LUCKY ESCAPE

Aria's voice suddenly cut through the air, it shattered the tense silence. "Everybody should stop!" she exclaimed, her words  was hanging in the air like a challenge. The room fell silent, all eyes fixed on her in awe.

With a resolute gaze, Aria continued, "There shouldn't be a war because of me. I'm willing to surrender myself." The statement sent shockwaves through the assembly.

Lord Edgard, her father, stepped forward, his face was etched with concern. "Aria, what are you doing? This is madness!"

Lyrien, his eyes was blazing with fury, he unsheathed his claws. "No one takes her without going through me first!" he growled, his voice low and menacing.

Despite the chains which were binding her, Aria stood tall, her eyes still locked on Lyrien. Tears streamed down on her face as she spoke, her voice were trembling. "I'm sorry, Lyrien. I never meant to be a burden to you. I'm been greedy because I've never felt love like this before. In death, I'll never forget our love."

Lyrien's expression suddenly darkened, his eyes flashing with a fierce determination. "Don't say that, Aria," he growled, his voice low and urgent. "just like you said i have also never been in love like this before. You are now my everything. So, one is taking you away from me. I won't let that happen."

But before Lyrien could take another step closer to Aria, Erin smirked, a sly smile spreading across his face. "It's a pity you won't be able to keep her, Lyrien," he sneered. "You have a bad fate of losing people who dare to get close to you."

Erin's words were seem to dripped with malice as he continued, "Your bad fate took your mother from you, and now it will still affect you as you won't be able to save this one too. You'll pay for everything tonight, Lyrien."

Lyrien's face suddenly twisted in rage, his claws were extending once more. "You'll never take her from me, Erin," he snarled, his voice deadly. "I'll kill you before I let that happen."

Lord Edgard's shooter burst into the room, their guns were blazing as they started shooting at Erin men. Erin tried to deflect the bullets with his sword, but they kept coming. Lord Edgard yelled, "Lyrien, take Aria and get out of here, now!"

As if by miracle, the chains binding Lyrien's wrists suddenly snapped, severed by the last trial of Erin, his claws cut through the chains. The sound of shattering metal echoed through the room.

Lyrien quickly grabbed Aria, who felt weak and disoriented. He lifted her into his arms and started to make their escape.

But Erin shouted, "You can't let her leave!" Lord Edgard countered, "Protect Aria at all costs!"

The room erupted into chaos as the shooter continued his rampage. Bullets whizzed through the air, and Lord Edgard threw himself in front of Aria, shielding her from the hail of gunfire.

Aria screamed as she saw her father take a bullet to the chest. Lyrien pulled her close and forced her to keep moving. "We have to get out of here, now!" he yelled.

As they stumbled towards the exit, Aria caught a glimpse of her father's fallen form. She tried to break free from Lyrien's grasp to run to save her father, but he held tight, his eyes fixed on their escape route.

"We can't leave him!" Aria cried, but Lyrien just pulled her harder, his face set in a determined grimace.

Lyrien and Aria sprinted across the grounds, their footsteps seen to be pounding the earth. Erin with a rage stumbled out of the house, his eyes were fixed on them with a maniacal glare. Lord Edgard, despite his mortal wound, summoned the last ounce of his strength to block Erin's path.

"You'll never leave this place," Lord Edgard growled, his voice weak but seem defiant.

Erin sneered, trying to step over him. Lord Edgard grasped Erin's leg, holding him back. With a snarl, Erin raised his gun and shot Lord Edgard again. The old man's body jerked, but he refused to let go.

With a surge of adrenaline, Lord Edgard unleashed his magic again. The air around them all began to distort, and the sound of grinding metal filled the air. The massive gates of the estate started to close, the iron bars screeching in protest.

Erin tried to leap over Lord Edgard, he held his leg tighter, the old man's magic was too strong. The gates slammed shut, mere inches from Erin's face. The sound of the impact was like thunder, and the ground shook beneath their feet.

The gates were adorned with intricate ironwork, which were shaped like twisted vines and thorns. As they closed, the metal seemed to writhe and twist, like living tendrils. The sound of screeching metal and the acrid smell of ozone filled the air around them.

Lyrien and Aria didn't look back, they kept running, their hearts were pounding heavily in their chests. They knew they had to put as much distance between themselves and the estate as possible.

As Lyrien and Aria emerged from the estate, they were met with a chilling sight. Lord Edgard's grounds, once immaculately manicured, were now swarming with Erin's men, armed to the teeth with dangerous firearms. The moon cast an eerie glow on the scene, making the men's faces seem like a twisted masks.

"Surround them!" Erin Beta voice echoed through the night, his figure emerging from the shadows. "Don't let them escape!"

Lyrien instinctively pushed Aria behind him, he was protecting her, his eyes was scanning the perimeter for any sign of weakness. But the two were vastly outnumbered, and the men were closing in at them.

Aria's eyes widened as she took in the scene. "We're trapped," she whispered, with her voice trembling.

Lyrien's grip on her arm tightened. "Not yet," he growled, his mind was racing for a plan.

Suddenly, a loud crash echoed through the night, which was followed by the sound of screeching tires. A sleek black car careened onto the grounds, it plowed through Erin's men like a hot knife through butter.

The driver's side door burst open, and a figure yelled, "Get in, now!"

Lyrien didn't hesitate, bundling Aria into the car before leaping in himself. The door slammed shut behind them, and the car sped away, leaving a trail of chaos in its wake.

As they sped into the night, Aria turned to Lyrien, her eyes wide with fear. "Who was that?" she asked, her voice barely audible.

Lyrien's face was grim. "I don't know, but we owe them our lives."