Alex's pulse pounded in his ears as the horrific scene unfolded in front of him. The two men, focused entirely on Serena, paid no attention to him or Elara. The one gripping Nia's arm leered, keeping her pinned to his side as the other man wrestled with Serena's clothes, his filthy hands trying to pull her coat open while she struggled beneath him.
Alex's blood boiled, his body trembling with barely contained fury. He had only seconds to act, and the energy inside him buzzed like a live wire, waiting to be unleashed.
Now, Alex thought, his eyes locking onto the man holding Nia.
The AI responded instantly, guiding his movements with cold precision. "Target identified. Proceed with energy manipulation."
Alex extended his hand subtly, focusing on the man holding Nia. He didn't need much—just enough to stun him, to create the opening he needed. The energy inside him surged, crackling through his veins as he channeled it outward, directing it toward the man's body.
A faint, blue spark flickered in the air, and in the next instant, the man jolted violently as the electricity coursed through him. His body convulsed, his grip on Nia loosening as his eyes went wide with shock. He staggered backward, twitching uncontrollably, his hand slipping from Nia's arm.
Nia gasped, stumbling back away from him, her eyes wide with fear and confusion. The man, stunned and disoriented, collapsed to his knees, smoke rising from his twitching body.
"Now!" Alex shouted.
Elara didn't hesitate. In a flash, she moved, her blade gleaming in the dim light as she sprinted toward the second man—the one still trying to tear at Serena's clothes. He barely had time to react before Elara was upon him, her blade slashing through the air in a deadly arc.
Alex turned his attention to the first man, who was already struggling to get back to his feet, his muscles still twitching from the shock. With a surge of adrenaline, Alex rushed forward, closing the distance between them in seconds. His hand crackled with energy as he grabbed the man by the shoulder, sending another powerful jolt of electricity through his body.
The man's scream was cut short as the shock seized his muscles, his entire body convulsing violently before going limp in Alex's grasp. The smell of burnt fabric and flesh filled the air as Alex released him, letting the man's body crumple to the ground in a lifeless heap.
At the same moment, Elara reached the second man. Her blade flashed once, twice, and then with a sickening thud, she slashed it across his back. The man screamed in agony, releasing Serena and stumbling forward, blood pouring from the deep gash Elara had carved into him. He collapsed face-first onto the cold ground, twitching as his body went still.
For a brief moment, the world seemed to stop.
Alex stood over the body of the man he had electrocuted, his heart pounding in his chest, his hand still crackling faintly with residual energy. Elara stood a few feet away, her breath coming in heavy gasps as she gripped her bloodied blade, her eyes fixed on the man she had just killed.
Serena was on the ground, her body trembling, her clothes torn but still intact. Nia had rushed to her side, wrapping her arms around her mother, her face buried in Serena's shoulder.
The silence that followed was deafening. The only sounds were their ragged breaths and the faint hum of energy still lingering in the air.
Alex's eyes moved to the two bodies on the ground, their lifeless forms sprawled out in the snow and rubble. The man Elara had cut was facedown, a pool of dark blood spreading beneath him. The one Alex had electrocuted lay motionless at his feet, his face twisted in a final expression of pain and terror.
Both men were dead.
Elara's chest heaved as she stood over the body of the man she had struck down, her blade still dripping with blood. Slowly, she lowered the weapon, her eyes flicking to Alex.
"They're dead," she said, her voice low, almost emotionless.
Alex nodded, his own breath coming in shallow bursts. The rush of adrenaline was beginning to fade, leaving him with the grim reality of what had just happened.
They had killed to protect Serena and Nia. They had acted swiftly, decisively, but the weight of those actions now settled over them like a heavy shroud.
Alex's gaze shifted back to Serena, who was still on the ground, clutching Nia tightly. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with gratitude and relief, but there was also something else there—something darker. A recognition of what had just been done in her defense.
Elara wiped her blade on the fabric of the dead man's coat, her expression hard. "They got what they deserved."
Alex wasn't sure if she was saying that to him, to herself, or to the dead men at their feet. But as the cold wind whipped through the ruins, he couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed.
They had survived, but they had crossed a line—one that couldn't be uncrossed.