Mark and Zara burst from the surface of the lake, water cascading off their bodies as they landed on the rocky shore. They both glanced around, expecting to find Opal lounging nearby maybe impatient, maybe teasing.
Instead, they were met with a nightmare.
Standing atop the water was a woman in a pink frilly tutu dress, her short pink bob swaying as she turned. Her bandaged eyes locked onto them like a predator catching sight of fresh prey.
She licked her fingers slowly and grinned. The grin spread far too wide across her face.
"Ohhh... are those hunks yours?" she cooed to Opal, her voice a syrupy blend of cheer and venom. "They'd make wonderful slaves. So many ways I could break them mmm, I'm getting ideas already."
Opal, bruised and bloody, smirked despite the pain.
"Trust me," she grunted, "you won't be able to beat them as easy as you beat me."
Rellana giggled, then pinched Opal's cheek mockingly.
"Oh, sweet girl. Your faith in your friends is so... precious." She raised her arm. "Crush her."
The golden serpent obeyed. Its massive coils constricted, bones cracked beneath its grip.
"HHHAAAAAAGGHHHH!!"
Opal's scream echoed across the lake.
Mark's body tensed the moment he heard it. His head snapped toward the sound
His expression darkened.
He saw her Opal, the girl who had shown him kindness when no one else had. A noble who never looked down on him. One of the very few he trusted.
And Mark didn't trust easily.
He had grown up in filth, in fear, with nothing but instinct and blood to guide him. Even in this new life, surrounded by polished halls and smiling masks, he knew what people were really like underneath.
So when he claimed someone as his whether friend, family, or otherwise he'd burn even kingdoms to protect them.
And right now, someone was hurting what was his.
BOOM.
A violent burst of air exploded behind him as Mark vanished in a blur.
He propelled himself forward using wind magic, accelerating so fast the ground cracked beneath where he once stood.
He summoned jagged rocks from beneath the shore, wrapping them tightly around his forearm like a gauntlet of raw earth.
Then he slammed it into the golden serpent holding Opal.
CRACK!
The serpent's body snapped in two, shards of golden magic splintering in the air. The coils released Opal, and Mark caught her mid fall.
Without a word, he spun around and dashed back toward Zara. He threw Opal gently into his friend's arms.
"Hold her. Stay back."
Zara barely caught her in time. Opal was barely conscious, her body limp and mangled from the crushing force. Blood dripped from her mouth, and her breaths were shallow.
"Damn it…" Zara muttered.
Mark turned back toward Rellana, his expression unreadable.
But his aura said everything.
She hurt what was his.
And now she had to die.
Mark shot across the water like a bullet, his fist wrapped in stone and rage. His target was clear: Rellana.
But the moment she saw him coming, her twisted smile warped into a horrid frown. She pointed at him like a spoiled child denied a toy.
"He took mommy's toy… KILL HIM!" she shrieked.
The last remaining golden serpent opened its maw wide, swallowing Mark whole as he rushed in.
"Hahaha! Was it really that easy?" Rellana laughed, spinning toward the battered Opal. "You see that, my dear? Your friend is dead! Hahahaha!"
SHING!!!
Suddenly, a massive spike of earth burst from inside the serpent, slicing through its shimmering body like butter.
Mark exploded out of the carcass mid-dash, water and gore dripping off him, his eyes still locked on Rellana.
"W-What?!" Rellana gasped, her voice cracking. "What is this guy's deal?!"
She clapped her hands together. A circle of glowing glyphs appeared behind her.
Then ROOOOAAAAARRRR!!
A golden tiger the size of a castle materialized behind her, its claws made of polished gold and eyes glowing with malevolence.
"Kill h...."
BAM!!!
Mark's stone coated fist slammed into Rellana's stomach before she could finish.
Her body folded over his arm from the impact and was launched backward, spinning through the air like a rag doll.
She crashed face first into the lake's surface with a sickening splash.
When she rose soaked and seething the bandages fell from her eyes, revealing irises of swirling gold and black. A snake coiled around a blooming rose, tattooed like a curse into her pupils.
"You insolent little brat! Don't you have any respect?!" she screamed, mascara running down her face like melting tar.
Mark didn't answer.
Instead, he flicked his wrist, conjuring a deep blue fireball and hurled it at the massive golden tiger behind her.
The fireball struck the beast in the chest and the entire summon disintegrated into ash.
Mark hovered above the water, eyes locked onto Rellana with cold disdain.
"Does that answer your question?" he said, voice steady, face unreadable.
Rellana screeched in pure fury.
"RRRRRAAAAAHHH!!! GOLD MAGIC: GOLDEN SERPENT SWARM!"
