Ember fell to the ground with force, rolling through the dust as Davi's impact saved her from the fatal attack. Her heart raced, and her eyes widened as she realized what was happening before her.
Then, in an instant, the world erupted into a hellish inferno. A brutal, uncontrollable flame roared to life, swallowing Davi in an instant. The blaze was so fierce that Ember could barely breathe, unable to react to the hellish scene.
When the flames finally relented, she lifted her eyes, still dazed after everything. What she saw made her blood run cold. Davi was on his knees, his body charred beyond recognition. His skin was a grotesque shade of dark ash, and he could barely hold himself together.
The scene made Ember's stomach churn.
Why? Even though she had been reckless and put herself in danger, why did he still save her? She couldn't understand, but a desperation overwhelmed her as she feared the boy might have died.
"No... Davi..." she murmured, a lump forming in her throat. She felt the desperation grow as she saw the deplorable state of her partner
Then she tried to run to save him, but her body simply wouldn't move. Every muscle ached, just like the desperation from her first life-or-death battle rendered her useless.
At the same time, a miracle was happening. With great difficulty, Davi tried to rise. His muscles trembled, and he could barely support himself on his knees, his teeth gritting in pain. With every attempt to move, he seemed on the verge of collapsing, but the determined look in his eyes revealed his resolve.
However, the golem, ever relentless, began preparing its final attack. Its core was exposed once more, glowing to unleash a devastating blast of fire. Ember, still in shock, felt time slow as she tried to force her body to move and save the boy.
The intense glow from the golem illuminated the entire arena when, suddenly, Davi showed a confident smile that seemed completely out of place. Then, with his last strength, he raised the pistol he had been carrying all this time.
With a guttural scream of a man pushing himself to the limit, he aimed directly at the exposed core and pulled the trigger.
He fired quickly, then…
An explosive surge of energy burst from the weapon, a concentrated mana blast streaking through the air like a lightning strike. It struck the golem's core with flawless precision, triggering a violent internal detonation that shook the entire arena. The core shattered into nothingness, its remnants scattering in the wake of the blast.
The glow in the creature's eyes faded, and the stone colossus began to crumble, collapsing under its own weight as it fell slowly, defeated.
Ember watched, incredulous, as the golem crumbled into a pile of rocks, but her gaze quickly shifted to Davi. He dropped the pistol to the ground, his eyes half-lidded. A faint, exhausted smile tugged at his lips before he completely passed out.
His body finally gave in to exhaustion and injuries.
"Davi!" Ember cried, rushing to his side with a heavy heart, the pressure in her chest still tight. She knelt beside him, her body tense, gripping Davi's arm, which felt so fragile in that moment.
She immediately pressed her recovery stone to him. Ember held the stone against his chest, urgently channeling healing mana. The object glowed softly as its restorative energies began to work.
Davi's body remained still, but his chest started to rise and fall once more, his breath returning. However, he remained in critical condition.
The redhead, with trembling hands, tried to administer what first aid she could, checking his breathing and signs of life. Each second felt like an eternity, and with each passing moment, his condition seemed to worsen. Tears began to fall from the girl's desperate eyes as she cried out into nothing:
"Why did he do this?" She couldn't shake the guilt, knowing that the boy was in this state because he'd tried to save her.
It was all her fault. And once again, she had failed, because she was nothing but a huge failure. But those thoughts didn't have the time to fully form, as they were quickly replaced by shock and apprehension when a beautiful woman appeared before her.
"I'm impressed."
Ember snapped her head up, locking eyes with the figure approaching. The principal, with her confident demeanor and that enigmatic smile, watched the scene with interest. She appeared calm, as though everything had been under control from the very beginning.
"You showed a lot of potential, Ember. But I imagine you understand that your recklessness is the reason for all of this." With a snap of her fingers, the woman made Davi disappear from there.
"What's going to happen to him?"
"He's already in the infirmary now. Don't worry, he'll recover just fine," the principal said with a calm wink. "One more thing, I believe I should clear up a certain misunderstanding that I caused."
She then explained that it had been her who 'mistakenly' sent Davi to the bathroom that day. Without offering any more explanations, she disappeared after those words.
𓊖𓊖𓊖
A few hours later, Ember stood in front of the infirmary, restless, with her heart racing. She still couldn't shake the image of Davi being consumed by flames and how he had used his last strength to save her.
