The five of them sprinted in a straight line, as fast as their legs could carry them.

But the mercs were gaining—especially the Wind and Lightning users.

“What do we do?” Cassie panted, breath breaking.

“I still don’t have a signal. We need more distance.” Julianna replied.

She slowed, letting the others pull slightly ahead. Then she spun mid-air, both hands sweeping across her body.

Left to right. Right to left. Again, and again.

Dense water walls burst in from either side of the street in rapid succession, blocking the path and slowing the pursuers.

“Dammit… this drains too much…” she hissed, before pivoting and sprinting forward again.

The mercenaries bulldozed through the barriers, splashing and tearing their way through.

Their leader snarled as he broke through the last one, then channeled his element and slammed his heel into the ground, unleashing a massive Earth-shockwave.

It traveled beneath the road like a living thing and hit its target.

Cassie, Julianna, and the bodyguards were thrown left. Viara was blasted right—violently separating the group.

They scrambled to their feet, but Viara barely had time to reorient before the mercenaries closed in, cutting off her path and forcing her to flee deeper into the alleys.

“Viara!” Cassie screamed, reaching forward helplessly.

“Loop around!” Viara shouted as she bolted towards an alley.

The attackers split instantly: fifteen after her, the rest swarming Cassie and Julianna.

Julianna immediately grabbed Cassie’s hand to pull her along. “You heard her, we have to find a way around.”

Just as the four were about to bolt, Julianna’s body gave up.

She clutched her head, swaying. “I’m… almost out of energy…”

They were already being surrounded again.

The bodyguards moved in front of the girls and opened fire.

The second-in-command—a woman with sharp eyes—stepped forward and raised a Wind shield. Bullets smacked into it and fell harmlessly at her feet.

The guards emptied their magazines. Useless. They didn’t even have time to reload.

“Get them!” the woman shouted, grinning widely.

The enemies surged forward, Cassie and the two guards prepared to defend—and a brutal dogfight erupted.

Viara sprinted through a maze of cramped alleys, looking for any route that would let her circle back. But her luck ran out, her path tightened—and she hit a dead end.

She skidded to a stop at a dimly lit alleyway, breath ragged. She turned to run, but the gang was already pouring in behind her, blocking the only exit.

Her fingers tightened around her scythe. She stood still for a second, catching her breath and weighing her options. But there was only one way out of this.

She held a stance, waiting for them to make a move. The moment they charged at her, she charged too.

Flames ignited along the scythe’s blade as she swung wide, carving burning arcs that forced the closest attackers to recoil. They stumbled back—until their leader pushed through them, cleavers in hand.

“Just give up, kid. Nowhere left to run,” he said, cracking his neck and strolling toward her with lazy confidence.

“No.” Her grip tightened. Her stance lowered.

"Alright, your choice," he said with a menacing smile as he charged at her.

Viara aimed a kick, but he sidestepped effortlessly. She swung her scythe in a tight arc—fast—yet he caught it with one cleaver, redirecting her momentum effortlessly, clearly more experienced.

His second cleaver came down fast. The blow tore the weapon from her hands, clattering across the alley.

Before she could react, he tackled her hard with his elbow, knocking her flat onto the concrete.

She tried to force herself up quickly, but he walked over and stomped on her right leg with enough elemental force to make it feel crushed.

Pain exploded. Viara screamed in agony, tears rolling down her cheeks.

“M-my… leg…”

He grabbed her by the throat—firm enough to lift her, loose enough to let her breathe. Then he hauled her upright and slammed her against the wall.

“This is what happens when you don’t listen, brat!”

Viara clawed at his arm, kicking weakly. Her burned-out body wouldn’t respond. She couldn’t pry his hand off, no matter how hard she tried.

The mercs laughed as she struggled.

“One down.”

Helpless, pinned, her vision blurring, all she could do was whisper a prayer—hoping someone, anyone, would answer.

Someone sure did.

A blur cut across the alley.

