The Escape [ 2 ]

Zane was breathing hard, his body aching. "I won't let you take her," he said, his voice firm.

The red-haired woman launched herself at him again, her fists ablaze. Zane dodged as best he could, but her speed was overwhelming. She landed several blows, each one sending jolts of pain through his body. He was strong, but he was still inexperienced.

Zane managed to block one of her punches and countered with a desperate kick to her stomach. She staggered back, momentarily winded. Sensing an opening, Zane charged forward, delivering a flurry of punches. He wasn't skilled, but his sheer determination drove him.

The woman recovered quickly, though, and with a fierce scream, she blasted him with a wave of fire. Zane raised his arms to shield himself, feeling the intense heat against his scales. He could smell his own burnt flesh beneath the armor. The pain was excruciating, but he pressed on.

"You're persistent, I'll give you that," she spat, her eyes burning with fury. "But you're still going down!"

She conjured another fireball, but just as she was about to hurl it at Zane, he ran toward her with full force, trying to pass the fireball and hit her. The man intervened. "Enough!" he shouted, slamming his hand into the ground. The earth responded, a large stone hand erupting from the ground to grab Zane.

Zane dodged to the side, the stone hand narrowly missing him. The woman took advantage of the distraction, launching a fireball directly at Zane's chest. He absorbed the hit, stumbling backward, his scales barely holding up.

The man's interference provided Zane a momentary advantage. Using the opportunity, he lunged at the woman, knocking her to the ground. He wrestled with her, struggling to keep her pinned as she fought back fiercely.

"Get off me!" she screamed, flames licking at her hands.

"No!" Zane grunted, using every ounce of strength to keep her down. He managed to land a solid punch, dazing her.

As she lay on the ground, momentarily stunned, Zane knew he had to act quickly. He picked up a large rock and brought it down, striking her head with just enough force to knock her out but not kill her.

Breathing heavily, Zane staggered to his feet, his body screaming in pain. He turned to face the man, who was now glaring at him with murderous intent.

"You've ruined everything," the man growled, his eyes blazing with anger. "I'll make you pay for this."

Zane, barely able to stand, prepared to face him. "I won't let you take Sophia," he said through gritted teeth. 'I have to hold him off somehow. Sophia's family must be coming soon to save us,' Zane thought, maintaining his fighting stance.

The man's face twisted with rage. "You think you can stop me? I'll crush you like the insect you are!"

He slammed his fist into the ground again, causing the earth to shake. Stone spikes shot up from the ground, aiming for Zane. He dodged as best he could, but his movements were sluggish. One of the spikes grazed his leg, drawing blood.

Zane cried out in pain but kept moving, trying to close the distance between them. The man conjured stone walls, attempting to trap Zane. Zane used his newfound strength to smash through them, but each impact drained him further.

The man rushed at Zane; his hands encased in stone. He delivered a series of brutal punches, each one feeling like a sledgehammer. Zane tried to block and counter, but the man's experience and power were overwhelming.

"You're nothing!" the man shouted, slamming Zane into the ground. "Just a weakling pretending to be strong."

Zane struggled to his feet. 'Shit, I can't see clearly. My legs are giving up, but just a little bit more,' he thought, his vision blurring. He could feel his strength waning, but he refused to give up. He managed to land a punch on the man's jaw, causing him to stumble back. But the retaliation was swift and merciless.

The man created a pit beneath Zane, causing him to fall. "Ugh..." Zane groaned as he fell into the pit. He tried to climb out, but the man shot stone spikes down at him. Zane deflected some with his scales, but one struck his shoulder, causing him to cry out in pain.

Desperation fueled Zane's movements. He clawed his way out of the pit, launching himself at the man. They grappled, exchanging blows. Zane's inexperience showed again, but he fought with everything he had, landing a few hits that left the man bleeding.

But it wasn't enough. The man, enraged and injured, prepared to finish Zane off. "This is the end for you," he hissed, forming a massive stone spike in his hand. He raised it high, ready to deliver the final blow.

Zane, barely conscious, saw the spike descending. He closed his eyes, bracing for the end. 'I guess this really is the end, huh? Even after finally awakening my ability after so many years, I'm dying. I can't help but laugh at my situation,' he thought bitterly.

