The alley reeked of burnt smoke and wet dust.
Walls closed in like jaws, their bricks damp, bleeding dark streaks where rain never reached.
The moon light flickered in and out, with clouds covering it and then slowly let it fall again.
Somewhere, a rat squealed and vanished beneath the slush.
The air still shimmered faintly where Violet's spell had struck. The cobblestone was cracked and scorched.
A man groaned nearby, his sleeve half-burnt, the smell of seared leather and skin biting through the mist.
Another man knelt beside him, muttering curses while trying to pull him up. Their boots scraped the ground, heavy and uneven.
***
Violet's PoV
I tried to move—but my arms wouldn't move even a little bit.
My fingers trembled against the stones while I tried to lift myself up but I couldn't even lift my troso a bit.
My mana was exhausted...
My chest rose and fell in a shallow, uneven rhythm, the recoil was too much, it felt like everything inside my inside was poured out.
Her vision was blurry, with corners of my eyes slowly enveloping in darkness.
The little girl ran to the boy and then lifted the boy in her arms.
I looked at the boy and my guts twisted...
The boy was completely swollen with purple color and shadows, the boy arm was twisted beyond recognition, the horror that the boy faces by the hands of these men is nothing compared to what I did to them.
The girl galloped with a boy in arms but the other noticed and tried to grab her.
My anger took over my nerves and grabbed a rock and threw at the man, I realised I am gifted at aiming while hunting with Lucie.
The rock struck the man's forehead and blood gushed out, dripping on face.
"Picking on little children! You are still fighting me! Don't ignore me!" I cried to grab their attention and anger away from this kid.
"Don't expect an easy death, you bitch!"
They helped their allies and lifted them up again...
"Look at the feisty bitch! The boy got away but we'll find him!" The man chuckled...
"You're laughing? I lost my arm and you're laughing!" The man whose arm I froze grabbed the laughing man's collar.
One man—broad shoulders, crooked nose—spat to the side.
"Look at her. Still breathing... We can still use her." he muttered.
They looked at each with grin with vile intention painted clear as day on their face.
"She ain't normal," said another, voice sharp, like broken glass. "Did you see that spell? That blast?"
"Hmm, but guess she's dry now. Her mana's completely done.
Look at her she's suffering a drained effect—she's cooked."
They slowly walked to me, the sound was slowly crawling up my spine.
Now I need to get away from here, I can't fight back and staying here would be a fool's gamble.
I tried to push myself up, but pain pierced my ribs.
I can't... I need to do something,
I coughed our blood again...
***
Violet was squirming like a log in pain, her eyes were nailed on men, and a moment of ignorance could cost her life.
The steps of men drew closer with air...
"Here is some payback bitch!"
One of them kicked her side, she was dropped on back with pain grinding her inside.
"Careful," the tall man said, crouching down.
His shadow swallowed her face.
"You see them eyes? That hair? She's not street rat. She's something else. Could be nobility. Could be worth a lot to the right buyer."
"Sell her?" another one asked, his grin showing broken teeth.
He nodded.
"Nobles pay well for pretty things. Especially ones that can do tricks with mana."
Violet's fingers clenched weakly. Her mind screamed to move, to—but her limbs felt distant, disconnected.
Someone grabbed her by the hair and yanked her head up.
Violet screeched, her hoarse cry had more defiance than pain.
The man sneered. "Still got a bite in you, huh?"
He grabbed his face and dug his fingers in her cheek.
Her mana was slowly raging again but at the same time illness was holding her back,
She twisted, sharp and fast as she could, and bit him.
Her teeth sunk in until they hit the bone.
Blood filled her mouth, metallic and hot.
He cried out with flapping lungs, and slapped her across the cheek.
The sound echoed through the alley.
Violet spat out blood, half of the face was covered in dirt mixed with grime, while half of her face was redden with fingers mapped on them.
In her mind, the face of her father and mother on that night was appearing before her eyes.
Their face didn't make her soft or mellow her emotions, but flamed her determination and rage all within the mouth of fear.
She could
hear her father's voice echoing through memory,
The day she first asked him about hunting and his answer to the question that kept her afraid for him.
"Fear doesn't mean surrender, Little bird. It's just the moment before you strike."
The same day he took her hunting with him on his shoulder and Violet realised how strong her papa was, but after returning home, mama's scolding was far scarier than anything.
She tried to get hold of anything in her hand, but one man stepped on her hand.
Violet screamed in agony...
The men laughed again. "Enough game, Feisty little witch."
"Let's teach her some manners—" another one spoke.
"I know just the method for it... Let me have my sweet revenge" The man who just got bitten by her slowly loosened her belt and extended his hand grabbing the gown of Violet.
"Noo..." Violet cried out but the other man held her back...
Suddenly...
A sound tore through the alley like thunder cracking bone. The man with bleeding hand flew backward, crashing into a wall so hard the bricks groaned.
Another man crashed into the wall, tossed like a sack of grain.
The others jumped back from Violet and with fear draining color from their face.
He felt she was lifted up and then she slowly opened her eyes and
saw Vael teeth clenched in rage...
"Vael..." She uttered...
"I am sorry... Because of me..." His grip tightened....
"I'll make them pay... No one will take anything for me anymore!"