Harlow and Nailah stood side by side, their breathing ragged, their bodies aching from the battle that had pushed them beyond their limits. But even amidst the exhaustion, Harlow smirked.

  "By the way, I’ll be the one achieving greatness first," she said casually.

  Nailah snapped her head toward her, eyes blazing. "How long have you been conscious, you cowardly bitch?!"

  Harlow feigned innocence, turning away slightly. "I was waiting for the right moment to strike, idiot."

  Nailah clenched her fists but quickly refocused her attention on the battlefield. Bors was stirring, rising to his feet, his massive frame still looming despite his injuries. "So, what do we do about him?" she asked.

  Harlow’s smirk widened. "I’ve got a plan to take him down!"

  "First, Zeke will fight that guy alone!" Harlow declared with confidence.

  Zeke confidently stepped forward, walking alone toward Bors.

  Bors, still bleeding, eyed the young thief with suspicion. He could feel the change in Zeke’s energy—his Vistra had awakened. So had the girl’s. They had gone past their limits. However, they had no control over it. Their power would drain fast. Bors knew that but couldn't hide his frustration.

  He gritted his teeth, anger bubbling up. "Still, this is all pissing me off…" His voice rose into a snarl as his temper flared. "WHAT IS IT WITH YOU PEASANTS?! NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES YOU GET UP, YOU’LL STILL LOSE!"

  Zeke reached for his scarf, pulling it up over his nose and mouth. His eyes gleamed with newfound determination. "This time it’s different… I’ve been feeling a surge of power. Now, prepare to die!"

  In an instant, he disappeared.

  Bors barely had time to react before Zeke reappeared, his dagger flashing toward him. Bors blocked with the flat of his sword, the impact sending a sharp vibration up his arm. Zeke flipped backward, landing effortlessly with a playful bounce.

  "I’m surprised you managed to keep up," Zeke taunted, his expression half-hidden behind his scarf.

  Bors narrowed his eyes, glancing at Nailah and Harlow. "Why aren’t your friends helping you?"

  Zeke shrugged. "Well, that’s because I’m now more than enough to handle you."

  Bors’ temper flared again. "You bastard!"

  With a roar, he lunged forward, bringing his massive sword down. Zeke dodged, flipping backward as the blade slammed onto the roof of the speeding train. The moment his feet touched the surface, Zeke used the momentum of his flip to propel himself forward. He closed the distance in a blink, slipping past Bors' guard while he was still mid-swing.

  "I’ve got you!" Zeke’s dagger aimed for Bors’ gut.

  Bors’ expression tensed. He was defenseless.

  From the sidelines, Harlow grinned. Yes, that’s it, Zeke! Make him lose his temper, then close the distance to make the sword useless.

  Nailah’s expression was more serious. So, he won’t have a choice but to…

  Bors’ sword hit the ground with a heavy clang.

  "Drop his sword!" Nailah muttered.

  But Bors wasn’t finished yet. With a desperate move, he crossed his armored forearms in front of his gut, catching the dagger before it could pierce his flesh.

  Zeke’s eyes widened as Bors retaliated with a punch. He barely dodged, twisting at the last second. Without hesitation, Zeke swiftly flicked his knife downward. The blade sank into Bors’ foot.

  Bors let out a guttural scream.

  Zeke stomped down hard on the knife, driving it deeper.

  Bors’ scream turned into a furious roar as he swung wildly, his punch colliding with Zeke’s raised arms. The impact sent Zeke flying across the train car.

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  "Now!" Zeke shouted mid-air.

  In an instant, crimson threads snaked around Bors, tightening like a vice.

  "Huh?!" Bors struggled, his muscles straining against the unbreakable grip of Nailah’s strings.

  She was kneeling, one hand outstretched, her entire body trembling from the exertion. "I’ve used too much blood and Vistra! This is all I can do!"

  A shadow appeared above Bors.

  Harlow.

  She descended from above, staff in hand, her smirk confident. "That’s good enough!!"

  Bors’ eyes widened. With a final surge of strength, he broke free of the strings, raising his arms to block the incoming strike.

  Nothing hit him.

  Bors’ brain barely processed what had happened before he noticed Harlow below him. She had landed behind him, untouched.

