As Elias and Lyra left the pastry shop, their laughter and joy were suddenly cut short by the sight of Adrian walking down the street, accompanied by a group of vampires. Elias tensed, his eyes narrowing as he spotted the potential threat.
Lyra, sensing the sudden shift in Elias's mood, gently tugged on his hand. "Elias, maybe we should go," she suggested, her voice tinged with worry.
But before they could make their escape, Adrian approached them, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. "Well, well, Lyra," he drawled, his eyes glinting with malice. "Why are you hanging out with these resistance guys again? Don't tell me you've developed a hatred for vampires."
Elias snapped back, his voice filled with rage. "She doesn't have to respond to you, you blood-sucking monster!"
The other vampires began to close in, their expressions twisted with anger at Elias's insult. Adrian's smile only grew wider, a cruel edge to his voice. "It seems someone needs to learn a lesson in respect."
Elias stood his ground, his fists clenched at his sides. "Bring it on," he growled, his essence aura beginning to flare around him.
Lyra's mind raced, memories of her detention from the Essence Tournament incident flooding back. She stepped forward, desperately trying to defuse the situation. "Guys, please, let's all just calm down," she pleaded, her voice trembling.
But her words fell on deaf ears as Elias and Adrian continued to trade barbs. "I've always been sick of the way you prey on young students," Elias spat, his essence aura growing stronger by the second.
Adrian laughed, a cold and mocking sound. "Oh, I see. You're just trying to look cool in front of your girlfriend, aren't you?" He glanced at Lyra, a wicked gleam in his eye.
Lyra felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment, but Elias's anger only seemed to intensify. With a sudden burst of energy, he unleashed his essence technique - wood creation. The ability to shape his essence into wooden weapons.
In a flash, Elias was holding a wooden sword in one hand and a stake in the other, his stance ready for battle. The vampires responded in kind, their own essence techniques crackling to life around them.
Lyra's heart pounded in her chest as she watched the scene unfold, fear and desperation clawing at her throat. She knew that a fight between Elias and the vampires could only end in disaster, and the thought of losing him, of losing anyone else she cared about, was too much to bear.
"Guys, please stop!" she cried, her voice breaking with emotion. "This isn't going to solve anything!"
But even as the words left her mouth, Lyra knew that it was too late. The battle lines had been drawn, and there was no turning back now.
As the first blows were exchanged, essence techniques clashing against each other in a dazzling display of power, Lyra could only watch in horror, her heart aching with the knowledge that she was powerless to stop the violence unfolding before her.
And as the fight raged on, the once peaceful streets of Ashborne City echoing with the sounds of battle, Lyra couldn't help but wonder how things had gone so wrong, so quickly.