"Sally!"
"That's... Maldo's voice." She slowly raised her head to see Daniel holding his gun at the end of the courtyard, with Maldo standing next to him, looking terrified.
Enzo went mad when he saw Maldo. He ran violently toward his weapon, but Maldo raised his hand for the first time and used his magic...
In an instant, a mysterious force shot out from his palm, invisible to the eye, and sent Enzo's body flying high into the air, crashing into the wall of the courtyard with a loud bang.
Daniel's eyes fluttered for a moment, narrowing in disgust and surprise as he watched what Maldo had done. He didn't understand how it happened or what the secret of this power was, but he suppressed his curiosity and rushed immediately toward Enzo.
As for Maldo, he knelt beside Sally and gently held her. Her eyes were half-closed, and blood had soaked the ground beneath her.
"Sally... hold on, I'm here. I've come," he said tenderly.
She slowly opened her eyes and scanned his body first, as she always did, then whispered with a faint smile:
"That's good... you're not hurt."
"Don't worry, Mr. Daniel will treat you... just rest." He replied lightly as he stroked her hair.
Meanwhile, Daniel had reached Enzo, and as soon as he stood in front of him, he kicked him hard in the head.
"You bastard... How dare you kidnap a little girl and do this to her?!" he roared with rage.
Enzo laughed maliciously as he wiped the blood from his mouth:
"This is none of your business, Daniel... What I want is to settle things with that bastard Maldo!"
Daniel grabbed his shirt collar tightly and shouted:
"It is my business, you bastard! Last time it was Maldo... Now it's Sally. Are you a child hunter or what?!"
But Enzo didn't care. He lunged at Daniel with his head, colliding with him violently. Daniel took a step back, clutching his head, trying to regain his balance.
It was only a moment before Enzo spotted the gun strapped to Daniel's belt. Before Daniel could regain his balance, he pounced on him with the agility of a hungry wolf and snatched the gun from his grip. He raised it quickly, the muzzle pointing directly at Maldo's chest.
Maldo saw his hand move at the last moment.
Damn it!
Daniel wanted to stop him, but it was too late.
Bang!
The bullet was fired.
In a split second, before it reached its target, Sally threw herself forward with her frail body. She embraced Maldo with all her strength, so that the bullet would hit her chest instead of his.
She gasped harshly, and blood spurted from her mouth, splattering Maldo's shoulder.
He froze in place, his eyes wide and shock written all over his face. He shook his head violently, screaming as if refusing to believe what had happened.
"No... no... no!"
He grabbed her trembling arms and turned her to face him.
Maldo pressed both hands against the wound, his fingers trembling as hot blood spilled from Sally's chest.
"Sally... please stay with me! Please!" he said.
He raised his head toward the void, screaming madly.
"Luca! Help me... where are you?!"
A thin wisp of smoke rose from his shoulder, and Luca appeared among its strands, his features stunned, unable to believe what he was seeing.
"Damn... What happened here?" he whispered in a choked voice.
Maldo grabbed his shoulders, his eyes teary and his voice desperate:
"Luca, please... save her! Do something, the bleeding won't stop... she'll die like this!"
But Luca remained silent for a moment, then said.
"I wish... I wish I could do something... but it's impossible, Maldo."
Daniel stood with a tense, pale face. In a moment of internal explosion, he vented his anger with a thunderous punch to Enzo's face, knocking him to the ground, and then rushed towards Maldo.
When he got closer and saw the blood flooding Sally's chest, he froze in place, his fists trembling. He muttered to himself, curses rushing through his head.
Damn it... I can't save her... Damn it!
He clenched his teeth tightly so as not to let out a cry, trying to hide the harsh truth so as not to break Maldo down even more.
Maldo raised his head, his eyes pleading.
"Daniel... please..."
But Daniel found no answer in his heart. His silence was heavier than any words, and his eyes spoke for him, filled with sorrow and helplessness.
All he did was turn his face away for a moment, hiding the harsh reality, before returning to look at them with eyes full of sadness.