From every direction, thousands of golden serpents surged toward Mark, their fangs bared and magic pulsing in their veins.
Mark didn't flinch.
He didn't even look impressed.
With one hand, he raised his arm toward the sky.
"...Tch."
From above, a storm of fire arrows rained down. Each serpent that dared approach him was incinerated, reduced to glittering dust before it could reach him.
Rellana's face twisted in disgust.
"Brat! DIE! DIE! DIE!!! DIIIIIIE!!!"
In a final desperate move, she summoned one last serpent this one from beneath him.
It shot upward and bit down on his arm, the bones audibly snapping.
Mark didn't scream.
He didn't even grunt.
Instead, he grabbed the serpent with his other hand and incinerated it on the spot, flames crawling across its golden scales until nothing remained but smoke.
"Hahahaha! I caught you!" Rellana shrieked, pointing at Mark's broken arm, her voice bordering on unhinged. "Look at you, your arm's useless now! Hahaha!"
She raised her hands, spinning in glee.
"Earth Magic: Stone Dragon Prison!"
Two massive Chinese style stone dragons slithered out of the ground, twisting together until they formed a dense sphere of jagged scales and ancient stone around her a self made fortress.
But even sealed inside, her laughter echoed through the cracks.
"You think this will trap me?!" she cackled manically, slamming her fists against the inside of the stone prison. "I'm from the prestigious Gemini family! If it weren't for those damned OPAL family rats, I'd be beside the prince!"
Her voice cracked as she giggled like a madwoman, spinning in place.
"I would've been his wife! I would've had everything! Power! Glory! Status! It was MINE!"
Mark hovered nearby, his broken arm hanging at his side, his expression calm unshaken by her breakdown.
He turned slightly, glancing back at Opal, who was still resting in Zara's arms, bruised and bloodied.
"Yo, Opal… what's the deal between your families?" Mark asked, his voice casual despite the chaos.
Opal coughed hard, blood touching the edge of her lips. Her body trembled, but she tried to sit up.
"I… I don't know," she rasped.
Inside the prison, Rellana's voice exploded.
"YOU DON'T KNOW?! YOU DON'T KNOW?!"
Her fists slammed against the stone so hard the prison cracked slightly.
"Your WHORE of a sister seduced the prince!" she screamed. "She twisted him! Stole his love! Then she convinced him to give MY FAMILY'S noble title to YOURS!
"**You Opals you took EVERYTHING from me! EVERYTHING!!"
Her voice trembled now, not just with rage but with heartbreak. It wasn't just envy it was grief wrapped in delusion.
Mark stood in silence for a long moment, eyes narrowed, jaw clenched.
He could hear it in her voice the rawness, the desperation. As twisted as she was, she truly believed what she was saying. But with how manic she acted, how cruel she was, how obsessed with status and revenge it was clear to him: she wasn't right in the head.
Maybe there was truth buried in her story.
But whatever it was, it had long been distorted into madness.
Mark said nothing more. He simply turned away.
And left Rellana to scream and unravel within her new prison.
Mark held out his broken arm, his expression unreadable.
Then he surged mana into it.
Veins glowed faintly beneath his skin as bone snapped, cracked, and reformed in an instant. Muscles twisted, sinew reknit, and bruises faded. The arm twitched violently but within seconds, it was whole again.
Not even a scar remained.
Mark turned and walked over to where Zara held Opal. She was breathing shallowly, her body bruised and limp from the serpent's crushing grip.
Without a word, he placed two fingers on her forehead and began channeling mana into her.
A soft hum filled the air.
"Hhhrrgh..." Opal groaned, her body twitching from the sudden healing surge. The pain flared briefly, but the relief that followed was instant.
A gentle green glow wrapped around her, like petals blooming around a wound. Torn skin mended, bones aligned, and bruises faded away. Her color returned. Her breathing steadied.
When it was done, she slowly pushed herself out of Zara's arms, now standing on her own. She blinked once, then looked up at Mark with a soft, grateful smile.
"Yeah… I'm good," she said gently. "Thanks to you."
Mark gave a small nod.
Zara, still standing nearby, crossed his arms but couldn't help glancing between the two of them. His brows furrowed slightly.
That was… a lot.
A few minutes ago, Mark was the quiet, chill guy who smiled and cracked jokes like a good boy from the countryside. Now?
Brutal killer. One man army. Healing mage.
Zara's eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"From goody two shoes… to hardened killer… huh. You're full of surprises, Mark."
He didn't say it out loud but he didn't need to.
Mark had revealed another layer of himself today.
And Zara wasn't sure if that was comforting… or terrifying.