Selene lowered her hand.
"Take them."
The moment the order left her lips, the mansion erupted into chaos.
Gunfire exploded through the dark hall.
Red laser sights sliced across the walls like hunting beams.
Rachel's heart slammed against her ribs.
"DOWN!" Raziel roared.
He grabbed Rachel and Daniel, pulling them behind a marble pillar just as bullets tore through the air where they had been standing seconds earlier.
CRACK.
Chunks of marble shattered.
Glass from a nearby chandelier rained down across the floor.
Daniel screamed and covered his ears.
Rachel forced herself to breathe.
Focus.
Raziel had drilled that word into her head countless times during training.
Focus when you're afraid.
Focus when the world collapses.
Focus when survival is the only thing that matters.
Raziel leaned out from the pillar and fired twice.
Two mercenaries dropped instantly.
Headshots.
Precise.
Efficient.
But more of them were moving in from every hallway.
Too many.
"Thirty," Raziel muttered under his breath.
Rachel heard it.
Her stomach twisted.
Thirty armed mercenaries.
And they were trapped inside the mansion.
The Wolves Move In
Lucien watched the fight like it was entertainment.
He leaned casually against the wall, arms crossed.
"Ah," he sighed happily.
"Now this is fun."
Selene stood beside him, calm as ever.
Her silver eyes followed Raziel's movements with interest.
"He's slower than before," she noted.
Lucien shrugged.
"Age."
Selene smirked.
"Or injury."
Raziel fired again.
Another mercenary fell.
But the others had already spread out.
Professional.
Disciplined.
They were closing in from multiple directions, cutting off escape routes.
Rachel realized something terrifying.
They weren't just attacking.
They were herding them.
Toward the center of the hall.
Toward Selene.
Raziel Unleashed
Raziel's voice dropped low.
"Rachel."
"Yes?"
"When I move, take Daniel and run toward the west corridor."
Rachel frowned.
"What about you?"
Raziel didn't hesitate.
"I'll hold them."
Her chest tightened.
"You can't fight all of them!"
Raziel reloaded calmly.
"I don't have to."
His eyes turned deadly.
"I just have to slow them down."
Before Rachel could argue
Raziel moved.
He exploded out from behind the pillar like a storm.
Two shots.
Two enemies down.
He flipped a fallen table and used it as cover while firing again.
A mercenary lunged at him with a knife.
Raziel caught the man's wrist, twisted violently
CRACK.
Bone snapped.
Then Raziel drove his elbow into the man's throat.
The mercenary collapsed instantly.
Rachel stared in shock.
She had trained with Raziel.
She had sparred with him.
But she had never seen him fight like this.
This wasn't training.
This was war.
Rachel Runs
"NOW!" Raziel shouted.
Rachel grabbed Daniel's hand.
"Come on!"
They sprinted down the hallway toward the west corridor.
Bullets slammed into the walls around them.
Daniel nearly tripped but Rachel pulled him up again.
"Don't stop!"
Behind them, Raziel was still fighting.
Rachel heard bodies hitting the floor.
Gunshots.
Shouts.
The sound of pure violence.
But then
Selene's voice cut through the chaos.
"Enough."
The entire hall suddenly went silent.
Rachel stopped.
Slowly turning.
Selene stepped forward calmly through the smoke and broken glass.
Her soldiers lowered their weapons.
Raziel stood in the center of the hall.
Breathing hard.
Blood running down his arm.
Five mercenaries lay unconscious around him.
Selene looked impressed.
"Still dangerous," she admitted.
Raziel glared at her.
"You're not taking her."
Selene smiled slightly.
"Oh Raziel…"
She pointed past him.
"You might want to look."
Raziel's head turned.
Rachel followed his gaze.
Three mercenaries had quietly surrounded them during the chaos.
Guns aimed directly at Rachel and Daniel.
Rachel froze.
Fear Turns Into Something Else
"Don't move," one of the mercenaries ordered.
Daniel clutched Rachel's arm.
Rachel's mind raced.
Her heart pounded.
Fear surged through her body.
But something else came with it.
Something strange.
Something powerful.
Her breathing slowed.
Her hearing sharpened.
She could suddenly hear everything.
The mercenaries shifting their weight.
Raziel's heartbeat across the hall.
Selene's quiet breathing.
Even the storm outside the mansion.
Rachel blinked.
"What…?"
Her vision seemed clearer somehow.
Sharper.
Stronger.
The world felt different.
The mercenary stepped closer.
"Hands up."
Rachel slowly raised her hands.
But inside her chest…
Something was waking up.