Just as the spike was inches away from his face, a powerful force intervened, stopping the spike mid-air. Zane opened his eyes to see what was happening. His vision was hazy, but he saw a man in a black suit standing a few meters away, using the same telekinesis ability as Sophia. The stone spike crumbled to dust under the unseen force.

The man in the suit turned to look at Zane, his expression unreadable. Zane tried to speak, but darkness overtook him, and he collapsed, everything fading to black.

--

The man in the black suit, his face hard with anger, turned his attention to the kidnapper. The kidnapper cursed inwardly, knowing he was in trouble. 'Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit,' he couldn't help but curse inwardly. He had wasted too much time fighting that trash bastard.

The man in black suit was tall and imposing, with a stern expression and sharp eyes that missed nothing. His dark hair was neatly combed, and his black suit gave him an air of authority. He glanced at Sophia, unconscious and injured, and his jaw tightened in fury. His niece had been through hell, and he couldn't forgive himself for not being there to protect her sooner.

"This happened again," he thought bitterly.

The kidnapper saw the look of rage in the man's eyes and knew he was in deep trouble. 'Even if I go all out, I can't win against him,' the kidnapper thought. He was just a B-rank awakened, and the man standing in front of him was the famous A-rank awakened of the Morgan family and a member of the 'Fista' Guild. He was Ben Morgan, known for being merciless when faced with his opponents, ruthlessly killing monsters and achieving A-rank before turning 25—a feat that took many around the age of 28-30.

Desperation flashed in the kidnapper's eyes. "H-how about I.. I tell you everything you want to know, and you le.. let me go?"

Ben Morgan used his telekinesis to lift the kidnapper off the ground and slammed him into a wall so fast that the man couldn't even react. The kidnapper coughed blood and dropped to his knees. "You will tell me everything, and then I will make you regret laying a hand on my niece," Ben said coldly, twisting the kidnapper's arms with his telekinesis, eliciting a scream of pain.

"I... I..." the kidnapper stammered, barely able to speak.

Ben tightened his telekinetic grip. "Who gave you the orders?"

The kidnapper's thoughts raced. He knew he was done for. "It was a man... we never saw his face. He paid us well, told us to take the girl," he wheezed.

Ben's eyes narrowed. "And you thought that was a good idea? To kidnap the daughter of an S-rank awakened and Guild master of one of the top guilds?"

Fear flashed in the kidnapper's eyes. "We didn't know... please, I just followed orders!"

Ben was filled with cold fury. He lifted the kidnapper higher and then slammed him down again, harder this time. The kidnapper screamed in pain, but Ben was relentless. "You're going to pay for what you did to her," he said, his voice a deadly whisper.

The kidnapper, now barely conscious, tried to speak but only managed a whimper. Ben knew he had pushed him to his limit. With a final, brutal telekinetic throw, he sent the kidnapper crashing into the ground. The kidnapper lay there, broken and defeated, barely able to breathe.

Ben walked over, his face a mask of controlled rage. "You don't deserve to live," he said quietly. "But I need answers."

He crouched down, grabbing the kidnapper by the collar. "Who. Gave. The. Orders?" he demanded again, shaking him.

The kidnapper's eyes rolled back, and he gasped out, "I... don't... know..."

With a curse, Ben realized the kidnapper was dying. "Useless," he muttered, throwing the man aside. He looked at Zane, who lay unconscious nearby.

Then as he looked at Sophia his anger giving way to a deep sorrow. He gently lifted her into his arms, feeling her shallow breaths against his chest. "I should have been there sooner."

Turning to Zane, he saw the boy's injuries. "This kid... he fought hard," he acknowledged silently. With a sigh, he picked up Zane as well, determined to get them both to safety.

As he walked away from the scene, carrying Sophia and Zane, he felt a grim determination settle in his heart. "Whoever did this will pay," he vowed silently. "I won't let this happen again."

As he was walking many cars stopped in front of him and many people came out, they were the members of Fista Guild.

Ben said, "clear this area and investigate if you get anything about them, I will take them to hospital".

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A/N:

Hey, I hope you liked the novel so far this is my first time writing a novel, i know there are mistakes and will improve with time. so, please support this small author by using power stones.

Thanks for reading.