章 61: Neck Tattoo
Elias struggled to his feet, his body aching from the force of Luciano's attack. But to everyone's surprise, he was far from beaten. Adrian's eyes widened in realization, a grudging respect flickering across his face.
"Ah, so you've been working on your combat foundations," he mused, his voice filled with a mix of annoyance and admiration. "Rendan, the basic essence foundational technique of wrapping your body in defensive essence energy to reduce damage. Impressive."
Elias gritted his teeth, his eyes blazing with determination. Without a word, he summoned his essence once more, his wooden crossbow taking shape in his hands. With lightning speed, he fired off several wooden stakes at Adrian, the projectiles whistling through the air like deadly arrows.
Adrian managed to dodge two of the stakes, his vampire reflexes allowing him to twist and weave out of harm's way. But the third found its mark, burying itself deep in his knee with a sickening thud. Normally, such a wound would have been little more than an inconvenience for a vampire of Adrian's power, but Elias's specialized technique had weakened him, making the injury far more painful and debilitating than it should have been.
Adrian stumbled back, his face contorted in a mix of pain and rage. He had never seen Elias so serious, so focused and determined. For the first time, he began to wonder if he had underestimated the young alchemist.
But before Adrian could retaliate, Luciano stepped forward, his presence commanding attention and respect. "Enough," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "You're embarrassing our mafia with this petty display."
Adrian bristled at the reprimand, his pride wounded by Luciano's words. He opened his mouth to argue, to assert his dominance, but Luciano cut him off with a sharp glare.
"I said, enough," he repeated, his voice filled with a quiet menace. "I will take care of this myself."
Lyra, sensing that the situation was spiraling out of control, reached for her small battle alchemy pouch, her fingers trembling as she prepared to defend herself and Elias. But before she could act, Elias stepped in front of her, his body a shield between her and the vampires.
"Lyra, stay behind me," he warned, his voice filled with a fierce protectiveness.
Adrian, realizing that things were getting too serious for a public setting, held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Alright, alright," he said, his voice filled with a forced calm. "Let's all just take a step back. This isn't a good look for the mafia, and we don't want to draw any more attention than we already have."
Luciano hesitated for a moment, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. But finally, he nodded, his posture relaxing ever so slightly. "Fine," he said, his voice filled with a grudging acceptance. "But don't think this is over, alchemist. We'll settle this another time."
As the vampires turned to leave, Lyra's eyes widened in shock and recognition. There, on the back of Luciano's neck, was a tattoo that she had seen before - a tattoo that matched the one worn by Nervana, the ice vampire who had attacked her parents a year ago.
Lyra's heart raced with a mix of fear and anger, her mind reeling with the implications of this new discovery. But before she could say anything, Elias took her hand, his touch gentle but firm.
"Come on," he said, his voice low and urgent. "We need to get out of here, before they change their minds."
And with that, the two young alchemists fled, their hearts pounding with the knowledge that their fight was far from over. For in the shadows of Ashborne City, a new enemy had emerged - one with ties to a past that Lyra had thought long buried, but that now threatened to consume her once more.
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