Chapter 3

    Two hours later:

    "Boss, have they gathered the money yet?"

    "That's what they said," the lead kidnapper replied.

    "We should be prepared in case they try to trick us."

    "Lucky you, little miss. You're worth more than we thought."

    “Ha ha ha ha ha”

    Their laughter echoed painfully in Eris's ears. The child felt a deep sense of foreboding; she was scared, in a place unknown, dark, and filled with smoke and dust, surrounded by vile men exuding dangerous vibes.

    Eris longed for her mother's embrace, the only place she felt truly safe. Her mother, the strongest person in her world, would surely come to her rescue.

    As Eris wept, a roaring engine noise from outside startled the four men.

    "They're playing dirty!"

    Vroom!!

    A motorcycle soared into the factory, its wheels slamming and skidding across the floor, stopping abruptly a meter away. The sight stunned the kidnappers and even Eris ceased her crying.

    Was he alone?

    When the helmet came off, it revealed Gavin, the soy milk owner from earlier that day.

    "Who the hell are you?" one of the thugs approached Gavin menacingly.

    "You're the scum!" Gavin didn't mince words.

    "To think you'd prey on a three-year-old! You're not human. I curse you: may your manhood never rise, may you get a fungal infection at the foreskin, have urethritis, be infertile with no cure, and have no descendants in every life."

    "Damn, this guy's asking for it," the kidnapper sneered, swinging a steel pipe at Gavin's head. But a rock flew in, hitting the attacker squarely, disorienting him.

    Gavin swiftly dismounted the motorcycle, spun, and kicked, sending the attacker flying meters away, right in front of his comrades. In an instant, they realized this man was no ordinary person.

    "Are you a magic user?"

    "Hand over the girl, or I swear, you'll face a loss greater than you can imagine," Gavin negotiated with a confident smile.

    "Are you with the girl?"

    "No, I'm just a good citizen. Normally, I don't meddle in others' affairs, but I've taken a liking to this kid. Hand her over, or there will be no more negotiations."

    "Ha ha, you're insane! We have the girl, what do you have to bargain with?" The deputy laughed hysterically, thinking Gavin had lost his mind and knew nothing about negotiation.

    "Big boss, should we capture him too? He looks decent; some weirdos might pay a good price for him."

    "Right, let's grab him," the lead kidnapper grinned, thinking Gavin might fetch them a good hundred or two hundred thousand, not as much as the girl, but still a significant amount.

    But before they could act, Gavin's hands surged with supernatural power. Small flames, like candlelight, formed and merged into a ball the size of a tennis ball in one hand, while his other hand shaped the wind into it.

    "Eris! Stay still, don't move. I'm coming to save you."

    "Eh?" Eris blinked her tear-soaked eyes as her blurry vision cleared to see the uncle from the morning confronting the four villains, hurling the fiery orb to the ground with force.

    The orb exploded into a hot wind wave, scattering dust and gravel, forcing the kidnappers to shield themselves.

    When the wind died down, they felt an unexplainable burning sensation on their skin. One kidnapper turned to see that Eris was no longer in her spot!

    "She's there!" The lead kidnapper pointed, and all three whipped around. Gavin dashed agilely through the dilapidated furniture with Eris in his arms. Despite obstacles, he was swift, reaching his motorcycle in no time, the girl safely in tow.

    "He's not just a magic user; he's a mage!" The deputy sensed that the situation was drastically shifting.

    "Hey, young man, return the child," the boss growled, bewildered how in just a blink, the girl was snatched away despite the nearly two hundred meters separating them. How fast could this young man be?

    "Eris, you're okay now, you’re safe."

    "Uek... uek... uh," Eris continued to cry, clutching Gavin's shirt tightly like a small monkey clinging to its last resort. The comforting smile on Gavin's face turned grave. He felt profound pity for the child, so young and already a victim of kidnapping.

    Were he her parent, he would never allow her to endure such an ordeal.

    "You lot are just like mold on expired bread. Just seeing your faces makes me lose my appetite. Leave this world; as long as you roam the streets, I vow never to swallow another bite."

    "You've got quite the mouth on you!" One of the villains aimed something at Gavin.

    "Damn it, the kid might get hit by stray bullets!" The boss raised his hand to stop him, but it was too late; the villain's finger was already on the trigger.

    Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

    The sounds of gunfire were followed by Eris's shrieking.

    "Ahhhh!!!" Eris trembled violently, almost going into shock. The sound of gunfire was like a malevolent demon crushing all hope into despair. Her tiny hands squeezed Gavin's shirt, drenched with her tears.

    The little girl had no idea what the actual situation was, but the four kidnappers saw it with their own eyes.

    All the bullets... they curved!

    Damn it! Bullets can curve.

    All five bullets were aimed straight at Gavin, but at a certain point, their trajectories inexplicably altered. Not a single one hit him.

    Gavin's expression was sterner than ever. He pointed at the four men and declared, "You bring weapons of war into the country of Tier, don't you wish to live anymore!!" Gavin realized these weren't ordinary kidnappers; they had smuggled military-grade weapons into a country known for its strict arms control, indicative of international terrorism.

    But what intrigued Gavin, and what the four men refused to explain, was the scene where the bullets had curved moments ago.

    "We're doomed... This is a sorcerer, isn't it? A high-level sorcerer!" The deputy turned pale.

