Elizabeth's heart pounded as she and Peter crept closer to the battle. The air was thick with tension, the crackling sound of flames from Mr. Gustavo's hands echoing through the unfinished concrete skeleton of the construction site.
Alex stood in the middle, blood streaking his face, his breathing labored. He looked exhausted but he was still on his feet, defiant as ever.
"We need to move fast," Peter whispered, his fists clenching. "If my father keeps this up, Alex won't last much longer."
Elizabeth nodded, her thoughts racing. She had no powers left to offer, no icy shield to protect him but she couldn't just stand by and watch. Not when Alex was fighting alone.
Just as they prepared to rush forward, a cold voice cut through the night.
"I wouldn't take another step if I were you."
Both of them froze.
From the shadows, several figures emerged, their silhouettes sharp against the moonlit sky. At the front stood the Dean, his expression as calm as ever. His hands were tucked behind his back, but there was an air of quiet menace around him, a reminder that his power wasn't physical but far more dangerous.
Elizabeth stiffened. She had wanted to confront her father, to stop him but she hadn't anticipated the Dean's involvement.
Peter, however, wasn't one to back down. "Out of the way, old man," he snapped, his body tensed and ready to fight.
The Dean tilted his head, the faintest smirk playing at his lips. "Such reckless confidence," he mused. "But you misunderstand the situation. You are not in control here."
At his signal, more figures emerged from the unfinished scaffolding—masked and armed. They spread out, cutting off every potential escape route. Elizabeth's stomach twisted. They have been surrounded.
Peter swore under his breath. "This is bad," he muttered.
Elizabeth took a slow breath, forcing herself to stay calm. "Why are you doing this?" she demanded, glaring at the Dean. "You're supposed to be our teacher. Why are you helping them?"
The Dean's eyes sharpened at her question, though his face remained impassive. "You see, they understand the bigger picture," he said smoothly. "Alex is a threat, one that cannot be left unchecked. And whether you realize it or not, you stand at a crossroads, Elizabeth. You could still choose the right side."
"I've already made my choice," she said coldly, stepping in front of Peter. "And it's not with you or him or any of them."
For the first time, the Dean's composed mask slipped, revealing a flicker of disappointment. "Foolish," he murmured. "Sentiment always clouds judgment."
Elizabeth's fingers curled into fists at her sides. She had spent years obeying people like him—people who thought they had the right to decide her future. But not anymore.
Peter shifted beside her, his body tense. "So what now?" he challenged. "You gonna talk us to death, or are we actually doing this?"
The Dean smiled faintly. "Impatient as ever." He lifted his hand. "Restrain them."
The figures moved instantly.
Peter reacted first. With a sharp twist, he ducked beneath the arm of the nearest attacker, driving his elbow into their ribs before spinning and kicking them backward.
"Stay close!" he barked at Elizabeth.
She didn't need to be told twice. Without her powers, she was vulnerable but she refused to be a burden. She dodged a strike aimed at her head, sweeping low to trip one of the masked figures while Peter held the others at bay with bursts of flame.
But there were too many of them. For every one Peter knocked down, two more took their place. And through it all, the Dean stood watching, unmoved.
Elizabeth's pulse thundered in her ears. They had to get to Alex. He couldn't fight both Mr. Gustavo and these reinforcements alone, not for much longer.
Peter blasted another wave of fire, forcing a few attackers to retreat, but his breath was already coming faster. He wouldn't be able to hold them off indefinitely.
And then, to her horror, she heard a pained cry from the center of the construction site.
Alex.
He had dropped to one knee, barely blocking a flaming strike from Mr. Gustavo's relentless assault. His face was pale, his hands trembling.
"No—" Elizabeth tried to push forward, but strong hands grabbed her shoulders, dragging her back. She struggled, kicking and twisting, but the grip was unyielding.
The Dean approached, his expression cold and pitiless. "You had your chance to stand with us," he said softly. "Now, you will watch as everything you care about burns."
Elizabeth glared up at him, her voice trembling with fury. "You'll regret this."
To her surprise, the Dean's smile returned—calm, patient, and infinitely dangerous.
"I never regret a thing."
A chill ran down Elizabeth's spine as the Dean's words echoed in her ears. Helplessness clawed at her, a bitter reminder that without her powers, she was nothing against them. And yet, as she watched Alex kneeling in the dirt, wounded and exhausted—a fire ignited deep within her.
She couldn't lose him.
Not like this.
Peter's flames crackled beside her, but even he was slowing down. The masked figures pressed closer, their movements cold and mechanical. The Dean remained still, his confidence unshaken as if everything was already decided.
A memory surfaced, faint and distant—of her mother's voice on a cold winter night. "Theheartisthekey, Elizabeth. Power isn't just about strength—it'saboutwill. Wheneverythingelse isgone, onlyyourwillremains."
Her will.
Her choice.
Elizabeth closed her eyes, breathing deep despite the chaos around her. A familiar, icy sensation stirred deep inside—a spark she thought had died. But it was still there, faint but fierce, refusing to be snuffed out.
If only for once.
She opened her eyes.
The air around her grew cold. Frost crept across the ground beneath her feet. Her heart pounded as a sharp wave of power surged through her veins, raw and untamed.
The masked figures flinched back as a glimmering frost spread outward in jagged, crystalline spikes.
Peter, wide-eyed, glanced at her. "Elizabeth, you are not supposed to be doing this! You will die!"
Without saying a word to him, she released the power in a blinding surge. Ice erupted from her fingertips, freezing everything in its path. The masked figures staggered as frost crawled up their legs, trapping them in place. The icy blast struck the Dean next, encasing him in a thick, glittering prison before he could react.
For the first time, his composure broke. His mouth twisted in shock as the frost wrapped around him, sealing him in a solid block of ice.
The entire construction site shimmered with frost, the biting chill stealing the warmth from the air.
But Elizabeth didn't stop.
Her legs trembled as she forced herself forward, heart racing as she broke through the frozen battlefield and sprinted toward Alex.
He was still on one knee, his face pale and bruised, as Mr. Gustavo raised one last, blazing strike to finish him off.
'I won't let you die!'
Before she knew it, her body moved on its own. She flung herself between them just as Mr. Gustavo's fire exploded toward Alex.
The searing flames struck her square in the chest.
Pain, hot and agonizing ripped through her body. It burned deeper than anything she had ever known, tearing through her already weakened frame. She gasped, choking on the heat as her vision blurred.
"Elizabeth!"
Alex's voice cut through the haze, filled with raw panic. She felt his arms catch her as her legs gave out beneath her.
Peter's flames flared behind them as he forced back the remaining attackers, but Elizabeth barely noticed. Her world was heat and pain—until, slowly, the fire faded, leaving her cold and trembling in Alex's grasp.
"Why?" Alex's voice trembled as he held her. "Why did you—?"
She managed a weak smile, even as the pain throbbed through every nerve. "I… couldn't let you die," she whispered.
His grip on her tightened, and for a fleeting moment, his usual guarded expression cracked, revealing something vulnerable.
"You're an idiot," he muttered, though his voice shook.
Elizabeth coughed softly, feeling the weight of exhaustion pulling her under. The ice she had summoned was already fading, it was the last spark of her power and it had been spent but then, she didn't care.
She had saved him and that was enough for her.