After training (martial arts practice), I went home, tired and sweaty, ready to relax. But as soon as I opened the door, I froze. Standing in the kitchen, casually leaning against the counter, was the last person I expected to see—Felix.
He looked up and smiled, but not just any smile. It was that same smug smirk I remembered all too well. Instantly, memories came rushing back.
Felix was my childhood enemy. We were neighbours once, just a few doors apart. He was also my brother's best friend, which meant he was always around. We clashed over everything—games, snacks, toys—you name it. We fought almost every single day. But somehow, beneath all that rivalry, there was a weird kind of connection.
Ten years ago, Felix and his family moved to a different city. I thought I'd never see him again. Honestly, I didn't expect to care. But now, here he was, in my kitchen like he'd never left.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.
"Visiting," he said, that smirk not leaving his face. "Your brother invited me."
Of course, he did.
My brother James was lounging on the couch, completely unbothered, scrolling through his phone. From the screen, I could see he was ordering food—probably for everyone, as usual. He didn't even look up when I walked in.
"The same old brat", Felix said casually, like he hadn't just shown up unannounced after a decade. He crossed his arms and leaned back against the counter like he owned the place.
I stared at him, trying to figure out if I was dreaming or if all that training had knocked something loose in my brain. My childhood rival, standing in my kitchen, smirking like nothing had changed?
My brother finally looked up, noticed the expression on my face, and grinned. "Bro," I snapped, "what is this jerk doing here?"
James shrugged like it was no big deal. "He's in town for a few weeks. Thought I'd invite him over."
"Without telling me?"
"I didn't think you'd still be holding onto that grudge from when you were nine," he replied, not even pretending to be sorry.
I glared at Felix. "You still owe me a remote-controlled car, by the way. You broke it and blamed it on the dog."
Felix raised his eyebrows. "You still remember that? Wow. I forgot how dramatic you were."
My fists clenched at my sides. James looked between us and groaned.
"Please don't start again," he said. "At least wait until after the food gets here."
Felix started walking toward me with that same cocky expression he wore back in the day—the one that said he was always up for a fight, even if he knew he was wrong. But this time, there was something different in his stride. It wasn't just teasing. It was bold, determined. As if he was ready to start a war.
And not just any war. A World War III.
I narrowed my eyes. My instincts kicked in— all that training buzzing in my muscles like electricity. I stepped forward too, slowly, matching his pace. Each step echoed through the room like a countdown.
"Don't test me, Felix," I warned, cracking my knuckles. "I'm not the same kid you used to beat at arm wrestling and call 'crybaby' after."
Felix smirked. "Good. I was hoping you'd put up a better fight this time."
The room suddenly dropped into silence. Even James looked up from his phone, eyes wide, a french fry halfway to his mouth.
Our steps grew quicker. The tension was thick enough to slice with a butter knife. I was ready—mentally preparing for a flying kick or at least a solid shoulder bump. My blood was boiling, and every part of me screamed, Don't back down.
Then—
Just as we were inches apart…
Felix raised his arms—not for a punch—but for a hug.
"Come on, Rosa," he said, laughing. "You really thought I came here to fight you?"
I blinked, caught off guard. "Wait… what?"
"You're still so dramatic," he teased. "But I've missed you, war princess."
I stood there, stiff, unsure whether to punch him or laugh.
James let out a loud sigh from the couch. "Great, now hug it out before you start flipping furniture. The food's on its way."
I didn't hug him back.
Instead, I stood frozen, arms stiff at my sides, eyes narrowed. Felix's sudden friendliness wasn't just weird—it was wrong. This was the guy who once swapped my shampoo with glue during a school trip and laughed for days about it. Now he's all smiles and hugs?
No way.
"Missed me, huh?" I asked flatly, pulling back and folding my arms. "Cut the act. Why are you really here, Felix?"
His smile twitched, just slightly. For a fraction of a second, something flickered in his eyes—something colder, calculating.
