Chapter 25: Choice

Evelyn stopped running, relieved to see Collins lying unconscious on the ground. She pointed toward Number Three, her voice firm. "Take him to a safe place. Restrain him. Do not let him escape." She turned to Number Two, "Go and help Vivian in any way you can."

Both nodded in understanding. Number Three lifted Collins' limp form onto his shoulder and sprinted away, while Number Two dashed in the direction where Vivian was last seen. Evelyn let out a huge sigh of relief. "Finally, some peace," she muttered to herself. "I have to find Elena." Drawing on her training, she leapt up onto the nearest branch, climbing quickly to the top of the tree to scan the area. In the distance, Elena's massive vine-woven giant stood still and unmoving. "Is she okay?" Evelyn murmured. Without wasting a second, she dropped to the ground with a thud and broke into a sprint toward Elena's giant form.

Halfway there, Evelyn's foot suddenly caught in a hidden trap. Her leg was immobilized, rooted in place by the Manager's ability. Before she could react, another trap was triggered—a log tied to a rope swung toward her. She raised her arms, attempting to block it, but the impact threw her backward, freeing her leg from the trap but leaving her bruised. Groaning, she pushed herself up to a sitting position, her arms trembling from the blow. Taking a few steadying breaths, she muttered, "I forgot about the traps." Using a nearby tree for support, she slowly rose, starting with a light jog that gradually turned into a sprint.

Minutes later, Evelyn saw Vivian, Number Two, and Caleb locked in an intense battle. Caleb was fully focused on fighting Vivian, while Number Two assisted her as best he could. Pausing to catch her breath, Evelyn watched Caleb force Vivian back by detonating a bubble next to her, sending her off-balance. Vivian quickly stabilized herself with her wind ability, but Caleb took the opportunity to shift his attention to Number Two, forcing him to retreat, leaping from branch to branch and luring Caleb away from the girls.

Vivian spotted Evelyn out of the corner of her eye and quickly approached her. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked, noticing Evelyn's heavy breathing. Evelyn managed a nod, still gasping for air. "Yeah. Yes. I'm okay."

Vivian's brows furrowed. "Where are you going? Everyone's supposed to be heading that way." She pointed in the opposite direction toward the finish area.

Taking a deep breath, Evelyn asked, "Have you heard from Elena?"

Vivian shook her head, confused. "No. Is there a problem?"

"After she dealt with Collins' wooden giant, I have no idea where she went. I'm hoping to find her near her giant." Evelyn pointed to the still, towering figure in the distance.

Vivian stepped forward, "Let me come with you."

Evelyn shook her head, urgency flashing in her eyes. "No. Number Two won't be able to defeat Caleb alone."

"Who?" Vivian looked puzzled.

Realizing she was giving too much away about her abilities, Evelyn hesitated. "Just... just go and help him. I'll find Elena and we'll meet at the finish area."

"Okay, be careful," Vivian said, giving Evelyn one last look before flying off after Caleb and Number Two.

Evelyn watched her sister disappear into the trees, then resumed her sprint. After several minutes, she finally reached the foot of Elena's giant. She stepped back a few paces, taking in the towering figure covered in thorny vines. "How am I going to get up there?" she wondered aloud. Approaching the base, she examined the vines, noting with some irony the sharp thorns covering them.

"Of course," she sighed. "I hope these thorns don't have any sedatives." Steeling herself, she gripped the vines tightly, feeling the sharp sting of the thorns pressing into her palms. Gritting her teeth, she began climbing, enduring the pain as best she could. Minutes passed as she painstakingly scaled the giant, and finally, exhausted and aching, she reached the shoulder. Surveying the forest below, she took a deep breath, letting out a small, victorious cheer for her achievement.

A distant explosion echoed through the forest, stopping Evelyn's cheering. Looking down, her eyes widened in alarm as she saw Caleb's explosive bubbles scattered across the forest floor.

"Wha—" Evelyn barely managed to speak before the explosions ignited, one after another.

"Vivian!" she shouted, fear seizing her voice.

In seconds, flames engulfed the trees around them, the forest quickly becoming a chaotic blaze. Evelyn's heart pounded as she saw that the foot of Elena's giant vine structure had been heavily damaged by Caleb's assault.

"What's happening down there?" she muttered, bewildered at the sheer number of bubbles Caleb had unleashed.

The stability of Elena's giant was compromised, and it began to topple. Evelyn lost her balance, slipping from her perch. Reacting quickly, she caught hold of a vine, but pain shot through her bloodied hands as the thorns dug into her skin. Another vine tore near the base of the giant, and Evelyn's grip faltered, leaving her clinging by a single hand.

"Elena!" she screamed, fighting the instinct to look down at the dizzying drop as the giant continued its slow, inevitable fall. Another vine snapped, loosening her grip even further. Just as she was about to plummet, an arm made of vines shot out, catching her. Evelyn looked up, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Elena..." she whispered, recognizing her friend's reassuring presence even in the chaos.

Elena's face emerged from within the giant. "Are you okay?" she asked, her own arm streaked with blood.

"I should be asking you that question," Evelyn replied, concern lacing her voice.