One mercenary dropped. Then another. Then another.

In just four seconds, all fourteen lay unconscious on the ground.

Only the leader remained, frozen in place, barely registering the thuds of bodies hitting concrete.

Slowly, he looked over his shoulder. “What the—?”

Then he felt it.

A presence behind him. A fist already centimeters from his face, moving too fast for his mind to process.

A single second stretched into eternity as dread hollowed out his expression.

Then the punch landed.

He flew across the alley like a rag doll, smashing into the wall hard enough to crack it.

Viara collapsed to the ground, coughing, finally free.

A figure in black approached the fallen leader, hood casting their face in darkness. They paused, then raised a foot and stomped on his leg with full force.

Once.

Twice.

Thrice.

He groaned, scrambling blindly—until a kick to the face knocked him out cold.

Viara looked up at the figure now turning toward her.

She didn’t recognize the silhouette.

But she recognized the weapon they carried.

“...Zen,” she whispered, voice trembling.

His jaw tightened with guilt.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, kneeling beside her. “If only I could make it here sooner…”

He retracted his weapon and lifted her arm around his shoulder, trying to help her up—but her leg buckled. Even her gear couldn’t support her.

“Retract your gear,” he said softly.

She obeyed, the housing unit absorbing the shattered armor in an instant.

Zen scooped her into his arms—one behind her back, one beneath her knees.

She clung to him, burying her face against his shoulder, exhaustion overwhelming her.

After everything—the fear, the pain, the chaos—she finally felt safe.

And more importantly, she truly felt like a princess, being carried by her knight.

Across the road, hell was still unfolding.

Metal clashed. Sparks flew. Some residents peeked out of windows, while others hid in a corner out of fear.

Cassie parried blow after blow, her twin flame-infused blades eating up her stamina.

Julianna guarded her flank, barely staying upright.

The two bodyguards were barely keeping up, both armed with only a knife.

They were cornered by a bunch of mercenaries, cutting them off from helping the two girls.

Cassie and Julianna were still surrounded.

They continued to defend themselves against wave after wave of attacks, both their minds drowning in worry and frustration for Viara

Cassie kicked an attacker back, but a brute seized her ankle mid-strike, swung her through the air, and slammed her against a wall.

She crumpled with a cry of pain.

“Lysandra!” Julianna sprinted to shield her, lance trembling in her hands as the enemy closed in.

Then—the screaming roar of thrusters.

Ansar flew in and dropped from above, landing with a metallic crash that shook the ground.

A second figure followed, landing in front of the guards from a low roof, cracking the concrete beneath its feet. A heavier android, bulkier, painted entirely black with pulsing purple corruption lines.

His visor glowed an ominous red. A massive double-edged axe rested lazily on his shoulder, gleaming with kill intent.

The mercs froze, face already sweating.

“What the hell is THAT?!”

“It looks dangerous!”

One mercenary hesitated, then spun around and ran immediately. The others followed, tripping over themselves.

“HEY! Come back!” the second-in-command shouted—until she felt the android’s gaze.

Her eyes met the glowing red eyes projected on his visor, and she felt as if he was staring at her soul.

Umbra-01 groaned, his voice deep and unbothered. “Scram…”

She turned and bolted without hesitation.

Julianna lifted Cassie as Ansar approached. “We apologize for the delay. It seems our failure caused you harm.”

“My cousin…” Cassie breathed. “We have to save her…”

“Don’t worry. She’s safe,” Ansar assured.

He opened a hardline comm override. “Ravynne—pursue fleeing hostiles.”

“Copy,” a mechanical female voice replied.

From the opposite side of the road, Zen emerged from the dark, carrying Viara.

Cassie’s breath caught. Every ache, every bruise—forgotten in an instant.

She sprinted toward them. “Is she okay?!”

Zen reached a bench nearby and gently laid Viara down. Cassie dropped to her knees beside her, brushing a trembling hand across Viara’s cheek.