"Still paranoid, I see," he said, brushing past me and casually walking toward the dining table. He picked up a coaster, inspected it like it was the most interesting thing in the room. "Relax. I'm just in town, catching up."
But I wasn't buying it. And James, as clueless as ever, just kept scrolling on his phone.
Then I noticed it—Felix's phone. It was sitting on the counter where he had been before. The screen was unlocked, and something was running on it. Not social media. Not a food app.
It was a surveillance feed.
I blinked.
Four little camera windows. One of them was... our backyard. Another was the hallway outside our house.
"Felix," I said slowly, "what's that on your phone?"
He glanced back. His expression didn't change. "Nothing."
I grabbed the phone before he could reach it.
"This isn't nothing," I said sharply. "Why are you watching my house?"
James looked up, alarmed. "What the—Felix? What's going on?"
Felix exhaled, no longer pretending.
"Okay," he said, his voice lowering. "You caught me."
He leaned forward, resting his hands on the table, eyes meeting mine.
"There's something you need to know, Rosa. And once I tell you, everything—everything from our childhood to today—is going to make a lot more sense."
Felix's voice dropped low, almost a whisper.
"I'm not here just to visit. I'm on a mission—one that involves your family… and mine."
I stared at him, heart thudding. "What are you talking about?"
He hesitated, then pulled a silver pendant from under his shirt. It looked old—worn, scratched—but the symbol on it sent a chill down my spine.
It matched the crest on the locked box in our attic. The one our parents always told us never to open. The one my dad once said was "from a time better left forgotten."
James stood now, slowly, eyes wide. "Is that…?"
Felix nodded. "I thought it was a game too, until I found out the truth. Our parents were part of something bigger. A hidden alliance. A secret circle formed decades ago to protect something powerful—and dangerous."
I frowned. "Protect what?"
Felix looked me dead in the eye. "A weapon. One that's been hidden for years. And it's somewhere in this house."
The room went cold.
"You're lying," James said, but he didn't sound convinced.
Felix reached for his phone, tapped something, and showed me a document—a page from an encrypted file, bearing our family name.
"Your father wasn't just a regular guy, Rosa. Neither was mine. They were both Guardians. But something went wrong. Ten years ago, a rift happened. My family had to leave… not just to move, but to protect me."
He paused.
"And now, people are after it. After us. I tracked some of them here—just outside this house. That's why I set up the surveillance. I didn't come here to fight you. I came here to protect you."
My throat was dry. My head spun.
"You expect me to believe all this?" I asked.
Felix opened his backpack and tossed a crumpled photo onto the table. It was of our parents. Mine, his, and a third man I'd never seen before—his face scratched out in ink. They were standing together, smiling... holding the same pendant he wore.
"I didn't believe it either," Felix said quietly. "Until I found this."
Felix turned toward us, his face unusually serious—stripped of sarcasm, stripped of that annoying smirk. For the first time, I saw someone who looked… tired. Like he'd been carrying this secret for too long.
He took a deep breath and stepped closer.
"I didn't come here to stir up the past," he said. "And I didn't come here to relive old rivalries or patch things up."
He looked at James, then at me. "I came because I can't do this alone anymore."
The silence in the room was thick—James stood still, eyes locked on him, and I didn't dare move.
"This… mission," Felix continued, voice quiet but firm, "it's bigger than just finding a hidden weapon. It's about finishing what our parents started. It's about protecting the legacy they risked everything for."
He hesitated, as if the next words were hard to say.
"I need your help. Both of you. Not because I want to drag you into something dangerous... but because it's already in your blood. You're a part of this whether you choose to be or not."
He looked straight at me then.
"Rosa, you've always been the fighter. The one who never backed down. And James… you're the calm in the storm. The strategist. This mission doesn't work without both of you."
His voice cracked slightly—just enough to show he wasn't faking this.
"You may not trust me. You probably still hate me. But I swear to you—on everything I've got left—that if we don't do this together… people are going to die. And it might start with us."
I felt a shiver run down my spine.
This wasn't a joke. This wasn't some childhood prank or game anymore.
It was real.
And now, it was our choice.