---
Drake stood in front of Lavinia.
His face was pale,
and his voice trembled as he spoke so quickly it was as if his breath might fall apart.
He said while staring directly into her eyes: "Lavinia… Rocky was dragged away by some people… and I don't know where they took him."
Lavinia felt the ground tilt beneath her feet.
Her eyes widened as she said in a trembling voice: "Where? Where did they go? You don't know?!"
Drake shook his head hard, his features tightening and his body shaking: "No… I don't know… he disappeared right in front of me."
Suddenly Lavinia's heart pounded.
She felt a sharp headache pressing against her forehead.
She whispered to herself with worry that bordered on madness: "I have to go quickly to Fred's house…"
She turned to run.
But Drake grabbed her arm tightly in fear: "Where?!"
She shouted without realizing: "To ask for help!"
Drake replied in collapse: "But… we don't even know where they are!"
Lavinia suddenly stopped,
her body froze, and her eyes widened in bitter shock.
She thought: "Even if I go to Fred… I don't know the place… damn it…"
Suddenly,
her phone rang inside her pocket.
Her hand shook as she pulled it out.
It was an unknown number.
She answered, only to hear a panicked, familiar, broken voice: "Lavinia… it's Chloe. I think I just heard something really bad… I think Micheal is in danger."
Lavinia's breath froze: "Where? Where is he?!"
Chloe answered quickly, her voice mixed with fear: "I heard they lured him toward Street X… please, do something… pleeease!"
Then the call suddenly cut.
Drake looked at her in concern: "What's wrong?!?!"
She said as she struggled to catch her breath: "I think… I know where they are now."
Drake immediately said without hesitation: "Let's go!"
But Lavinia stopped him in deep worry: "No… just the two of us?! We'll be victims too! We need a solution…"
Drake answered with a strength he didn't seem to possess before: "Don't worry… I already called my comrades. They were searching with me for Rocky too."
Then he quickly grabbed his phone and called one of them.
He told him the location, then ended the call and said in a firm tone: "Let's go… we have no time to lose."
And the two of them ran off.
---
And in those moments…
The isolated area behind the warehouses had turned into a real battlefield.
Micheal, Rocky, and Fred were surrounded by more than twenty students.
All of them were raining blows on them from every direction.
Micheal was taking a hit, blocking another,
and trying to push a boy away from Fred.
Rocky was protecting Micheal's back with everything he had,
despite the bruises on his face and his swollen eye.
As for Fred…
he was using his spells to block some attacks, but his magic was draining at a terrifying rate.
His breaths grew heavy, his face pale, and his hands trembled from exhaustion.
Fred said with a strained, hoarse voice: "I… I can't… my energy is running out…"
Meanwhile George approached Micheal with arrogant steps.
He raised his fist and shouted in anger: "Your game ends here, Micheal!"
Micheal fell to the ground from the force of the first punch.
George raised his hand again to strike him…
But before his fist could come down,
something rushed in from behind like a storm.
Something fast… strong… furious.
A massive kick struck George on the side of his face,
sending him staggering backward.
It was Lavinia.
She appeared like a beast.
She shouted as she hit him with her fist: "This… is for Micheal!!"
Then she grabbed a handful of dirt from the ground and threw it straight into his eyes.
George screamed and backed away, rubbing them.
Lavinia grabbed his hair fiercely and drove her knee into his stomach with all her anger, making saliva shoot from his mouth.
At the same moment,
Drake appeared.
He snatched a stick lying on the ground and slammed it into a student's mouth, dropping the boy instantly.
And behind them,
a large group of people appeared.
Drake's comrades.
They were a massive group, sharp-featured, eyes blazing with anger.
And the moment George's group saw their numbers…
they began to flee like terrified rats.
But Drake's comrades chased some of them down and caught them quickly.
One of the girls stepped forward toward a student who tried to attack her; she blocked his strike with unbelievable skill,
then knocked him to the ground and pinned him.
And broke his arm with cold precision.
The student screamed while her eyes remained merciless.
Micheal lay on the ground watching the scene in shock: "L-Lavinia?.."
He hadn't expected her to come… nor to be this strong.
As for Rocky…
his expression shifted from pain to astonishment and relief when he saw Drake.
He smiled despite the blood on him and said weakly: "Drake…?"
Drake ran to him immediately.
He hugged him tightly: "Rocky!! Where did you disappear?! I thought I lost you!"
And Fred…
collapsed onto the ground, lying flat, panting, and saying in a broken voice: "I-I survived…? I… I really survived…!"
But Lavinia wasn't done yet.
She mounted George, who was helpless and clutching his face,
and began hitting him wildly.
A punch to his jaw.
A punch to his nose.
A full bite on his ear until blood flowed.
George screamed in pain: "Aaah!! Stop!!"
---
The warrior girl from the group stepped forward.
She placed her hand on Lavinia's shoulder and said with calm firmness: "Enough."
Lavinia stopped for a moment.
She caught her breath,
her eyes burning with anger and blazing emotions.
Then the girl stepped forward and kicked George in the face.
She planted her foot on his face and said: "This is what you deserve."
The place finally grew quiet…
A heavy silence settled over everything.
Lavinia approached Micheal.
She ran toward him and hugged him tightly,
her tears soaking his shoulder: "Micheal… Micheal… I was so… so scared…"
Micheal hugged her despite the pain and whispered in a choked voice: "Thank you… for coming."
On the other side,
Drake was holding Rocky tightly, both of them crying without shame.
But suddenly,
Lavinia noticed a body on the ground…
Fred.
She screamed as she ran toward him: "What are you doing here?!!"
Fred lifted his head, his face covered in scratches,
and his voice heavy with pain: "Aaah… that's what you say to someone who almost died… because of you?!"
Lavinia stared at him in shock…
then her tears burst again.
But despite the chaos…
they were all alive.
And for the first time…
the future seemed possible to change.
---