Neo followed Mira through the shadowed streets as she led him and the others toward the Dark Order’s prison. The buildings rose high and cold around them, their stone walls stained with age and secrecy. Mira moved with the sure steps of someone who knew every turn, every shortcut. Martha stayed close to Neo’s side, her eyes scanning the empty alleys. Tara brought up the rear, quiet but alert. Ely’s face stayed fixed in Neo’s mind—the little elf girl they had come to free.

They reached the prison gates. The place looked abandoned under the midday sun. Mira pointed at the main building and checked the hour on a small pocket watch. "Lunch time. The guards aren’t here. This is my best chance."

Martha’s face tightened. "What if we get caught?"

Mira laughed, soft and sharp. "Don’t worry. With my position, I’ll get you out."

The group nodded. They rushed inside. Mira sprinted ahead to the empty guard post, yanked a map from the wall, and pressed it into Neo’s hands.

Neo lifted the map. The lines were clear, the cells marked in neat rows. One cell carried a bright red X. "Follow me," he said. He already knew where they kept Ely. The map told him everything.

A single desire burned in him: to believe that life had meaning. The flaw that followed him was the need for everything to carry a grand purpose. The conflict lived inside him every day—searching for something extraordinary enough to justify his existence, while ordinary love, choices, failures, and quiet moments kept trying to show him another way. Right now that desire pushed him forward. Saving Ely felt like a purpose he could hold.

They moved fast through the corridors. Neo led. The others stayed tight behind him. They reached the marked cell. Neo stepped inside first.

The cell was empty.

His eyes widened. Straw on the floor. Chains hanging loose. No sign of the little elf girl.

Mira walked past him, stopped in the center of the room, and thought for a moment. Then she turned. "Follow me." She ran toward the far hallway where a single guard was returning from lunch, still wiping crumbs from his mouth.

Mira blocked his path. "Where is Ely?"

The guard swallowed and shrugged. "Elder Grim took her. Said he would inspect her health."

Neo arrived right behind her. "Who is this Elder Grim?"

Mira’s voice dropped. "An elder who worked with my father years ago. He used to be natural and kind... but." She shook her head hard. "We shouldn’t leave Ely with him. Recent rumors say he works with the Black Fang. He always votes for decisions that protect their interests."

Neo and the others nodded once. No more words. They ran.

The streets blurred. They reached Elder Grim’s place and Neo stopped short, letting out a low whistle. It was not a house. It was a castle—high walls, heavy stone, towers that cut the sky. Mira tested the front door. Locked.

"What can we do now?" she asked, frustration sharp in her tone.

Neo stepped forward. "Get away. I’ll fix it."

He planted his feet, drew power into his legs and shoulders, and kicked. The door slammed open with a crack that echoed through the empty hall. The group poured inside.

Neo’s voice was steady. "Look for evidence that Grim works with the Black Fang. Move."

Martha, Tara, and Mira split without hesitation. Footsteps scattered through the rooms. Neo stayed near the main hall, eyes open, body ready.

Minutes later Martha came running from the second floor. She took the stairs too fast, almost fell. Neo caught her by the waist and pulled her steady.

She looked up at his face—strong lines, calm eyes, the solid set of his jaw. For a second her own desire surfaced: to become worthy of her own admiration. The flaw that haunted her was the way her standards moved every time she succeeded. The conflict lived in her bones—wanting to respect herself while making self-respect an achievement she could never quite earn. Looking at her son’s steady strength only made the ache sharper.

Neo kept his hands on her shoulders. "What did you find?"

Martha held up a black-covered diary. "This. He wrote the number of deals and the locations where he met Black Fang members."

Mira joined them, took the diary, and flipped the pages. Her eyes narrowed. "This seems legit."

The front door slammed open again.

An old man stood there—long white beard, hard eyes, robes that still carried authority. He looked at the three of them and the open diary.

"You brats dare to enter my house and search it in my absence?"

Neo did not flinch. "You’re collaborating with the Black Fang."

Mira raised the diary high. "I’ll make sure Father and every elder knows."

Grim laughed. The sound was dry and cold. He glared at Mira. "Who says you’re going to make it out of this place alive?"

He started walking toward them, slow and sure. Neo’s voice cut across the hall. "Tell me where the elf girl is!"

Grim’s grin widened. "I already shipped her on the carriage the Black Fang sent. Their technology is improving. I barely know how the thing runs, but it took her." He locked eyes with Neo. "Right now that elf girl is traveling the main national road, number seven. It will take about thirty minutes until she leaves the Black Order zone. After that, finding her in the forest will be impossible."

He spread his hands. "How about a game? You have thirty minutes to fight me, beat me, and then run as fast as you can to reach her."

Neo met his stare. "You’re arrogant. I’ll use that against you."

Grim pulled a small pill from his sleeve and swallowed it. Tara’s eyes went wide. "That’s the demonification pill!"

Grim’s body changed. Muscles swelled across his arms and chest. His skin darkened. Horns pushed up from his forehead. The old man vanished; a heavier, faster shape stood in his place.

He lunged.

The speed was unreal. Neo barely crouched in time. The first strike cut the air above his head. Grim recovered at once and unleashed a barrage—fists and elbows slamming forward in a blur. Each hit that landed rattled Neo’s bones and forced him back a step. Pain flared through his ribs and shoulders, but he stayed on his feet.

"All three of you—corners!" Neo shouted.

Martha climbed the stairs and took the high position. Tara moved to the right wall. Mira took the left. They opened fire with long-range spells—bolts of light, sharp ice shards, bursts of force. Grim’s attention split three ways. Gaps appeared in his defense.

Neo used every one of them. He drove forward with heavy punches and kicks, each one landing with solid weight. His legs and arms burned with effort. Sweat ran down the hard lines of his shoulders and chest. He kept pressing.

Tara watched him from her corner. Her own desire rose for a moment: to live a life that felt truly hers. The flaw that followed her was the way fear made her decisions. The conflict stayed quiet but constant—wanting an authentic life while choosing the safer version of herself again and again. Watching Neo fight without hesitation made the safer path look smaller.

Grim stepped back, breathing hard. Then he grinned at Neo.

"Son, do you want me to show you my younger days’ skill?"

He rushed forward again. His kick came high and fast, packed with all the new strength the pill had given him. The blow connected clean. Neo flew backward across the hall.

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