Kai sped through the night, his heart racing with every passing mile. Emily's frantic voice still echoed in his mind. He was getting close.
In a cozy, pink-walled room, Emily sat trembling on her bed, flanked by two menacing men. Her usually bright smile was replaced by fear. One man sneered, "Hey beauty, got rich friends, huh? Is the payment still coming?"
Emily's voice shook. "He'll come. Just be patient."
The sneering man chuckled. "Time's running out. Otherwise, we'll treat you... differently." He let the threat hang in the air, his scarred face twisting into a sinister grin.
His accomplice intervened, "We can't do this. We just need the money."
The scar-faced man glared at his partner. "You're useless. That's why they paired me with you."
Emily's eyes darted between the two men, her fear escalating.
Unaware of the danger unfolding inside, Kai drove down Emily's street. The GPS announced his arrival. Kai swung his car into Emily's street, his eyes scanning the darkened houses.
At 8 o'clock in Soweto, Kai stepped out of his S-Class Mercedes and rushed up to Emily's porch. Her house, a modest, cream-colored bungalow with a neatly trimmed lawn, seemed peaceful. But Kai's instincts screamed otherwise.
As he approached the door, he called out, "Emily! Emily!"
No response.
Kai's heart sank. He pushed open the door, and a chilling scream escaped his lips.
"Emily!"
The silence was deafening.
As Kai entered the house, he heard a man's voice, "Hey, who's there?" Kai's instincts told him this was trouble. Emily had mentioned she didn't have a father, so who was this other voice?
Kai moved forward, tracing the voice to one of the rooms. He opened the door to a shocking scene: one man trying to rip off Emily's clothes. Emily pleaded, "No, no!" The man sneered, "Shut up, beauty. Let me finish my business. Your rich friend will arrive soon, and we'll beat him up, take all his money."
Kai stepped in, his voice firm. "Is that so?"
The scar-faced man turned to him. "Oh, you're the one she called? Little brat, huh?"
The other man growled, "Take care of him. I'll finish my business with this beauty."
Kai's command was icy. "Get off her. Now."
With a swift wave of his hand, an invisible force lifted the man off Emily and sent him crashing to the ground.
The man stumbled up, confused. "What happened? Did you...?"
His accomplice shook his head. "I didn't do anything."
The scar-faced man snarled, "You lie! Something's weird here."
Kai turned to Emily, concern etched on his face. "Emily, are you alright?"
Emily lay speechless, her eyes wide with fear.
Kai coaxed, "Emily, did they hurt you?"
The other man stepped forward, menacing. "You little brat, what are you doing here?"
Kai stood firm, his eyes locked on the man, ready to defend Emily.
Kai glared at the men, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "I came here to teach you a lesson."
The man who had been on the ground stood up, sneering. "Teach us a lesson? You think you can teach us anything?"
Kai's eyes locked onto the speaker. "You want me to give you money? How quaint."
The standing man pulled out a knife, his voice menacing. "Give us money, or the girl dies tonight."
Kai chuckled, his tone laced with disdain. "Is that so?"
The knife-wielding man snarled, "We're not here to play, boy. We need our money, and you're in our way."
Kai stepped forward, his voice firm. "You're trying to harm my friend and demand more. You have two choices: leave peacefully or leave beaten and jailed."
The men scoffed. "You don't know what you're talking about, boy."
Kai's smile was icy. "Seems like you've chosen option two."
He stood still, his gaze piercing the men's souls. "Hit your friend," he commanded the knife-wielding man.
The scar-faced man's eyes widened as his accomplice charged towards him.
"What are you doing? Why are you attacking me?" the scar-faced man shouted, stumbling backward.
The accomplice's eyes seemed controlled, his movements robotic. "You're...you're my target."
Kai's eyes never left the scene, his mind controlling the accomplice's actions.
The scar-faced man crumpled to the ground, his face battered.
As the accomplice continued pounding the scar-faced man, Kai commanded in his mind, "Now stop."
Emily, still lying on the bed, was bewildered. "Why are these two guys beating each other? Shouldn't they be attacking Kai?"
