Danny's hand hovered over the container to grasp them, but his instincts screamed to leave them alone.
Hesitating for only a heartbeat, he lifted the lid and pocketed a few of the spheres carefully, ensuring they didn't touch.
One in the left pocket. Another in the right. Two in the back.
A sudden heat surged through his hand as he reached for another sphere. He gasped, pulling back as if scalded. His palm throbbed, his skin red as if he'd touched a flame.
Thud!
The sound jolted him back.
Danny turned on his heel and bolted for the bedroom, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
In the bedroom, Zach was slinging the heavy bag over his shoulder while Matilda paced anxiously near the window.
"Tia!" Zach shouted, his voice sharp. "We need to move!"
Tia, still in the hall, lingered over a delicate instrument, her hands trembling as she tucked it into her satchel.
"Tia, now!" Zach's voice snapped through her hesitation.
The next thud sent a splintered piece of furniture flying across the room.
Matilda flinched, her face pale.
Danny stumbled inside the bedroom, his eyes wide with fear, his pockets feeling heavier than they should.
Finally, Tia darted into the room, her satchel bulging with stolen items.
She rushed to the window, her breath shallow. "Let's go," she panted.
And then—
Boom.
The entire building shuddered, the force of the explosion rippling through the walls like a violent wave. Smoke and heat engulfed the building, throwing everyone into chaos.
...
A few moments ago.
The burly sentinel pressed his ear against the door, straining to catch any sound from within. But all he could hear was the faintest screeching, like bickering whispers, hardly enough to give him any clues.
Behind him, Simon stood motionless, watching the sentinel with a tension simmering in his gaze.
"This building is completely soundproof," Simon said, his voice calm yet laced with an underlying edge.
"No sounds can escape from inside."
The burly sentinel shot Simon a skeptical look, his gaze sweeping over him—studying his youth, his features—and then flicking to Alice. She was only fourteen, fragile-looking, standing next to Simon who appeared to be around eighteen or nineteen.
Then his eyes narrowed and his lips curled into a tight line as his gaze hardened.
"Soundproof, you say?" he muttered, his voice a low growl. "There's no such thing. If we listen carefully enough, we can hear everything."
He turned his attention back to Alice, his expression chilling.
"Miss Alice, you should stay away from people like him. Someone like him…" He let the words hang in the air, dripping with judgment.
Alice's laughter rang out, light and carefree, but Simon felt a coldness creeping up his spine.
His fists clenched, but he didn't let it show on his face.
"I'm not what you think," Simon said, his tone darkening, as he turned towards the sentinel.
"I'm not bringing women to my room." He paused, glancing at Alice. "And definitely not Alice."
He took a breath and spoke with more force.
"I bought this place so I could have some peace and quiet while I work on presentations. Nothing more."
The burly man seemed to ignore Simon entirely. His eyes stayed locked on Alice for a moment longer before his voice dropped to a chilling level.
"It doesn't matter. Someone's in your house—probably stealing." His words were sharp as he glanced briefly at the skinny sentinel, whose eyes widened slightly in response.
"In the last two years, we haven't heard of any disturbances here, but we all know that people from Vargath are the only ones bold enough to act this way. The people from Valthar wouldn't dare risk it, knowing the consequences if the sentinels get involved."
With that, his gaze turned cold, and he turned towards the other sentinel with finality.
"Kick the door down."
The skinny sentinel stepped back, his face tightening as he braced himself.
Taking a deep breath, he lunged forward and delivered a sharp kick to the door.
Thud.
The door didn't even budge.
He glanced nervously at the burly sentinel, whose cold, piercing gaze sent a shiver down his spine.
Feeling the weight, the skinny man clenched his fists, swallowed hard, and began kicking again, each attempt louder and more desperate.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud…
The noise echoed in the corridor, but the door held firm, its defiance almost mocking.
Sweat began to bead on the skinny man's brow as he faltered.
The burly man's expression darkened with impatience.
"Move aside," he commanded, his tone icy.
The skinny sentinel quickly obeyed, stepping back as if relieved to surrender the task.
The burly man squared his shoulders, his sheer presence intimidating.
With a single, calculated movement, he raised his boot and drove it forward with immense force.
Thud.
This time, the door groaned under the impact, cracking open slightly.
A glimpse of the barricade inside—a chaotic pile of furniture—became visible through the narrow gap.
The burly sentinel's eyes narrowed as he assessed the resistance.
"They've blocked the door," he muttered.
Danny, still shaken by the pounding, bolted from the lab glancing at his right hand in fear.
In his frantic escape, his left hand grazed a silver rack of needles resting precariously near the open transparent container that held the mysterious spheres. He didn't stop to notice as the rack tilted, sending the needles sliding off.
Soon the needles clattered onto the surface of the red sphere below and an eerie transformation began.
The silver needles dissolved instantly upon contact, hissing and steaming as though consumed by an invisible fire. Reactions spread like wildfire as the needles melted entirely as invisible magma pooled at the base of the container.
The container began to destabilise itself because of the heat, one of its slender legs giving way and a Red sphere inside it wobbled and drawn by gravity, rolled out of the tilted container.
Thud.
As the sphere hit the ground, it glowed ominously as it rolled.
Soon the stone floor beneath it began to sizzle and blacken, leaving a trail of charred grooves as it moved. The downward slope of the lab's uneven floor only hastened its journey, propelling it toward the hallway.
Outside the house, the burly sentinel continued his assault on the barricaded door. Each powerful kick sent furniture skidding backward, loosening the makeshift blockade inch by inch.
Meanwhile, the red sphere rolled steadily toward the hallway. The floor hissed and cracked under its heat, a faint crimson glow radiating from its surface.
Clang!
An iron chair, knocked loose by one of the burly man's kicks, tumbled from the barricade and stopped the sphere just as it crossed the threshold into the hallway.
For a brief, terrible moment, the sphere sizzled and emitted a sharp, piercing sound.
Its color deepened, the surface turning from a fiery red to a menacing crimson.
The burly sentinel kicked the door one last time.
CRASH!
It flew open, revealing the chaos within—furniture overturned, shadows darting, and a faint, almost otherworldly glow in the middle of the hall.
Then it happened.
BOOM!