In front of the carriage stood a scattered group of men. Their clothes were worn and patched, stained from long days on the road. Leather vests bore old cuts and scratches, and their faces were half-hidden behind hoods and rough cloth wraps. Some carried chipped iron swords at their sides, others gripped short spears or crude clubs bound with frayed strips. Their boots were thick with dried mud. The air around them carried a faint mix of smoke and sweat.
One of the smaller men stepped forward hesitantly, his face tight with unease. He stopped near the largest among them—a broad, heavy man with a thick beard, a massive axe resting across his shoulder.
"Boss… I don't think we should do this," he muttered. "That crest on the carriage—it belongs to the Heart Rippers duke's domain. There could be dangerous people inside."
The big man let out a rough snort, rolling his shoulders as if brushing the warning aside.
"I'm not scared of some fancy duke's carriage," he said. "Even just selling the cart and horses will bring us a fortune."
He turned toward the rest, voice rising.
"Who's with me? Let's take what's ours!"
The group answered with a roar. Shouts and laughter burst out, weapons drawn as they stomped their feet against the dirt, feeding off each other's noise.
Inside the carriage, Invanne rose slowly from her seat. Her gray eyes sharpened as they settled on the door.
Azrea lifted a hand without turning.
"Invanne. Stay here."
Invanne paused. A flicker of confusion crossed her otherwise still face. Memei nodded beside her, quick and certain.
"Yeah. We'll handle this."
Invanne's eyes widened—just slightly.
"No," she said quietly. "This is my duty. My ladies, you should remain here."
Sumi and Azrean both stared at them, shock locking their bodies in place. Azrean spoke first, his voice tense.
"Invanne's right… it could be dangerous."
Azrea turned toward him. Her smile was calm and gentle.
"Son… did you forget what I told you?" she said. "We used to be S-10 and S-9 rank adventurers."
Sumi's voice came out softer, edged with worry.
"You should let Invanne handle it…"
Memei reached over, placing her hand on Sumi's head. Her fingers brushed gently through her white hair.
"Watch us, little flower," she said, her tone warm. "We'll show you how it's done with real magic."
Both women stood. Azrea pushed the carriage door open first. Memei followed right behind her. They stepped outside into the fading light, their dresses shifting slightly in the breeze. The door closed behind them with a quiet click.
Azrean and Sumi shoved the carriage window open and leaned out, eyes wide. The driver twisted around in his seat, his face pale and stiff with confusion as he stared at the two children hanging halfway out of the carriage.
Outside, the bandits noticed the two women. For a long second, everything froze. Blades hung mid-air. Feet stopped moving. Then—laughter broke out. Loud, rough, and mocking, echoing across the empty road.
"Look at the little ladies we got here!" one of them shouted, slapping his thigh as the others joined in.
Azrea and Memei stood side by side in the fading light. Azrea rolled her shoulders once, slow and relaxed. Memei tilted her head slightly, then cracked her neck—left, then right.
"How long has it been since we fought?" Azrea asked, her voice calm.
Memei let out a quiet breath.
"A few years. Since our bodies fully recovered after the pregnancies."
One of the bandits sneered, stepping forward, his grip tightening on his sword.
"They're mocking us!"
He lunged. The blade came down fast—an overhead strike aimed straight at Azrea's head. She didn't move back. She simply raised one hand and said.
"Sun."
Her fingers closed around his wrist mid-swing. In the next instant—fire erupted. It spread from her touch, swallowing his arm, then his body. The flames burned white-hot, silent for a split second before roaring to life. His skin blackened, flesh curling as the heat tore through him.
He screamed. A raw, broken sound that didn't last long. The fire consumed him completely.
"Oops," Azrea said softly.
The laughter died. Silence crashed down then the rest of them charged. Shouting, weapons raised, boots pounding hard against the dirt.
Memei lifted both hands, palms open.
"Spiritual String."
Thin strands shot out from her fingertips. Barely visible. They cut through the air like threads of light. In an instant, they wrapped around three men's throats.
The threads tightened. There was no resistance. Heads snapped back then separated cleanly. Blood sprayed out in sharp arcs as their bodies collapsed, lifeless, before they even hit the ground.
Inside the carriage, Sumi's breath hitched. Her fingers tightened around the window frame.
"Is that Mom's original magic…?" she whispered. "But it looks like a web… no… there should be more to it."
A few of the remaining bandits were still caught—limbs bound, bodies frozen in place by the thin, glowing threads.
Azrea stepped forward slowly in no rush. She reached out and grabbed one of the strings. Beside her, Memei spoke again, her voice quiet.
"Spiritual Connection."
The thread pulsed. A bright silver light raced along it, shooting straight into the trapped men.
For a second, everything held still. Then—fire erupted from inside them. Flames burst out of their mouths, their eyes, their skin—burning them from the inside out. Their screams didn't last long. Their bodies collapsed into ash before they even hit the ground.
The rest of the bandits broke. Fear cracked through them. Some stumbled back. Others screamed and charged harder.
Azrea and Memei moved at the same time. Azrea flicked her wrist. A wall of fire exploded into existence in front of her—towering, roaring, swallowing the air with heat and light.
Three men ran straight into it and they didn't come out. Memei spun low, her fingers snapping forward again. Threads lashed out—faster this time. They wrapped around ankles, wrists and yanked hard.
Bodies lifted off the ground, slammed into each other mid-air. The crack of skulls echoed sharp. One man tried to swing his club, but a thread coiled around his arm and tore it clean off.
His scream cut short as another thread sliced across his throat. Azrea stepped through her wall of fire like it wasn't even there. Flames curled around her without touching, heat bending away from her body.
She walked straight toward the boss. He roared and swung his axe in a wide arc. She dipped under it without slowing, palm already moving. Her hand pressed against his chest.
"Solar Flare."
Light exploded. The boss staggered back, screaming, his eyes gone and swinging wildly at nothing.
Azrea caught the shaft of his axe mid-swing, twisted it aside, and drove her elbow straight into his throat.
A sharp crack. He dropped to his knees, choking. Memei was already behind him. Threads wrapped around his arms, yanking them tight behind his back. Azrea leaned down slightly, her voice calm.
"You picked the wrong carriage."
The boss coughed blood, trying to speak. "You… you're just—"
Memei tightened the threads and his bones cracked.
"Mothers," Azrea finished quietly.
She raised her hand again. A small sphere of white fire formed above her palm—glowing, growing and humming with heat.
"Flame Burst."
She pressed it into his chest. The explosion came as a flash of light and a wave of heat that rocked the carriage. No sound reached the children—just the force of it, pushing against them.
When the light faded… There was nothing left of him. Just a scorched crater in the dirt. The last few bandits turned and ran.
Azrea snapped her fingers. Fire streaked across the ground, chasing them. It caught their legs, climbed their bodies and swallowed them whole.
Their screams didn't last. Silence fell again. Memei let the threads dissolve, silver fragments drifting away in the air.
Azrea brushed her hands together lightly. The two women turned back toward the carriage at the same time. They clapped once, perfectly in sync.
"Did you see that?" Azrea called, her tone light again, like nothing had happened. "That's how you fight."