Maricela and Spearhead were both torn—Soma was clearly serious about her decision, and if they didn’t act soon, she might leave… for good.

  After a long, tense silence, they came to the same desperate conclusion: they had to defeat her. No matter what it took. One of them had to win the duel—only then could they stop her from going through with it. But there was a catch: Soma wasn’t just skilled—she was born to fight. Beating her in a one-on-one match? Yeah, not exactly easy.

  So what now? Honestly… there was no other option.

  Maricela stepped forward, drawing her one-of-a-kind long blade, her eyes burning with determination. She knew the odds weren’t in her favor, but she still had to try. Her plan was simple: hold Soma off long enough to give Spearhead an advantage. If he could beat her, they could stop her together. His victory would be hers, too.

  She sprinted toward Soma, whispering a silent prayer for strength and hoping that this crazy gamble would work.

  Soma raised an eyebrow and smirked at the attack. She leapt lightly over Maricela’s head, landing gracefully behind her, and in a flash, pressed a small dagger against her friend’s neck. Game over? Not quite.

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  Maricela wasn’t going down that easily.

  Fueled by sheer will, she dodged at the last second, shocking Soma… and even Spearhead. Heck, even Theo—who didn’t know a thing about combat—was impressed. Maricela had just unlocked something new. Because that’s the thing about people: in the face of real danger, we often awaken powers we didn’t even know we had.

  Maricela launched a deadly counterattack and for a split second—it looked like she might win.

  But then Soma froze.

  That move… it looked exactly like the one that had killed her father.

  The memory slammed into her like a wave. Panic and grief swallowed her. Fueled by raw emotion, she twisted the blade out of Maricela’s hands and held her dagger to her face, rage consuming her completely. She wasn’t thinking anymore. She was just… reacting.

  And just like that—everything went black.

  Soma collapsed, unconscious. Her body had overheated from the stress and pressure of it all.

  Theo screamed and rushed to his sister’s side. She was crying and whispering things he couldn’t quite understand, reliving that awful night that stole their parents from them.

  Spearhead’s heart dropped. He ran to Soma and gently picked her up, carrying her to her room. Something about the scene—it reminded him way too much of the day they first met.

  Maricela, meanwhile, stood frozen in shock, tears in her eyes. She thought it was all her fault.

  To calm her down, Spearhead did the only thing he could. He sat her down and told her the full story—about Soma, about Theo, and the painful past they both carried.