Finally, she entered. Davi was lying in bed, still a bit pale but sleeping peacefully, seemingly much better now.
And that was when she noticed something: his face, relaxed and serene, betrayed her. As much as she wanted to forget the embarrassment of him seeing her naked, she found herself calmly observing him. She noticed that his face seemed... handsome. Even more so when he was this vulnerable.
She couldn't help but observe how the features of his face appeared softer, almost gentle. The burns and injuries he had suffered were practically healed, and the faint glow of recovery gave him a mysterious air.
She moved closer to the bed, looking down at him, as if trying to find some flaw in that image. Yet, she couldn't find anything that wasn't attractive to her, and that bothered her. She didn't want to acknowledge the feeling that was beginning to grow inside her.
And, for a moment, she just stood there, watching. He looked so charming that her heart raced, and her cheeks flushed slightly. Could she be falling for him? No! Ember shook her head, pushing the thought away aggressively.
Then he finally opened his eyes. She felt her chest lighten, genuinely happy to be able to talk to this boy who was, in truth, a stranger to her.
"Finally awake, pervert?" Still, in an effort to negate her own feelings, her tone was a bit aggressive as she spoke to him for the first time.
"Sorry about that, but I've already explained that what happened was a…"
"Misunderstanding," she sighed, a hint of irritation in her voice. "I already know, the principal confirmed it was her who sent you there by mistake. Still, you're a pervert!" she shouted, as shame overtook her while she remembered what had happened.
"If you understand that, couldn't you forgive me, please?"
"Of course not," the girl said, playing hard to get, even though deep down she had already forgiven him. "A true gentleman would have blinded himself to avoid any chance of defiling an innocent lady."
"Don't you think you're overreacting?"
"Not at all. Besides, you're clearly a pervert!" she declared, pointing at the boy, then blushing once again. "Do you think I didn't notice how you were devouring my naked body with those indecent eyes of yours?"
"Well, I couldn't exactly avoid seeing what was right in front of me. Besides, I wasn't, uh…" Davi struggled to find an excuse for his actions, then finally came to a conclusion. "I wasn't staring at you lasciviously. It's just that… How do I put this? I was mesmerized by your beauty for a moment, so I couldn't look away."
The boy's response managed to make her blush even more, but it was a terrible attempt at defense. And with that, the jury found him guilty, condemned for the crime of being a pervert. The redhead declared that she would call him "pervert" forever because he was a lascivious beast.
"Wait, can't you forgive me? I'll do anything!" he tried pleading once again.
"I see," the girl smiled sweetly, then seemed to think deeply. With a playful grin, she said, "I'm impressed by your bravery, so in deference to that courage, I'll forgive this matter if you commit harakiri."
"Hold on, that's going way too far!"
"Well, the death penalty wouldn't be unexpected after violating the body of a noble like me, don't you agree? Besides, didn't you say you'd do anything?" She seemed to be genuinely enjoying herself.
"Anything but death!" Davi was desperate for her forgiveness; he needed the two of them to work together so he could pass on the test.
"Alright, since you saved my life and I'm being extremely benevolent, I'll let you off the hook as long as you agree to endure the same humiliation you subjected me to."
"So, you want to see me naked?" the boy asked, not understanding the girl's intent.
Ember turned as red as a tomato after things were put so bluntly. Even so, she nodded her head, embarrassed. She wouldn't ever admit it, but she really wanted to see the boy naked.
Without hesitating further, the boy stood up and quickly took off his clothes, revealing his body in full. The redhead was unconsciously captivated by his muscles, and seeing his well-defined abs made her desire him even more.
Her mind swirled with the urge to touch those muscles, to admire him up close. And before she could realize it, she was already less than a meter away from the boy, feeling the desire to get even closer.
Trying to mask her embarrassment and justify her actions, she commented in an arrogant and high-pitched voice.
"It's so tiny," she signaled its size with her fingers, and smiled provocatively. "I had to get closer to find it."
David wanted to protest, but before he had the chance to do so, his member decided to act on its own, rising firmly and hitting the girl's face as she came even closer.
Ember couldn't help but notice the strong scent of a man invading her senses, and her body reacted instinctively, a burning desire igniting within her.
For a moment, she pondered what to do as she edged closer, longing to touch him.
"Youngsters these days are so bold," a voice suddenly interrupted, making both of them freeze in their tracks.
Turning their attention to the source of the surprise, they saw a woman with an imposing smile who had appeared there out of nowhere.