On The Way Home

Soul grabbed his dagger from his belt and took a low, aggressive stance, his eyes focused on The Topple. Lore, on the other hand, cast a buff spell on herself. Her dagger glowed, illuminating the whole street before its light fading away.

Soul lunged forward without hesitation, his dagger gleaming as he aimed for The Topple's midsection. But The Topple was fast – he sidestepped and countered with a powerful kick to Soul's back, sending him tumbling into a nearby wall head first.

Lore conjured several fireballs, letting them hover in front of her. With a swift motion, she struck each with her dagger, launching them toward The Topple. The fiery projectiles shot across the alley, lighting up the darkness. The Topple dodged the first few, his agility keeping him ahead of the searing flames. But as Lore struck more fireballs into the air, he had to dive behind a stack of crates to avoid them.

"You pervert! You bastard!" Lore's voice trembled with a mix of fear and anger as she shouted. "I'll put you behind bars again!"

"Oh, I like it when they try to escape!"

Soul kicked the burning crates The Topple was hiding, giving Lore a chance to strike again.

She took the opportunity, conjuring another fireball, and with a powerful swing of her dagger, she launched it toward the pervert. The Topple, desperate to escape, tried to push Soul out of the way. But Soul stood his ground, holding his position despite his opponents efforts.

The fireball struck with a deafening impact, sending both Soul and The Topple flying backward, tearing through the alley's brick wall. They landed with a crash in the middle of a modest living room, where an elderly couple sat reading a book, startled by the sudden intrusion. Nearby, their granddaughters, who had been playing with wooden swords, dropped their toys in shock.

Debris and dust filled the air as the couple scrambled to their feet, while the children huddled together in fear. Soul groaned as he picked himself up, his body aching from the blast. The Topple, equally dazed, stumbled to his feet, but his sinister grin indicated he was far from giving up.

"Run." Soul said to the couple. "Take the kids and run away."

Lore kneeled down and pressed her palm to the ground. As she whispered a spell, branches rose from the house's wooden floors, twisting and snaking their way toward The Topple. The wooden tendrils surged around his legs, quickly wrapping and constricting him, like a forest coming alive to restrain an intruder.

"Nope, you won't get to run away." The Topple said, licking his lips.

He easily slipped through the tendrils and dashed toward the children, his speed catching everyone off guard. With cruel efficiency, he grabbed the youngest -a seven-year-old girl- and held her by the neck. Her feet dangled off the ground, and she let out a terrified gasp, her tiny hands clawing at his grip in vain. The elderly couple shouted in panic, their hearts racing as they watched in horror.

"No!" Shouted Lore. "Leave her!"

As The Topple tightened his grip on the girl's neck, ready to snap it, Soul lunged at him with a desperate tackle. The force of the collision knocked The Topple to the ground, freeing the girl, who scrambled to safety.

Soul's lack of fighting experience became evident as The Topple quickly reversed the situation, rolling over and pinning Soul to the floor. The Topple sat on top of his stomach, raining heavy punches down onto his face. Blood splattered with each brutal hit, and Soul struggled to defend himself.

'I have to hide my powers…'

The Topple grabbed Soul by the shirt and tossed him through the shattered wall, sending him back out into the street. Soul crashed onto the cobblestones, rolling several feet before he finally came to a stop.

Lore rushed to Soul's side, crouching down to examine his injuries. Blood trickled from a split lip, and his cheek was already beginning to swell. A few small cuts marred his forehead, but he managed to sit up slightly, wincing as he did so.

"How did a weakling like you resist a level four spell?" The Topple asked as he strode back onto the street. "Must be a lucky guy."

Soul said nothing.

"I like guys like you," he continued, "they listen to what I say, do what I order."

"Bastard!" Lore shouted, casting a level three fire spell.

The flames shot from her hand, swirling into a whirlwind of fire that spun across the street. The flaming vortex barreled toward The Topple, its intense heat radiating in every direction. The Topple tried to dodge, but the whirlwind caught him, pulling him into its fiery embrace.

The flames weren't enough to cause serious damage, but they stunned him. The Topple stumbled a few steps, momentarily disoriented, then steadied himself. Despite Lore's attack, his creepy smile grew wider than ever, stretching across his face with a sinister glee. It was as if the pain only fueled his madness.

"Oh, I'll cut your head off, girl."

"Come and try!"

The Topple dashed forward, his fist swinging with immense power as he closed the distance between them. Lore quickly raised her hand, fingers outstretched, and conjured a barrier of air. The invisible shield deflected his punch, the shockwave rippling outward, sending debris scattering across the street.

The Topple grunted in frustration and swung again, this time with even greater force. Lore's air barrier absorbed the impact, but the sheer power of the blow sent a shudder through her arm.