The accomplice froze, motionless, like a robot.
Kai declared, "I told you, you had two choices. And you chose option two."
The scar-faced man, barely conscious, glared at Kai with a mix of fear and defiance.
Kai commanded the accomplice, "Slap yourself twenty times."
The accomplice obeyed, slapping himself repeatedly.
Emily watched in horror.
Finally, Kai ordered, "Stop."
The accomplice halted, still motionless.
Kai said, "Come back."
The accomplice snapped out of his trance, looking around confused.
He touched his swollen face, wincing in pain.
"What...what happened?" he stammered.
Kai replied, "You chose option two. That's what you get."
The scar-faced man, struggling to sit up, gazed at Kai with terror.
Kai continued, "Wait here until the police arrive. You're garbage, and you'll be disposed of."
The accomplice's eyes widened, fear etched on his face.
The accomplice, still reeling from slapping himself twenty times, stumbled backward, eyes fixed on Kai. "Don't come near me!"
Kai approached, his voice firm. "Move out of my way."
The accomplice hastily obeyed, fear etched on his face.
As he retreated, he wondered, "What's happening? Why does my face feel like it's on fire?"
He examined his hand, confusion written across his face. "I don't remember fighting... but it feels like I was."
Glancing around, he spotted his friend on the floor. "Bro, hey! What happened?"
The scar-faced man remained silent, still dazed.
Kai turned his attention to Emily, gently lifting her up. "Emily, are you okay?"
Emily nodded, still shaken.
Kai soothed, "Everything's going to be alright now. Calm your mind."
With a gentle gaze, Kai focused his powers on Emily. Her body relaxed, her breathing slowed.
As she looked into Kai's calming eyes, Emily's thoughts turned admiring. "He's so amazing... so powerful. When he speaks, his words become reality. I feel calm with him by my side."
Kai's reassuring voice continued, "Calm your mind, Emily. Everything's under control."
Emily's fear dissipated, replaced by trust and gratitude.
The accomplice, still in shock, whispered to himself, "Who is this guy? What kind of powers does he have?"
The scar-faced man, battered and bruised, attempted to flee, but Kai commanded, "Stop. Come here and kneel down."
The man's eyes widened as he felt an inexplicable force drawing him back. He thought, "How is he controlling me like a dog? Only masters, true martial artists, can do this."
Defeated, the man turned and knelt before Kai.
Kai instructed the accomplice, "You, sleep now."
The accomplice's eyes locked onto Kai's, and he felt overwhelming fear. His body went limp, and he fainted.
Kai now had two men at his mercy: one kneeling motionless, the other lying unconscious.
Emily watched in awe. "Wow, such control."
Kai turned to Emily. "What happened? Why were these men in your home?"
Emily explained, "They're loan sharks. Mom and I borrowed seventy thousand rand from them. We had no choice."
Kai's expression turned stern. "Seventy thousand? Don't worry, I'm here now. I'll call the police and have them disposed of."
Emily's eyes welled up with gratitude. "Thank you, Kai."
Kai's voice softened. "You're safe now, Emily. I won't let anyone harm you."
Kai turned to Emily. "Get dressed, I've called the police."
Within minutes, sirens filled the air, and officers stormed into the house.
A familiar officer entered the room, eyes widening. "You again! Isn't it you who took down those guys at the restaurant? Now, here you are, with these two... What are you, a superhero?"
Kai explained, "My friend called me. She was in trouble with these scumbags."
The officer surveyed the scene: one man kneeling, motionless; the other, battered and faint.
Kai released his mental hold on the motionless man, who stumbled back to awareness. "What happened?"
The officer handcuffed him. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be used against you in court."
The man thought, "Not again... I don't know what happened, but now I'm in cuffs."
The other man, revived with water, stood, his battered face a testament to Kai's power.
The officer recognized them. "Fire Ice and Big John, notorious troublemakers. Thanks for taking them down."
Kai smiled. "No problem, Officer" just trying to uphold the law.
Emily watched, grateful for Kai's protection.