath and after making another check, making sure nobody is on the other side, I slowly open the door.

Slowly opening the door I stumble across a vast looking hallway. Doors as far as the eye can see and on the hallway itself and not a soul to be found. Slightly relieved to see nobody who can spot me, that feeling quickly fades because of the possibility of people hiding behind one of those other doors. I grab one of the books and carefully place it on top of the door. Then carefully closing the door I make the sure the door is still slightly open, while the book is balanced on top of it. It's a pretty basic and easy trap, but it's better than nothing. After convincing myself of that, I move towards one of the doors closest to me. After checking if someone is on the other side I slowly open the door to check inside. After checking it's content I take a few basic tools with me, before leaving and going for the next.

This process continues for several doors as I, with each door, wonder where everybody is.

(If Atom hears anything other then his own actions, he will hide inside the room he is closest to and will wait till whoever it is, is close by. Once the sound fades away again he will slowly open the door and try and hold hostage whoever is passing by. If it is Milly, who dropped the book by carelessly opening the door and not catching the book because of it, Atom will do the same. Atom will, however, tap Milly's shoulder to get her attention.

I wait for Atom to leave the room, but before he does that he places a book on top of the door which raises a few questions. After Atom dissapears from my view I climb into the room or actually more falling in as my foot gets stuck. Luckily I manage to do it without making any loud noises as I manage to end on my feet. I then walk up to the door that Atom left through. What is with that book? I walk back and forth to see it from different angles. Why would Atom need a book to be there? It seems the door isn't fully closed, but I don't fit through the small gap as is and the book might fall if I open the door. So how do I solve this. If I wait too long Atom might get too far away and I won't be able to find him. Let's just hope that this will end well. Not knowing how to do this I try to just slowly opening the door hoping that the book won't fall. However that goes wrong and the book starts moving and it seems like it is going to fall but to the other side of door. I then try to quickly move the door to have the book falling my way so I can catch it. ... But I forgot that I am a bit on the clumsy side. Stretching my arms in the air the book comes falling down right on my before bouncing off on the ground.

"Exshi!"

I immediately hold my hands for my mouth to prevent to make too much noise. However I did make some noise so just in case I should hide for now! I run back to the window, but strangely it is closed. Didn't I leave it open? Doesn't matter, I need another place. I quickly hide behind a bookshelf, making sure my hat doesn't stick out.

(If Atom comes rushing back and checks the window, he will confirm that a big barrel is placed in front of the window, preventing the window from being opened.)

After investigating a few rooms I stumble across a storage room. This should prove to be useful. Most of the rooms I've checked so far clearly weren't. I close the door behind me and start exploring. Most people would refer to the items laid out here as weapons, but I consider them tools. After all, "weapons" can be used for far more than simply hurting others. I see familiar looking swords pinned against the wall. I believe those guards were wielding those. Most of the tools here are too large for me to use properly, which makes them wasted on me. I eventually stumble upon some smaller tools, which seem to be throwing knives. Either the owner is collecting a lot of stuff he or she doesn't use, or I need to be extra careful as there is someone quite skilled using various tools.

Suddenly I hear something falling to the ground, quickly followed by some shriek of some kind. I quickly take a few throwing knives and put them away before stepping to the door. I place my ear on the door and close my eyes, scanning for noises. I believe that sound was from that book I placed. I can't believe someone would actually fall for that. Either way, no noises seem to follow after my trap, making me suspicious.

After waiting for a few more seconds I slowly open the door. Making sure not a make sound I stroll back towards the library, from whence I came. The door seems open. I take a peek but someone seems to be in the room. That's odd. The room seems to be closed. So someone is hiding, or did they just left? Either way, I doubt it is the owner of the place. I can't really take chances here. I remain outside with my knife ready.

"Who's there?! I'll count to three to show yourself!"

Trying for a deeper tone I try my best to sound as threatening as possible. It worked before against the guards yesterday so maybe it will do the trick again.

