It was already dark.
"Go and freshen up," Lucas said, his voice low but firm. "Tomorrow, we continue the training."
Kaela nodded, still feeling the faint tingling in her fingertips from earlier. She disappeared into the back hallway of the underground chamber, washed quickly, and returned to her room.
9:41 PM
She was just about to lie down—halfway between sleep and thought—when she stopped.
Her breath hitched.
The air had changed.
It was sudden, subtle, but sharp. Like static before a storm. The tension in the atmosphere snapped taut, invisible threads pulling tight around her chest. Her eyes opened fully. Alert.
Downstairs, Lucas stood already, eyes narrowed.
He felt it too.
He called, not loudly—but his voice cut clean through the house.
"Kaela."
Two seconds later, she was by his side in the center of the main hall, barefoot but battle-ready. The house was silent. Too silent.
Lucas didn't look at her at first. His gaze stayed locked on the shadows flickering in the far corner of the chamber.
"They're back," he muttered. "Are you prepared?"
Kaela's eyes shimmered faintly with residual crimson light. Her lips curled into a confident smile.
"I'm always ready."
Lucas smirked slightly. "Good."
From the darkness, four masked figures stepped forward, their movements silent and coordinated.
---
Meanwhile… At Liam's House
Liam had just laid down. The moment his back touched the sheets, he felt it.
That same shift in pressure. The air—oppressive and dense.
Dreck was already standing in the hallway, eyes glowing faintly with that eerie violet hue that came from his ambient awareness. The entire house was layered in his invisible web, and something had just tripped it.
Liam bolted from his room and ran to Dreck's side.
No words. Just a glance.
A nod exchanged between them.
They moved quickly—through the living room, past the study—and entered the inner chamber of the house. Dreck waved his hand once, sealing the perimeter behind them.
Then… like ghosts peeling from walls, four figures emerged from the shadows, clad in obsidian tactical armor, silent blades in their hands, visors glowing faintly red.
Dreck stepped forward slightly, then tilted his head toward Liam.
"Can you handle them alone?"
Liam swallowed. His heart was pounding, but his breath was steady. He didn't answer immediately.
---
Back at Kaela's house…
Lucas turned slightly toward her, whispering without taking his eyes off the assassins.
"Four assassins..
Lucas asked, voice calm but heavy with meaning,
"Can you handle them?"
Kaela didn't hesitate. She stepped forward, cracked her knuckles, then brought her half-clenched fists together with a sharp clap.
Crimson sparks briefly flickered between her palms. Her eyes narrowed.
"Yes. I'll take them on."
—
At that exact moment, back at Liam's house—
Dreck asked the same question, quieter but no less serious:
"Can you handle them alone?"
Liam clenched his fists. The floor beneath him pulsed faintly as his ambient sense expanded, locking onto each assasins breath, each subtle shift in weight.
He exhaled, voice steady.
"Yes. I'll take them on
At Liam's house—
One of the assassins sneered at Dreck, stepping forward from the group.
"Sending a kid to face us? You're underestimating us."
Before Dreck could answer, all four assassins sprang into action—two streaking toward Liam, the other two targeting Dreck like wolves diving for the throat.
But just before the assassins reached their mark, Liam vanished.
In a flicker of blurred motion, he reappeared mid-air between Dreck and the incoming attackers. With precise timing, he delivered twin aerial kicks toward their chests.
The assassins crossed their arms to block, skidding back on impact.
You're quite fast . one of the assassins said
Liam landed calmly, brushing dust from his sleeves as he raised his gaze.
"I'm your opponent," he said coolly. "You can try him when you're done with me…"
He smirked, eyes sharpening.
"But I don't think that's going to happen."
He stepped forward, his stance relaxed but charged with presence.
"So I'll advise you to give it your all."
—
Back at Kaela's house—
The four assassins spread out in a crescent around Lucas and Kaela, grinning like hyenas.
One of them tilted his head mockingly.
"You're coming with us. That's not up for debate."
He chuckled, voice low and cruel.
"Don't worry—we won't kill you. Just tear you apart a little first."
Kaela tilted her head in response, an almost bored expression on her face.
"Think again."
In a flash of motion, she launched herself forward—no hesitation, no fear.