**_Chapter 16: The Vernan Serum_**

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"Wait, I have four samples with me, just in case something like this happened," Rain said, pulling out four small bottles filled with a pinkish-purple liquid. The men in black took the serum and poured it evenly across Zion's body. The silence grew tense. Suddenly, Zion gasped, but instead of sitting upright, he began taking short, sharp breaths before letting out a shrill scream that made Leo's blood freeze. Leo rushed to Zion and supported his head in his hands. Zion slowly sat upright and spat, "What the heck, this serum burns like crazy."

All the Lunas rushed over to him, but Zion seemed alright.

"Don't worry, Lunas, he's fine. The Vernan serum heals anything in five seconds, but those are the most painful seconds of your life," Rain said, playing with the remaining three bottles in his hands. *That explains the scream,* Leo thought sarcastically.

"Get off me," Zion muttered as he gently pushed Frost's face away. He then turned to Leo, a smirk on his face. "Wait, Leo, you helped me sit upright?"

"OF COURSE I DID! DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED I WAS ABOUT YOU, YOU MANIAC?!" Leo shouted, staring at Zion with pained eyes. Zion hugged Leo, and Leo hugged him back. "Awww," Frost said, resting his hand on Ares' shoulder.

"I hate to break this moment, but I agreed to fight each one of you, so..." Celik said, twirling a dagger in his hands.

Frost picked up a weapon from the basket and stared directly at Celik. Celik smiled, excitement flickering in his eyes. After the countdown, Frost didn't hesitate. He brought his arms together, as if hugging himself, and muttered under his breath. A lightning bolt struck where Celik had been standing, but Celik disappeared. Frost turned around in every direction, searching for him, before a dagger came flying at his side. His knees buckled from the pain, and he dropped to the ground. Celik snatched the samurai sword Frost had chosen and pointed it at his chest.

"That ended way quicker than before," Rain remarked. "It's not that big of a bruise. Should we not apply the serum?"

"No, apply the serum," Celik commanded.

"You got it, Cici," Rain said as he approached Frost, who tried to back away but couldn't manage to get far. He was forced to stay still as the serum was poured over his entire body. An ear-splitting cry erupted from Frost, causing Leo to wince.

"Cici?" Ares mocked Celik, but Leo could sense the panic in his voice, no matter how tough Ares tried to act. Ares grabbed two swords, one in each hand. He slashed at Celik, who struck back. Ares tried to trick Celik by feinting a strike, but Celik smiled, faking a move that forced Ares to stumble forward. Big mistake. The sword in Ares' right hand went flying. He ducked as Celik's dagger came flying, then he launched with his other sword, but to his surprise, he saw red-his own red. He fell to the ground, face-first into the muddy surface. Leo gritted his teeth. Celik made them look like pathetic chickens fighting a wolf. The serum was applied, followed by a muffled scream. Leo realized what Ares had done-he had wrapped his arms around his face to muffle the sound. *I've got to use that,* Leo thought, admiring Ares for those precious seconds before stepping into the fight.

Leo put his arms together, forming a cross. He hesitated on which weapon to choose but finally stuck with his iconic blue-handled daggers. He stared at Celik, but when the countdown ended, he didn't charge like the others. Instead, he allowed Celik to strike first, dodging out of the way just in time. Leo leaped to the side and struck, but missed. Instinctively, he threw his daggers into the air, and they transformed into a longsword with a majestic blue handle. He looked around, slowly but surely stepping forward. Frost, Ares, and Zion all watched Leo attentively, but Leo shook them off. *Where was this guy?!*

Leo's anxiety started building up, his eardrums pounding, and his heart thumping wildly. A ringing noise began in his ears, but he ignored it. Suddenly, Celik launched at him, and Leo dropped to the floor. Celik was sitting on top of him, his dagger dropping before Leo's eyes. Leo propped his hands against the dagger, his arms shaking as scorching pain shot through them. He wanted to resist, wanted to let the dagger pierce through him, but he couldn't-it was too deadly. The sword in his hands went flying, landing at his side. He stared up at Celik, fear written in his eyes. Celik winked at him before the dagger sliced through Leo's chest. Leo felt his shirt dampen but felt no pain, only an adrenaline rush. Celik hopped off him. Leo didn't hesitate,he grabbed his sword and launched at Celik's back. Unfortunately, Celik vanished from where he had been standing. *What?!*

"Boo," a voice whispered from behind him, and the dagger pierced through him again. This time, Leo fell to the ground. Instinctively, his arms dropped to support him, but he couldn't bear it. Everything went black. He had failed. The pain shot through him all at once. Remembering Ares' technique, he buried his face in his arms. His knees pressed against his chest uncomfortably. The pain was deafening. He screamed at the pain of a hundred needles slowly poking through him, each one more painful than the last. But he stopped yelling, his face still buried in his arms. A hand reached out to support him. He looked up to see Celik. Leo didn't want to take the hand, but it grasped him before he could react, hauling him away. The other Lunas tried to follow, but the men stopped them. Leo felt the cold night air slap his face as he was dragged next to Celik. The guy was completely unscathed.

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