The house was bathed in an almost surreal silence. Aletha wandered from room to room, alone, her footsteps echoing lightly on the floor. Zetch, Caden, and Bella had gone to gather supplies for their upcoming trip, leaving her to guard the house. A task she had accepted without suspicion, believing she was entitled to a moment of respite.
But this calm was not to last.
Her breath quickened for no apparent reason. A cold sweat crept down her spine. Something was wrong. Her instincts were warning her.
'I'm alone... aren't I?' she thought, frowning. 'Then why do I feel like I'm being watched?'
A soft crack behind her. She turned abruptly. Too late.
A figure appeared from the shadows, quick as lightning. A blade slashed toward her throat. Aletha reacted in time: a wave of water erupted from her hands, blocking the attack. The blade hit the liquid with a violent splash. She stepped back, taking a defensive stance.
"What's this?" she groaned inwardly.
The assailant leaped back, masked, silent. Suddenly, a second opponent appeared on her right, then a third emerged from the ceiling like a shadow. Aletha dodged, rolled on the floor, a sharp jet of water shearing off a piece of furniture in her path and throwing one of the intruders against the wall.
"They're fast... and coordinated. They... are they testing me?"
A fourth individual appeared, then a fifth. Always one at a time. Their strategy was clear: to exhaust her psychologically, then physically. Aletha fought ferociously, moving from the living room to the kitchen, sending out waves and blades of water with each attack. The walls shook, the furniture shattered.
"Who are you?!" she screamed between attacks, panting.
No response. Just silence... and their thoughts. Strange whispers echoed in her head, like foreign voices trying to infiltrate her mind. Telepaths.
"They want to disorient me. Filth..."
A sixth enemy grabbed her by the throat, but she unleashed a geyser of scalding water. He screamed and staggered back. The seventh appeared, quick as lightning, and threw her against the dining room table. She got up, her gaze burning.
"Do you think I'll fall that easily?!" she screamed, unleashing a violent whirlwind.
The attackers were beginning to back away, frustrated.
"This girl is wasting our time!" " one of them called out in a telepathic whisper.
There was a crash. A flammable utensil—a canister of liquid Essanite, highly flammable—fell violently to the floor, shattering into pieces. A spark flew.
Flames exploded in the kitchen, spreading in an instant.
The fire engulfed the curtains, the walls, the furniture.
The opponents exchanged a look, then retreated into the shadows, one after the other.
"We're out of time. Retreat."
And they disappeared as quickly as they had come, leaving Aletha alone amidst the roaring flames.
Outside, a crowd had already gathered around the burning house. Firefighters were working, sirens wailing. Police officers kept the crowd at bay.
Zetch, Bella, and Caden came running. Bella screamed in horror.
"No... no... this is our house!"
They tried to approach, but an officer stopped them in their tracks.
"You can't go through, it's too dangerous!"
Zetch intervened.
"This is our house! Our friend was in there! You have to get her out!"
The officer shook his head firmly.
"We didn't hear any screams. The neighbors say they didn't see anyone come in."
Zetch returned to the others, hesitant.
"They think no one was home... Maybe Aletha got out before it exploded."
Bella breathed a sigh of relief.
But Caden didn't move. He stared at the house, his gaze filled with a strange intensity.
The flames... they seemed to be calling to him.
Suddenly, his eyes widened.
"Aletha… she's still in there!"
Without thinking, he leaped over the barrier, heading straight for hell.
"CADEN!" Bella yelled.
"COME BACK!" Zetch shouted, running.
The police tried to stop him, but Caden dashed through the flames, guided by an overwhelming intuition.