Chapter 89: Fix
As Denzel stepped into the alley, what he found waiting for him was far from anything he had expected.
Or rather...
There was nothing waiting for him at all.
The alley stretched ahead in complete silence.
Empty.
No Patrick, No gang hiding in the shadows
Nothing.
Denzel’s brows furrowed.
Slowly, he turned around.
The moment he did, his eyes landed on the knight standing at the entrance he had just passed through. She stood there calmly, her gaze fixed on him.
"What is this?" Denzel demanded, his fists tightening instinctively.
"If you’re planning to take me down, you should know I don’t go down easily."
The knight let out a dismissive scoff.
"Don’t jump to conclusions so quickly," she replied.
"I’m not here to kill you."
She folded her arms.
"I’m here to advise you."
"Advise me?" Denzel repeated.
Without answering immediately, the knight reached into her hair and pulled out a small pouch.
Then she tossed it toward him.
Denzel caught it effortlessly.
The moment it landed in his palm, he felt the weight.
Gold.
Just from the heft of the pouch alone, he could tell there were dozens of coins inside.
The knight watched him carefully.
"Take whoever you care about, and get as far away from this city as possible." she said, her voice unusually serious.
Denzel’s expression hardened.
The knight continued.
"No matter what you do, don’t go through with your duel with Patrick. He’s not planning to fight you. He’s planning to kill you."
For a moment, the alley fell silent.
Then she spoke again.
"Patrick is a murderous psychopath. As much as I hate to admit it, I don’t want to see an innocent person die."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Especially when the fight is this unfair. You’re being thrown against an elemental user....That’s why I brought you here."
She turned away.
"So, just leave."
Her voice drifted back to him.
"Do it quickly. Do it quietly. And this will all be over."
With that, she began walking away.
"Hey."
Denzel’s voice stopped her.
The knight paused and glanced back.
Something suddenly flew toward her.
Her hand shot out instinctively.
She caught it.
The pouch.
Looking down at it in surprise, she raised her eyes toward Denzel.
"What?" she asked.
Denzel grinned.
As he lifted both hands, she noticed several gold coins gleaming between his fingers.
"Sorry," he said casually.
"I couldn’t resist taking a few."
He rolled one coin across his knuckles.
"But I needed something to make myself look cool before I said this."
The knight stared at him.
"When you said what?"
Denzel stuffed the stolen coins into his pocket.
Then his grin widened.
"Simply put"
He shrugged.
"Take your coins and fuck off."
The knight blinked.
Denzel shoved his hands into his pockets.
"Seriously, do I look like the kind of guy who’d run away from a fight because someone scared me with a warning?"
The knight slowly shook her head.
It was becoming painfully obvious that she knew very little about the person standing before her.
"Do you even understand what you’re saying? Patrick is an elemental user. You’re not."
Her gaze sharpened as a frown drew on her face.
"And despite knowing that, you still think fighting him is the right choice? Are you really willing to gamble your life over your pride?"
"There’s no amount of pride involved in this." Denzel replied with a casual shrug.
"Patrick has pushed things way too far. He’s a pussy that deserves what’s coming to him."
The knight stared at him for a long moment before letting out a quiet scoff.
"And you think you, of all people, are capable of doing that?"
Denzel’s lips curled into a faint smirk.
"Who knows? I tend to surprise people..."
A mischievous grin spread across his face.
"I wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise for you."
The confidence in his voice was almost irritating.
He looked at her with that same smug smile, as though he knew something she didn’t.
For some strange reason, the knight felt a slight warmth creep into her cheeks.
Her brow immediately twitched.
’What the hell is wrong with this kid? Is he bluffing? Or is he genuinely this confident?’
Before she could decide which answer annoyed her more, Denzel casually reached out and tapped her shoulder.
"Thanks for the coins, though."
The knight blinked.
Then Denzel simply turned around and started walking away.
Just like that, he left her standing there alone in the alley.
She watched his retreating figure disappear farther and farther into the distance.
The pouch of gold still rested in her hand.
For several seconds, she remained completely silent.
Then she let out a long sigh.
"He’s actually serious."
Her grip tightened around the pouch.
"He really intends to get involved with Patrick."
Slowly, she shook her head.
’That idiot. He’s walking straight toward his own grave.’
***
Soon, evening arrived.
The bustling streets gradually quieted as the sun disappeared beyond the horizon.
Denzel made his way through the city before eventually arriving home.
The moment he stepped through the front door, he felt it.
The house no longer felt like the warm and lively home he had grown accustomed to.
Instead, it felt empty. The silence almost seemed to cling to the walls.
"I’m home," Denzel called out.
His voice echoed faintly through the house.
No response came.
Frowning slightly, he stepped farther inside.
That’s when he saw Maria.
She was sitting alone at the kitchen counter.
Her elbows rested on the table while her hands supported her head.
Slowly, she rubbed her forehead.
She looked exhausted, not physically, but emotionally.
Denzel approached her.
"Hey, Mum."
Maria looked up.
Her eyes seemed duller than usual.
"Oh hello. Son, I’m sorry..."
She lowered her gaze.
"I didn’t really have much strength today. I couldn’t make anything."
Denzel frowned.
’She didn’t have much strength? This isn’t because of Sophia, is it?’
Maria’s fingers tightened slightly.
For several moments, she remained silent.
Then, finally, she spoke.
"She doesn’t understand."
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"She doesn’t understand my love for you, Denzel."
A bitter smile appeared on her face.
"She thinks it’s wrong."
Her eyes lowered further.
"Everyone does."
The words came out painfully.
As though they had been weighing on her heart for a very long time.
"Maybe...Maybe we shouldn’t have..."
The rest of the sentence never came.
The words simply died in her throat.
Before she could continue, Denzel stepped forward.
Gently, he reached out and lifted her chin.
Maria looked up at him.
Then Denzel leaned down and kissed her.
When he finally pulled away, he smiled softly.
"Don’t worry."
Maria blinked. Denzel’s eyes never left hers.
"I’m going to fix this."
A flicker of hope appeared on her face.
"Fix this?"
She looked at him uncertainly.
"How exactly are you going to fix it?"
Denzel’s smile widened. The confidence returned immediately.
"I already have everything sorted out."
Maria stared at him.
Whether she believed him or not, she couldn’t tell. But Denzel sounded absolutely certain.
"Just trust me, mummy. I’ll fix this."
Despite meaning to comfort her, his hands still journied to her breasts, taking a squeeze of it.
"We’ll get back to being one big happy family."
Maria looked at him for several seconds.
Uncertainty still lingered in her eyes.
But beneath it was the faintest spark of hope.
Denzel patted her shoulder.
"Just stay right here."
Then he turned around.
Without another word, he began walking toward Sophia’s room.
Step! Step! Step!
The hallway felt strangely long.
Each footstep echoed softly through the silent house.
Eventually, he reached her door.
For a moment, he simply stared at it.
The entire house seemed silent around him. Then he took a slow breath.
’Alright. Let’s get on with this.’