“Talk to me, Vi…”

Viara slowly opened her weary eyes, a tired smile tugging at her lips.

“My leg… not great. But Zen saved me just in time.”

Julianna looked at Zen—hooded, geared, and unrecognizable.

“…That’s really you?”

Zen exhaled, tired. “I don’t have time for this.”

He pulled out a glowing green crystal, its surface shimmering with Nature energy, and tossed it to Umbra-01.

Without hesitation, Umbra closed his fist and crushed the crystal into fine dust, releasing the elemental energy within that flowed smoothly into every human nearby, slowly healing and revitalizing them.

Cassie stared wide-eyed. “A condensed energy pellet. Those are worth a fortune. How do you even have—?”

“Don’t question it,”

He turned to Ansar and Umbra.

“Escort them home before someone calls the police.”

Then to the girls, sharp and low:

“And don’t drag the Solheim or Marcevelle families into this.”

Julianna crossed her arms. “You expect us to stay quiet after all this?”

“No. I expect you to realize nothing good will come from it.” Zen said.

“At least do me a favor for saving your life.”

He turned around to leave.

“The academy will take responsibility and investigate.”

With a burst of wind, he launched himself onto a rooftop.

He looked back once—just once—then disappeared across the skyline.

Everyone remained frozen, eyes locked on the place he’d disappeared from.

Cassie sighed. “My list of questions just tripled.”

Ansar stepped forward. “I passed a stranded car on my way here. The plate was registered to the Marcevelle state.”

“That’s our car,” Julianna said quickly. “We were blocked in—two trucks boxed us from both sides.”

Umbra tilted his head. “I saw no trucks around it.”

Julianna’s expression turned thoughtful for a moment. “Maybe they removed them to hide evidence?”

Viara sat upright on the bench. “Probably.”

Cassie held her steady. “Feeling better?”

“Yeah,” Viara replied with a nod. “I think the strain on my leg is gone. I can walk now.”

“Let’s head back then,” one of the bodyguards said, pulling out keys from his pocket. “I made sure to pull the keys when we stepped out of the car.”

Umbra-01 took the lead.

“Follow,” he instructed, tracking the car's last location.

Ansar covered their flank as everyone retraced the path they escaped through earlier. After a long and careful walk, the car finally came into sight.

The bodyguards rushed forward and checked it properly. “Seems like nothing was stolen. I’m surprised they didn’t try to break into the car.”

“They were probably too busy picking themselves up after that water blast,” Julianna muttered with a quiet, amused chuckle.

Ansar began tracing the car live in his visor. “I’ll keep watch from above until you safely reach your destination.”

He turned to Umbra and nodded. Umbra nodded back in response, a silent communication passing between them, and then he walked away into the dark, moving onto his next task.

Viara bowed her head politely. “Thank you… for everything.”

“Just doing my job,” Ansar replied in his composed mechanical voice.

The girls got into the back seat, the bodyguards taking the front.

Ansar took flight, thrusters set low to maintain stealth.

The car rolled towards the academy once again, this time under Ansar’s protective gaze.

Zen vaulted from rooftop to rooftop, the city blurring beneath him as Ravynne streamed the hostiles’ live coordinates into his visor.

But once he’d gotten far enough from the others, his pace faltered.

First, his sprint slowed.

Then it became a walk.

Then—he stopped.

His right knee hit the roof with a dull thud.

An intense sting of pain surged up his left arm, sharp and burning. He clutched his arm, jaw tightening.

Ravynne’s voice cut sharply through his comm. “Sire, are you alright? Your vitals just spiked.”

Zen exhaled hard, forcing his voice to stay level.

“I’m fine.”

He pushed himself back to his feet—slowly, stiffly—and stepped toward the edge of the building.

The streets below were alive with noise, people, and movement. It felt distant, muffled by the pounding in his arm and the pressure creeping up his chest.

He drew a long breath.

His jaw set, steel settling back into his voice.

“Keep moving,” he said. “We have a job to finish.”