Sorry guys I was busy with my math retest and thinking hard about how I should start the new volume. So, that's why this big gap. There will be no big gap like this except after finishing a volume. I hope you enjoyed so far and I hope you will continue to enjoy 😊.
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The rain fell relentlessly, drenching the streets as a boy and the girl sprinted through the dimly lit alleyways. Their breaths came in ragged gasps, and they kept glancing over their shoulders at the figures closing in on them—five men, their intentions clear.
"Levi," the girl panted, her white hair plastered to her face, her red eyes wide with fear. "They're catching up! You need to go. I'll only slow you down."
Levi, with his black hair matted to his forehead, shook his head fiercely. "No. I'm not leaving you behind. We promised we'd look out for each other, Lyra."
They turned sharply down another alley, but their escape came to an abrupt halt when they faced a dead end. The walls loomed high, and there was no way out. In a desperate moment, they spotted a large, rusted trash bin at the side.
"Let's hide in here," Levi said quickly. "It's our best shot."
Lyra hesitated, but Levi was already opening the lid. "Go," he urged, and with a final glance at him, she climbed inside. As she settled in, Levi closed the lid and pressed the button to lock it from the outside. The mechanism clicked into place just as the pursuers rounded the corner.
Inside the trash bin, Lyra accidentally bumped her head against the hard metal surface and lost consciousness, slipping into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Levi, now alone, scanned the alley. He grabbed an old, splintered baseball bat lying discarded by the wall and sat on top of the trash bin, gripping the bat tightly as he waited for the inevitable.
The five men reached the dead end, their eyes narrowing when they saw only Levi sitting there.
"Well, well, look what we've got here," one of the men sneered. "The girl left you behind, huh? Guess she wasn't much help."
"Must've ditched you so she could save herself," another chimed in with a laugh. "Too bad, kid."
Levi's eyes flashed, his purple irises glowing with cold intensity. He didn't flinch. Instead, he stood up, glaring at them with contempt. His voice was low, menacing. "You're all pathetic. Five of you to chase down one guy. What, your so-called pussy bitch young master too much of a pussy to face me himself? He has to send a bunch of nobodies to do his dirty work?"
The taunt struck a nerve. The men's smug expressions darkened, and they gripped their own bats more tightly. The biggest of the group, a hulking man with a broad chest and meaty fists, and big fat ass, stepped forward. "You're real brave for a kid who's about to get his skull cracked open," he growled. "Your girl's long gone, probably forgot all about you already."
Levi fixed him with a deadly stare. "You really think she abandoned me? What about you? Who do you have in your life? No one. That's why you're here, running errands for someone else like a dog. You're a joke."
The insult hit deep. The big fat ass man hesitated, his bravado crumbling. For a brief second, he faltered, and in that moment of hesitation, Levi sprang forward.
He swung the broken bat with every ounce of strength he had, and it connected with the side of the man's head with a sickening crack. The bat shattered into pieces, and the man staggered, his eyes rolling back as he crumpled to the ground like a sack of bricks.
The other four men froze, momentarily shocked. Levi stood over the fallen man, his expression unreadable, but his eyes burned with a quiet, seething rage. He straightened up, tossing the remains of the bat aside, and locked eyes with the rest of them.
"So, Who's next?"
Levi bent down and yanked the metal bat from the fat man's limp hand, gripping it with renewed determination. He looked up at the remaining four, his lips curling in disdain as he studied them. They were all a joke, each one more pitiful than the next—one was skinny and gangly ass man, the other a middle-sized brute ass man, and the last other guy was average ass man, with the final one… well, Levi didn't even want to think about it.
"Man, you all look like a lineup of losers," Levi muttered, his eyes narrowing. "One's a twig, the other's trying too hard to be tough, and don't even get me started on you." His gaze landed on the fourth guy, the one that stood out for reasons Levi wished he didn't have to acknowledge. "I don't know what you guys do in your spare time, but if it involves that guy, I'd rather not think about it. Makes me wanna hurl just imagining it."
He spat on the ground, gripping the bat tighter as he took a step forward. The disgust in his voice was unmistakable, but beneath it, a cold, controlled rage simmered.
Levi felt his body trembling, he didn't have much power as his own muscles were not that strong, and this made him even stay in a difficult position. The rain had soaked him to the bone, and the four remaining men closed in on him, their faces twisted in malice.
