I stared at ra''s innocent face, troubled by her words. The realization that this child might be transforming into something ancient and terrifying chilled me to the bone. But there was no time to dwell on it—we needed to get away from this ce of death.


    "We need to move," I said firmly, scanning the devastation around us. "The Guild will send reinforcements soon."


    The Man with the Mustache nodded frantically. "Agreed. And we''ve got two very dead Guardians to deal with."


    ra looked down at the lifeless bodies of the men she''d touched. Her small brow furrowed in confusion.


    "Did I... did I do this?" she whispered.


    I knelt beside her, cing my hands on her shoulders. "Don''t worry about that now. We need to leave."


    With a swift movement, I scooped up the bodies and motioned for The Man with the Mustache to help ra. We needed to disappear before more trouble found us.


    As we moved through the shadows, Dominic Ashworth''s voice called out from behind us. "Running away, Liam Knight? Typical coward!"


    I turned slowly, the weight of the Guardian bodies heavy in my arms. Dominic stood with several disciples, his face twisted with malice.


    "Two more deaths to add to your tally," he sneered, gesturing at the corpses. "The Veridia City Martial Guild will hear about this. Your days are numbered."


    "This isn''t the time, Dominic," I warned, exhaustion evident in my voice.


    His eyes shifted to ra, narrowing dangerously. "And now you''re corrupting children? Teaching them your murderous ways?"


    "Back off," I growled.


    Dominic''s lips curled into a smirk. "Hide behind your threats while you can. Justice ising for you."


    I didn''t bother responding. We needed to get back to the safety of The Aegis Academy before things escted further. With a curt nod to The Man with the Mustache, we continued on our way, leaving Dominic''s taunts hanging in the air behind us.


    The journey back was tense and silent. ra''s small hand gripped mine tightly as we moved through the darkened streets. When we finally reached the academy grounds, I felt some of the tension leave my body.


    "Take these to the restricted chamber," I instructed The Man with the Mustache, handing over the bodies. "Lock them away where no one will find them."


    He grimaced but nodded. "And what about her?" he whispered, nodding toward ra.


    I nced at the girl. She looked exhausted, her small frame slumped with fatigue. Whatever power she had channeled had clearly drained her.


    "She needs rest," I said softly. "I''ll take care of her."


    Once The Man with the Mustache had disappeared with his grim burden, I led ra to her quarters. She sat on the edge of her bed, looking lost and frightened.


    "Am I a monster, Liam?" she asked suddenly, her voice small.


    The question hit me like a physical blow. I knelt before her, taking her tiny hands in mine.


    "No, ra. You''re not a monster. You''re special, and there are things about you we don''t understand yet. But I promise you, I will figure this out."


    She looked unconvinced. "Those men just... fell down when I touched them. And those scary Guardians were afraid of me. Why?"


    I hesitated, unsure how much to tell her. "There''s something inside you, ra. Something powerful. But that doesn''t make you bad or good—it''s what you choose to do with that power that matters."


    "I don''t want to hurt people," she whispered, tears forming in her eyes.


    I pulled her into a gentle hug. "I know. And I won''t let that happen."


    After she had fallen asleep, I slipped out of her room. My own body was at its limit. The battle with Broderick earlier had depleted most of my energy, and the confrontation with the Guardians had drained what little remained. I needed rest if I was going to be of any use to ra or anyone else.


    "Watch over her," I instructed The Man with the Mustache when he returned. "Don''t let anyone near her while I rest."


    He nodded soberly. "What happened back there, Liam? How did those ancient monsters recognize her?"


    "I don''t know," I admitted, rubbing my temples. "But I intend to find out. For now, keep her safe. Wake me if anything happens."


    I barely made it to my chamber before copsing onto my bed. Sleep imed me instantly, my body desperate to replenish its depleted energy.


    I don''t know how long I slept, but I was awakened by frantic knocking at my door.


    "What is it?" I called, still groggy from exhaustion.


    "Trouble," The Man with the Mustache''s voice came through the door. "Word has spread about what happened. And you''ve got visitors demanding to see you."


    I groaned, forcing myself to sit up. My body ached in protest, not yet fully recovered.


    "Who?"


    "Dominic Ashworth," he replied grimly. "And he''s brought friends." <small ss="in-imprint-b">Text acquired from M|V|LEMP&YR.</small>


    I cursed under my breath. Of course Dominic wouldn''t wait. He''d seen an opportunity to strike while I was weakened.


    "Tell him I''m not avable," I said, knowing it wouldn''t work but needing more time to recover.


    "I tried. He''s causing quite a scene in the main courtyard. And..." he hesitated.


    "And what?" I prompted.


    "ra went out there," he admitted reluctantly. "I tried to stop her, but she slipped away when I wasn''t looking."


    That got me moving. I pushed myself off the bed, ignoring my body''s protests. ra facing off against Dominic Ashworth was a disaster waiting to happen.


    "Stall them," I ordered. "I''ll be there as soon as I can."


    By the time I reached the window overlooking the courtyard, a crowd had already gathered. Dominic stood at the center, nked by several disciples. His voice carried across the yard, loud and usatory.


    "Where is the coward? Too afraid to face me?" he bellowed.


    The Man with the Mustache stood before him, trying to deflect his rage. "Master Knight is indisposed at the moment. Perhaps you could return another time?"


    Dominic''s face reddened with anger. "Indisposed? You mean hiding! Two people are dead, and he''s responsible. The Veridia City Martial Guild will hear of this outrage!"