    "Shoot! Everyone, fire! Kill him," the boss ordered, and everyone brought out their weapons to unleash a barrage. Gavin's face remained impassive, even more, serene. Hundreds of bullets per second, each one unnaturally redirected elsewhere.

    As Eris heard the continuous gunfire, she screamed again. But after a moment, when no change occurred, the uncle holding her was still perfectly unharmed.

    The little girl slowly opened her eyes and beheld the sight of bullets altering their course, a spectacle both wondrous and rich in igniting a child's imagination.

    "Little one, don't look. It's not a nice sight," Gavin gently said to the girl nestled in his arms.

    "Cover your eyes, dear. It will all be over soon."

    "Mhm," Eris nodded obediently and covered her eyes with both hands.

    Gavin's deep garnet eyes scrutinized the four men with an air of accusation.

    "I am a man filled with compassion. I bear no grudge against those who wish to argue or fight with me. But for those who wish for my death, they have two options: one is to compensate for the damages; the other is to die!! Yet, for you lot who torment even a three-year-old and dare aim a gun at me, there's only one path awaiting you."

    Gavin extracted four small steel balls and muttered something under his breath. At this moment, escape was futile. He flicked the steel balls, each striking the kidnappers' heads one by one.

    The first to be struck was the thug who had shouted at Eris the loudest. Though Gavin was nearly two hundred meters away, the speed of the balls was so fast they were barely visible. Upon impact, the thug's consciousness was instantly obliterated.

    "Run!" the lead thug commanded. This is outrageous. You're a sorcerer, yet you don't cast spells; you revert to flicking steel balls at us. Do you even maintain the dignity of a sorcerer?" But these fools would never understand that this deity wasn't forsaking magic. He simply used an [Enhancement] spell on his fingertips to augment the force and durability of the steel balls.

    Who says a sorcerer must always fight with grandeur? Clearly, such notions were absurd to Gavin.

    The four were not dead, merely unconscious. With his current power level, those steel balls couldn't kill anyone. But the rule was the rule. Tonight, they had to die. However, before he could approach them, the small hand of the girl tugged at his shirt.

    "Is it over?"

    "Yes, it's over. You're safe now."

    "I want to see Mommy," Eris pleaded, her voice softening Gavin's resolve. He tenderly stroked the girl's head, consoling her after the ordeal she'd endured. But the rule was the rule.

    Then, Gavin eyed the four men and shattered a small vial, transforming its liquid contents into four venomous needles. He propelled them into the men's bloodstream. If fortune favored them, they might survive in a hospital if this child's family showed mercy.

    Eris, once vivacious, now seemed lifeless like a doll, indifferent to her surroundings as if every element could harm her. Though she was rescued, her wariness persisted.

    Placing the little girl on the motorcycle, Gavin gazed at her with a heart heavy with sorrow. This certainly wasn't the first time she'd been abducted.

    ‘What is the status of this child? Why has she become a target for kidnapping?’ Gavin began to speculate. These four were familiar with the terms used to denote magic users, mages, and sorcerers. This indicated they hailed from the shadow society.

    In the contemporary era, magic was deemed wondrous, embodying miraculous power. Yet, not everyone could access or was acquainted with it; only the shadow society was privy to the existence of magic. This included the influential, the police, the military, politicians, mafia bosses, and even the progeny of nobles.

    There must be something about Eris that someone desired, but Gavin couldn't discern what it was.

    "Little one," Gavin said with a warm smile, extending his hand for the girl to see.

    "Watch closely. There's nothing in my hand, right?" Gavin flipped both sides of his hand for her to inspect.

    "Mhm."

    "And then..." With a swift motion, Gavin flipped his hand again, but it wasn't empty this time. Instead, it held a luminous, vibrantly colored flower, the most beautiful and peculiar one the little girl had ever seen. Its beauty eased her sorrow.

    "Is it pretty?"

    "Yes. Eris wants it."

    "I'll give it to Eris as a reward because you've been so brave."

    "How was Eris brave?"

    "Eris was strong. Even when close to evil people, you were unharmed and patient until I arrived."

    "But Eris cried. Eris missed Mommy. Eris was shouted at by the bad people. Eris was sad."

    "That's why I heard your crying and came to rescue you."

    "Eh?"

    "Because you missed your mommy and cried, I was able to find you here. You did very well."

    "Is Eris really that brave?"

    "Yes, you are very brave. And this is a reward for your bravery."

    "Will Eris really get the flower?"

    "Yes, you will." Gavin placed the radiant flower into the tiny hands of the girl. Her azure eyes widened in wonder before the flower's light attracted something closer.

    Tiny fairies began to flutter from every direction, surrounding Eris. The little girl was puzzled by what was happening.

    "Uncle, what are these tiny beings?"

    "These are [Fairies]. They want to play with Eris. They say you're the bravest."

    "Really? The fairies praise Eris? Thank you, thank you." Eris knew how to express gratitude. The little fairies encircled her and began singing. The flower's light dispelled the surrounding darkness and filled it with color. The fairies and their songs replaced fear and wariness with joy.

    All this was overwhelmingly magical, utterly novel for Eris, but what enabled the recently kidnapped girl to smile was the profound trust she inexplicably felt towards the uncle who was the soy milk owner. A mystical bond had formed since their eyes met earlier that day, altering both their destinies forever.