Chapter 3:
The afternoon sun gently lit the front of the hospital as Alice stepped out. The air felt fresh — like freedom itself. He was finally released.
Waiting outside were two familiar faces - Cube Orion and Zain.
As soon as Alice saw them, his face lit up. He walked quickly toward them, eyes bright. "Zain! That's Damiyan! He used to be the second-in-command of our old gang!"
Zain replied simply, "May God bless you."
Damiyan gave a small nod. "Thanks."
But Orion crossed his arms. "Zain, why are you forgetting things? We came here for a reason. We invited you for the Crescent Gang Defeat Celebration. And as per your promise, you and all twelve Cresent members have to join. Everyone's meeting at Defi Restaurant after school, at 5:00 PM."Tomorrow.
Alice smiled. "Okay, I'll be there!"
After college, Alice made his way to the bicycle stand at the back of the college . He quietly started unlocking his cycle when a few WS gang members walked up, sneering.
"Heard you lost to Zain. Still feeling proud?"
Alice didn't respond. He focused on the lock.
One of them suddenly punched him from behind.
Without hesitation, Alice turned and slammed the lock across his head. The others tried to jump him — but his speed and precision were too much. He dropped each one of them with quick strikes and kicks.
Then he checked his watch. 4:49 PM. Only eleven minutes left.
He jumped on his cycle and started riding fast. But the WS gang wasn't done — they grabbed cycles and followed him.
As they turned a sharp corner—
Zain appeared on his bicycle, sliding between Alice and the WS members.
Alice stopped next to him. "Zain! They—"
"I know."
The WS members tried to step forward, but when they looked at Zain, something in their eyes changed. One by one, they backed off and disappeared.
Alice looked at him. "Thanks for protecting me. I promise—I'll protect you too, Zain."
Zain gave a small smile. "Thanks. It's 4:56. Let's go."
"Okay."
They reached Defi Restaurant, and went behind to the forest field — an open area with trees, grass, and space for archery and running. Everyone enjoyed the activities, laughing and cheering.
Even Zain was there, quiet among them.
Later, they moved to the food side. After eating, the extra food was packed and given to the homeless in Hadith Area.
On the way home, Zain noticed Alice's pendant. "Nice pendant. Whose name starts with 'M'?"
Alice's expression darkened. "Mahir. I want to finish him. One-on-one."
Zain replied, "Killing someone won't solve anything."
Alice stayed quiet. Then, seriously, he said, "You don't know what happened during the Hadith Siege, Zain."
He walked away without another word.
Zain stood still and saw a small tear fall from his eye.
Orion came up beside him. "You were a bit harsh, Zain."
Zain looked ahead. "Tell me everything about the Hadith Siege, Orion."
..