Most of the students were already on their way to the finish area, though a few were still scattered, some too close to the spreading flames. Elena, grimacing in pain, took a deep breath. "Hold on," she said firmly. With a focused effort, she maneuvered the vines to lift Evelyn back to the top of the giant. Forcing herself out of the massive structure, she moved to Evelyn's side and commanded the vines to carry both of them down, bringing them to safety on the forest floor.

Evelyn's heart was racing, her breaths shallow. "Is he trying to take everyone down with him?" she gasped, as another explosion went off nearby.

"Seems like it," Elena replied. She placed a hand against one of the burning trees and drained its energy, transferring some of that vitality to herself and Evelyn. The warm surge healed their injuries, her touch soothing Evelyn's aching hands.

Evelyn glanced down at her friend's blood-streaked arm. "Elena, your arm—what happened?" she asked with worry.

Elena grimaced slightly. "The thorns. The vines tangled around me, and I couldn't use my ability to break free."

"You could've made another structure like you did with the wooden elephant. Instead, you... went through this."

As if on cue, Elena's giant finally hit the ground, sending up a cloud of dust. The impact reverberated, rattling the earth beneath their feet.

Elena shielded her face from the dust. "Evelyn?" she called, squinting through the haze.

"I'm here," Evelyn's voice called out, and her hand extended, finding Elena's arm.

Elena steadied herself, glancing at her friend. "You okay?"

Evelyn nodded, then gestured to the blaze surrounding them. "Elena, can you take care of the flames?"

With a determined nod, Elena stepped forward, vines unfurling around her as she began to contain the fire.

"Thanks!" Evelyn shouted, relief softening her features. "I'm going to find Vivian!" She turned and sprinted in the direction of the most recent explosion, not looking back as Elena tackled the growing inferno.

Evelyn sprinted through the burning forest, dodging flames and leaping over traps that lined the ground. She pushed herself faster, finally reaching the clearing where the fight was taking place. There, she saw Vivian sprawled on the ground, her face contorted in pain, and Number Two facing off against Caleb, blood smeared across his form.

"Caleb!" Evelyn shouted, her voice cutting through the roar of the flames.

Caleb turned to her with a twisted smile. "Your friends thought they could defeat me," he sneered, gesturing to Number Two, who stood unsteady, motionless, as if frozen in time. "Even with help, they failed."

Evelyn narrowed her eyes, forcing her expression calm. "What did you do to them?"

Caleb chuckled, extending his arms to the blaze consuming the forest around them. "Look around you, Evelyn. This destruction is a testament to the power of my gift," he gloated, and then pointed at her. "And once your father's serum is in our hands, we'll be invincible."

Evelyn forced a wry smile, keeping her eyes sharp. "He'll find out about all this soon enough, and believe me, you've dug yourself into some serious trouble." She glanced at Number Two, subtly sending him a telepathic message: Leave here. Go somewhere safe.

Number Two nodded slightly, then dashed off into the trees. Caleb watched him go, laughing as he disappeared. "Look at him running away with his tail between his legs. Now it's just you and me." He smirked, generating a gleaming bubble in his palm.

Evelyn's gaze was locked on Caleb, considering her options. If I can stay close to him, he won't be able to detonate those bubbles without hurting himself. She steeled herself, knowing the fight would require every ounce of her agility. "I gave you a choice, Caleb," she said coolly. "But you refused to take it."

Caleb's eyes flashed with rage. "And you expect me to believe you have the power to bring someone back to life? That's nonsense." His expression darkened as he muttered to himself. "Even if you did, it doesn't undo what you took from me." His tone dropped to a whisper, almost to himself. "The serum... you must have used it yourself, haven't you?"

Evelyn tilted her head, keeping her voice level, though her mind was racing. I'll have to stall him until the others return. "I'm the daughter of one of the most dangerous people in Veridia. Imagine what he'll do to anyone who disobeys me." She took a measured step forward. "This is your last chance. Surrender now, or you'll regret it." With a subtle motion, she pressed her foot into the ground, creating a small foothold for leverage.

Caleb looked at her blankly, unamused. "You're still trying to make me surrender?"

She shrugged, a smirk pulling at her lips. "What can I say? I'm stubborn."

"Too late!" Caleb snapped, arms stretched wide as he conjured even more bubbles around him. "One of us goes down today, and it's not going to be me."

Evelyn's smile faded, her eyes sharp. "You really believe you'll win this?"

Her foot pushed against the foothold, just as she spotted the glint of a bubble drifting toward Vivian, who lay defenseless on the ground. Her breath hitched, eyes darting between Caleb and her sister.

Evelyn's pulse thundered as her gaze flicked between Caleb, his palms gleaming with deadly bubbles, and Vivian, motionless on the ground, a stray bubble drifting ominously toward her. A cold sweat broke over Evelyn's brow, her muscles tensing as she weighed her options. She could lunge at Caleb, keep him close so he couldn't detonate his attack without harming himself, but doing so would mean abandoning her sister to the deadly bubble nearing her. 

A second ticked by like an eternity, her instincts warring with her heart, as she realized that saving Vivian might mean giving Caleb an opening — one that could end everything.