Something fierce.
Selene Sees It
Selene's eyes narrowed suddenly.
She tilted her head slightly.
"Well," she murmured.
"That's new."
Lucien glanced at her.
"What?"
Selene smiled slowly.
"Look at her."
Lucien studied Rachel.
Then his eyebrows lifted.
"Oh."
"Well that's interesting."
Rachel didn't understand what they were seeing.
But Raziel did.
His eyes widened.
"Rachel…" he said carefully.
"Stay calm."
She tried.
But the strange energy inside her kept growing.
The mercenary grabbed her wrist.
"Move."
And that's when it happened.
The First Spark
The moment the man touched her
Rachel's body reacted.
Instinct.
Pure survival.
She twisted his wrist with a speed she didn't know she possessed.
CRACK.
The man screamed as his arm snapped.
Before the others could react
Rachel moved again.
She grabbed the second mercenary's gun and slammed it into his jaw.
He collapsed instantly.
The third soldier fired.
But Rachel ducked faster than thought.
The bullet shattered a wall behind her.
She kicked his knee sideways.
CRUNCH.
The man fell screaming.
The hallway went silent.
Everyone stared at her.
Rachel stood there.
Breathing hard.
Heart racing.
Her hands shaking.
"What… did I just do?"
Selene's Excitement
Selene began to laugh.
Not mockingly.
But with genuine excitement.
"Oh this is perfect."
Her eyes gleamed.
"Absolutely perfect."
Rachel stared at her.
"What's happening to me?"
Selene stepped closer slowly.
"You're waking up."
Raziel shook his head.
"No."
Selene smiled wider.
"Oh yes."
She pointed at Rachel.
"The program worked."
Rachel felt cold dread spread through her body.
"What program?"
Selene's voice dropped to a whisper.
"The one your mother started."
Rachel turned toward Isabella.
Her mother stood silently in the shadows.
Watching.
Waiting.
Rachel's voice trembled.
"Mom… what did you do to me?"
Isabella finally spoke.
And her answer chilled the entire room.
"I tried to make you strong enough to survive this world."
Rachel's heart sank.
Selene clapped slowly.
"Congratulations, Rachel."
Her smile turned predatory.
"You're finally becoming what you were born to be
For several seconds after the fight, no one spoke.
The hallway was filled with the groans of injured mercenaries and the sharp smell of gunpowder.
Rachel stood frozen in the middle of the chaos.
Her chest rose and fell quickly.
Her hands were still trembling from what had just happened.
She had broken bones.
Moved faster than bullets.
Defeated trained soldiers.
And she didn't even know how.
"What… did I just do?" she whispered again.
Selene watched her with pure fascination.
Raziel looked less impressed.
He looked worried.
Very worried.
"Rachel," he said carefully, "listen to me."
But Rachel wasn't looking at him.
She was looking at her mother.
"Mom," she said slowly, her voice shaking, "you said you made me strong enough to survive."
Her throat tightened.
"What did you do to me?"
Isabella's expression was unreadable.
But the silence in her eyes held too many secrets.
Before she could answer
Daniel tugged Rachel's sleeve.
"Rachel…"
His voice sounded strange.
Weak.
Rachel turned instantly.
"What's wrong?"
Daniel looked pale.
Sweat covered his forehead.
"I… I don't feel good."
Rachel's heart dropped.
Something Is Wrong
Daniel stumbled.
Rachel caught him quickly.
"Hey, hey—easy!"
Raziel moved toward them immediately.
"Daniel?"
The boy looked up at him.
His pupils were dilating strangely.
"I feel… hot," he said weakly.
Rachel touched his forehead.
Her eyes widened.
"He's burning up!"
Daniel's skin felt like fire.
Selene stepped forward slowly.
Her interest sharpening.
"Well… this is unexpected."
Raziel's eyes narrowed.
"No."
Lucien leaned closer curiously.
"Wait…"
His smile grew slowly.
"Oh this is good."
Rachel looked at them in panic.
"What's happening to him?!"
Daniel suddenly gasped.
His body jerked violently.
Rachel tightened her grip.
"Daniel!"
The Second Awakening
Daniel's breathing grew faster.
His fingers clenched tightly.
And then
CRACK.
The glass chandelier above them exploded.
Rachel flinched.
"What?!"
Shards of crystal rained across the floor.
No one had touched it.
Raziel looked up.
Then back at Daniel.
Realization spread across his face.
"No…"
Selene's smile returned slowly.
"Oh."
"Oh this is beautiful."
Rachel stared at her.
"What is happening to my brother?!"
