The Million-Dollar Heart (Percival and Vivienne)

On the outskirts of the village, Draven had his crew ready the dynamite as the approaching group neared, his hand hovering over a detonator. It was at this moment, however, that a familiar, grumbling voice cut through the tension. "Why pick such a godforsaken place? If we can't find anyone, might as well blow it all to kingdom come!" Leopold's voice came, laced with frustration.

Draven paused, a flicker of surprise crossing his face as he set aside his tools and stepped outside.

The rustling in the woods immediately drew Leopold's attention. He had just drawn his knife when Draven emerged from the treeline.

"Jesus, is that you, kid?" Leopold exclaimed, relief washing over him as he recognized Draven. "I was this close to turning you into a pincushion. You gotta be more careful!"

Draven just stared, feeling a shiver run down his spine at Leopold's tone, which had taken on an eerie quality after spending too much time with his wife.

Ignoring Leopold's ramble, Draven scanned the area behind him.

"What're you looking for?" Leopold asked, puzzled.

"Is it just you guys? Didn't run into anyone else on the way here?"

Leopold was taken aback by the barrage of questions. "Who else would bother coming to this dump? No, we didn't see a soul."

Reassured, Draven led Leopold back to their base, only for Leopold to almost have a heart attack at the sight of the explosives aimed in their direction.

"Holy hell! Were you planning a welcome party or a funeral?" Leopold yelled, prompting Draven's men to quickly redirect the explosives. Draven grimaced. "Orders from the boss!"

Leopold almost choked on his retort. Nothing was impossible, he supposed, especially when allegiances could shift as easily as the wind. Percival chimed in, "You're not wrong."

Gathering his thoughts, Leopold looked at Draven. "So, what's the situation?"

Draven hesitated, then sighed deeply.

The usual tranquility of the village had been shattered by an unexpected turn of events. Mayor Thompson stood, petrified, as Vivienne approached, her gaze so intense it nearly knocked him off his feet.

With a swift motion, Vivienne lifted Mayor Thompson with one hand as if he weighed nothing, then rounded up the others, tossing them into a makeshift cell.

As Mayor Thompson was thrown in, a protective formation they'd relied on was broken, unleashing dark shadows that lacked any sign of life, akin to zombies.

These shadows began assaulting Vivienne with a ferocity that belied their undead nature, knives in hand.

Finding an equal in this chaos,

Vivienne relished the challenge, her powers coming to the fore as she identified their weaknesses, exploiting them with her abilities. Soon, the ground was littered with the remnants of her foes, subdued by her lightning strikes.

The village descended into darkness, the villagers too terrified to investigate the source of the lightning that lit up the night sky from the mountaintop. Percival, having dealt with his own obstacles, met up with Draven and Leopold as they entered the village.

"Percival, where's Vivienne?" Leopold asked, anxiety creeping into his voice at her absence.

Percival pointed towards the mountain, "She's up there, with the kids."Ccontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

Following his gaze, the ominous weather on the mountaintop hinted at the turmoil Vivienne faced.

"What in the world is Vivienne doing?" Leopold gasped at the scale of the battle unfolding before them.

Ignoring Leopold, Percival raced up the mountain.

They arrived to find Vivienne dispatching the last of the shadows, the formation now useless. She stood, back to them, contemplating the storm's eye.

Deciding to brave the storm's center, Vivienne took a step forward only to be called back.

"Vivienne!" Percival shouted.

Turning, her eyes met theirs, sending a chill down their spines.

"Vivienne!"

"Boss!"

Two voices rang out, but Percival couldn't reach her in time. Vivienne stepped into the formation, vanishing as if into a dream, leaving them staring at the swirling dark fog, unable to follow.

So there they were, the trio perched atop the mountain, when it dawned on Percival that the issue with Luck Village hadn't been tackled yet. e Collecting his thoughts, he issued his orders to Leopold, "You and Draven head down and sort out Luck Village. Scour the place from top to bottom, rescue those fifty souls, and then level it to the ground!"

Percival's gaze was as unreadable as ever, devoid of any discernible emotion. Leopold and Draven exchanged a look, a silent

agreement passing between them

before they departed the summit

without a word.

"Vivienne, promise me you'll stay out of trouble, will you?" Percival's words were whisked away by the wind, trailing off into the distance.

He turned his attention back to the barrier in front of him, channeling all his supernatural energy into the palm of his hand, ready to sacrifice his powers to break through the shield.

But then, unexpectedly, the barrier vanished.

Percival froze, his gaze lifting as the energy he had amassed dissipated into thin air, a weight seemingly lifted from his shoulders.