Slowly, Sally opened her tired eyes. Her trembling hand rose to touch Maldo's cheek, her cold fingers quivering on his skin.
She smiled despite the pain that split her in two.
"You're okay... that's good..." she whispered, her breath coming in gasps.
His tears fell on her hand as he held it tightly, his voice trembling:
"Why did you protect me?! You should have let it hit me!"
"Because I want this... I hate to see you suffer... I want you to smile... always and forever," she replied in a tired but sincere voice.
He leaned over her, almost unable to believe what he was hearing, whispering through his tears.
"I promised you we would leave together... so please hold on, don't leave me now!"
Tears flooded his face, mixing with her blood, and then she cried too.
Sally's voice trembled as she whispered intermittently, her breath slowly escaping:
"I'm sorry... I can't take it anymore. But let me tell you something, Maldo..."
You will always find me with you... When you see the rain, when you look at the moon, when you glimpse those beautiful stars... and also, when you see the phoenix. So, please, leave this place... only then will my wish come true.
"Sally..." He shook his head as he whispered.
She continued, resisting her fatigue.
"I'm glad I knew you... Thanks to you, I learned that life can be happy. You gave my life meaning."
Maldo held her close to his chest and felt the coldness of her body seep into his skin.
"I can't live without you..."
She hugged him back weakly, her fingers fading over his back, afraid to let go of the last moment, then raised her head toward the ceiling with glassy eyes.
A hot tear fell on his shoulder, and she smiled wearily.
"Do you see the stars? They seem to be smiling tonight..."
Although they were in a closed space with no view of the sky, her words came out as if she could see something only he could not.
Then her hands slowly slipped down, her head leaning on his shoulder, to rest completely in his arms.
Ahh... No... No... No! Sally... Sally!" Maldo's voice burst out, trembling, breathless.
His trembling fingers felt her cold features, running them over her cheek and lips, searching for remnants of warmth. His cries pierced the courtyard.
"Damn it... Why?! It's my fault... It's my fault!" he said.
Then he wrapped his arms around her in a desperate embrace, pressing her to his chest, afraid that death would take what was left of her. He whispered.
"She's gone... Luca... She's gone."
Luca stood on his shoulder, unusually still, his eyes filled with shock and helplessness, while Daniel remained in place, silent, unable to say a word. The scene was greater than any words could describe.
All that filled the square was Maldo's crying and the echo of his voice repeating her name over and over.
At that moment, Enzo's voice rose, his maniacal laughter echoing around the courtyard as he pounded the ground violently with his fist.
His laughter made Maldo stop crying. His features changed completely, becoming pale and terrifying, more frightening than ever.
His eyes never left Enzo for a moment, staring at him with a stare that seemed to embody the wrath of the entire universe.
"Luca! Make him taste hell!" Maldo ordered in a voice choked with rage and severity.
"I will!" replied Luca, his eyes red as burning embers.
A mysterious aura emanated from his invisible body, and even the guards at the gate felt it despite their distance, trembling at its effect.
Despite his usual calmness and coolness, the arena was filled with suffocating heat. Luca began to walk steadily toward Enzo, then raised his hand and clapped once.
The arena was suddenly engulfed in flames, which consumed and ignited every corner around them, filling the place with unbearable heat.
"What is this... what's happening?" Enzo muttered in confusion, his body trembling involuntarily.
But he trembled even more when he met Luca's red eyes directly, a feeling of utter fear overwhelming him.
Luca grabbed his face with one hand.
"Go to hell, you bastard!" he said.
Then fire burst from his palm, completely engulfing Enzo's face. He screamed and writhed on the ground.
"What's happening?! What are my eyes seeing?!" Daniel muttered, his features contorted with shock.
Everything around him was collapsing in a scene beyond comprehension, events whose source he did not understand, yet deep down he was certain that Maldo was the epicenter of this earthquake.
Maldo bent down slightly, his trembling hand gently wiping Sally's forehead, then slowly stood up, his stature straightening like a heavy shadow in the heart of the flames, his eyes fixed on Enzo, never leaving him.
"Luca... go and take care of Sally. It's my turn now," he said.