22. A Promise to Keep

Amira grabbed Wail’s hand tightly and asked anxiously:

“What happened? Answer me.”

Wail was still lost in shock. He yanked his hand away from her and shouted:

“Stay away from me! This is not the time!”

Silence fell.

Wail’s eyes suddenly widened.

Amira stared at him, her face pale with shock. She had never imagined that he would shout at her.

Wail lowered his head and said quietly:

“I... didn’t mean to.”

Amira gently took his hand again and said calmly:

“It’s okay... Take it easy, Wail. Getting angry and dwelling on what happened won’t change anything.”

Wail turned toward her with a faint smile, sorrow and exhaustion mixed in his expression.

“Can we talk about this another time?”

Amira nodded.

“As you wish.”

Amira went to bed, but sleep never came. Her thoughts revolved entirely around Elyes.

As for Wail... he remained standing outside the cabin beneath the moonlight, silently staring at the sky.

---

With the arrival of the following morning... Amira was preparing breakfast.

Wail entered and sat across from her. Silence settled between them.

Amira finally broke it.

“Where is Elyes?”

“What happened to him?”

Wail hesitated. He could not bring himself to look at her.

Amira approached him and sat beside him, then gently took his hand.

“You don’t have to tell me everything if you don’t want to...”

“But I have the right to know what happened to Elyes.”

He remained silent.

When she moved to pull her hand away... he held onto it.

He spoke heavily:

“They took him... and I couldn’t do anything.”

Amira gasped, shock spreading across her face.

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But Wail raised his head and said firmly:

“I’ll bring them all back.”

“I promise.”

He stood up.

“I haven’t fulfilled all my promises yet...”

“But I haven’t abandoned a single one of them.”

“And I’ll bring everyone back... even if it costs me my life.”

Amira stared at him in silence.

His expression... his sharp gaze... and the confidence in his voice... made her feel as though he had already fulfilled his promise.

She lowered her head and said quietly:

“Do you remember the day we met?”

Wail smiled faintly.

“I remember.”

She said:

“That quiet boy standing away from everyone else caught my attention.”

“Even though your presence was barely noticeable, I felt drawn to you... because I saw someone kind and innocent within you.”

She raised her head. Tears glimmered in her eyes.

“But now... you’ve changed, Wail... You’re still kind and innocent, but I feel that something inside you has changed.”

Wail smiled.

“Have I changed for the worse?”

Amira could not answer.

So Wail continued:

“I used to be withdrawn... doing nothing but running away into my past.”

“But now, I face my difficulties instead of running from them.”

Amira lowered her head again.

But Wail continued:

“Even so... I didn’t get this far alone.”

He looked at her.

“You’re the reason I held onto the promise I made to you.”

“And that promise was what gave me the strength to keep moving forward.”

Amira spoke in a trembling voice:

“But... a mere promise can’t be the reason for all of this.”

“You’re putting your life at risk.”

“You could stay here forever and live the life you want, far away from all these battles. So why...?”

Wail interrupted her calmly:

“Because I’ve made my decision.”

“I know you don’t want me to walk this path.”

“But I’m an Element User, and that means I’m a warrior... whether I want to be or not.”

Tears streamed down her face.

Wail approached her and placed his hand on her head.

“Amira... don’t cry.”

“I’ve always known you as a strong girl who smiles no matter what happens.”

“And I don’t want to lose that smile.”

Then he smiled reassuringly.

“I promised you... that everything would be all right.”

She whispered:

“Do... do you promise me that?”

He smiled.

“I promise.”

Amira wiped away her tears and formed a small smile filled with hope.

“Then... I’ll wait for you all.”

---

They returned to their breakfast, then gathered their belongings.

Wail took Amira’s hand, and electricity surrounded their bodies.

In a flash... they returned to their city.

He said goodbye to her there, then teleported back to the mountain hill.

He stood atop the peak, gazing at the horizon, and thought:

“The Blue Transformation alone... won’t be enough.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Elyes reached it as well during his fight with Mark.”

“And since Mark managed to defeat him... that means he possesses power equal to his.”

He raised his head.

“As for Bahaa, there’s no doubt he’s mastered something far beyond that.”

He closed his eyes.

“I’ll try something.”

The sky-blue aura exploded around him once again.

---

Days later... Bahaa had sensed an energy that had appeared in a distant place some time ago.

He left the headquarters with Mark at his side.

Before they could speak about it... they heard approaching footsteps.

They both turned.

Their eyes widened.

Adam stood before them, carrying Sif and Zaki over his shoulders.

He then tossed them to the ground without a care.

With a mocking smile, he said:

“Next time...”

“Send stronger opponents.”

Mark stared at him in disbelief.

“Could it be... that he defeated both of them in minutes?”

Bahaa, meanwhile, laughed quietly.

“I couldn’t find you anywhere during all this time, Adam.”

“Where have you been hiding?”

Adam smiled confidently.

“Are you going to keep sending your followers...”

“Or are you going to step onto the battlefield yourself this time?”

A dark aura erupted around Bahaa.

Without taking his eyes off Adam, he said to Mark:

“Stand back.”

Adam smiled challengingly.

“A wise decision.”

Flames curled around his body, and the air burned with their heat.

The battle began...

---

The scene returned to Wail.

He stood outside the cabin, calmly getting dressed.

He tightened the belt around his robe, then his eyes fell upon a cloak hanging near the door.

He stopped.

He remembered Yassin.

He stepped toward it and picked it up, then draped it over his shoulders.

He closed his eyes for a moment.

In a low voice, he said:

“I’ll meet them.”

He vanished in a flash of electricity.

---

Flashback.

Wail was training with Yassin near the waterfall.

He suddenly asked:

“You said you trained many people before.”

“Where are they now?”

Yassin laughed.

“Do you think I’m a thousand years old?”

“I’m only twenty-nine.”

He raised two fingers.

“Before you, I trained only two people.”

“They’re three years older than you.”

Wail’s eyes widened.

“Really?”

Yassin nodded.

“One of them is a Lightning Element User.”

“The other is a Sound Element User.”

Wail said excitedly:

“Lightning, like me?”

Yassin shook his head.

“Not exactly.”

“You may share some abilities once you master your element.”

“But his lightning was red, a derivative of the Primordial Lightning.”

Wail thought for a moment.

“Where are they now?”

Yassin looked up at the sky.

“They chose their own paths in the world of battle.”

“They could be anywhere now, fighting enemies...”

“or pursuing their own goals.”

Then he smiled.

“But remember one thing.”

“There may come a day when you need help.”

“Find them... and they will help you.”

---

Back in the present.

A flash of electricity appeared in the heart of a massive city.

Wail stood atop one of the buildings.

He released his aura, but kept it so faint that it was barely noticeable.

He closed his eyes and began searching.

Suddenly...

He opened his eyes and turned around.

“So quickly!! I didn’t expect that.”