( 3 days later, Terra Nova Online )
It took Leo and Ben three days of near non-stop riding to reach the Southern City of Thumba.
Just like the Capital City of StrongHaven, Thumba was also a very large and densely populated city, which was one of the major industrial hubs of the Empire.
Nicknamed ‘Jewel of the South’, Thumba was beautiful and scenic, as despite being densely populated, the city was pleasing to the eye with a unique aesthetic appeal.
“Wow…. This city is beautiful” Leo commented gazing out of the carriage window as he soaked in the local scenery.
Every building had a different color and slightly different architecture which made entire streets look like unique art pieces rather than monotonous rows of houses.
“Is this the city your mother lives in boy?” Ben asked, stroking his chin as Leo enthusiastically nodded his head.
“Yeah, my mother works in a local bakery around here…. I might visit her, after the missions complete” Leo said, as Ben smiled kindly.
Then, unexpectedly, Elena sent him a friend request almost out of nowhere a couple days ago and also opened a chat tab.
Seeing her name appear on his screen was a shock—a welcome one—and Leo couldn’t help but feel a mix of relief and excitement as he accepted the request, feeling eager to reconnect.
In their first conversation, Leo shared Luke’s I.D. with her, helping her reconnect with both of her kids as he knew how important it was for all of them to be back in touch and how happy their mother would be to be able to chat with both her kids daily.
Him getting back in touch with Elena was nothing short of a miracle in itself as normally, Leo ignored his friend requests without sparing them a glance as he received thousands every day, making it impossible to keep up.
But thankfully, the day that Elena sent him the friend request, Leo was bored while riding on the carriage as he found himself scrolling through the friend list since he had nothing else to do until he spotted the name “Elena Skyshard” on it.
Recognizing the name instantly, he accepted the request without hesitation as he sent a flurry of messages to his mother to first confirm that it was indeed her.
Once confirmed, Leo felt his heart flutter in joy like a little kid as he chatted with his mother for a solid couple hours, asking her everything about her life and her experience in the world of Terra Nova up till now.
As they began chatting, Leo learned that Elena was living in Thumba City and working as a baker and since he was also coincidentally heading there, Leo promised to meet her in a couple days time.
At first Leo felt excited for Elena to meet Ben, as in Leo’s opinion the two of them were the biggest parental figures in his life, however, as he realized that his identity as ‘TheBoss’ was different from his identity as ‘Leo Skyshard’, he understood that introducing Ben as his master and benefactor won’t be possible.
Of course, he still planned on introducing Ben to Elena, however, just not as his benefactor.
‘I hope my douchebag of a father does not run into us, because if he does I might just end up killing him’ Leo thought, as his smiling expression turned a bit stern.
During their chats, Elena had revealed that Jacob was also in Thumba city and that he visited Elena often after work.
Since Leo was going to come visit her, Elena planned on inviting Jacob to the meeting too since the old man had not seen his son in ages, however, Leo had no desire to meet him.
For Leo, his father was long dead and he had no feelings for the Jacob guy, however, he did not express all this to Elena since he knew that his mom still loved the guy.
“We are almost at the Duke’s residence….” Sara said, as she pointed towards the largest mansion built at the heart of Thumba City, belonging to the Southern Archduke Nico Paz.
“Well…. Let’s get this over with–” Ben said, glancing towards Eren, who was still bound by ropes and a prisoner under their watch.
********
( Eren’s POV )
Eren had been unable to move for the past three days straight.
No matter how much he mumbled, thrashed or screamed, neither Ben, nor ‘TheBoss’ paid him any attention.
The duo ignored him as if he did not even exist, while the military officer did glance towards him, but did not dare start a conversation.
In his mind, Eren had cooked up such elaborate stories to get out of this mess, as he planned to lure ‘TheBoss’ with promises of fame and fortune if only he let him speak once, however, he did not.
For 3 days, he was offered no food and no water and despite his character falling into a state of severe weakness, suffering from low stamina, his captors showed him no mercy.
In the end, all the planning and all the stories that he cooked up in his mind were for naught as right up till the moment that he reached Thumba City and was dragged out of the carriage like a dog, nobody gave him the chance to open his mouth even once.
If it were him, he could have never resisted the suspense…. He would have unbound his prisoner and started to thoroughly investigate him, however, ‘TheBoss’ did not.
Chill and carefree, the man seemed to be free of the sin of curiosity, as up till the end he did not show any interest in the secrets that Eren held.