42- A losing victory

Dark was fighting Amin, Elyes, and Raouf at the same time, yet he remained superior to all three.

Elyes fired a small, concentrated beam of light.

Dark pushed Amin away from him, then caught the beam between his fingers and redirected it toward Raouf.

The beam pierced Raouf’s waist.

He staggered backward, pressing his hand against the wound.

Mark charged toward Dark.

But Dark turned and struck him with a dark punch.

Mark staggered for a moment from the pain, but gritted his teeth and continued his charge.

He grabbed Dark’s left arm.

Rocks emerged from his hand and wrapped around Dark’s arm, restraining it.

Dark smiled dismissively.

“Do you really think this is enough to—”

Bahaa emerged from a dark portal behind him and grabbed his right arm, which was about to strike Mark in the face.

Dark threads wrapped around his arm.

“Yes... This is enough.”

Dark became enraged and tried to smash the two of them into each other.

But Amin appeared behind him and grabbed his shoulders.

Flames erupted from Amin’s body, holding Dark in place.

At that moment, Wail was running toward them.

Dark became furious.

Dark arms emerged from several portals and rushed toward him.

Wail dodged some of them, but one pierced his leg.

Another pierced his foot.

His balance faltered and he nearly fell.

Dark opened a dark portal directly in front of him.

The portal swallowed Wail, and he fell inside it.

Just before his head disappeared into the portal, Elyes grabbed his arm.

He concentrated his energy around it, then threw Wail toward Dark with all his strength.

As Wail flew through the air, thoughts crowded his mind.

“Thank you...”

He remembered everything that had happened.

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“I was selfish for wanting to handle everything alone... I thought it was the only way to avoid feeling guilty, but I was wrong.”

Images of everyone suffering and fighting for him...

And for Yassin...

Then he remembered Mark’s words.

“Yassin was our trainer...”

Sara’s smile appeared in his mind for a moment.

But it vanished just as quickly.

Wail clenched his fist.

“Not now... Not yet.”

His eyes locked onto Dark.

“I have to finish this first.”

He charged toward Dark, his fist ready to collide with his chest.

Amin moved close to Dark’s ear and whispered:

“Are you really going to let these kids do all this to you?... How pathetic.”

Dark’s eyes widened.

“Wait... Are you...?”

A silver flash appeared inside Wail’s fist.

No one noticed it except Dark.

His expression froze.

Fear appeared in his eyes.

As for Amin, his eyes widened, and a frightening smile appeared on his face.

Everyone looked toward Wail.

Yassin’s cloak was draped across his back.

Wail screamed with everything he had.

Images of Yassin flashed through his mind.

“There is a hidden power inside you. You are the only one who can discover what it truly is...”

“You’ve grown, Wail... You’ve become stronger...”

“I’m counting on you...”

Then came Yassin’s final smile.

His raised fist in the sky.

The image shifted back to Wail’s fist, held in the exact same position.

Wail struck Noel’s chest.

The silver flash entered his body.

The Spirit of Darkness began separating from Noel’s body.

At the same time, Yassin’s Golden Symbol appeared on Wail’s hand.

The symbol transformed into a faint golden energy that wrapped around Dark.

Dark screamed as he resisted it.

“You won’t stop me... This isn’t where I end!”

But Bahaa stepped forward, his arms glowing with darkness.

“No... But you won’t win either.”

A dark portal opened before him, different from all the portals he had created before.

It was not merely a portal for transportation.

It was pulling everything around it with tremendous force.

Noel’s body was drawn toward it and swallowed by the portal.

Dark resisted with all his strength, but the portal began pulling him in as well.

Bahaa turned toward Wail.

The others looked at him with concern.

Wail shouted:

“Bahaa! Close it!!”

Bahaa continued staring at them with a cold expression.

Then anger appeared on his face.

An image of that red-eyed man crossed his mind.

The man who had killed the woman responsible for awakening his Golden Transformation...

Then Dark and Noel’s words echoed in his mind:

“You’ve become weak...”

The portal intensified.

Then it swallowed Bahaa.

And disappeared instantly.

---

The atmosphere settled for a moment.

Silence filled the area.

Everyone stood frozen, as if they could not comprehend what had just happened.

Mark looked toward the place where Bahaa had disappeared.

“Bahaa...”

Elyes looked at Wail with concern.

“Damn it... Bahaa too...”

Wail interrupted him with a cold expression.

“He’ll be fine.”

He remained silent for a few moments, then thought:

“I just hope he doesn’t return to the way he was...”

After that, those who remained conscious finally began to realize that they had won.

Cheers erupted among some of them as Sif and Zaki began treating the injured.

Some time passed before Zaki approached Wail.

“Wail... Let me treat you.”

Wail did not look at him and continued walking.

Elyes looked at Zaki.

“Leave him alone...”

Wail continued walking with a completely cold expression until he reached Sara’s body and stopped in front of her.

He bent down and gently lifted her into his arms.

Everyone watched him in silence, grief filling their faces, yet no one knew what to say.

A bracelet fell from Sara’s pocket.

Wail stopped and picked it up.

He stared at it for a few moments.

Her name was written on it.

Something inside Wail shattered.

He clenched his teeth tightly.

He closed Sara’s eyes.

Then two tears fell onto her face.

And he vanished in a flash of electricity.

---

Everyone returned to their homes.

Meanwhile, Wail met Amira.

She greeted him happily, but quickly noticed the change in his expression.

“Wail... You’re back. What happened? You look shocked.”

He did not answer.

He remained silent for a few moments.

Then he stepped forward and hugged her tightly.

Amira froze in surprise.

Tears began falling from Wail’s right eye.

Then he spoke in a pained voice.

“Amira... I’m sorry.”

---

At last, the hardest battle the elemental users had ever faced was over.

They had won.

And they had grown stronger...

But that victory had not come without a price.

They had lost their trainer, Yassin.

And Bahaa had disappeared before their eyes, with no way of knowing whether he would ever return.

Wail had been affected more deeply than any of them.

He had lost the man who had been more than just a trainer to him.

He had been like a father.

And he had lost Sara, the girl who had made him believe that his life did not have to end with his grief.

Worst of all...

He could not even tell Amira what had happened to her and Bahaa.

That evening, Wail sat alone on his usual hill, holding Sara’s bracelet in his hand as he watched the sunset.

He could think of nothing but the promise he had made to her.

“I’ll take you to watch the sunset with me...”

Wail lay down on the ground.

The scene shifted to the following day.

---

Sara’s funeral was held.

Everyone stood around her grave as she was laid to rest before their eyes.

Elyes approached Wail, wanting to speak with him.

He reached out his hand toward him.

But Wail looked at him coldly and pushed his arm away.

He said nothing.

He walked away from the crowd, then vanished in a flash of electricity and appeared inside his house.

He sat there for a few moments before lying down.

Then, when he turned his head, he noticed a piece of paper lying on the table.

He stood up and walked toward it.

Then he read what was written on it.

Suddenly...

His expression changed.

His eyes widened.

Wail froze completely.

After opening it, he said to himself:

“Impossible...”