As they entered the house, a sharp scream pierced the silence from inside. The boy, with a mix of fear and urgency, shouted with all his might: "MOM!"

With his heart pounding, the boy dashed towards the source of the scream, his feet frantically hitting the floor. In contrast, Drake, propelled by his body enhancement magic, moved with almost supernatural speed. He shot down the hallway, a blue blur that passed the boy in the blink of an eye.

Drake reached the room from where the scream had come before the boy. There, he encountered a scene of horror: the boy's mother lay on the floor, a knife gruesomely embedded in her belly. His eyes quickly scanned the room, catching the movement of two goblins clumsily fleeing with an unconscious girl – the boy's sister.

Absorbing the gravity of the situation, before moving to rescue the girl. His quick glance assessed the injuries as he prepared to act. By the time the boy finally arrived in the room, panting and overwhelmed by panic, Drake was already kneeling beside the mother, ready to cast his healing magic.

Without wasting a second, Drake murmured: "Healing Bubbles."

From his hands, small bubbles emerged that floated towards the woman's wounds. The boy, with tears in his eyes, approached his mother, sobbing: "Mom, what happened? Where's my sister?"

Drake, looking at the young man with an expression of empathy and understanding, spoke with a reassuring voice: "She's too weak to talk right now, but don't worry. My healing bubbles will take care of her. Stay here and look after her, I'll go get your sister."

After ensuring that the boy's mother was under the healing effects of his magic bubbles, Drake quickly turned his attention to the fire consuming the house. With urgency, he acted. Gently, yet firmly, he lifted the boy's mother in his arms, carrying her out of the burning house. He carefully placed her in a safe location, away from the fire and imminent danger.

Task completed, Drake stood up, his gaze now fixed in the direction where the goblins had fled with the girl.

Drake, without wasting a second, set off in pursuit of the goblins who had kidnapped the girl. With a fluid motion of his hands, he conjured a water spell. Suddenly, a powerful water pulse surged under his feet, launching him into the sky. From there, his eyes quickly located the fleeing goblins.

With impressive agility, he descended from the skies like an arrow, diving towards the kidnappers. Upon landing in front of them, Drake confronted the goblins with a cunning smile: "Give me back the girl, or you'll get a cold shower, haha! Get it? Because I use water magic! Hahaha..."

His expression quickly changed, the smile giving way to intense seriousness. With a menacing look, he continued: "Now, seriously, hand over the girl immediately, or face serious consequences."

Ignoring Drake's threat, the goblins shrugged with disdain and began to run in opposite directions, believing they could easily outmaneuver the young mage.

Drake watched the scene. "So you've chosen the fun way," he said, his smile widening.

Drake crouched slightly, preparing for action. He then shot from his spot, propelled by surprising speed. His light and agile body moved with almost supernatural grace, covering the distance between him and the goblins in the blink of an eye.

As he approached one of the goblins, he slowed down and stopped abruptly right in front of the frightened creature. The goblin, completely surprised by Drake's unexpected speed, stumbled backward in a clumsy movement, his eyes wide with fear. Sweat began to form on his green forehead, reflecting the panic that took hold of him as he saw the small mage blocking his path.

"I did warn you you'd be in hot water, right? Water Prison!" exclaimed Drake.

He cast his spell. Suddenly, a wave of water surged from Drake's feet, quickly forming around the goblin. In seconds, the creature found itself trapped within a translucent sphere of water, struggling futilely to escape.

Drake turned to pursue the other goblin. "Now it's time to catch another 'pea'!" he exclaimed, already launching himself towards the next goblin.

As Drake followed the goblin through the winding streets of Old-Ville, he noticed the creature was leading him to a darker, more isolated area of the city. The street lights became increasingly scarce, and the shadows lengthened.

He advanced cautiously, yet confidently, calling out to the goblin ahead: "Thought you could lose me by heading to this dark street?"

That's when the trap was revealed. Suddenly, dozens of goblins emerged from the shadows. They surrounded Drake, forming a menacing circle around him.

In the midst of the chaos that ensued, a more imposing figure emerged from the shadows: Julius Nefarion. He walked calmly forward, a sinister smile on his face, as he watched Drake surrounded by his goblin subordinates.

Drake, despite the unfavorable situation, showed no fear or surprise. He remained calm, facing Julius and the goblins with a serene but alert expression, ready to face whatever came next.

Drake, turning to the goblin he was chasing, threw his words with a hint of provocation: "I'll finish you off quickly as a thank you for bringing me to the great Julius Nefarion. Kidnapping children now, Julius? I've heard about your schemes with Shinie's disappearance."

Julius, with an aura of authority, interrupted Drake with a voice laden with disdain: "And who might you be? And why would I have anything to do with the disappearance of the Ice Princess? You know, I don't have time to waste on a child."

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He waved impatiently at his minions, clear irritation on his face: "Minions, get rid of this nuisance. And do it quickly. Take the girl far from here."

As the goblins, unusually armed with swords, clubs, and axes, advanced towards Drake, a suspicion arose in his mind. He noticed the abnormal aggressiveness in their eyes, a glint of hatred that was uncharacteristic.

Drake, maintaining his defiant stance, spoke out loud, more to himself than to the others: "Interesting... Goblins normally don't wield weapons, and this murderous fervor... Something doesn't fit here."

Realizing the true nature of the situation, an ironic smile emerged. He looked directly at Julius and exclaimed with a mocking tone: "I get it now, Julius! You're so desperate you had to resort to dirty tricks. Using mind control magic on goblins, how low! That's forbidden magic, you know? I can't just let you continue with your plans, especially after such a low move."

Drake then prepared for battle, his final words loaded with determination: "Body Enhancement!"

