"Don't worry, I'll send you and your special somebody straight to hell." Havoc's smirk stretched wider, revealing jagged teeth.
"Oh really? I'd love to see you try." Percival's words hung like a challenge, his gaze terrifying.
"I'll make you feel the same pain you caused Elsa. Expect it to be excruciating, and know this—I won't spare you. I'll kill you if it's the last thing I do."
The district fell silent.
Percival's presence filled the air, his runic flaming war hammer slung on his shoulder, burning bright and promising Havoc's inescapable doom.
"PERCIVAL, YOU IDIOT!"
A female voice rang out from a distance, the tone pure rage.
Percival jolted. *Here comes my end.*
FWOOSH! THUD!
Three figures dropped from rooftops—Sofia, Fred, and Seris.
"Percival, you moron! How dare you storm out on us!" Sofia pulled down her hood, blue hair spilling out and bunny ears perking up. Her green eyes blazed with fury as she marched toward him.
Percival grew stiff, sweat dripping down his brow as Sofia approached with wrathful steps.
"Hey Sofia, I—"
THWACK!
Sofia's hard knock echoed through the silent district.
Even Drake and Havoc were shocked by what was happening.
*Who is this strange bunny girl?* Drake wondered. *His girlfriend?*
"Ow! Sofia, you don't have to be so rough! I'm sorry!" Percival groaned, rubbing his sore head as smoke practically rose from it.
"Yeah, be sorry! Be sorry for running out on us for the second time, idiot!" Sofia fumed.
"What—I was just faster! I wanted to arrive as quickly as possible to save anyone in danger!" Percival protested.
"Oh really? A silly excuse! And who did you save exactly?" Sofia raised her hand for another hard knock.
"Him!" Percival pointed with shaking fingers to Drake.
Sofia turned slowly to Drake.
Drake jolted, giving a glitchy smile.
Sofia gasped as she saw Drake badly wounded, his arm severed. "Oh..."
"You see, Sofia? You're too hard on the poor guy," Fred said, pulling down his hood. Black hair, lazy yellow eyes, and a handsome face. He was petite in build but muscular for his frame, moving with casual grace that belied his strength.
"But, but... look! He wrecked the place as soon as he arrived! Just look!" Sofia pointed at the destruction caused by Havoc's blast colliding with Percival's Crimson Smash.
"Yeah, but I did it to save this guy from a blast," Percival said.
"Huh!" Sofia froze, flustered at being enraged for nothing.
"Sofia... Sofia?" Percival called out to her petrified form.
"Typical Sofia," the last hooded figure said, pulling down her hood. Two pointed ears poked out, green eyes sharp and calculating, blonde hair framing an otherworldly beautiful face. Her physique was that of a hardened warrior but still curvy and graceful in all the right places, her beauty almost unreal.
"You're so fast at hitting Percival. Just give him a break—it's not his fault we're slow," she said coolly.
An Elf! Drake gasped, while Havoc's eyes widened in surprise.
"Don't take his side too, Seris!" Sofia turned, cheeks flushed.
"You're such a drama queen," Fred yawned, stretching languidly.
"You be quiet!" Sofia yelled.
"Whatever you say, ma'am." Fred responded lazily, clasping his arms behind his head. "What a day."
Seris walked up to the fuming Sofia and grabbed her hood. "You're such a pain, worse than Percival. Why don't you take a little break? You must be tired from running, not to mention yapping." She pulled Sofia to a safe distance.
"Come on, Seris! I'm not a kid, and stop calling my discipline 'yapping,' okay? It's rude!" Sofia puffed her cheeks while crossing her arms.
"What will I do with you?" Seris sighed.
"How about you start by letting me go?" Sofia said.
"So you can go on a rampage? Not happening." Seris positioned Sofia near a building wall. "Now stay."
"I'm not a dog, you know!" Sofia said, turning her head to the side with a huff.
Seris sighed again as she made her way to Percival.
"So, judging by that thing standing there, that's the Soul Wretch, right?" Seris said, her voice taking on a tactical edge.
Fred walked up to them, hands still clasped behind his head, but his lazy demeanor couldn't hide the predatory grace in his movements.
"Yeah, apparently. Let's kill it and be on our way—I need a nap," Fred yawned, though his eyes remained sharp.
"As lazy as ever, Fred," Percival smiled.
"What? All that running wore me out, man. I'm even hungry," Fred said, but his stance was already shifting into a combat-ready position.
"You two are idiots," Seris said coldly. "Have you forgotten the risk at hand?" She stared at Havoc with calculating eyes. "That Soul Wretch is still breathing. You two can eat and sleep all you want when we're done here."
"You're right."
"Yeah, sorry about that." Fred and Percival chimed in.
*Who are these guys?* Drake stared. *The way they converse and interact, I'm sure they're great friends. And even though they're odd...* Drake's face stiffened. *It doesn't change the fact that they're strong. I mean, what presence! I thought Percival's was intense, but all of them...* Drake turned to Sofia pouting as she sat near the wall. *They're all strong. Better not piss them off.*
"Where is this Elsa girl you were going crazy about, man? All I see is a dude without a right arm and total destruction. At least everyone in the district is in hiding—we could have been seeing corpses too," Fred said casually, though his eyes never left Havoc.
"You're right. Luckily, Lylia sent broadcast info to everyone's mirror net so they could take shelter," Percival said.
"Yeah, she's quite amazing," Fred nodded.
Seris turned to Drake, her analytical gaze piercing.
*Hmm, who is this man? Even though his presence is being blanketed by ours, I still feel something unsettling around him. There's something that doesn't sit well with me. I feel something dark and ancient within him—though it's faint, I can tell.*
"Oh right, that's the guy I saved! And don't worry, he's a good guy. He told me all about where Elsa is, and guess what? He saved her! He said he cloned himself and gave Elsa to his clone. She's safe now, so I'm relieved," Percival said.
