The Zombie System.

"Freeze! Association enforcement!"

The underground arena erupts into chaos. Steel-armored agents surge through every entrance like a flood breaking through a dam. Their shouts pierce the crowd's panic as spectators trample one another in a desperate scramble for safety, the hunters in the crowd coming to the front trying to catch a few stragglers.

------

Leon's consciousness flickers between awareness and darkness. Pain throbs through his broken body with each heartbeat. Through blurred vision, he sees Damian speaking to a group of agents near the tournament master's platform.

"The elixir was stolen in the confusion," Damian's voice rings out clearly despite the chaos. "Someone grabbed it during the panic. I tried to pursue them but lost them in the crowd."

The lead agent's face twists with frustration. "Impossible. We had this place surrounded."

"Check the bodies if you want. Search everyone still breathing. But whoever took it is long gone."

Leon feels strong arms lifting him from the bloodstained sand. The world spins as Damian hoists him over his shoulder like a wounded comrade. Around them, the arena descends into complete mayhem.

"This one's barely alive," Damian calls to a passing medic. "Taking him to the exit for emergency treatment."

The medic nods without stopping. The arena is filled with too many wounded for anyone to track individual casualties.

Damian moves through the chaos with practiced ease, navigating crowds of fleeing criminals and confused agents, always staying ahead of the search teams. Leon's awareness fades in and out as they pass through stone corridors that reek of fear and desperation.

Cool night air strikes Leon's face. They are outside now, moving through narrow alleys that twist between crumbling buildings. Raindrops splatter against his cheek, washing away dried blood and arena dust.

Damian's footsteps echo off the wet cobblestones. His breathing remains steady despite carrying Leon's weight for several blocks. The sounds of pursuit fade into the distance behind them.

At the alley beside his house, Damian stops beside a crumbling wall covered in moss and graffiti. He lowers Leon carefully to the ground, propping him against the weathered stones.

"This is as far as I can take you," Damian whispers. His voice holds a deep emotion Leon has never heard before—genuine regret mixed with respect.

Leon's eyes flutter open. Through the haze of pain, he sees Damian kneeling beside him. Rain plasters his friend's hair to his forehead, making him look younger despite everything that has changed between them.

"I am sorry," Damian continues. "For the Awakening. For turning my back. For everything." He pauses, water dripping from his chin. "You fought better than anyone had a right to expect. Your father would be proud."

Footsteps approach from the main street as Association patrols expand their search perimeter.

Damian stands quickly. "Take care of yourself, Leon. And your mother."

With that, he vanishes into the maze of alleys, leaving Leon alone with the rain and his pain.

Consciousness returns slowly. Leon's first sensation is the cold water soaking through his torn clothing. Every muscle screams in protest as he tries to move, and his ribs feel like broken glass grinding together.

It's still midnight but dawn is fast approaching. He pats himself around to check for any more damage, when his fingers find something solid in his jacket pocket. The crystal vial is still there, its golden contents glowing faintly even in the darkness.

The truth hits him like a physical blow—Damian gave him the elixir, risking everything to ensure Leon can save his mother.

Despite his body's protests, Leon forces himself upright. Standing requires tremendous effort, but desperation fuels him with a strength his wounds cannot steal. He has what he came for; now, he just needs to reach the doctors house before collapsing completely.

The journey through rain-soaked streets feels endless. Leon moves from shadow to shadow, avoiding the main thoroughfares where Association patrols might spot him. His left leg drags with each step, and blood seeps through his bandages, leaving a trail he hopes the rain will wash away.

Thankfully the doctor is awake and active. 'Doctor, I have it, my mother's elixir, come let's get to my home to give her but please do you have anything I can use to keep me upright till we get there.

The doctor looks at him smiling. 'Wouldn't ask where you got that from but that's good news that can make one smile in this wretched quarters''. He goes inside his room and comes outside with a bottle and gives it to him. 'Here take this, it will give you the required strength you need and lets get going.' 

Moving noiselessly and from shadow to shadow through the shadow quarters due to the presence of the Association, they get to his house almost close to dawn.

His mother's room is dark, illuminated only by the approaching dawn, which casts a pale light across her face. She looks even frailer than before, her breathing shallow and irregular. 

Leon closes the door and approaches her bedside with trembling hands. The elixir feels warm in his grip, its golden contents swirling with inner light.

"I'm here, Mom," he whispers. "Everything's going to be okay now."

He uncorks the vial carefully. The liquid smells like spring rain and blooming flowers—life itself distilled into perfect essence. Gently, he lifts his mother's head and tips the elixir against her lips.

She swallows reflexively. For a moment, nothing happens. Then warmth spreads across her pale skin like sunrise breaking through clouds. Color returns to her cheeks, and her breathing deepens and steadies.

Leon watches in amazement as years of illness seem to melt away. The gray pallor fades, sunken features fill out, and even her hair regains its natural luster.

Her eyes open slowly, and they focus clearly on his face for the first time in weeks.

"Leon?" Her voice is stronger than it has been in months. "What happened to you? You look terrible."

Leon laughs despite his exhaustion. "Just some Hunter Association business. Nothing to worry about."

She reaches up to touch the fresh bandage on his jaw. "My brave boy. Always trying to protect me."

"Someone has to."

They sit together in comfortable silence as dawn breaks outside the hospital window. Leon dozes fitfully in the bedside chair while his mother sleeps peacefully for the first time in months.

The doctor standing at the far side of the room moves to check her pulse and smiles at me. 'Wonderful boy, you broke the odds.' 

Leon maintains a careful neutrality. "Sometimes the odds favour us."

The doctor proceeds to leave, 'Let me take my leave and get some rest before the morning sun and be careful, this kind of healing can attract attention, also pass me the bottle so I can study the extract and see if I can work some magic on producing it' He leaves with the elixir bottle and a nod at him and closes the door.

After the doctor leaves, Leon's mother squeezes his hand gently.

"How much did it cost?" she asks quietly.

Leon meets her gaze. "Nothing we couldn't afford."

She nods, understanding that some questions don't need answers. They sit together in the early sunlight, sharing peace only after surviving the impossible.

Leon gazes out his mother's room window at the shadow quarters stretching to the upper district. Damian is probably filing reports about failed operations and missing evidence somewhere out there. The tournament organizers are dealing with Association investigations. And Leon's own name is now linked to the underground's bloodiest season in years.

His mother sleeps peacefully for the first time in months, breathing deep and steady. The immediate crisis is over. Her life is saved. Yet, Leon understands with crystalline clarity that his survival battle has only just begun.