Selene laughed softly.
"Your brother?"
She shook her head.
"You still don't understand."
Another loud CRACK echoed through the hall.
A nearby painting ripped itself off the wall.
Like an invisible force had torn it down.
Rachel froze.
Daniel's eyes opened.
But something was different.
His pupils glowed faintly.
Silver.
The same color as Selene's.
Power Without Control
Daniel looked around in confusion.
"What's happening?"
The moment he spoke
Every light fixture in the hallway burst.
POP. POP. POP.
Darkness swallowed the room again.
The mercenaries panicked.
"What the hell was that?!"
"Something's wrong!"
Daniel's breathing became erratic.
"I can't… stop it…"
Rachel pulled him closer.
"It's okay! I'm here!"
But the air around them began to vibrate.
The marble floor cracked slightly beneath Daniel's feet.
Selene watched like a scientist witnessing a miracle.
"Fascinating," she murmured.
Lucien chuckled.
"Well well."
Raziel turned toward Isabella sharply.
"You didn't just experiment on Rachel."
His voice was deadly.
"You experimented on both of them."
Isabella didn't deny it.
Her silence said everything.
Rachel's voice broke.
"Mom…?"
Daniel suddenly screamed.
The sound echoed through the mansion.
And the walls shook.
Chaos Returns
BOOM.
One of the mansion doors slammed open violently.
Mercenaries stumbled backward.
"What is that kid doing?!"
Daniel dropped to his knees.
Rachel held him tightly.
"Breathe, Daniel!"
"I can't!" he cried.
The air pressure around them intensified.
Tables slid across the floor.
Broken glass lifted slightly into the air.
Raziel stepped forward cautiously.
"Daniel."
The boy looked up at him.
Terrified.
"Make it stop…"
Raziel crouched slowly in front of him.
"You need to calm your mind."
Daniel shook his head.
"I don't know how!"
Rachel's heart shattered seeing him like that.
Selene clapped softly again.
"Oh Raziel…"
"You're giving meditation lessons now?"
Her voice turned darker.
"You trained killers."
"Not children."
Selene's True Goal
Rachel glared at her.
"Why are you so interested in him?"
Selene smiled slowly.
"Because he's rare."
Lucien nodded.
"Very rare."
Rachel's stomach twisted.
"What do you mean?"
Selene stepped closer.
"The program created enhanced fighters."
She pointed at Rachel.
"You're one."
Then she pointed at Daniel.
"But him…"
Her smile widened.
"He's something else."
Daniel gasped again.
A powerful shockwave blasted through the hall.
BOOM.
Mercenaries were thrown backward.
Even Lucien staggered slightly.
Selene laughed in delight.
"Incredible."
Rachel's fear deepened.
"What is he?"
Selene's voice turned soft.
"The future."
Raziel's Decision
Raziel stood slowly.
His expression had turned completely serious.
"Rachel," he said.
"Yes?"
"You and Daniel need to leave this mansion."
Rachel shook her head.
"No!"
Selene smirked.
"Too late."
She raised her hand again.
Mercenaries regrouped instantly.
Weapons raised.
But this time
They were aiming at Daniel.
Rachel's blood ran cold.
Selene's voice became deadly calm.
"Take the boy."
Rachel stepped in front of Daniel immediately.
"You're not touching him!"
Selene smiled gently.
"Oh Rachel…"
"That's exactly why I need him."
Raziel moved beside her.
"You'll have to kill me first."
Selene's eyes gleamed.
"That can be arranged."
The Terrifying Realization
Daniel clutched Rachel's arm weakly.
"Rachel…"
"Yes?"
"I think… something inside me is breaking."
Rachel's heart stopped.
"What do you mean?"
Daniel looked at his shaking hands.
"I can hear things."
"What things?"
"Everything."
His voice trembled.
"The walls."
"The rain."
"The people outside."
Rachel's breath caught.
Selene whispered excitedly,
"Heightened perception already…"
Daniel's eyes widened suddenly.
Rachel noticed immediately.
"What is it?"
Daniel looked toward the mansion entrance.
Fear filled his face.
"There's more people coming."
Raziel frowned.
"What people?"
Daniel's voice shook.
"Lots of them."
Rachel felt dread flood her body.
Selene smiled slowly.
"Ah."
Lucien chuckled.
"Right on time."
Rachel's voice trembled.
"Who is coming?"
Selene answered calmly.
"The people who built the program."
Rachel's blood ran cold.
Raziel's expression darkened instantly.
Because he knew exactly who that meant.
And if they were here
Everyone inside this mansion was in danger.