Chapter 94: Avenge
The Nightshade Runner tore through the streets of Nocturnia, the twin moons casting an ethereal glow over the city. Lyra clung tightly to Elias, her arms wrapped around his waist, feeling the raw warmth of his body through his jacket. But beneath that warmth, the shuddering remnants of the Euphoria tonic's effects still wracked his system.
Elias's voice was raw and hoarse when he spoke. "Thank you, Lyra. You saved my life tonight."
Lyra tightened her hold on him, her emotions threatening to spill over. "You'd do the same for me, Elias. You know that."
They reached the resistance hideout at Ashborne Academy just as the first light of dawn started to tinge the sky. Elias stumbled as he crossed the threshold. His strength finally giving out, he collapsed into Lyra's arms.
"Help!" Lyra cried out, panic rising in her throat. "Elias needs help!"
Resistance members swarmed around them, medics taking Elias from Lyra's arms and rushing him to the infirmary. Lyra followed close behind, refusing to leave his side.
Cherry burst into the room, her eyes wide with concern. "What happened? Did you get the information?"
Lyra, seated next to Elias's bed, looked up at Cherry with exhausted eyes. "The mission was successful. We got the sample. But Elias... he had to drink the tonic. They called it Euphoria."
She tossed the vial the man had given them to Cherry, who caught it deftly. Cherry turned to one of the resistance members. "Get this to the lab for analysis immediately."
Cherry turned back to Lyra, her expression softening. "I can't thank you enough, Lyra. What you did tonight... the risk you took..."
One of the medics approached, his face a mix of awe and disbelief. "It's incredible. By all accounts, the Euphoria tonic should have been fatal. But the antidote Lyra administered on the spot... it saved his life. Without it, he would have been dead hours ago."
Cherry's gaze locked with Lyra's, a newfound respect and appreciation shining in her eyes. In that moment, she realized that Lyra's talents, her quick thinking and alchemical prowess, could be the key to taking down the Nightfall Mafia and ending the scourge of the Euphoria tonic once and for all.
As Lyra sat by Elias's bedside, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest, she felt a newfound determination settle over her. The Nightfall Mafia had taken so much from her already - her parents, her sense of safety, her innocence. But they would not take Elias. They would not win.
With Elias's hand clasped tightly in hers, Lyra made a silent vow. She would use every ounce of her knowledge, every shred of her power, to bring the Nightfall Mafia to justice. She would avenge her parents. She would protect the innocent. And she would do it all with Elias by her side.
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