The unfolding battle was intense and brutal. Drake, strengthened by magic, was determined not to kill the goblins despite facing a furious and armed horde. Each goblin that approached was met with a series of quick and precise blows. Drake delivered punches and kicks, aiming at areas that would temporarily incapacitate but not take lives.

The goblins, though lesser in skill, were numerous and fought with wild ferocity. Drake blocked an axe with his forearm, feeling the impact reverberate through his bones. A cut opened, blood trickling down his skin, but he didn't hesitate. With a swift spin, he landed a kick on the goblin's abdomen, followed by a punch to the temple, knocking it to the ground.

Another goblin took advantage of the opening, hitting Drake with a club on the side of his body. The air was expelled from Drake's lungs, and a sharp pain spread through his ribs. Ignoring the pain, he grabbed the goblin's arm, twisting it brutally before hitting the creature's head with an elbow strike. The goblin fell, moaning in pain.

Drake continued to move deftly, despite the injuries he was accumulating. His strikes were a reflection of his desire to preserve lives; even when a goblin attacked him with a sword, he dodged, letting the blade cut only air.

At the heart of the battle, Drake faced waves of goblins with controlled ferocity. His body, reinforced by magic, gave him a significant advantage in strength and endurance, but the number of opponents was overwhelming. He spun and moved at a frenetic pace, each of his movements a calculated response to the attacks coming from all directions.

A goblin attacked him with a sword, but Drake skillfully dodged, counter-attacking with a series of rapid punches to the abdomen and a final blow to the chin, leaving it dazed and unable to continue fighting. Another advanced with a club, but Drake used his hand to deflect the weapon, hitting the goblin with a powerful hook that knocked it unconscious.

The battlefield was chaotic, and Drake found himself at its center. He felt the pain of his wounds, the blood dripping from superficial cuts, but this only propelled him to fight with more vigor. He knew he could not fail, not just for himself, but for the safety of the kidnapped girl.

The combat intensified, with goblins trying to overwhelm him in numbers. Drake, however, used his tactical superiority to anticipate and react to attacks. He delivered precise strikes to pressure points, without causing fatal injuries. At the epicenter of the turmoil, Drake fought with impressive calm amidst the storm of chaos.

Finally, after what seemed like hours in a confrontation that lasted only minutes, the last goblins were subdued. Drake, panting and covered in sweat and blood, remained standing, triumphant, even in front of the defeated army. He had achieved what he set out to do, not to take lives, even in the midst of battle.

Drake, having defeated the horde of goblins, turned his attention to the direction Julius and the kidnapping goblin had fled. As he ran, he used his own magic to heal the light injuries he had suffered in the fight. Fortunately, thanks to his swift victory, Julius and the goblin hadn't gotten far.

Julius, realizing Drake was approaching, expressed his frustration with a grunt:

"Impossible! These worms can't even get rid of a kid. As they say: if you want something done right, do it yourself. You're going to regret crossing my path."

With an expression of anger, Julius began to conjure a powerful spell. "Dragon Rage!" he exclaimed, as a flaming armor appeared around his body, emanated from his own mana. The armor glimmered with intense heat, reflecting Julius's determination to face Drake in a direct confrontation.

"My flames are so hot that not even water can extinguish them, but feel free to !" challenged Julius, launching a huge fireball towards Drake.

Drake, seeing the fireball approaching, agilely dodged, but at the moment of the dodge, a flash of memory hit him. He saw himself in a burning house, a woman screaming a name in the distance. "Is she calling me? Why does this feel so familiar?" he thought, confused, trying to capture the name that was lost amidst the flames.

Drake shook his head, dispelling the memory, and turned all his attention to Julius.

"You're not going to catch me that easily!" Julius shouted, launching a barrage of uncontrolled fire towards Drake, which ended up hitting his own hideout.

Drake, in his most agile form, danced between Julius's attacks. Each fireball launched was dodged quicker than the previous.

"You're going to have to do better than that, Julius!" Drake taunted, as he quickly approached the goblin carrying the girl.

Julius, enraged and surprised by the boy's agility, desperately tried to hit him with more fireballs.

"Damn it, stay still!" Julius yelled, his frustration evident.

Meanwhile, Drake fought against a whirlwind of memories invading his mind while he chased the goblin with the girl.

"What do these memories mean?" Drake wondered, his focus divided between the combat and the images haunting him. The goblin with the girl, sensing the imminent threat, tried to flee, dodging through the rubble. But Drake was relentless. He leaped over the debris, running with supernatural speed to reach his target.

"You're not going to escape, Water Pulse!"

The moment the words left his mouth, a powerful water pulse erupted from his hand, aimed precisely. The goblin, surprised and unable to react in time, was hit squarely. The impact launched him through the air, and he fell unconscious a few meters away.

The girl, still unconscious, slid to the ground.

Quickly, Drake carried the girl to a hideout among the rubble, aware that he needed to act fast to not be interrupted by Julius.

Drake, with a look of concern etched on his face, knelt carefully beside the fallen girl. He extended his hands over her, focusing intensely. Then, with a soft and determined voice, he murmured:

"Healing Bubbles."

From his hands, small luminous bubbles emerged that delicately floated towards the girl. They gently enveloped her body, emanating a soothing healing light.

"It's going to be okay, you're safe now," he said as he applied his healing magic.

The girl remained unconscious, but Drake could feel her pulse stabilizing under the influence of his magic. With the girl now safe, he raised his gaze, facing the place where Julius was. There was no time to lose; he needed to return to the fight and face Julius.

Goblins [https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/979701081745530891/1204210030002569256/71dcf7bf-f8f5-4948-b151-39bb360ffdc7.webp?ex=65d3e6fc&is=65c171fc&hm=dc32f8a80168cba91fd299624cf299e9bb765f01c1e71e573db9d9e9194a4d38&]