The thin-ass man was the first to strike again, but this time, Levi was ready. He ducked under the swing and brought his bat up, smashing it into the man's ribs with a sickening crunch. The man yelped in pain and staggered back, clutching his side, but Levi didn't stop. He swung again, this time at the man's knee, and the thin man crumpled to the ground, screaming as his leg gave way.
The others weren't far behind. Levi spun just in time to block a strike from the medium-sized ass man, but the force of the blow sent a jolt of pain through his already bruised arms. Gritting his teeth, Levi retaliated, driving his bat into the average-ass man's side. The guy grunted and swung wildly, but Levi dodged and slammed his bat into his back, sending him crashing face-first into the ground.
As the medium-sized guy struggled to get up, Levi brought the bat down on his head with a vicious swing, knocking him unconscious. The gay ass man was the only one left.Â
Levi was panting now, his vision blurring, but he wasn't done. The last man, the one he least wanted to face, stood frozen, his bat hanging limply in his hands. Levi's eyes narrowed. He didn't care about this guy's preferences or who he was, only that he was the last threat standing between him and safety.
With a feral growl, Levi advanced. The man raised his bat half-heartedly, but Levi was faster. He swung the metal bat hard, smashing it into the man's chest. The man gasped, doubling over as the wind was knocked out of him. Levi didn't give him time to recover. He struck again, this time across the man's back, sending him to the ground with a thud.
Levi stood over him, chest heaving, drenched in rain and blood. The man groaned weakly, trying to push himself up, but Levi wasn't in the mood for mercy. One final swing to the head, and the alley was filled with the sound of metal meeting bone. The last man who was a gay-ass man went still.
Levi's vision swam as he dropped the bat. It clattered against the pavement, the sound of it almost lost beneath the pounding rain. He swayed, his body on the verge of collapse, but he forced himself to stay upright.
As he stumbled forward, trying to catch his breath, something grabbed his ankle. The fat man, the first one he'd taken down, had somehow managed to cling to consciousness. He gripped Levi's leg with surprising strength, yanking him down hard onto the wet ground. Levi's head slammed against the pavement, stars exploding in his vision.
Before Levi could react, the fat man climbed on top of him, raising his fists. He brought them down again and again, pummeling Levi's face and chest. Levi struggled, trying to push him off, but his body was too weak. Each blow felt like fire, each breath more labored than the last.
Just as Levi's strength was fading, he remembered the thins from all his life the day he met her, the day his and her parents died, and the day of the promise. This all made his stregth come back and he gripped the bat in his hands tightly and swung the bat with all his force not caring about killing him or going to jail.Â
"Fuck it"
The fat-ass man has fallen down as blood was gushing out of his head. Levi was very weak now as his strength again started to fade away and he started smiling as he could protect her.
The trash bin that has been locked clicked. Lyra stumbled out, her white hair damp with rain, eyes still dazed. As she wiped her face, she looked up—and froze.
"Levi!" she screamed, horror flooding her voice as she saw the fat man lying on the ground with blood gushing out. Without thinking, she fell to her knees beside Levi, her hands shaking as she cradled his bloodied face. "Levi, please," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion. "Wake up. Please."
Levi's eyes fluttered open, blood trickling down his face. He could barely make out her shape through the rain and pain, but he forced a weak smile. "You… you got out," he rasped.
She nodded, tears mingling with the rain. "The lock didn't hold… Levi, I'm so sorry."
He coughed, wincing as pain shot through his chest. "Don't… don't be sorry," he whispered. "I'm glad… you're okay."
Her hands trembled as she held him, trying to stop the bleeding. "You're hurt, Levi. We need to get you help."
Levi's eyes were heavy, his body numb, but he managed to lift a hand and brush a strand of wet hair from her face. "I'm not gonna make it," he said, his voice barely audible over the rain. "But you… you have to."
Tears streamed down her face as she shook her head. "No, don't say that. You can't leave me."
Levi's chest shuddered as he tried to breathe, the pain overwhelming. "We promised… to look out for each other," he said, his voice breaking. "You have to live… for both of us."
She choked back a sob, holding his hand tightly. "I can't live without you, Levi."
Levi whispered "I love you, Lyra"
"I love you too, Levi" Lyra whispered.
Levi's eyes closed for the final time, his body going limp in her arms as the rain fell softly around them.