Shortly after I hide I hear someone getting in the library. Did they spot me? I then hear a voice. I sign of relieve a little. That voice is Atom's. It seems like he noticed me and he doesn't sound happy... As he is asking 'who's there?' I doubt he figured it is me though. He just knows it is someone. I don't want him to find me. I just want him to go home and be happy there. Then he starts counting. To be honest I can't really count that far, but I did learn that counting to three means that someone is angry and that if the three is reached bad things will happen. Maybe it is better to give up here. I need a better plan to get Atom home and I don't really like the idea of having Atom walk around here. This place is very dangerous and if Atom would meet 'him'... Let's not think about that. 'He' is probably in his room. It isn't particularly close to this place so I doubt 'he' would have heard us, but I have to avoid that they will meet each other, which means I need to get Atom out of here quickly. And there is of course another room here that I don't want him to find...

Right before Atom reaches the three I slowly peek out from my hiding spot, showing only a small part of my face. As I am still holding my hat behind me he shouldn't be able to see that making my face the first thing he could see. I just stay there waiting for Atom to react. Will he be mad at me for running away? Or because I made the book fall that he placed there? I still don't really understand why a book should be on top of a door, but he placed it there for a reason after all.

"1!... 2!...3!"

After counting to three not seeing anyone exiting the wrong, I start to hesitate a bit. So there are two options now. Either nobody is in the room and I've been making a fool out of myself, potentially endangering myself by yelling in the hallway. Or, whoever it is in the library feels the need to continue hiding. Or maybe... there could be a potential option three where someone managed to slip by the hallway without making a single sound. I shudder as I consider option 3, as that would imply even worse problems. I quickly discard the idea and decide to enter the library. Staying out in the hallway leaves me exposed, plus if someone is hiding in the library it is best to identify that person right away instead of that person being a potential danger later on.

With my knife held high in one hand and the other placed on my pocket, I move to the entrance of the library. I quickly scan the area by rapidly moving my eyes. I'm a bit surprised to find the person hiding in the library. Is that... Milly!? She took her hat off again. I feel the tension that was building up again slightly fade away, knowing that at very least it isn't the worst outcome. I lower my knife as I breathe in relief. I take a look at the book now on the ground before turning back to Milly. In a way, I should be happy to see my trap has worked, but at the same time, I can't believe it did.

"It's you... Why are you here?"

After asking I take a look at the window through I went in. It's closed... Not only that but it barricaded. Tension quickly builds up again as I raise my knife and slowly walk towards the window.

"Milly, did you close the window?"

As I see Atom pointing his knife towards me back down a bit, but he lowers it after he sees me a seems relieved. He asks me what I was doing here. What should I tell him? I don't want to tell him I followed him here and the other reason I could think doesn't sound like something I should tell him. I don't want Atom to become reckless here.

"I just happened to end up here just like you."

That didn't sound convincing. But instead of saying something about it he raises his knife again, causing me to jump back a little, as he walk towards the window. He then asks me another question. The window? I now see that it is barricaded. When did that happen? I can only imagine it being while I was dealing with that book on the door. Atom seems quite tense because of it. Which is not a weird reaction at all. But it is not just him... So I am trapped here again... My body starts tremling by the thought. I can't let Atom find out about that. Hoping he didn't see it I walk over to the door and grab the book Atom placed on the door. The cover looks very colorful. There is a beautiful girl in a big dress on the cover with a boy at her side, they are both smiling. (The book is a fairytale like children's story.) Trying to distract myself I think about the reason the book was up there. Maybe...!

I use my power to shrink the book. It is still readable in this state, I think at least, but it won't take up a lot of space now. I go back to Atom and give him the book.

"Did you want to take this book with you? I saw you trying to hide it on top of the door. This way you can take it with you."

I try to give him a reassuring smile. It is not just him that I try to calm with it, but myself as well.

She just happened to be here she says. I doubt that really happened, but prying any further probably isn't going to do me any good. I have a bigger problem at hand after all. I take a careful look at the door, but the way it is now I won't be able to open it. Milly doesn't answer my final question, but somehow I doubt she is responsible. If that is the case someone is aware that someone is in the house. However locked the door, must have seen Milly in this room. Why else lock the door? Does that person know I'm here too? That would mean I lost the element of surprise. I can't stay here! I need to leave this place and regroup. Another room would be a good start.