Lore's air barrier wasn't just for defense. She flicked her wrist, and a gust of wind shot forward, hitting The Topple in the chest. The force sent him reeling back a few feet, buying her a brief moment to catch her breath. The Topple grunted, trying to regain his footing, but it was enough time for Soul to move in and thrust his dagger into The Topple's shoulder. The blade sank deep, and he let out a scream of pain as he stumbled backward, blood beginning to stain his shirt.

"Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck! It hurts!"

He pushed Soul aside and used an air spell to propel himself forward, rocketing toward Lore with blinding speed. Though he missed a direct hit, the force of his passage knocked Lore off her feet. In that split second, The Topple snatched one of her shoes, leaving her on the ground

"Hmm…" The Topple moved the shoe closer to his nose, licking it and sniffing inside of it intensely. His eyes went to the back of his head from the pleasure. "Stinks… I like it. I fucking love it."

"Oh, gods…" Lore said, covering her mouth in fear. "Pervert!"

"I'll see you later, Lore." He said with a creepy smile. "When you sleep alone… When you go to the toilet, bending over… I'll always be there."

With a wicked laugh, The Topple unleashed a teleportation spell and vanished into thin air. As he disappeared, the ground where he had stood was left marked with strange purple runes, glowing faintly in the darkness. The markings seemed to pulse with residual magic, emitting wisps of smoke, twisting and curling into the night air.

Soul took a deep breath and picked his dagger up. Lore was still in shock, she couldn't do anything after The Topple's disturbing words.

"Are you good, Lore?" Soul asked.

"I... I am," she replied, her voice shaky. Then she looked at him and gasped. "You're bleeding all over! Let me use a healing spell."

She moved closer to him, her hands glowing green with a healing spell. But as soon as the magic touched Soul's wounds, it fizzled and faded, leaving the injuries as they were. Lore's brow furrowed in confusion, as healing spells had never failed on her before.

"I... I must be tired. I can't even cast a basic spell. I'm sorry." Lore's voice wavered, her eyes filling with tears.

"It's okay," Soul replied.

"But... The things he said... I'm sorry, I just..." She felt her emotions overwhelm her, tears threatening to spill. "Gods – thank you, Soul. For… protecting me."

"Hmm." Soul's response was quiet, almost dismissive. "You did all the work. I'd say 'you' protected me."

"Yeah, I… Ooh, it's – It's cold."

Soul removed his left shoe and set it in front of Lore.

"Wear mine." He said with a boring voice. "That creep took yours."

"No, I can't. You don't have to do that, Soul."

"Take it as a thanks for being friends with my sister," he replied, "though, if you think my shoes are bad for your hygiene, I can understand that."

"What? No, I just…" She smiled faintly. "Okay. Thank you."

Lore slipped her foot into Soul's shoe, her toes barely reaching the front. It was much bigger than hers, but she tightened the laces as best she could to keep it from slipping off. The shoe felt awkward, but it was warmer than the ground.

"I..." She gulped nervously, her words catching in her throat. "I don't know what to do. If I go home... that pervert will surely attack me there. I can defend myself, but my brother? No... I – I don't know, Soul. What should I do?"

Her voice was filled with fear, uncertainty, and desperation as she looked to Soul for guidance. She clearly felt exposed and vulnerable.

"You should stay at the girls' dormitory, it'll be safer there. Also, tell Professor Yuu what happened here."

"You are right..." she said, though uncertainty colored her voice. "Do you think Professor Yuu will believe me?"

Soul rubbed his chin, "After the high elves and a damn Nethrax attack?" he said with a dull face, "yeah, I think he will."

"Okay... Um – by the way, how did you resist the spell? That was a – a level four magic." Lore's curiosity was mixed with amazement.

"I think I was outside of the area of effect." He wanted to change the subject. "Your groceries are trashed."

"You're a bad liar. I think you're hiding something from me," she said with a raised eyebrow. "But I don't care."

"Hmm." Soul shut his eyes. "I'm not lying."

"Umm…" she stammered, blushing slightly. "Would you walk me home?"

"Yeah – after we wake up Hyun-Ki."

"Oh! I completely forgot about him!" Lore's hand shot to her forehead in a playful gesture of shock.

She quickly ran over to him and knelt down, shaking his shoulders gently, trying to wake him up. Her voice grew louder as she called his name, hoping to stir him from unconsciousness.

"Ugh..." Hyun-Ki slowly came to, his voice groggy. "Lore?"

"Yes, it's me. Hey, come on, you're okay," she said with relief.

"I'm up... wait, why is Soul's face all messed up?" He got to his feet. "Man, my head… what happened?"

"I'll, uhh…" said Lore. "I'll explain it on the way home."