At that moment, Liam felt Lea's weight shift as she began to lose consciousness, only remaining upright because he was holding her. He quickly caught her, gently patting her cheeks. "Hey... Lea... Lea, wake up. Can you hear me? What happened?"
Just then the hand he placed on her neck felt something so he gently turned her to one side only to see a poisonous dart stuck to her neck.
At the sight of that, his eyes widened and he looked up and searched the surroundings when he saw a few men in black robes with a mask covering their faces walking towards them.
Liam swiftly created a light barrier around himself and Lea then pulled out his phone and dialed the first number in his emergency contacts.
"Hello?" Rayan answered.
"Get out here fast. Gantrick Knights have attacked us," Liam said urgently, creating a light barrier around himself and Lea.
"What?" Rayan exclaimed, shocked. "How did those devils find us?"
"I don't know, but they've shot Lea with a poisonous dart. Her skin is turning blue," Liam replied, his voice filled with worry.
"We're coming," Rayan said, ending the call.
The Knights of Gantrick reached Liam's barrier. The leader spoke coldly, "Give us the girl, Dragon Knight, and we will spare your life."
"Who sent you?" Liam demanded.
"That's none of your business. Hand over the human," the leader insisted.
"Boss, he's stalling. He just called for backup," one of the subordinates warned.
The leader nodded and ordered, "Break the barrier. He can't hold against all of us."
The men summoned dark energy and directed it at the barrier, their attacks like lightning strikes.
Rayan emerged from the club, quickly spotting Liam. He cast an invisibility barrier around the area to keep the confrontation hidden, then rushed to Liam and Lea's side.
"Let's see how brave you are now," Alex said, appearing behind the Knights of Gantrick.
An intense battle ensued. Both sides sustained injuries, but Liam and his friends, with their spiritual energy, healed quickly and stood strong. The Knights of Gantrick, seeing no other option, began to retreat.
Before disappearing, the leader threatened, "Dragon Knights, this isn't over. We'll take that girl soon."
"What just happened? Why are they after Lea?" Jenny asked.
"I don't know... Sharen, can you check her? Her skin is turning more blue by the second," Liam said.
Sharen examined the wound with her spiritual energy, then checked Lea's pulse. "We need to neutralize this poison fast; her pulse is dropping."
"But to know the antidote, we need to identify the poison first, and we don't have time," Sharen added.
"What do we do?" Ria asked, her voice trembling.
"Let's take her to the Dragon world. Master Li will know what poison this is," Liam said.
"Are you crazy? The queen will banish us if we bring a human there," Jude protested.
"No, Liam's right. It's our only option, or she'll die," Sharen said.
"Then let's go to the portal now, instead of wasting time here," Rayan urged.
"Are you sure, Rayan?" Lilly asked.
"Yes, saving a life is more important. The queen will understand, and we can erase her memory and send her back once it's over," Rayan replied.
They all hurried back to their villa and passed through the portal to the magical world of dragons.