  "W…What?!" he stammered.

  Harlow grinned. "I knew you’d break free!"

  With a powerful thrust, her staff shot upward, striking Bors under the chin with a force that sent him reeling. His head snapped back, eyes to the sky, dazed.

  But Harlow wasn’t finished.

  Before he could recover, she appeared in front of him again, her staff raised. "We ain’t finished!"

  With a final, brutal strike, she slammed her staff into his head. Bors crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

  Silence.

  Zeke, still catching his breath, broke into a grin. "It worked!"

  Nailah, though battered and exhausted, stared at the fallen knight, her thoughts burning with a single truth. Nothing will stop me from clearing my name and taking back what’s rightfully mine. Nothing.

  Harlow turned to the others, her smirk never fading. "Let’s get out of here, now."

  The three of them trudged forward, each step weighed down by exhaustion and pain. Blood dripped from fresh wounds, staining the stolen gold they carried. The adrenaline that had once fueled their fight was wearing off, leaving only the dull ache of overworked muscles and battle-worn bodies.

  Then, Nailah felt it. A pulse of energy, thick and suffocating. Her eyes widened as she whipped around.

  "No way..."

  Zeke and Harlow turned as well, and what they saw sent a chill down their spines. Bors was rising again. But this time, he wasn’t just standing, he was engulfed in Vistra, the sheer force of it distorting the air around him. His body trembled, not from weakness, but from the overwhelming energy surging within him.

  “They’ve awakened their Vistra… but they can’t control it,” Nailah muttered, her voice barely above a whisper. Her heart pounded. “They must have reached their limits.”

  Zeke swayed on his feet, his breath ragged. "Shit! This is bad…! I can’t feel my body anymore!"

  Harlow clenched her fists, her body just as drained. “I’ve reached my limit too… we’ve got to run!”

  Bors stepped toward them, each footfall a promise of vengeance. His eyes burned with fury, his voice thick with rage. "You worthless peasants! I’ll kill you!"

  Suddenly, the ground beneath them shuddered. A figure burst from the roof of the train car. Nailah barely had time to register what she was seeing. Damon. His movements were sluggish, his eyes unfocused, as if his body was moving on instinct alone. The wounds on his stomach and mouth bled freely, yet he paid them no mind. The only thing driving him now was pure, unrelenting greed.

  Bors barely had time to react before Damon lunged at him, twin machetes flashing. Bors lifted his sword just in time, steel clashing against steel.

  “Give it back!!!” Damon’s voice was hoarse, almost desperate.

  The two warriors clashed, their weapons sparking against each other. Damon fought like a man possessed, but his body was spent. His swings grew weaker, his footwork less steady. And then Bors' blade found its mark.

  Damon gasped, his body seizing. Blood poured from the fatal wound, his grip on his machetes slackening. His knees buckled. With a final, ragged breath, he collapsed.

  Bors stood over the lifeless body, chest heaving. Then his head snapped up, searching for the trio.

  Only to realize they were already gone with the gold.

  His roar of frustration echoed into the night. “DAMN YOU!!!”

  The scent of damp earth and pine filled the air as the three of them staggered through the dense undergrowth. Trees loomed overhead, their branches twisting together like skeletal fingers. The fight had taken quite a toll on them—strength, stamina, Vistra.

  Nailah leaned against a tree, trying to catch her breath. "Where… are we? We got off way too late."

  Zeke looked around, squinting through the darkness. "Sherwood Forest. We’re a bit far from Scrapville."

  Harlow wiped sweat from her brow. "Then we need to head back. We’ll go to my place, rest, and figure out what to do with the gold."

  Zeke nodded. "There’s a town about twenty minutes from here. I’ll steal a vehicle, then we’ll head straight to your place."

  They both turned to Nailah, waiting for her input.

  She didn’t respond.

  “Naine?” Harlow stepped forward, her voice laced with concern.

  Nailah swayed. Then, without a word, her body crumpled to the forest floor.

  “Naine!”

  Zeke rushed to her side, his own exhaustion momentarily forgotten. His pulse pounded in his ears as he pressed his fingers to her neck. She was alive—but barely.