They reached the black SUV. Heavy boots thudded across the wet pavement as the three masked figures dragged her toward the vehicle. The sky was a steel grey, the clouds hanging low and thick like smoke, threatening rain. A gust of wind sliced across her skin, cold and sharp. She tried to scream, but a thick cloth pressed against her mouth, smothering her cries. It tasted like dust and chemicals.
Shanazer kicked, twisted, fought. Her heart pounded like a war drum in her chest. Adrenaline rushed through her veins, blurring her vision. Every breath was ragged. Her scream vibrated in her throat—but not a sound escaped. Just the muted groans of desperation.
They shoved her into the back of the SUV. It smelled of gasoline, plastic, and something rotten. Her body hit the floor with a dull thud. Footsteps followed and then the back doors slammed. A few seconds later, the engine roared to life, the tires crunched gravel, and they sped away. She couldn't see where they were going. Her head bumped against the metal as the vehicle jolted over potholes. Every bump made her teeth rattle.
Have the people from Gandaska City found me? The thought squeezed her chest like a vice. My past has caught up with me.
Her breath hitched. The fear burned hot inside her. She dug her fingernails deep into her palms. Sharp pain flared. Warm blood trickled down her wrists. The scent of iron filled her nose. She sobbed, quiet and helpless. The tears slid past the corners of her cheeks and soaked into the rough sack over her head.
No one is coming to help, she thought. This is it. This is how it ends.
Then something strange happened. Everything inside her… slowed. The panic fell away like smoke in the wind. An eerie calm settled over her. That of silence. That of stillness.
In that brief serenity—a flash.
A bright blue light erupted behind her closed eyes. It crackled like electricity, filling her skull. Her whole head pulsed with it, like she had stepped into another world. Then came the voice—calm, cool, and mechanical. It echoed inside her head.
"SYSTEM LEVEL ONE ACTIVATING."
Her heart stuttered. What the hell was that? Her eyes flew wide under the sack. That's not my thought. It sounded real. It sounded… inside me.
I'm hallucinating. I must be. Maybe they drugged me. Maybe they're playing with my mind. She shook her head. Stay strong. She pushed through the pressure mounting in her head.
"SYSTEM ALERT: THE THREAT IS INCREASING EACH TIME YOU ARE HELD BOUND. SYSTEM ANALYSIS: THE POTENTIAL OF WINNING AGAINST YOUR OPPONENTS IS SIXTY PERCENT. I SUGGEST YOU USE THE MAGICAL PORTION ATTACK. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS SAY THE WORD."
The voice repeated, robotic but somehow feminine.
Shanazer blinked hard. Her chest rose and fell quickly. Sixty percent chance? Magical… what? Is this some kind of twisted joke?
Maybe I've finally gone mad.
She tried to whisper, "Sto…p..it," but only muffled grunts came out. Her mouth was sealed tight. Her lips were numb from the cloth.
"I ADVISE YOU TO TAKE THE ACTION NOW."
The voice was urgent. Demanding. Her fingers trembled. The heat inside her chest, once fear, now felt like pressure. Like something was rising. Power? Rage? Something… unknown.
What word? she wondered. The SUV turned sharply. Her body slid across the floor.
Suddenly, without fully knowing why—she said it in her mind.
Fire.
A moment passed. Then a chill. Silence thick as fog.
Then heat.
Her hands began to glow. At first, a flicker. Then flames. Red, orange, and electric blue. The ropes caught fire. The sackcloth over her face began to curl and melt. The flames didn't hurt her. They felt… comforting. Right. Like the sun kissing her skin.
Cavendan, seated beside her, noticed the light first. His jaw dropped. His eyes widened in pure disbelief.
"What the—?" he whispered.
Fernandez turned. "What did you say?"
"She's… burning."
"What?"
"Her hands! They're on fire!" Cavendan shouted. Panic swelled in his chest like a balloon. Survival instincts slammed into him. He reached for the door, threw it open, and launched himself from the moving SUV.
"Cav—! Are you insane?" Fernandez called after him.
It was already too late. Shanazer's bonds burned to ash. The flames stretched to the ceiling of the SUV, licking the roof. Smoke filled the air. The sour scent of melting plastic clawed at Fernandez's throat.
"Oh my God," he muttered. "What are you?"
"Stop the damn car!" he screamed.
The driver glanced in the mirror. His eyes bulged. "Holy—"
He slammed the brakes hard.
The world turned sideways. The SUV flipped once. Twice. A third time. Then—BOOM.
Flames exploded into the sky. Metal twisted and screamed. The world shook with the blast.
Cavendan, standing frozen near Magaven Street, saw it all. The fireball reflected in his wide eyes. His skin broke out in cold sweat. His legs locked.
Run.
Don't look back. Run.
He bolted.
From the wreckage, Shanazer rose. Slowly. Unbelievably. The metal around her was blackened and warped, the glass shattered. The SUV was nothing more than a skeleton.
She stood on the open road—bare. Naked. Her skin glowed faintly in the firelight, unburned. Untouched. The wind brushed against her, raising goosebumps.
She shivered.
Now what do I do?
She didn't understand. Any of it. Her knees buckled slightly. She caught herself.
This doesn't happen in real life, she thought. This happens in dreams. In movies. Not in real time.
But the pain in her arm from the crash was sharp. Real. The ash between her toes itched. She looked down. Her fingers were blackened with soot, but whole.
This is real. Somehow… it's real.
What… am I?
She reached down and pinched the soft skin of her wrist. Hard. Pain shot up her arm.
She cursed under her breath. "Crap…"
Then the voice returned.
"SHANAZER. HAPPY 17TH BIRTHDAY."
She frowned. "Who are you?" Her voice cracked like dry paper.
"SYSTEM SYNTHESIZING TEMPORARY CLOTHES."
The light swirled around her. Threads of energy wove through the air like dancing vines. Within seconds, a smooth, glowing purple dress formed around her body. It shimmered in the firelight. It felt warm. Safe.
She touched the fabric. Soft. Velvet-like. It fit perfectly.
"A LITTLE GIFT FROM YOUR FATHER TO ENHANCE YOUR WELLBEING."
Her breath hitched again. "My… father?"
No answer.
Only wind, and fire, and the distant sound of sirens growing closer.