"So that's what happened. That's why I couldn't sense Elsa at all. Why, you—" Havoc growled.
"I can't believe more and more people keep dropping in. I'm sick and tired of all this. I'll just have more hands at work, just because of Elsa and Lorenzo. Pesky brats."
*And these four... they're not ordinary. They might look like kids, but I can sense it. My instincts are never wrong—they're strong, just like that boy Percival. Their presences are drowning mine. Why does this keep happening?*
*All well. I have more playthings. I'll take my time watching them bleed. But Percival... he's going to be a real challenge. I might find difficulties taking him out. Nevertheless, I must kill them all, and then Elsa. My revenge is yet to be complete.* Havoc's crimson slits lit up as he observed the new group.
*I wonder what Echoform that other boy has. The rest are beast folk—they don't have Echoforms, only humans do. But they do have magic and other skills, so my guard should be higher than before.*
Meanwhile, Drake wondered, *Why is this chick staring? Do I have something on my face?*
"Seris," Percival called out to her.
"Yes, how may I help you, Percival?"
"Uhm, not me, but that guy," Percival said. "I'm shocked by how he's still conscious from all his wounds plus a severed arm. It's like all his pain is gone, but to be safe, can you patch him up?"
*Oh, he's right. My body still hurts like hell, but it's not as bad as before. My Adaptation skill has somehow adapted to the pain, but it doesn't mean I can't die,* Drake thought.
"Yeah, he's a tough guy," Fred smirked, looking at him with newfound respect.
*Yeah, that proves it. He's not normal. He has a severed arm, wounds, burns, and even broken bones, but he's still calm. And those magic abilities Percival spoke about add to it. Those are rare, so he's definitely not normal. I'll analyze him further,* Seris thought.
"Okay, I'll heal him, but it will take some time. He has a severed arm and broken bones, so I'll need to draw a magic circle to heal his internal wounds too."
"That means you guys will need to fight the Soul Wretch for a while without me," Seris said, walking over to Drake.
"That's a healer for you—just with a glance, you could already tell all his injuries. Don't worry, focus on the dude. We'll handle this ugly lizard," Fred said, his lazy tone contrasting with the dangerous gleam in his eyes.
*Ugly again! These brats know how to piss me off,* Havoc growled in his mind.
Sofia left her detention center. "Yeah, what they said! And don't worry, I'll look after these two idiots while you work, okay?"
"Okay, but don't go hitting them while you fight. They're your allies—our foe is that Soul Wretch, so use him as your punching bag all you want," Seris said.
"Geez, you never change, Seris."
Fred and Percival chuckled as they shared a glance.
"Alright, I leave it to you guys. And don't wreck the place up too badly—in some buildings, there are still people in them, so be careful," Seris said.
"Yes ma'am!" they all answered in unison.
*What are we in here, a soldier training camp?* Drake thought.
Seris's shadow covered Drake as she stood in front of him.
"Are you okay?" she asked gently.
"Yeah, surprisingly, but I still need healing or I may die of blood loss and mana exhaustion," Drake said.
"I see. Let me help you then," she offered sweetly. "My name is Seris Elfina, and those are my teammates—Percival..."
"Yeah, we already met," Drake said.
"Sofia, nice to meet you!" Sofia called out.
"And that lazy bones over there is Fred."
"Sup, my man," Fred said with a casual wave.
"Together we are the Crimson Fang. Even though we're not registered legally, we have our team name and the rest, so it's not out of reach," Seris said.
*Wow, a real team! Just like the one I saw pass by when I was eating with Elsa at the Purring Flame.*
"You need to present yourself too, genius!" Sofia yelled out.
"Oh right!" Drake snapped out of his thoughts. "I'm Drake Lorenzo. Nice to meet you."
"Alright, that's a weird name," Fred said with a lazy grin.
"Shut up!" Sofia yelled.
"Nope, I think it's a cool name," Percival said with a smile.
Drake was touched.
"Alright, since we've presented ourselves, I'll heal you now," Seris said.
"Yeah, and we'll take care of this freak," Percival turned to Havoc with reignited rage.
*Finally, they're ready to get things going,* Havoc thought.
Seris grabbed Drake's left arm.
"I'll use my ability to analyze and see if I've missed any other internal injuries," she said. *And also see what or who you are,* she thought.
"Okay, go ahead."
"Santos," Seris chanted. Her skin and Drake's began to glow with green light. She closed her eyes, focusing. *Let's see what's inside you.*
Her ability, Santos, helped her search for internal injuries and even hidden curses. It allowed her to peer into the very essence of her target, mapping every wound, every hidden damage, every secret the body held.
In her mind, she saw all of Drake's internal injuries—broken bones, severed blood vessels, torn muscles. *I haven't found what I'm after yet,* Seris thought. *Time to dive deeper.*
She breached his soul, and at its center, a dark, overwhelming presence stirred.
*What is this I feel?* she wondered.
The System felt her spying, and in dark rage, it forced her out with violent intensity.
"HUH!" Seris gasped as her eyes snapped open, gasping for air.
"Are you okay?" Drake scratched his head. "You see anything strange?"
"Now I'm fine. I just saw your injuries and peeked into your soul," she said, though her thoughts raced. *Can you heal me up?*
"Yeah, I can. Just give me a minute," Seris said.
*What was that? What power it holds—it forced me out! Nothing has ever broken my ability's peeking power. What are you, or who are you really, Drake Lorenzo?* Seris thought.
As Drake was busy looking at Percival and the others strategizing to take Havoc out, he thought, *I hope you guys are up for the challenge. Havoc is clever, so be careful.*
—TO BE CONTINUED—