"Aaaaaaaahhhh!"
Leah shrieked, her voice lay tensed. She clutched at her short mini skirt, which only Highlighted her curves, and guarded her chest, desperately holding her cropped-up white t-shirt as if trying to protect it from being tampered with.
"S… Suguru?!"
"What do you think you're doing?!" Leah stepped back, lifting her left arm to shield her friend, Maya. Both girls, dressed identically, shivered in fear, their bodies trembling.
The door slammed shut with a finality that sent a tremor through the room. Leah clutched Maya's hand, her breath shallow, heart pounding like a war drum. It was as though the room itself had now become a cage, one made for these circumstances.
She lifted her wand, pointing it straight at the three men. Her hand quivered, shaking with fear, but her eyes burned with defiance.
"S… Stay back! N… Not one step closer! Or I'll… I'll blast you to bits!"
The tension in the room was so thick, you could cut it with a knife. The smiles of the men who cornered them twisted into something monstrous. Their casual, cruel laughter sliced through the air like knives.
"You really think you could do anything to us?!" Suguru said, his grin widening with each moment. "That's some tough talk coming from someone with weak mana. Hell, you can't even hold your wand properly."
"I WARNED YOU!" Leah shouted, desperately pointing her wand at the unphased Suguru. Violet sparks shot from its tip.
"W… whaaa?!" Leah muttered in utter confusion. The men chuckled wildly.
"W… WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Leah yelled, frantically trying to recast her spell. The sparks re-emerged but weakened with each attempt.
"A spell-casting barrier I set up myself. Impressive, riiiiight?" The man's tone was boastful as he brushed his blonde bangs from his left eye, smirking.
"You… you went through all this just to satisfy your sexual urges?! Men are disgusting!" Maya finally shouted, her lips quivering, legs shaking with every word.
"Call it what you want, sweetheart," the man said. "The fact is, you two gorgeous ladies get to have a good time with us."
"YES! I HAVEN'T BEEN LAID IN AGES!" the last man shouted, drool streaming from his lower lip as he glared at Maya, imagining her in bikinis.
"NO!" Maya screamed.
"DON'T TOUCH US!" Leah yelled.
"HELP! SOMEONE, ANYONE, PLEASE HELP US!"
"No one's going to hear you," one of them sneered, stepping forward.
"No, this can't be the end… we can't be defiled… not like this!" Maya thought as fear gripped her shoulders.
Leah backed up, step by step, until her right foot thudded against a bedframe. Maya trembled beside her, eyes wide, scanning the room for anything.....!
Anything at all that could help.....!
But the walls seemed as though they were closing in silently.
Just then.....
CRASH!!!
Glass shattered into little shards as the window burst open. A shadow flew in, lean, fast, merciless. The room spun in chaos as the figure landed in a crouch, eyes blazing.
"Get away from them," the stranger growled, his voice low and cold.
The men froze.
"W....who the hell are you?" Suguru uttered nervously.
The figure straightened slowly. His face streaked with dust and wind, yet his stance remained steady as his hands lay clenched and ready.
"Hmmmm…" Suguru squinted, trying to make sense of the intruder.
"Impossible!" the second man whispered.
The blonde-haired one widened his eyes further.
Finally, they burst into laughter.
"YOU DON'T HAVE ANY MANA!" Suguru shouted amid their laughter.
"I didn't think anyone could be despised by mana this badly. This is a first," the blonde-haired guy said, hands on his hips like a diva.
"YOU'RE PATHETIC! In a world where magic is everything, you'd be better off if you never existed!" yelled the third man, slamming his palm to his face, laughter echoing on the edge of insanity.
The stranger sighed, right hand brushing his forehead as he snorted lazily.
"Then I hope you can handle the shame when this manaless good-for-nothing beats the crap outta you losers," he said, voice indifferent, eyes unwavering—eyes of a man who saw nothing but victory.
His face darkened with deadly seriousness, a killer's intent. The men's laughter ended abruptly.
The first attacker lunged with his wand—but the spell never hit. The stranger sidestepped, driving his elbow into the attacker's ribs. A sudden thud followed by a gasp. Another attacked, swept away by precision and speed.
"Dark Magic—"
"The Devil's Armor!" Suguru shouted as dark mana cloaked him like plated armor.
"So powerful," Maya muttered, eyes wide in disbelief.
Before he could react, a powerful fist struck Suguru's face. He slammed headfirst into the wall, blood streaming, dark mana disintegrating.
"Wha… what is this?!" Suguru spat, his body failing him.
"Is this guy really manaless?" he thought. "Why can't I use my magic?!"
Leah and Maya stood frozen, mouths agape.
"WHO IS THIS GUY!" Suguru shouted inwardly, glaring at the dark figure.
The last man rushed, fists ready, only to be swept off his feet, crashing into The Bedframe. The others hesitated.
"You guys still rearing to go, he'll I could do this all day, the stranger said rolling his right arm while supporting it with the left as he jumped up and down in a shadow boxing stance with crunches of the glass shards echoing underneath his boots.
It was almost as though he enjoyed it
Aggghhhhhhh!
Like cowards they dashed for the exit, pushing one another as they scrambled for the door.
Silence returned. Broken glass crunched beneath his boots as he stepped forward.
"You're safe now," he said gently. "It's over."
Leah and Maya, eyes brimming with tears, watched him approach the broken window.
"T… thank you," Leah managed, still in shock.
"Don't worry. Try to take care of yourselves from now on," he said, nodding slightly.
"Well, time to go."
"W… wait! At least tell us your name!"
The young man sighed.
A slight smirk crept across his lips. "Name's Sai," he said, cool and bare.
And in a blink of an eye, he vanished through the broken window, glass shards sprinkling across the floor.
"Waaaw…" Leah said in awe.
"What a strange guy."
"Well, it's not our place to complain since he saved us, right?" Leah mumbled.
"Maya…?"
Leah stared as Maya, completely silent, gazed at the shattered window, cheeks flushed red, breath growing heavy.
A groan escaped Leah's lips. "Perve."