Chapter 253: Tight
AN: Content note: This Chapter contains thes of grief, trauma, and self-harm ideation.
Theo is running downstairs. He does not even bother with the elevator. He takes the ergency stairs and flies down six floors, feet barely touching the steps as he descends.
Maeve is struggling to follow.
Sothing or soone is screaming for help.
And he hears it.
The mont the scream reaches him, he knows.
It is Alicia.
There is no doubt in his mind.
He promised Alex that he would help his little sister.
And Theo intends to keep that promise.
The scream he heard was not just a scream. It was a scream from the soul. The kind of scream that erupts when soone reaches the end of their road.
A scream that cos right before soone hurts themselves.
He reaches the ground floor and rushes toward the entrance. The commotion grows louder with every step.
People are shouting.
Voices overlapping.
The sounds of fighting beco clearer and clearer as he gets closer.
The sharp impact of bodies colliding.
The scrape of shoes against concrete.
Theo also sees flashes of light.
He frowns.
Flashes of light?
As he gets closer, he realizes the dia has not truly left. So reporters are still camping outside the entrance, capturing the fight unfolding before them.
Those flashes are from their cara flashes.
Of course.
They would not miss this.
I need to stop this before it escalates even more.
Theo slows his running and rolls his wrist slightly.
Lightning crackles softly along his fingers, subtle but precise.
The caras spark.
Die.
Loud shocked gasps erupt among the reporters.
"What’s wrong with my cara?"
"My cara is broken?"
"Huh? What’s going on? Why can’t I take pictures anymore?"
"It’s not working!"
Theo smiles faintly, satisfied.
Good.
He steps fully into the entrance area and takes in the scene.
Several Sentinels stationed at the entrance are fighting Alicia.
She has a kitchen knife in her hand.
The Sentinels are fighting hard to incapacitate her without harming her.
This is the real world.
People do not go around killing others here, not even in the na of self defense. Especially not Sentinels.
They are highly trained individuals, specialized in fighting haelions inside dungeons. Fighting humans should be easy for them.
But the laws governing Sentinels outside dungeons are strict.
Under no circumstances are they to harm other humans, let alone engage in lethal combat.
Which puts them in a dilemma right now.
They were tasked to guard the entrance and prevent anyone from trespassing.
They cannot let her through.
But they also cannot seriously injure her.
Now there is a human forcing her way in, ard with a knife, and they are not supposed to harm her.
At first, they did not know Alicia is also a Sentinel.
They did not recognize her.
But as they fought, they began to realize her movents are too controlled, too powerful, too precise to belong to a regular civilian who simply knows how to throw a punch.
Her footwork is disciplined.
Her strikes are efficient.
Her reactions are trained.
Once they notice that the trespasser is also a Sentinel, they stop holding back.
But even then, they still have not managed to disarm her.
Theo frowns.
He knows how to fight, sure.
But in Thea’s body, fighting a Sentinel who is clearly more powerful than the Sentinels stationed here?
Not a chance.
He is about to use his magic again.
When a shadow brushes past him and inserts himself directly into the fight.
------------------------------
Liam sees Theo pass the elevator and head straight for the ergency stairs.
He does not hesitate.
He follows her.
"Find out where she’s going and take the elevator to that floor," he tells Julian quickly.
As he flies down the stairs after Theo, his steps controlled but fast, Julian’s voice cos through the comms.
"There’s a commotion at the entrance," Julian reports. "I think she’s heading there."
Julian is already inside the elevator, descending rapidly toward the ground floor.
He continues relaying information as the situation unfolds.
"Sentinels are engaged. Soone is forcing entry. Looks violent."
By the ti Liam reaches the ground floor, only a few seconds behind Theo, he already understands what is happening.
No ti to think.
Priorities first.
Disarm the assailant.
Protect Theo.
He sees Theo slow her pace instead of charging forward.
He nods in quiet satisfaction.
Good.
She is not rushing head first into chaos.
That makes his job easier.
He also notices the sudden failure of the caras.
The flashes stop mid burst.
Reporters shout in confusion.
He glances at Theo’s hand.
Lightning residue fades from her fingers.
He chuckles under his breath.
Another thumbs up for Thea.
She is very mature for her age.
He then sees her pause, observing the fight instead of interfering imdiately.
She is thinking.
