Always in love with books, she was deeply passionate about anything that touched upon the history of the continent and her family... at least that's what her mother thought.

In truth, from the moment she had learned that her father had been killed during the Rain, she never stopped looking for a way to uncover the mystery of this infamous Rain with its devastating effects.

By going to the national library, she hoped to find traces of this sordid affair. She combed through nearly the entire building for almost ten years, but with no success.

Until the day she finally found what she had been searching for, a kind of compilation written by someone named Archibald. Inside, every detail of the infamous attack was recorded.

Her heart raced as she felt that she was finally getting closer to the truth. Even the death of her mother a few weeks earlier couldn't shake her investigative spirit. She was now head of the family, and she had to be strong.

Thus, she learned the truth, and also the real cause of her father's death. When she finished reading, her eyes were filled with tears. He was a true hero… but there was something strange.

Upon returning to the family home, she searched her father's desk, the locked drawers she had never been allowed to open. There, she discovered a letter from him, along with explanations. Everything finally became clear.

At that very moment, blinded by hatred and finally finding the culprit, she awakened to something… different from the Ora her father had mentioned. For many more years, she struggled to control it, the power being too strong for her.

She even accidentally hurt someone, and it was only after that incident that she understood the true nature of the new ability she possessed. She healed the person, and they kept in touch, even starting a family, but she never forgot what awaited her.

For her father had warned her, the threat that had taken him down would return.

—————//————//————//—————

Maddie couldn't continue because she was interrupted by the guy with the bottle who threw the piece he was holding at Nick, who dodged it as best he could.. He picked up another one, this time sharper.

He moved quickly, placing it under Nick's throat. A drop of blood appeared and ran down the shard, slipping and splashing on the ground. Nick hadn't moved, clearly surprised and quite frightened by how things were unfolding. He was breathing heavily, his breath short.

Suddenly, like a click, I broke free from Maddie, who had been holding me back earlier, and lunged at the guy with the bottle, shouting at him to let go of Nick. At that moment, I didn't notice, but I felt no resistance from Maddie.

She had let me go—no, it even seemed like she had pushed me to do it. But that didn't matter. What mattered was getting Nick and Scarlett out of there, and hopefully alive.

When I reached striking distance, the guy with the bottle didn't seem to pay any attention to me. I saw a quick opening and decided to strike his arm to make him release Nick.

I don't know if my move was too obvious, or if arrogance had gotten the better of me. Either way, he grabbed my arm in midair with his free hand and slammed me to the ground at a terrifying speed.

There was a trace of Ora I could easily sense. I cursed my stupidity for not realizing it sooner. At that very moment, the guy with the bottle turned his face and locked his cold, icy gaze on mine.

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I shuddered and instinctively felt fear. Then, after a brief glance at Scarlett, who kept shooting desperate looks at her brother, I filled my body and veins with Ora, unleashed my energy, and released a force I hadn't known I was capable of.

I was sure that would be enough to break free, kick his ass, and save Scarlett.

But alas, nothing went as planned. I did release an extraordinary force, and I managed to pull his hand from my throat. However, at that very moment, when I was brimming with confidence, a sadistic—no, cruel—smile lit up his face. It was as though he was waiting for me to unleash my powers, only to crush me afterward.

In an instant, he reduced all my efforts to nothing, slamming me back into the ground with even more violence, making me cough up blood. I turned my bloody face towards Nick, who was still standing there, staring off into the distance, completely paralyzed.

Barely conscious, I heard a vague shout directed at Nick. I couldn't tell who it was, but it allowed Nick, after three or four unsuccessful attempts, to regain his senses. He glanced towards the person we had come to rescue.

She still had her mouth covered by one of the men. The second man had started to strip her but had stopped to watch the events unfold. They seemed both amused and distracted. Suddenly, just as I was about to lose consciousness, a sharp scream came from one of the men by the wall.

The man in question was the one who had been covering Scarlett's mouth. Taking advantage of his distraction, she had bitten him hard enough to make him bleed. Incoherent curses spilled from his lips in an unending stream.

The second man, who had been undressing her, grabbed her roughly and slammed her against the wall with an unimaginable force, likely using his Ora.

