10 PM – Living Room
Khusi and Aryan sat on the couch, watching the news intently.
Reporter: "The mystery behind the blue flames remains unsolved. Scientists now speculate it might be a phenomenon originating beyond our galaxy. This raises alarming questions about our safety and the possibility of future occurrences."
Khusi scoffed. "Out of our galaxy? Seriously? This feels like a sci-fi movie."
Aryan signed: Could it happen again?
Khusi shrugged. "Let's hope not." His gaze shifted toward their mother's lab, the faint light still spilling out. "But doesn't it feel strange? Mama's been locked in there since this all started."
Aryan nodded, signing: Do you think she knows something?
Khusi hesitated, glancing at the looping footage of the eerie flames. "Let's wait and see what she's up to first."
The brothers exchanged a look, unease settling between them as the news droned on.
Joyce, Aryan's mother, emerged from her lab, clutching her notes. She walked into the kitchen, pausing to grab a bite. As the news about the blue flames played on the TV, she froze.
"It's already started?" she whispered to herself, her eyes narrowing.
She turned to Khusi. "What happened to Aryan during the blue flames incident at school?"
Khusi quickly explained the chaos at the school.
Joyce's gaze softened as she looked at Khusi. "Don't let your brother get caught up in any deeper feelings. Take care of him, alright?"
Aryan, still clueless, exchanged a confused look with Khusi. Before he could ask, Joyce turned and headed back to her lab, her mind already back on her experiments.
The brothers stood there in silence, wondering what their mother knew—and why she wasn't saying.
Next morning
Khusi stretched, glancing around the quiet house. "Vacation holidays are so boring without any plans. Let's do something, Aryan!"
Aryan, completely absorbed in his book, didn't even look up.
Khusi groaned, grabbing a pen and quickly scribbling a note. He sent it to his friend Richard, asking him to come over for a One Punch Man video game session. After waiting a few moments—nothing.
"I swear, Richard's always on his phone... What's his deal today?" Khusi muttered.
Frustrated, he started scrolling through the internet, looking for something interesting to do. Then, his eyes stopped at a live news feed. His heart skipped a beat.
A house had been attacked. The footage was grainy, but it was enough. The house looked exactly like Richard's. The same layout, the same design.
"This is no coincidence!" Khusi's voice was tight with panic. "We need to go, NOW!"
He grabbed Aryan by the arm, shaking him. "It's Richard's place! Something's happened!"
Without a second thought, both of them rushed out of the house, the adrenaline kicking in. Their minds raced with questions—what had happened to Richard? And why was his house under attack?
When Khusi and Aryan arrived at Richard's house, the scene was chaotic. Police cars lined the street, and Mr. Junieo, Richard's father, was pacing back and forth, his face pale with worry.
Khusi rushed to him, grabbing his arm. "Mr. Junieo, what happened? Where's Richard?"
Mr. Junieo's eyes were filled with fear. "They took him—they took my son... To force me into giving them the legal documents for the new contract." His voice was shaky. "They want the documents and the quotations"
Khusi and Aryan exchanged a glance, both sensing something much bigger was going on.
"We'll help, Uncle Junieo," Khusi said, his tone firm. "We'll get Richard back."