    "You don''t know what you''re talking about," The Man with the Mustache retorted, but I could see he was struggling to maintain hisposure.


    My eyes scanned the crowd until I spotted ra, her small figure pushing through to the front. My heart sank. This was exactly what I''d feared.


    "I''m Liam Knight''s disciple," ra''s clear voice rang out. "If you have business with my master, you can speak to me."


    The courtyard fell silent. Dominic looked down at the girl, initially confused, then amused.


    "This is who Liam Knight sends to face me? A child?" Heughed, the sound harsh and mocking. "Run along, little girl. This is adult business."


    ra stood her ground, her chin raised defiantly. "My master is resting. He fought a great battle yesterday. If you were any kind of honorable man, you''de back when he''s recovered."


    Dominic''s amusement vanished, reced by cold anger. "You dare lecture me about honor, child? Your master is a murderer and a coward."


    "He is neither," ra replied evenly. "And I won''t let you speak of him that way."


    I needed to move faster. My legs felt like lead as I forced myself through the corridors toward the courtyard. I was still too weak to face Dominic inbat, but I couldn''t leave ra to deal with this alone.


    "If your master has such faith in you," Dominic''s voice carried through the window, "then perhaps you wouldn''t mind proving yourself against one of my disciples?"


    My blood ran cold. He was challenging ra to a fight.


    "ra, no!" I tried to shout, but my voice was too weak to carry.


    Through the window, I saw Dominic gesture to one of his followers, a young man who stepped forward with a smirk. "This is Zhou, a new Martial Marquis. Since you im to be Knight''s disciple, surely you can handle a simple match?"


    The Man with the Mustache stepped between them. "This is ridiculous. She''s just a child."


    "A child who ims to represent a man who killed two people yesterday," Dominic countered. "If she''s going to stand for him, she should be prepared to face the consequences."


    To my horror, ra nodded. "I ept."


    "ra, don''t!" I gasped, forcing my legs to move faster.


    Dominic''s smile was predatory. "Excellent. Zhou, don''t hurt her too badly. We just need to teach Knight a lesson about sending children to fight his battles."


    The disciple named Zhou stepped forward, cracking his knuckles. "This won''t take long."


    The Man with the Mustache tried once more to intervene. "This is madness. She''s not even trained—"


    "I am trained," ra interrupted, her voice strangely calm. "Master Knight has taught me well."


    This was a lie. I had given ra some basic self-defense instructions, but nothing that would prepare her for a fight against a Martial Marquis. I had to reach her before this went any further.


    Dominic held up his phone. "I''ll be recording this. The world should see what kind of man Liam Knight truly is, hiding behind a child."


    Zhou took a fighting stance opposite ra, who remained still, her small hands at her sides. The crowd formed a circle around them, anticipation thick in the air.


    "Begin!" Dominicmanded.


    Zhou moved with the speed of a Martial Marquis, closing the distance to ra in the blink of an eye. His fist shot forward, aimed at her shoulder—a restraining blow, not meant to seriously injure.


    It never connected.


    ra moved with impossible grace, sidestepping the attack as if Zhou were moving in slow motion. Before anyone could process what had happened, her small fist shot out, connecting with Zhou''s chest.


    The impact was catastrophic.


    Zhou''s body crumpled around her fist, his eyes bulging in shock. Blood erupted from his mouth as he was lifted off his feet and thrown backward, crashing into the stone wall twenty feet away.


    The courtyard fell silent. Zhou did not move. His body slumped to the ground, lifeless.


    ra stood exactly where she had been, her expression unchanged. She looked at her fist, then at Zhou''s body, confusion flickering across her face.


    "I... I didn''t mean to hit him so hard," she whispered.


    The silence shattered as Dominic Ashworth''s roar of rage filled the courtyard. "Murderer! She killed him! This child is a monster!"


    The crowd backed away from ra in horror. The Man with the Mustache stood frozen, his face pale with shock.


    "Just like her master," Dominic snarled, his face contorted with fury. "A killer without remorse! You''ve taught her well, Knight!"


    He turned to the crowd, phone still recording. "You all witnessed it! This is the true face of Liam Knight''s teachings—murder disguised as martial arts!"


    I was almost to the courtyard now, my heart pounding with dread. This was a nightmare unfolding before my eyes.


    "You," Dominic pointed at ra, his voice trembling with rage. "You vicious little creature. You''ll pay for this."


    Without warning, he lunged at ra, his hand forming a deadly de of energy. This was no restraining blow—it was a killing strike, fueled by blind rage and the desire for vengeance.


    ra didn''t move. She stood transfixed, staring at Zhou''s body, seemingly unaware of the danger hurtling toward her.


    "ra!" The Man with the Mustache shouted, too far away to intervene.


    Time seemed to slow as Dominic''s killing blow descended toward ra''s unprotected head.


    And then I was there.


    My body, still weak from yesterday''s battles, moved on pure instinct. I appeared between them, my arm raised to catch Dominic''s strike. Golden light erupted from my skin as I channeled every ounce of remaining energy into blocking the attack.


    The impact sent shockwaves through the courtyard, shattering nearby windows and knocking several onlookers off their feet. Dominic''s eyes widened in shock as his killing blow was stopped cold.


    "What, bullying people?" I said coldly, my voice carrying across the suddenly silent courtyard. "Dominic Ashworth, you really have no shame."