The next morning, under a sky still bruised with lingering dawn, Moto suggested they check on Sheu's father. "Just to let him know she's safe," he urged, a note of unspoken worry in his voice. Sheu hadn't come home last night.
They arrived at her house. Silence. A heavy quiet hung in the air, broken only by the rustle of leaves. Pinned to the door, a single note flapped gently in the breeze.
Sheu pulled it down, her fingers tracing the familiar script. She read aloud, her voice tightening:
"Sorry, but the King has summoned me urgently for a mission. I know I usually see you in person before I go, but this was urgent. I should be back in two weeks. Stay with your cousin Drake's family until then.
Moto, keep those other little boys away from my daughter."
Sheu let out a slow sigh, clutching the note tightly against her chest. "He's always going on missions... but I understand."
As they turned to leave, a figure rounded the corner. Drake. He stopped short, his gaze raking over Sheu with a possessive mix of frustration and raw concern. "Where have you been?" His eyes then narrowed, shifting suspiciously to Moto and Najo. "I don't trust these guys. So I'm coming with you."
Moto simply shrugged. "Fine by me."
The group moved silently through the quiet streets until they reached Najo's house. The front door hung wide open, a gaping maw into the dim interior. Najo froze.
Moto's instincts flared. Something's wrong.
Inside, chaos reigned. Chairs lay shattered, splintered wood scattered across the floor. The walls bore angry, scorched streaks – unmistakable signs of lightning damage.
Najo whispered, his voice almost lost in his trembling breath, "My mother... she's gone." Rage warred with desperation in his eyes.
Moto's gaze snapped to the lightning marks on the wall. They weren't random; they were deliberate, carved into the plaster. A location. A message.
Without a word, Najo turned and bolted, a flash of uncontrolled fury.
Moto and Sheu sprinted after him, but Najo, fueled by a primal fear, left them struggling in his dust.
Najo reached the destination: a barren, scorched patch of land, utterly empty save for the dust devils that danced across its cracked surface. At its desolate heart stood Nawick, a menacing silhouette, flanked by his henchmen. They held Naomi, bound and defiant.
Najo skidded to a halt, dust swirling around his feet. "Release my mother. Now!"
Nawick rose from his makeshift throne, a smug, cruel smile playing on his lips. "Now now... is that how you greet your father?"
Naomi, held fast but unbroken, glared back. "You're no father," she snapped, her voice laced with venom. "Let us go, Nawick. This has gone far enough."
A soft, chilling chuckle escaped Nawick. "Oh, Naomi. Still dramatic as ever. If you'd simply given me a weak little boy, we wouldn't be in this mess. But no—you wanted to raise a fighter."
Sparks, faint at first, then growing brighter, crackled around Najo's clenched fists. "This isn't a game. Let her go, or I'll make you."
Nawick's smile tightened, his voice sharpening to a dangerous edge. "Bossing people around now, are we, Najo? Just like your grandfather. But you're in no position to make demands."
Naomi strained against her captors, her voice raw. "Don't listen to him, Najo. All he knows is manipulation and destruction!"
"Careful, Naomi," Nawick sneered, a glint of amusement in his eyes. "You're making me sound like a villain. I'm just a man with a vision."
"A vision that includes killing your own family?" Najo fired back, fury boiling over.
Nawick's smirk vanished. His eyes, suddenly cold and predatory, darkened. "It's not personal. It's business. You have two options: surrender yourself... or watch her die beside you."
Naomi's voice cracked with pure rage. "You monster! You'd sacrifice your own son for wealth?!"
"You don't know what that man holds," Nawick hissed, his gaze flickering with avarice. "I've waited too long to grow a heart now. So, Najo—what's it going to be?"
Najo took a furious step forward, lightning blazing in his eyes. The henchmen, anticipating his move, instantly thrust their lightning rods, crackling with raw power, toward Naomi.
Najo froze.
One wrong move... The unspoken threat hung heavy in the air, paralyzing him.
Nawick's chuckle filled the silent expanse—a dry, cruel sound that echoed across the barren land. His hand glowed with savage electricity, coiling, preparing to strike.