Moments earlier: «Amelia's perspective»
"Miss..."
"What's going on now?"
"I have a bad feeling about this. You'd better stay back. We'll take care of protecting you!"
"No! I don't need your protection. You'd better find out what's going on."
"I'm sorry, miss, but your safety is our top priority. Please trust us."
"Safety?" I asked with a wry smile. "I don't want you to protect me. I can handle myself just fine."
"I'm sorry, but we can't let you put yourself in danger."
"No! That's an order—go and find out what's going on," I said firmly.
"I'm sorry, miss, but we can't afford to be separated from you. Could you step back, please?"
"No!" I replied firmly. "I'm not backing down this time. I'm tired of you always deciding for me. Don't make me repeat myself: either I go, or you go." I said, my tone slightly irritated.
Understood, we'll trust your judgment and go in immediately. Guys, follow me!
The sight of three men following her orders, dressed in black suits and armed with canes or swords at their waists or on their backs, was a completely ordinary sight for the young woman. To her, it was just another one of those details that were part of her daily routine, a scene so commonplace that it didn't even catch her attention.
***
Thum...!
The train came to a sudden stop, and I felt my heart racing in my chest. The passengers around me jolted, and some staggered from the impact. A chill ran down my spine; my sixth sense told me that something wasn't right, that something had happened.
Bang!
A loud bang echoed from the adjacent car, adding to the tension in the air. Curiosity took hold of me, but so did a sense of alertness that grew with every passing second.
Creak...
A strange man entered the car, clad head to toe in black. He slid the door open so smoothly that, were it not for the glance he cast around the room, he would have gone unnoticed. His presence was unsettling, almost amusing, as if he were enjoying the confusion he was causing. With a crooked smile, his eyes scanned the passengers, sizing us up one by one, as if looking for some reaction, some sign of fear. His low, almost involuntary laugh made the atmosphere even more tense. The gun hidden under his coat was barely a detail compared to the way he moved, as if it were all a game to him.
The atmosphere grew thick, almost sticky, and though I tried to stay composed, I couldn't help but feel exposed under his gaze. Something in the air was becoming increasingly unbearable, as if he were relishing my discomfort. When his eyes locked onto mine, a chill ran down my spine, but I refused to show it. His gaze was unpleasant. So repulsive that it was impossible to ignore. There was something in it—a filthy hunger—that made me feel a deep revulsion.
The man licked his lips with a slow, calculated movement, as if savoring the control he thought he had over me. But I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of showing that it affected me. I stood up straight, defiantly, and looked him straight in the eye. I could finish him off with a single gesture, but I decided to wait. I wanted to see how far he would go. I wasn't going to be part of his game.
The man kept slowly approaching, his crooked smile fixed on his face, as he hurled insinuations at me, each word a sharp dagger tearing at my patience.
"Baby, come here, let me see you. Let me get to know you deeply…" his words slithered, like poison in the air.
"What do you want?" I replied in a tense voice, but keeping my cool, even though inside a growing rage was beginning to burn.
"Nothing… I just want to make you feel like a woman," he said with a wicked smile, moving even closer, his hot breath brushing against my face.
I shuddered, but I didn't let it show. "Shut up," I muttered, keeping my composure, my eyes steady but filled with a growing sense of disgust.
The man kept advancing, each step more confident, relishing the discomfort he was causing me. The discomfort wasn't just mine, but everyone else's too, though only a few dared to react.
"You're going to see what it means to be a real woman..." he said as he raised his hand, as if he were going to touch me.
Before I could do anything, a passenger at the back of the car couldn't take it anymore. "Idiot!" I thought, when I saw him lunge at the man. I tried to stop him, to shout at him not to do it
Bang!
I was a split second too late. The bullet lodged in his left shoulder, sending him reeling backward with a choked scream. The wound seemed to be nothing more than a warning, a sign that there wouldn't be a next time.
"So where were we, sweetheart?" A twisted smile reflected a control he wasn't willing to relinquish.
His words were like sharp knives, each one cutting a little deeper into my patience, my resistance. But I knew I couldn't lose control, even though in that moment I could have ended it. I didn't want the passengers to get involved; I didn't want my struggle to turn into a spectacle.
He knew it; his eyes gleamed with malice, relishing my discomfort, that apparent vulnerability that was so far from the truth. I saw it clearly: he fed off my discomfort, off my apparent weakness. But I wasn't going to give him that satisfaction. I wasn't going to let him see me as weak, let him think he could break me so easily.
I focused inward, closing my eyes for a second as I let the mana build up. I could feel it, powerful, vibrating strongly, waiting to burst forth. I was ready to explode, but I knew it wasn't the right moment. I still had to wait; I had to find the exact opportunity. Just one, and it would all be over.
It was then, as if the heavens had heard my prayers, when...
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The roar of gunfire echoed through the train car, followed by the echoes of muffled screams and the sound of bullets tearing through the air. A moment of tension crept into the atmosphere, heavy and thick, as we all froze in the chaos surrounding us.
The man, momentarily taken aback by the noise, turned his back and began to back away. A dark shadow crossed his face; the veins on his forehead bulged, as if he were holding back a growing rage. His smile—that disgusting smile—faded, revealing a seriousness he hadn't shown before, as if the mystery behind the gunshots deserved his attention. That brief, tension-filled second did not go unnoticed.
Without thinking, I reached out my hand, letting the energy flow through me. I felt the mana burn in my veins, a searing heat coursing through every fiber of my being, every pulse turning to fire. My breathing grew heavy.
I closed my eyes briefly, visualizing how the mana descending from my body settled behind me, where it began to take shape rapidly. It compressed, taking form, and then quickly reconfigured itself. In the blink of an eye, the previously unstable mana began to compact and take on a more defined shape. In a second, three whirlwinds of fire condensed, resembling elongated, sharp projectiles floating suspended around me.
The flames danced with fierce intensity, radiating an energy so menacing it could be felt on the skin.
Perhaps realizing what was about to happen, the man looked at me in bewilderment and tried to kill me.
"βέλος πυρός" (fire arrow)
But it was already too late. The spell was already complete.
The moment the words left my lips, I made a quick flick of my wrist, sending the blast of flame forward. Its power was immediate, unleashing a wave of heat and energy so intense that it forced the man to drop his weapon. The air around him warped, as if being melted by the force of the flames.
"What…?!" His expression of victory turned to horror. His body began to burn, the flames piercing his chest, shoulder, and forehead, consuming him as I watched. I felt neither pity nor remorse; only satisfaction at seeing his miserable life fade away.
"Finally… it's over. I'm done."
Turning my gaze, I saw that people were still frightened; their eyes darted away every time I approached. I could feel their bodies tense up, some instinctively stepping back. The fear was evident, and though I tried to ignore it, I couldn't help but notice how they avoided me. I couldn't stand the tension in the air, so, without thinking too much about it, I gently slid open the door and stepped into the car ahead...