I didn't do it! I swear! II

Quin knelt in front of Gabi, who was still weeping uncontrollably. "Ethan? Who is that?" He asked with a concerned expression.

Gabi's hand covered her face as she struggled to compose herself. "The hero I was assigned to," She whispered, her voice quivering.

Quin's eyes widened in shock. "You mean the kid with no magic?" He asked, a hint of disbelief in his voice.

Gabi nodded, her tears increasing in intensity. "It started five days ago," she said between sobs. "He had just come back from his night walks. I didn't think he'd be the kind to do something like that, but..."

She trailed off, unable to continue. Quin could see the pain and fear etched on her face, and his anger began to simmer.

"What did he do?" He asked, his voice low and dangerous.

"He told me to strip my clothes in front of him," Gabi whispered. "Saying he wanted me all to himself."

Quin's eyes blazed with fury as he listened to her story, while the rest of the heroes had disgusted looks on their faces.

"That's enough," He said, rising to his feet. "I'll take care of this!".

Quin was about to storm out of the room to confront Ethan when Aiko swiftly stepped in front of him, her face serious and stern.

"What are you doing? Didn't you hear what she said?!" Quin yelled at Aiko

"I did, and it sounded ridiculous! Does that story really make sense to you?" Aiko asked firmly, blocking Quin's path. "Are you sure that the girl is telling the truth? What if she's just trying to save her own skin?".

Quin, taken aback, shouted in frustration, "What are you talking about? That brat is probably sleeping soundly in his room. I need to teach him a lesson!".

Aiko calmly countered, "And what evidence do you have to support your claim?".

Quin hesitated for a moment, unable to provide an answer. Before he could respond, Gabi interrupted, her voice trembling with fear and anger.

"It's the truth!" She yelled. "He threatened me and said that if I didn't sleep with the Scythe hero, he'd make me pregnant!".

Aiko turned her attention to Gabi, her expression contorted with disgust. "Why would he ask you to do something so stupid?" She inquired.

Gabi's voice trailed off, leaving an awkward silence in the room. Bali spoke up unexpectedly, breaking the tension.

"Perhaps it is not entirely impossible," Bali suggested. "Ethan is the only one among us without magic, and he rarely speaks or trains with us. We don't really know much about the guy".

Quin immediately jumped on Bali's bandwagon, "Exactly! He's just jealous of my fame as the Death Duo! That no-good failure wanted to get back at me for being better than him!".

Aiko was taken aback by their accusations, "Can you even hear yourselves?" She asked incredulously. "This is Ethan we're talking about, why would he do such a thing?".

"Enough! I'll go ask him myself!" Quin shouted, pushing Aiko aside and storming out of the room, followed by the rest of the heroes.

Aiko was left alone in the room, frustrated and angry. She knew that they were jumping to conclusions without any solid evidence or proof.

As the door slammed shut, Aiko spun around and confronted Gabi, who was slowly rising from the ground.

"You little..." Aiko muttered, frustration boiling inside her. She summoned her magical power, blue light emanating from her open palm, as her sword materialized in her grip.

Aiko moved forward with her weapon raised, her rage pushing her to take action. She pinned Gabi against the wall, her hand gripping Gabi's throat tightly, while the sword's tip pressed against her stomach.

The room was silent, the only sounds being Gabi's ragged breathing and Aiko's deep breaths. Aiko's eyes blazed with anger and determination, as she interrogated Gabi with a fierce gaze.

"Why did you lie like that?" Aiko demanded, her voice firm and unwavering. "What do you stand to gain by falsely accusing Ethan like that?!".

Gabi's face contorted with fear, her eyes wide with terror. She struggled to catch her breath, her voice barely audible as she gasped for air.

"I swear …it's the truth!" Gabi choked out, her hands trembling in terror. "He threatened me, he said he would hurt me if I didn't do what he asked!".

Aiko's grip on Gabi's neck tightened, and she pushed the sword a little further into her gut, as she spoke with conviction, "I know that boy. He only ever cares about three things - food, sleep, and playing in the woods. He's not the kind of person who would blackmail someone."

Gabi choked on her words, but managed to gasp out, "You don't know him as well as I do. I'm his… priestess."

Aiko's eyes narrowed at Gabi's words. She wanted to believe her fellow hero, but the accusations against Ethan were too serious to take lightly. She released her grip on Gabi's neck, and the sword disappeared as she turned to leave the room.

Gabi fell to her knees, coughing and gasping for air. Her mind was spinning with confusion and fear. She had never seen Aiko so angry.

Aiko's eyes flashed with anger and disbelief as she turned to leave the room. Before she left, she gave Gabi a cold side-eye and spoke with a tone that sent shivers down Gabi's spine.

"Pray to the gods that it doesn't turn out you falsely accused him," Aiko said, her voice low and dangerous. "If it does, I will come back, and I'll have your head."

Gabi's eyes followed Aiko's stormy exit, her heart racing with a jolt of fear and confusion. As different thoughts roamed her mind, she could feel a knot forming in her stomach.

"Why is the Sword hero on to me?" Gabi muttered, her fingers anxiously gnawed upon. "Dammit... she might really make this difficult."

Left alone in the room, Gabi sat on the ground, lost in contemplation. The silence was punctuated only by the sound of her own breaths, echoing in the empty space.

Gabi knew that the Sword hero's suspicions could jeopardize her plans, and she needed to think fast to stay one step ahead of her. As she pondered her next move, a bead of sweat trickled down her forehead, underscoring the gravity of the situation.