Heroes of Veridia: Evelyn's Journey

Evelyn hesitated, silently cursing the choice in front of her. If she launched herself at Caleb, Vivian would be vulnerable. But if she protected her sister, there was a chance she might not survive herself. Resolved, she thought, Vivian still has a chance if I protect her. With a swift push from her makeshift foothold, Evelyn sprinted toward Vivian, reaching her just in time. Shielding Vivian from the oncoming explosions, she braced herself as the first burst of heat scorched her back, a scream escaping her as the pain overwhelmed her senses. Determined not to move, she gritted her teeth, holding her ground to keep her sister safe as the explosions roared. Finally, the chaos settled, and Evelyn, barely conscious of the pain, collapsed onto Vivian, surrendering to unconsciousness.

Amidst the crackling flames, Caleb strode toward the two girls with a twisted grin. "I warned you. I told you not to fight back," he sneered, gesturing to the burning forest, "and now other students are paying the price for your foolishness." Before he could revel any longer, a fierce voice cut through the smoke.

"No one else is getting hurt," Selene announced, stepping out from behind a tree, her eyes blazing with venomous fury.

Across from her, Sierra appeared, cracking her knuckles with a steely glare. "Guess we'll teach you some respect."

Caleb chuckled, looking between them dismissively. "Two more foolish rebels, here to die. You'll end up just like them," he scoffed, gesturing toward Evelyn and Vivian's motionless forms. He began to summon more explosive bubbles, but his movement was abruptly halted as his hands were encased in ice.

"Sorry, pal, but no more explosions today," Lucas called down from above, hovering in the air as his ice solidified around Caleb's hands.

Caleb glanced up in frantic disbelief, his defiance wavering. "You're making a massive mistake! If I don't make it out of here alive, 'The Viper' will have your heads."

Another voice joined in, steady and unyielding. "We're nothing like you, 'bubble boy.' The Phantom Edge can deal with scum like you just fine." Jacob stepped forward, with Emily and Alex flanking him, their determined faces illuminated by the nearby flames. "We're here to make sure you stop hurting anyone else."

Caleb let out a feral growl, his rage boiling over as he glared at the group surrounding him. "You're not taking me alive!" he hissed.

Lucas took a step closer, raising a brow. "You think you can take on all of us?"

Sierra's eyes narrowed as she spotted a faint glimmer within the ice encasing Caleb's hands—a bubble was slowly forming. Her instincts kicked in. "Lucas, watch out!" she shouted, thrusting her fist forward. The shockwave from her punch hit Caleb, sending him stumbling backward just as a small explosion shattered the ice around his hands. Though he wasn't seriously harmed, blood now smeared his knuckles.

Caleb's eyes were wild. "I'm going to kill you all!" he seethed, clenching his fists as if he could crush them all by sheer will.

Jacob snorted. "That's creepy," he muttered, turning to Emily. "How are we even supposed to catch this maniac alive?"

Emily shrugged, unfazed. "Just make sure he's not dead when you grab him."

Jacob rolled his eyes. "This is not the time for jokes, Em—" he started, then stopped, spotting Caleb already sprinting into the trees. "Hey, get back here!"

Sierra wasted no time, taking off after him with a determined glare. "Why do you keep running, Caleb? Aren't you supposed to be killing us?"

"Not on my watch," Lucas muttered, crafting a winding ice path that snaked toward Caleb's escaping form. But Caleb, hearing the ice creeping up behind him, leaped onto his bubbles, floating just out of reach. The move was unexpected, and Jacob and Sierra, caught on Lucas's ice path, suddenly found themselves stuck, their legs frozen to the ground.

"Are you kidding me, Lucas?" Sierra snapped, struggling against the ice encasing her legs. "You let him get away!"

Lucas cringed, looking sheepish. "Uh...oops. Sorry?"

"Nice job, dumbass!" Alex sneered.

Lucas whipped his head around, affronted. "Oh, and you're any better? You've been standing around doing nothing."

Alex rolled his eyes. "How'd you even get here?"

Lucas just waved him off dismissively. "Whatever. The question is, what are we gonna do now?"

"First, get rid of this ice," Sierra demanded, gritting her teeth. "Or I swear, the minute I'm free, I'll turn you into a punching bag."

"Why not just smash it with your hands?" Lucas replied, his usual confidence returning as he smirked at her frustration.

"Oh, I'll smash something alright," Sierra muttered, her face flushed with irritation.

Jacob, shaking his head, melted the ice off his legs, stepping free. "Chill out, Sierra. I'm here to help."

"Don't tell me to calm down," she retorted, folding her arms and glaring at him.

"Sierra!" Emily called firmly, interrupting the squabbling. Sierra, annoyed but compliant, turned away, sulking. Just then, Alex noticed something strange—where Selene had been standing only moments ago, she was now nowhere to be seen.

