Chapter 81: Battle Begun

I stood in the hallway, clutching the phone tightly in my trembling hands. Adrenaline raced through my veins as I dialed my mother's number. The sound of the ringing echoed in my ears, exacerbating the heavy pit that had formed in my stomach.

"Hello?" my mother's voice quivered, her worry palpable even through the phone.

"Mom, it's me," I said, my voice trembling with fear. "Something terrible has happened. Athro has been kidnapped."

Silence fell like a blanket on the other end of the line. My mother's gasp merged with the sound of my heart pounding in my chest. It felt as though time had suddenly frozen, and all I could hear was the sound of our ragged breaths.

"Kidnapped? By whom?" my mother asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Samantha," I managed to say, mustering the strength to push the words out. "She's the only one who can make it. She lured Athro away, without any notice. She's really an evil woman, mommy. I don't know where they could be."

My mother's sharp intake of br