"L-Lucy... what, what, what is this thing?" Morpheus asked.
The next to break the silence was Dante. "It... it's... a wolf!"
"His name is White-Flame. He's my brother's pet."
The goths saw the boy, who was petting the wolf's head. The huge animal slowly walked towards the club members, and they remained motionless as it walked around them. Finally, he approached Haiku. After sniffing, he brought his head closer as a sign that he wanted to be petted.
"He likes you. He lets you touch him," Lincoln stated.
Haiku reached out her hand, making contact with the wolf's fur. It was silky and smooth. At that, Haiku smiled, and her eyes filled with sparkle. "He is nice."
The wolf responded with a small lick on the girl's cheek.
The rest of the club approached White-Flame. He sniffed them one by one and responded by rubbing his head over them, where they started to caress him.
"White-Flame can seem very ferocious. Even if he is, when he loves someone, he becomes very docile."
"Where did you find him?" Haiku asked.
"I didn't. He found me."
"Do you always transport yourself on that wolf?"
"Not always. Actually, it was Lucy's idea. She wanted to arrive at the meeting in style."
"Speaking of which, let's start the meeting immediately."
"What about him?" Persephone asked, pointing to White-Flame.
"Don't worry. It won't bother you."
White-Flame began to walk in circles within the site and eventually sat down.
After that, the club members began their meeting.
Among the topics of the meeting also appeared personal questions to which Lincoln did not clearly provide answers.
"Hey, Lincoln. Can I ask you something?"
"Okay. Say it, Murphy."
"First of all, don't call me that."
"Secondly, doesn't it scare you?"
"You? Nah. Not at all. You're my sister's friends, and I've known you since we were kids. Besides, I'm already used to this kind of thing, thanks to Lucy."
"I don't mean that. I'm talking about your... fights."
All members paid attention to Lincoln regarding Morpheus' question.
Lincoln thought about it for a moment and replied, "Yes, all the time. When you walk through the doors of the place you're going to fight, you never know what you'll find or if this fight will be your last. You never get used to that."
"Whether you are new like me or a veteran like others, the possibility of serious injury or even death is high."
"You... have you ever seen someone... die in those battles?"
Lincoln remembered his battle against Horace and its results. But he could not admit something like this in front of his beloved sister.
"Yes..."
"Do you think it's worth it? Would you risk your life for money?"
"I know you're doing it for a reason. And let me tell you, it's a very noble thing. But do you think your parents would want to know what you're doing? What if you don't get out alive next time?"
"This almost happened to me."
"What!?"
Lincoln's response shocked everyone, especially Lucy.
Lincoln lifted his shirt, revealing his bullet scar. "In my last fight, my opponent was carrying a gun. This completely surprised me because the use of weapons is strictly prohibited."
While Morpheus and Dante had pained expressions when they saw the just-healed scar, Persephone and Haiku's eyes were fixed on Lincoln's body, which was accompanied by noticeable redness and anxiety when seeing the scar.
But for her part, Lucy seemed annoyed.
She quickly ran towards Lincoln and hugged him.
"Please, Lincoln. Please stop these fights."
Lucy's reaction was unexpected for Lincoln. Even though he already knew what he had done, aside from the occasional worry that was not unusual for someone dedicated to fighting, he had never received a response like this before.
"But, Lucy. What about paying off the debt on the house and the spa and getting Leni into the hospital?"
"To hell with that!!!" Lucy hugged Lincoln and began to cry into his chest. "I don't care if we have to work until we're old women. We'll help you pay off this debt. But please. Please don't fight anymore. I don't want to lose you."
Lincoln hugged Lucy, stroking her hair.
"Lucy. I understand you. I'm also afraid of losing you or any member of our family. That's why I fight. Not for money. Not to pay off debts. I fought for you. To be strong for you."
"Why? Why do you keep sacrificing yourself for us? Why does it always have to be you?"
Lincoln brushed the hair out of Lucy's eyes and then wiped away her tears.
"What's with that question, Lucy? Do I need a reason to protect the people I love?"
Her brother's kind words calmed Lucy's heart. She couldn't help but hug him again and cry again. But this time it was tears of joy.
"You are an idiot."
"But I'm your idiot," Lincoln replied, hugging Lucy.
This affected other club members as well.
The beautiful moment was interrupted by a silent drop on everyone's heads. Then another, and another. Faster and faster, and more followed.
Heavy rain fell.
Club members ran for cover under a tree. Bad choice. Since it was knocked down by a strong wind. Fortunately, they managed to jump in time. The storm promised to be the strongest ever.
Lincoln put two fingers in his mouth and let out a loud whistle. His faithful wolf came at his call.
"Get on board."
Dante, Morpheus, Persephone, and Lucy rode on the back of White-Flame.
"There's only room for five," Lucy pointed out.
"Good. Haiku, go with them. I will seek shelter here and wait out the storm."
"Are you crazy? I won't leave you here alone."
"But..."
"Silence. As co-president of the club, I won't leave anyone behind. So you don't want to be a hero."