"Where's their creepy bloodsucking friend?" Sierra demanded, still fuming.

Emily nodded toward where Evelyn and Vivian had lain, her gaze hardening. Both girls were gone as if they'd vanished into thin air. She turned back to the others, her voice steely. "It looks like Selene took them. Seems she can move faster than we thought." The group shared a glance, realizing that in all the commotion, Selene had managed to slip past them, taking Evelyn and Vivian with her.

The tension was thick as Sierra struggled against the remnants of Lucas's ice around her legs. "What do you mean, 'of course she's fast'? That girl's a vampire," she muttered, yanking her leg free with Jacob's help. The second she could move, Sierra stormed over to Emily's side, her steps heavy with irritation as Lucas watched her cautiously.

Jacob raised an eyebrow. "How about a thank you?"

Ignoring him, Emily brought them back to the task at hand. "We have two choices: go after him ourselves or focus on the test. The instructors will handle him once we're back at the school."

Jacob glanced in Caleb's direction. "But won't he hurt people in the meantime?"

Lucas seemed unconcerned. "I don't think the instructors will let that happen."

Sierra scoffed. "Did you even see Evelyn's back? She nearly became a roasted human. If the instructors want us to protect ourselves, what about those without gifts?"

Emily nodded. "Then it's decided. We're going after him. This time, no mistakes. When we find him, you two"—she pointed to Jacob and Lucas—"take care of his bubbles. Sierra, you're on Caleb."

Lucas grumbled, "Why does she get the interesting part?"

Sierra shot him a glare. "You let him get away, dumbass."

Lucas folded his arms, unimpressed. "I was trying to stop him. It's not my fault you weren't fast enough to avoid the ice."

Fuming, Sierra took a threatening step toward him, but Emily intercepted, sharp as ever. "Sierra!"

Gritting her teeth, Sierra returned to her spot, fuming. Emily continued, "When you get to Caleb, restrain him however you can. If you have to break his hands, so be it. They can be fixed."

Sierra's face brightened. She slammed her fist into her palm, practically grinning. "I can't wait."

Suddenly, lightning crackled through the sky, throwing eerie shadows on their faces. Lucas looked up, bewildered. "Uh...what's going on?"

Emily observed the churning sky. "Looks like it's about to rain."

Jacob narrowed his eyes. "Is this someone's gift?"

As if in answer, rain clouds coalesced, and heavy drops began to fall, extinguishing the burning forest around them. Jacob smirked. "Guess this means Bubble Boy might be out of luck."

Alex, who had been silent, finally spoke. "Let's find out." With a casual wave, he opened a portal before them. On the other side, they could see Caleb floating away on his bubbles.

Lucas blinked. "How did you find him so fast?"

But before Emily could respond, she gave Sierra a nod. "Go."

Without waiting, Sierra sprinted through the portal, launching herself toward Caleb in one fierce movement. She thrust her fist forward, generating a shockwave that struck Caleb mid-flight, knocking him off balance. He stumbled but, in a last-second move, managed to throw an explosive bubble in her direction. The explosion detonated just before Sierra, blasting her back through the portal, directly into Jacob's waiting arms.

Lucas's mouth twitched as he struggled not to laugh. Sierra frowned. "I thought he couldn't use his ability in the rain."

Emily, dead serious, turned to Jacob and Lucas. "Stick to the plan. We'll meet at the end."

With a nod, Jacob, Lucas, and Sierra leaped through the portal after Caleb, vanishing from sight as Alex closed it.

A short distance away, Selene raced through the rain-soaked woods. She stopped abruptly in front of Elena, who was on her knees, panting. Selene held Evelyn and Vivian, both unconscious, in her arms, and she gently set them down before Elena. "Heal them."

Elena looked up at Selene, rain streaming down both of their faces. "What?"

Selene's voice grew urgent. "I know you have the power to heal. Do it—heal them for me." She pointed at the two girls, worry etched across her face.

Seeing Evelyn and her sister lying on the ground, Elena forced herself to her feet despite her labored breathing. Her eyes narrowed. "How could you let this happen to her?"

Selene met her gaze, her tone tight with remorse. "I wasn't by her side."

Elena steadied her breathing, glancing away. "I've never seen a late vampire before...now that I think about it, you're the first vampire I've ever seen."

Selene's patience snapped. Grabbing Elena by her tracksuit collar, she snarled, "Can you help them or not?"

Elena stared, then shook her head. "I used up too much energy. Creating that giant and then summoning the rain—my source of power's destroyed." She gestured to the scorched forest around them. "If I try to heal them now, I'll collapse."

Selene clenched her hand, her fingers twitching strangely. She quickly hid it before Elena could notice. "Take care of them." Then, without waiting for an answer, she dashed away, disappearing into the rain.