The warehouse shakes as Mela and Tlen trade blows,
Then, from the shadows,
Mari appears behind Tlen, her lips curling into a sly smile.
"Oh shit!" Tlen blurts out, eyes wide.
He spins, trying to slam his Huracán arm into her, but Mari is quicker, she slips under his strike and drives her fist deep into his abdomen. The impact knocks the wind out of him, Huracán flickers out of existence.
Tlen crumples forward, gagging,
Mari dusts her hands as if it were nothing. "There, there… kind of shaky, no? Mela?"
Mela sighs, crossing her arms, "I wore him down. Actually."
Monita is in the corner, curled up with Dori Dori hugged tight against her chest. Her breathing is shaky, her eyes closed as she rocks back and forth,
Mari tilts her head toward her, "What's up with her?"
"That bear's the source of her power," Mela replies bluntly. "She's probably experienced past trauma. I don't think she can fight anymore."
Mari raises her brows, humming in thought. She then summons a rope of shadow and tosses it lightly to Mela. "Here. Tie them up. I've got a few questions."
The rope, still in the air when Skai rushes inside from the wall he got sent out from, stress across his face,
"Hey, Skai." Mela says, annoyed. "How did you get caught off guard…"
Mari's eyes widen, she turns around and tries to hold her laugh.
Skai bristles. "What? That's not my fault! Your domain was too weak!"
"You're such an idiot," Mela mutters, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, help me tie them up."
Skai mutters, kneeling beside the downed Tlen. He binds him without complaint, while Monita remains silent, not resisting as the rope ties around her arms,
Justthen the doors open,
Zodiak enters calmly, dragging Ari by the collar with one hand in his pocket,
"Wow! Let's show our support for Zodiak!" Mari claps, grinning,
Zodiak clicks his tongue and tosses Ari onto the ground, the shadows tying him up instantly.
Mari giggles. "Be right back, you guys." Without hesitation, she sinks into the ground, disappearing into her shadow dimension.
Jane enters next, her eyes closed, leaning against the wall with a cold, careless expression.
"Looks like nobody was hurt," Skai says cheerfully,
"Except you," Mela snaps back. The two instantly start arguing, their voices overlapping,
Just then, Mari returns, dragging Hazu unconscious. She ties him alongside the rest of the group, then waves. "Oh, hi Jane. How are you doing?"
Jane turns away. "I'm still mad at you."
Mari freezes, staring blankly. A single tear falls from her cheek. "Jane… what?"
Jane's eye twitches with disgust.
Mari bursts out laughing, nearly doubling over. "Did I get you?"
Zodiak sighs heavily, watching as chaos unfolds around him. 'How can they be so calm…?'
Mari pulls at Jane's cheek playfully, while Mela and Skai continue their heated argument,
"So, is this everyone?" Zodiak's voice cuts through, sharp and commanding.
The room goes silent. Mari quickly lets go of Jane, stepping back, and clears her throat. "Is this everyone?" she repeats more seriously,
From the floor, Hazu stirs awake. His eyes snap open in a panic as he realizes his arms and legs are tied down. The rope burns slightly against his skin.
'I can't move!' he thinks, straining helplessly,
The group ignores him as they chat on,
"And then he told me they were looking for Saint," Mari explains casually while pointing at Hazu,
Jane's eyebrows twitch, "Friends of Saint?" she asks.
Mela presses a finger to her lips and thinks out loud, "How did they even find us? Saint wouldn't have ratted us out… I don't think he's with them either…"
"Or maybe," Zodiak cuts in, "the boy panicked and threw out Saint's name to save himself. Did you think about that before blurting it to us, Mari?"
Mari rubs the back of her head awkwardly. "I didn't think that far…"
Jane's looks around, unease creeping into her chest. Tanya. She realizes,
She spins toward the hallway. "Hey, I forgot-"
Suddenly, Tanya limps inside holding Prince hostage in the wheelchair, she's battered and bruised from Jane's beating, she's clutching a massive handgun. The barrel presses into the temple of Prince,
"Everyone shut the fuck up!" Tanya roars, her voice strained and trembling.
The group turns in unison, eyes wide in shock.
"Yeah. You're gonna do exactly as I say, or I'm blowing his brains out!" Tanya yells, desperation cutting through her voice.
Mari frowns, raising her hands slowly to calm Tanya down. Zodiak shifts his weight, preparing to strike, Jane stiffens, Mela's eyes wide, while Skai pales, frozen on the spot.
Prince's face remains stoic, lifeless, staring ahead.
…
Back in Entoria, Ciel. The underground fight club,
The crowd shouts, filling the octagon with noise,
"Go, Saint!!" Zara shouts from the stands, her face lit with excitement.
Kunst lunges forward, slamming a heavy punch into Saint's jaw. Saint's head jerks back with the force.
Zara gasps, hands flying to her mouth.
But then Kunst's face twists underneath his mask, His teeth grit, his eyes tear up,
'My hand… it's broken!!'
Panic runs through him, but the crowd continues to cheer.
Saint straightens up calmly, brushing off the faint blood from his lip before flashing Kunst a wink.
Kunst freezes. 'Is he… letting me win?'
Saint steps forward again. Kunst throws a weak jab, and Saint walks right into it,
"Looks like Kunst is way too experienced for the newbie!" the host yells into the mic.
Kunst continues throwing desperate punches, each one sloppy, each one hurting him more than Saint. His wrist screams in agony, bones grinding, but he doesn't stop,
The crowd grows restless,
"Call it ref! Dumbass lost me money!" someone yells.
Zara trembles in her seat, her heart racing. 'Oh god… I shouldn't have let him fight! Stupid, stupid, stupid!'
"Fuck you!!" Kunst screams, swinging blindly, sweat and tears flying.
High above, two figures slip into the stands, Shinsei and Viola settle into the shadows of the upper floor, blending seamlessly into the crowd.
Viola tugs at Shinsei's sleeve, frowning. "Shinseiiii… why is Saint losing?"
Shinsei leans back in his chair, crossing his arms, his voice calm, "The boss has something planned, Viola. Look closer. See Zara's face?"
Viola peers at her, catching the worry etched across her expression. "I don't get it, Shinsei…" "He's winning her over."
…