The road to Magnolia stretched endlessly before them, cracked and dry beneath the rising sun. Mike and Ron walked side by side, two boys carrying burdens far heavier than their years. Though their feet moved forward, their minds were fixed on a single name—Jon.
After a long silence, Mike finally spoke.
"Ron… have you ever heard of Jon before?"
Ron shook his head. "No. But my mother told me I had to meet him. She said he knows the truth about my father… about what he really is."
Mike nodded slowly. "Then that confirms it. Gary told me the same thing. Jon is the one who can help us. I'm sure of it."
Ron glanced at him. "Gary… who is he?"
Mike's steps slowed. His hand tightened slightly around the hilt of his blade.
"He's the man who saved my life," Mike said quietly. "The most important person I ever had."
"Oh," Ron said softly. "Then where is he now, Mike?"
Mike stopped walking.
"He's gone."
Ron froze. "I— I'm sorry. I didn't know."
"It's not your fault," Mike replied, forcing a faint smile.
After a moment, Ron asked, "How did he die?"
"He died protecting me," Mike said. "I owe him my life. That's why I'll take revenge on your father. And that's why… I will become king."
Ron's face twisted with pain. "So your family also suffered because of my father…"
He lowered his head. "I'm so sorry, Mike."
"This guilt isn't yours," Mike said firmly. "It belongs to Octavius Malfoy alone."
"I know," Ron whispered. "But… I still feel it."
Mike placed a hand on Ron's shoulder. "You're my friend. And you always will be."
Ron looked up, eyes shining. "Then I'll help you. If your dream is to become king… I'll help you reach it."
Mike smiled. "Thank you. But first—we need to reach Magnolia."
Ron nodded. "To do that, we must cross the border. My father's knights will be there. They know my face."
"Then we'll disguise ourselves," Mike said.
Ron blinked. "With what clothes?"
"There's a town ahead," Mike replied. "We'll buy some there. After that… the border."
Ron grinned faintly. "Ready?"
"Always."
They broke into a run.
The town they reached was nothing like Mike expected.
Screams filled the air.
Knights clad in black armor dragged villagers through the streets. People were beaten with iron rods, their cries drowned beneath laughter. Blood stained the ground.
Ron froze.
"What… what is happening?" he whispered.
"Get down," Mike hissed, pulling Ron behind a broken house just as a knight passed by.
Ron stared, trembling. "Why are they hurting them? They're just ordinary people."
"This," Mike said grimly, "is the truth of this nation."
A scream tore through the square.
A knight raised his blade and severed a man's hands in a single swing.
The man collapsed, screaming, begging the heavens for mercy.
Ron clutched his head, covering his ears. "Why… why is my father doing this?"
Mike swallowed hard. "I don't know. But I swear, Ron—we'll stop him."
Then something worse happened.
A knight stepped forward, dragging a small child, no older than two. The child cried, reaching for parents who lay lifeless on the ground.
"If you can't pay," the knight laughed, "then we kill everyone."
Ron's breathing broke.
"I can't… I can't watch this."
Mike held him down as Ron shook violently.
"We can't fight them," Mike whispered. "There are too many. If we die here, Magnolia is lost."
Ron's eyes overflowed. "Why, Mike… why is this happening?"
Mike said nothing.
They turned to flee.
Then they heard it.
A child's sob.
They turned back.
The little boy sat alone between his dead parents.
One knight scoffed. "That brat's too noisy."
Another shrugged. "Kill him."
The knight smiled. "With pleasure."
He stepped toward the child.
Mike's heart stopped.
"Ron," Mike said quietly, "stay here."
Ron grabbed him. "What are you doing?"
"If I can't save lives," Mike said, his voice shaking with fury, "then I have no right to call myself a king."
"You're not strong enough!" Ron cried.
"I don't care."
Mike ran.
The knight sensed him at the last moment.
He turned—fast.
Too fast.
Mike lunged with his blade, but the knight twisted, catching Mike mid-strike and slamming him into the dirt.
"Oh?" the knight laughed. "You want to be a hero, kid?"
Mike spat blood. "If you touch him… I'll kill you."
The knight kicked him hard, ribs cracking. "You're nothing."
Soldiers laughed.
"Kill the child!"
"Do it!"
The knight grabbed the child by the arm, lifting him effortlessly. "Watch closely, kid. Enjoy this."
He raised his sword.
Something inside Mike snapped.
Heat surged through his veins.
His heartbeat roared.
The world slowed.
Flames ignited beneath his skin—not outward, but inward—burning his fear, his hesitation, his pain.
Mike pushed himself up.
The ground cracked beneath his feet.
His eyes burned.
"I told you," Mike said, his voice no longer trembling, no longer human,
"don't touch him… you bastard."
The air exploded.
A wave of pressure blasted outward, sending dust, debris, and soldiers stumbling back. Flames spiraled around Mike—not wild like before, but controlled, compressed, furious.
The knight staggered. "W–what the hell—"
Mike vanished.
In an instant, he reappeared before the knight, fist engulfed in fire.
BOOM.
The punch shattered armor and sent the knight flying through a wall.
Silence.
Then—
"What… is that kid?"
The flames wrapped around Mike like a living will.
Ron watched from hiding, tears streaming. "Mike…"
Mike stepped forward, each footstep leaving scorched earth behind.
"I don't know what this power is," he said, eyes locked on the knights.
"But I know one thing."
He pointed at the child.
"You don't get to touch him."
The knights drew their weapons.
Mike smiled.
And the fire roared.
Next Chapter: What Is My Power?
🔥 Stay tuned.