Calculating the cleanest way to break the fight without injuring anyone.
She should rember that she is not alone.
Liam brushes past Theo in a blur of movent and steps directly into the fight.
He intercepts a punch ant for one of the Sentinels.
Blocks it.
Redirects it.
With his other hand, he pushes two Sentinels aside, creating space.
"I’ll take her."
Not arrogance.
Assessnt.
The Sentinels guarding the entrance are capable.
But they are not capable of handling this opponent.
They are on different levels.
Liam has already analyzed the assailant’s movents.
He needs only a few seconds to understand.
This person is highly trained.
Disciplined.
Efficient.
Not emotional flailing.
Skill.
The Sentinels recognize Liam imdiately.
No Monfort Sentinel fails to recognize the number one Sentinel in Concordia.
And that Sentinel happens to be their young master.
They step back at once, shifting to periter control and securing the area.
They give Liam the space he needs to subdue the ard attacker.
Liam blocks several rapid strikes in succession.
Sharp.
Precise.
His eyes widen slightly.
Chief Lutherford.
No wonder the red hair felt familiar.
Now that he knows who he is fighting, his movents beco even more asured.
He adjusts.
His main objective becos clear.
Get the knife out of her hand.
But after several clean exchanges, Alicia is still holding the knife.
Tight.
Too tight.
Her grip is unnatural.
Liam frowns.
This is not normal.
------------------------------
anwhile, Arthur, Julian, Maeve, and Claudia arrive at the entrance.
They take in the chaos in seconds.
Arthur steps beside Theo.
"What’s going on?" he asks.
Theo answers quickly, eyes never leaving the fight. "It’s Alicia. She’s looking for help."
"By fighting?" Arthur raises his eyebrows.
"I don’t think she realizes she’s holding a knife and trying to force her way in. The Sentinels only saw soone ard and trespassing," Theo explains, voice tight but controlled.
Arthur exhales slowly.
"You’re right."
He glances at Theo.
"And I hate to say this, but we should’ve stayed."
Theo looks back at him.
Regret flashes across his face.
"Yeah. You’re right."
There is no argunt.
They both know it.
They turn their attention back to the fight.
It takes Liam less than ten minutes to subdue Alicia.
Ten long minutes of precise counters and controlled force.
He finally manages to secure her from behind, locking her arms tightly against her sides.
When Theo sees Alicia restrained, he instinctively steps forward.
Arthur grabs his arm.
Maeve grips his other wrist.
"Wait," Maeve whispers.
Arthur steps out instead and cautiously approaches Alicia, attempting to pry the knife from her hand.
But Alicia suddenly uses Liam’s hold as leverage.
She jumps.
Both legs swing upward in a sharp motion.
She aims to kick Arthur.
"Little Ali!"
The na slices through the noise.
Alicia freezes.
Both legs suspended mid air.
For a split second, ti feels suspended with her.
Liam feels the fight drain from her body.
He lowers her carefully back to the ground.
She stands again on both feet.
He still keeps her arms locked from behind.
Arthur stands in front of her now.
He no longer reaches for the knife.
Around them, the crowd continues shouting.
But the words shift.
Most of them are reporters.
They are demanding answers.
"What is happening?"
"Is that Chief Lutherford?"
"Why is she attacking?"
"Rhaenas! Say sothing!"
Rhaenas ignores all of it.
Their focus narrows to Alicia.
Theo steps forward slowly.
Carefully.
One palm raised toward her.
The other hand open, facing upward.
"Little Ali," he says softly. "Please calm down."
"Please give
the knife. You don’t need it anymore."
Alicia looks at him like a mad woman.
Her eyes are shining.
Not with clarity.
With fracture.
With sothing broken and burning inside.
But then she truly looks at him.
Stares.
Her fingers tighten around the knife.
Her knuckles turn white.
The grip is so tight it trembles.
Liam feels the tremor through her arms.
He does not understand why she is shaking.
Arthur sees her clench her teeth so hard her jaw quivers.
He does not understand why either.
No one knows that Alicia is trying to speak.
Her grief.
Her hallucinations.
Her exhaustion.
Her pain.
All colliding inside her mind, clouding everything.
She forces air through her throat.
"Alex."
The word cos out twisted.
Barely audible.
Broken.
And then her body gives out.
She collapses.
Still gripping the knife.
Tight.
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