Milly suddenly pulls me back to reality. She seems to be holding a book in her hand, that looks familiar. Isn't that!? What a minute, what she said is also kind of odd, isn't it?! Too many questions suddenly pop up and unfortunately I'm running out of time. I accept the book Milly offers me after which I take another look at it from up close. It really is smaller. After convincing myself that this is reality, I put the book away before turning back to Milly.

"Thanks, Milly but we can't stay here. We need to move somewhere else, now!"

After that, I reach for her hand and try to guide her to another room. I open the door and move the second room to the right to hide. After closing the door behind me I turn back to Milly. Let start with one thing at a time.

"So Milly, want to tell why you are really here? After all, if you knew I had this book that means you saw me several minutes ago and followed me, right?"

(If Milly refuses to take my lead, I rush out the door alone and run towards the same room as fast as possible, to hide.)

After accepting the book I gave him he suddenly grabs my hand and tells me that we need to move. We then rush out of the library and run to the right. To the right?! Before I understand that that is a bad thing he already moves us into a room. The two rooms that I want to avoid are somewhat close to each other and both can be found if were to move to the end of this hallway and then move left. Which is the only way to go if we were to keep moving in this direction. At least for now we are save, I think. The room we are in now is a storage room. A lot of food can be found here in boxes. There is one small window, but it is locked with a key that I of course don't have.

Then Atom suddenly looks a bit angry at me and starts talking again. Apparentely I had given myself away... I really will have to give him an answer. I have two reasons for being here and I prefer that Atom doesn't know either of them. However I am not a good liar and he wants an answer now. I have to give him at least one of them now. Which is the least harmful for him to know. As I think about it I avoid Atom's gaze.

"I saw you going in here. I wasn't following you here however. I only started doing that when you came in here and I swear I didn't close the window. It is closed from outside and I can't move something that heavy with my powers."

The moment I say that I hear footsteps from the distance. It is coming from the left. Someone entered the library. It is probably a guard, however I can't say for sure.

Luckily for me, Milly, just like most of the guards I've met so far, easily gives in, as I'm not particularly good at interrogations. Or at the very least not nearly as skilled as Imanji. Milly mentions that she saw me enter the building and then decided to follow me, but for some reason, I'm not completely convinced. After all, before entering this building, I was looking for at least someone. One would expect that I would at the very least seen her once, if she saw me, especially because of that hat she is usually wearing. Unfortunately, I won't be able to get any further into this, because I don't have much prove either.

In the end, it doesn't really matter whether or not I could get more information, as I quickly get distracted by something far worse. I quickly turn my attention towards the source, as I move my finger towards my mouth to signal to be silent. In the distance, I can hear faint footsteps and they seem to be pretty close to. Up till now, the castle has been seemingly empty but now with Milly here things are starting to get complicated. I can't let that person spot Milly, as that would make things even harder, but at the same time, I can't exactly barge right out the door and confront that person.

It's difficult to tell which way that person is going but at the very least he or she isn't going to this way. Could it be that that is the person that trapped us in here? But how is that person already inside the house? For now, I can only wait to see how things work and simply hope that person will leave. But I'm going to need a plan B, fast!

Now I need to get us out here quick! I tap my ears while using my powers to make my hearing better. Normally I only use this technique when I asked to spy on enemies of some of my masters. Although stealth was never one of my good traits... The person is in the library trying to look for something or someone. Let's not risk he is looking for either of us.

"We need to move quickly. He is in the library, but that won't keep him there for long."

I whisper to Atom. As quiet as possible I open the door as I almost trip causing the door to swing open, but luckily I manage to grab it in time before it swings against the wall. I look to the right as that would be the safest option, away from the person in the library, but I really want to avoid that Atom finds the rooms on the right. I get the feeling that Atom is already not really trusting me. He seemed really mad at me before. He knows I am hiding things. I look over to the left. That means we will have to get past the library without being seen or heard. I look at Atom and then point to the left suggesting that we need to go that way. Now hoping I can get Atom to move to the left.

(If Atom would go to the right Milly will grab his hand trying to convince him to go left, if he still continues she will follow. In case Atom goes left Milly will follow and in case you are quick and silent you will be able to pass the library door without being spotted, but you will need to hide in another room as you can't make it to the end of the corridor as the person in the library will come out too soon. In case you go left you can barely make it to the end of the corridor as it is shorter to the left than to the right.)