One. Two. Three. They started appearing one by one until there were a total of six people. One of them raised its arms and flicked its fingers. With that one flick, the wind suddenly blew hard inside the room and blasted away all the smoke and dust in the air, leaving the bewildered people a clear view of what they were looking at.
Six strangers could be seen through the pile of rubbles. Two of them were women, and the other four were tall and overly masculine men.
The two women were both exceptionally beautiful from head to toe. One of them had bright green hair that extended to her shoulders, a tall stature, and a pair of dark green eyes. She looked fierce yet pretty—just like a model on a runway. Her eyes rolled from right to left as if scanning everything she saw at that very moment.
The other woman looked rather cute, like a doll, but mysterious and silent. She had long and straight bluish-white hair and a pair of pale blue eyes. She, in contrast, did not dare meet anyone's eyes but shut them close instead as if only wanting to listen to her surroundings.
The four bulky men with dark eyes were huge for a normal-sized person—around seven to eight feet tall. They wore different colored tight shirts with signs in the middle that appeared like symbols in a different language. They all stood still like lifeless giants, surrounding the two women as if guarding them in all directions.
The green-haired woman flicked her fingers, and a small ball of yellow light suddenly appeared out of thin air.
Rania was shocked. She could not believe what she had just witnessed. Looking around her, she wasn't the only one dumbfounded by everything. Was that a trick of the light? But most importantly, how did they come from the rooftops? And destroying the ceiling all by themselves without incurring a single scratch? Just what on earth happened? Did they use bombs, or was it a trick? A prank? Were they somehow watching a three-dimensional movie or a holographic scenery that's why it all seemed so real? Were they dreaming? Hallucinating?
Everyone tried to make sense of what was happening, coming up with different theories about it. But to no luck did they get answers to their questions. A moment of silence passed as they let reality sink in their minds. It only stopped when the green-haired woman spoke. Her cold voice echoed through the whole place that there was no way anyone couldn't have heard her.
"Hello there, humans," she said—her tone sounding arrogant despite the greeting.
As if two voices were speaking to them—one in a soft foreign language and the other, a louder translation they could understand—her voice rang in their ears. Rania and Zeid had to cover their ears as it sent weird waves or echoes, giving them a slightly painful itch.
"Nice to meet you all," she continued. "You're probably wondering who we are, so let me tell you, and you won't look like idiots trying to guess."
At her words, most from the crowd knitted their eyebrows.
"We are Magi!" she said confidently—as if telling them that would suddenly make them realize something important. "The strongest race that ever existed in the whole universe. And I am humbly using your race's language for you to understand what I'm saying."
Confusion began to show from everyone's faces.
"A Magi?"
"Strongest race?"
"So they're not humans?"
"But she looks human. Is this a joke?"
"Aliens? Seriously?"
"Who would have thought aliens would be this beautiful."
And so on, they began to murmur. Amused by their stupidity, the green-haired Magi, as she addressed herself, laughed at the top of her lungs.
"Ha-ha-ha-ha! Humans are really funny how they react to things they don't know," she mocked them again. "But that's fine. Let me explain to you, so your puny brains will comprehend."
Then, she magically floated in the air and sat on the wind. Everyone's eyes widened in disbelief.
"As you can see, we, Magi, are far more superior than you all rats are."
She then started praising how great their race was while mocking humanity. Angered by what she was saying, the others argued with her. As they did, Rania stared at the woman as if she remembered something important. Yes, very important and appalling even.
Colorful natural hairs, eyes with a mystical glow and more beautiful irises than a normal person, and that skin without blemish as if sickness never touched them. Most of all, those mysterious powers that can command nature as if it's the most natural thing in the world, she shuddered at the thought of it. Aren't they… those people I saw in my dream?
Rania's eyes teared up. Her heart pounded so hard again, but this time, it was because she felt terrified, and a great foreboding crept her skin.
What's the meaning of this? W-why are they here?
Then, as if the green-haired Magi heard her thoughts, she shouted.
"We are here to conquer your world!"
Her evil laughter echoed through the whole place.
"That's right! You dared refuse to give us entry when we were still talking nicely, so we decided to conquer you instead! This is what happens when the stupid try to act higher than they should be! Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha! Now, don't be shy. Bow down to your new masters!"
The confused faces a moment ago suddenly reflected fear, dismay, reluctance, while some other, anger and hatred. Who wouldn't be? Some unknown woman who was a possible terrorist suddenly speaking gibberish about conquering their world? But then again, with the weird things they were experiencing, for what they knew, it could be.
"You can try to fight us, but I assure you, none of you is a match even to the weakest of us," she continued. "You can try to combine your efforts, but a million of you, or even a billion for that matter, can easily be defeated by only one of us. So I suggest that you surrender peacefully, and not a single drop of blood will be spilled. We only want one thing, and that is this planet."
"Huh?!" a man from the crowd scoffed at the woman's remarks. "Like a single woman can defeat a million men! You're talking nonse—"
But before he got to finish what he was about to say, he was killed on the spot.
"Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh!" screamed the wife of the man who suddenly collapsed to the floor, and rivers of blood came gushing out of his chest. He was shot by a beam of light fired by the green-haired Magi.
Finally realizing that what was happening was all real and not just a dream, nor a trick of the light, everyone panicked.
Rania trembled as Zeid tightly held her hands, pulling her towards him and guiding her steps further away from the dangerous Magi. Walking fast, they fought their way towards the doors wanting to escape from that place. In a matter of seconds, the area became chaotic. Everyone freaked out and began crying for their lives as they desperately tried to escape.
"So you don't want to surrender but prefer to escape instead?" the green-haired Magi spoke again. "Pity. You can try to run with all your might, but there's no escaping us," she said, smiling devilishly. "Oh, and yes—a single woman can definitely defeat millions of men. So run! Run as fast as you can! Ha-ha-ha!"
Satisfied seeing them scattered like ants, she lunged forward with bloodlust in her eyes.
"Here I come."
ZOOOM!
She dashed around the room like a typhoon, killing everyone she passed through. Blood splattered everywhere. Loud cries could be heard all around. Everyone was horrified while the Magi continued her merciless killing. Trembling on their feet, they tried to escape, but all was naught. From one, then five, now twelve, then twenty. She continued like a maniac, enjoying herself as people's lives vanished on her hands.
Rania's heart was crushed into pieces as she witnessed people around her dying every second. And not just people! They were people she knew and were all very important to her—friends, colleagues, especially the people from the church! They were her family! Somewhere in her heart, she wished for everything to be a dream—a nightmare. But when the horrendous truth splattered on her dress and face, she couldn't deny it any longer.
PSHOOOK!
Another light beam flashed before her, hitting none other than her most beloved pastor—Lailee. The beam was about to hit Rania, but she blocked it with her body.
"NOOOOO!!!" Rania screamed with all her might as she rushed towards the bleeding woman who raised her like a mother. "No! No! No! hu-hu-hu-hu."
Zeid ran to her side to comfort her, but he, too, was horrified. Tears stained his eyes as his hands trembled, trying to save Lailee's life.
"P-Please don't die… sniff," Rania begged. "Please don't leave me. Sniff… I beg you."
"R-Ra… nia," Lailee barely managed to speak.
Blood gushed out of her stomach, and the hole left by the Magi's power was too big to patch or put pressure on to stop the bleeding. Rania cried and shook her head as she kept repeating, "No, please."
"D-don't cry. Be strong and… take heart."