This action triggered something I could never have imagined. Nick rushed toward Scarlett. The two men holding her stared at him, stunned but mostly amused.

The man who had been bitten stepped back slightly to prepare for him. It was easy to see the greenish smoke emanating from his body, only to be absorbed back in. This was a clear sign of an Ora boost.

With a thud, he slammed his foot down, leaving a tiny crater in its wake. A grin stretched across his face, wide as the horizon. What on earth was unfolding? I was lost, bewildered. All I could read was the fierce resolve etched on Nick's face.

I traced his stare, curiosity bubbling within me. What was he scheming? This was so out of character. Then, in a blink, he vanished from view. Where did he go?

Initially, I thought I'd slipped into darkness. Yet, the ache in my neck screamed otherwise. Above me, a guy looked utterly flabbergasted, sharing my astonishment at the unfolding chaos. He released his grip, likely unconsciously, which allowed me to breathe a bit easier.

Just long enough to glance at the incredulous face of the guy with the bottle and look back at Nick, I saw him again, now facing the man who had been waiting for him, doing nothing.

I wanted to shout at him, warn him, scream for him to move if he didn't want to get massacred, but before I could open my mouth, the man in front of him collapsed. Incredulous, stunned, amazed—no adjective could exactly describe what I felt at that moment.

All I could think was: "This is unbelievable! What just happened?"

Not giving him time to dwell on the question, the other man holding Scarlett released her and stormed toward Nick, shouting:

— What did you do to him???!!!!

I would have liked to tell him that I'd also like to know, but I didn't get the chance. As soon as he got within range, he threw a punch loaded with Ora—one that even I would have had trouble absorbing or dodging. I already felt sorry for Nick for the blow he was about to take, but it never came.

The punch shot through the air, missing its target, and a noise like a crash rang out. I stared at Nick, shocked. It wasn't the noise that surprised me, but what caused it.

The crash actually came from the guy's arm, which had been shattered in an instant, making him scream a piercing, horrible cry filled with misery and pain. Looking back at Nick, I saw something dreadful—something straight out of hell.

A red mist was emanating from his hands, which had clearly caused the guy's state. Behind the thick mist, there was something I could never have imagined in my lifetime—something I thought could only exist in hell: a skeleton.

The flesh and muscle had evaporated, leaving just a bare skeleton. An arm, streaked with crimson lines, glimmered with a metallic sheen. Had it really clawed its way from hell? I could hardly believe it, even as I stared.

His face said it all. He caught a glimpse and was left in disbelief, as if reality had played a trick on him. Could this truly be? Whether it was shock or disbelief, I couldn't say.

Suddenly remembering Scarlett, I looked at her, and her horrified expression showed she was seeing the same thing. When I returned my gaze to Nick, the red mist had disappeared, and his arms had returned to normal. Had I imagined it? Probably. It was too insane to be real.

Suddenly, the guy with the bottle got up, his veins bulging in his temples, and lunged at Nick. Nick didn't even seem to notice him, too focused on staring at his own arms in stunned disbelief.

As he continued his vengeful charge, I had no choice but to get up and, gathering all my strength and Ora into my feet and hands, I caught up with him and slapped the back of his neck with the flat of my hand. He lost consciousness and crashed heavily to the ground. Only then did Nick look away from his hands and look in my direction.

He looked shocked, unsure whether to believe what he thought or what he was seeing. He was stunned, and seemed almost on the verge of tears. Completely thrown off by everything that had happened, he was no longer able to think straight, I thought.

The intermittent screams of the man whose arm Nick had broken echoed like cannon fire in the desert, sure to attract curious onlookers in this dark, silent alley near downtown.

So I took charge and, rushing toward Nick, I grabbed his hand and, shaking him, said:

— Hey!! We need to get out of here!! Right now!!

I grabbed Scarlett as I passed and dragged her with me. Her skin was cold, and she was shaking uncontrollably. Nick, meanwhile, was just letting himself be carried by the events. When I turned to start fleeing, I saw why the place wasn't already crawling with Defense Forces:

Maddie was busy unleashing her Ora, likely to prevent any sound from leaving the alley. When I reached her, she dispersed her Ora and joined us in fleeing, leaving the three men in the alley to their suffering, at least for the one still conscious.