The floor cracked beneath Selene's boots.
For a split second, her confidence disappeared.
Then
CRACK!
A massive fracture tore through the marble hallway like lightning splitting the earth.
Chunks of stone dropped into the darkness below.
Selene leapt backward just in time, landing on the edge of a broken column.
Her silver eyes flashed with fury.
"You foolish girl!"
Rachel stood in the center of the hall, her entire body glowing with energy.
Dust and glass floated around her like tiny stars.
Daniel stood beside her, his silver aura pulsing wildly.
The power between them had awakened something deep inside the mansion.
Something ancient.
Something their father had built long before any of them understood why.
Raziel grabbed Rachel's arm.
"We need to move. Now!"
Rachel shook her head.
"Not yet."
Her eyes locked on Selene.
"You're not leaving with that key."
Selene smirked despite the chaos.
"Oh Rachel…"
"You think this key belongs to you?"
She raised the small black device in her hand.
"It belongs to whoever survives."
Another explosion ripped through the west wing of the mansion.
BOOM!
Flames burst through the hallway doors as soldiers stormed the building.
Gunfire erupted instantly.
"CONTACT!"
"TARGETS IN THE MAIN HALL!"
Bullets ripped through the air.
Raziel moved like a ghost.
BANG.
BANG.
Two soldiers dropped before they could even aim.
Lucien laughed from the balcony above.
"Well this escalated quickly!"
He flipped over the railing, landing smoothly on the floor.
Three soldiers rushed him.
He broke the first man's wrist.
Snapped the second soldier's neck.
And threw the third into a collapsing pillar.
CRASH.
Lucien dusted his coat casually.
"I really hate mornings."
The Government Strike Team
Outside the mansion—
Armored vehicles surrounded the property.
More than fifty soldiers moved into formation.
A commander spoke into his radio.
"Primary targets confirmed."
"Raziel. Selene. Two unidentified enhanced subjects."
The commander paused.
"Authorization to terminate?"
A voice answered through the headset.
Cold.
Emotionless.
"Authorized."
Inside the mansion
The soldiers advanced.
Rachel heard their heartbeats.
Their footsteps.
Their weapons locking into place.
Daniel heard it too.
"They're everywhere," he whispered.
Rachel squeezed his hand.
"It's okay."
But she knew it wasn't.
Because this was bigger than Selene now.
Much bigger.
Selene Makes Her Move
Selene suddenly moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
Before anyone could react
She grabbed Daniel.
Rachel's heart stopped.
"DANIEL!"
Selene held a blade against the boy's neck.
Her silver eyes glowed dangerously.
"Everyone stop."
Raziel froze instantly.
Lucien sighed.
"Well that's inconvenient."
Rachel's entire body shook with rage.
"Let him go."
Selene tilted her head.
"No."
Daniel looked terrified but strangely calm.
Rachel noticed something strange.
His eyes weren't glowing with fear anymore.
They were glowing with power.
Selene whispered in his ear.
"You know what you are, don't you?"
Daniel swallowed.
"No."
"You're the source," Selene said softly.
"The power that the entire program was built around."
Rachel's stomach dropped.
Selene continued.
"And Rachel…"
Her gaze shifted toward her.
"You're the control."
Rachel's fists clenched.
"Don't touch him."
Selene smiled slowly.
"Make me."
The Awakening
Rachel stepped forward.
Her energy flared violently.
The air around her began vibrating again.
Daniel felt it instantly.
His silver aura responded.
Selene's grip tightened.
"Oh?"
The mansion trembled again.
CRACK.
More pieces of the ceiling collapsed.
Raziel whispered to Lucien,
"This is bad."
Lucien raised an eyebrow.
"You think?"
Rachel's voice became cold.
"Selene."
The woman smirked.
"Yes?"
"You made a mistake."
Selene laughed softly.
"And what mistake would that be?"
Rachel's eyes began glowing.
Bright.
Dangerous.
"You came between me and my brother."
Daniel's power exploded.
BOOOOOOM.
A massive shockwave ripped through the hallway.
Selene was thrown backward violently.
Daniel fell to the ground.
Rachel caught him instantly.
"Are you okay?"
Daniel nodded weakly.
"I think so…"
Selene slowly stood up.
Her coat torn.
Blood running down her temple.
But she was still smiling.
"Oh Rachel…"
"You finally woke up."
Raziel's Secret
Raziel stepped beside Rachel.
"You're stronger than we thought."
Rachel looked at him.
"What do you mean?"
Raziel hesitated.
Then he said something that changed everything.
"Your father didn't just create the mansion."
Rachel frowned.
"What?"
Raziel pointed toward the floor.
"He built a weapon."
Rachel's heart skipped.
"What weapon?"
Before Raziel could answer
The entire mansion shook violently.
A deep mechanical rumble echoed from underground.
Lucien blinked.
"…Okay that's new."
The marble floor suddenly split open.
A hidden chamber began rising from beneath the mansion.
Massive metal doors slowly opened.
Inside
Something enormous moved.
Something powerful.
Selene's smile disappeared for the first time.
"…No."
Rachel looked at her.
"You know what that is?"
Selene whispered one word.
"Alessandro."
Rachel's breath caught.
"What?"
Selene stared at the rising structure in horror.
"Your father didn't just leave a weapon."
Her voice trembled.
"He left a war machine."The rumbling beneath the mansion grew louder.
Metal groaned.
Stone cracked.
Dust poured from the ceiling like rain.
Everyone in the hall froze.
Even the soldiers who had just stormed in stopped firing.
Because the sound coming from beneath the mansion didn't feel natural.
It sounded… alive.
Rachel stared at the massive metal structure slowly rising from the broken floor.
Her heart pounded violently.
"What… is that?"
Raziel didn't answer immediately.
His face had gone pale.
Lucien let out a low whistle.
"Well… that's definitely not furniture."
The structure continued rising.
Layer after layer of armored steel emerged from beneath the mansion.
Ancient mechanisms rotated loudly.
Hydraulic pistons hissed.
Lights flickered along the massive surface like veins awakening after a long sleep.
Selene took a slow step backward.
For the first time since Rachel had met her…
Selene looked afraid.
"That… shouldn't exist."
Rachel turned sharply.
"You know what it is."
Selene's voice came out quieter than usual.
"Yes."
Her eyes locked onto the machine.
"Your father's final insurance."
The metal doors on the structure began sliding open.
SHHHHHH.
Cold air escaped from inside like a breath that had been trapped for years.
Daniel felt it instantly.
His silver aura flickered.
"Rachel…"
His voice trembled.
"I can feel it."
Rachel gripped his hand.
"Feel what?"
Daniel stared at the rising machine with wide eyes.
"It's calling me."
Those words sent a chill down Rachel's spine.
Selene heard it too.
Her expression changed instantly.
"No."
She moved fast.
Too fast.
Before anyone could react, Selene sprinted toward the machine.
Raziel shouted,
"STOP HER!"
Lucien lunged forward.
But Selene was already sliding across the broken marble floor.
She reached the control panel on the machine's side.
Her hand slammed against the black screen.
A scanner light flashed red.
ACCESS DENIED.
Selene growled under her breath.
"Damn it."
Rachel suddenly understood.
"The key."
Selene turned slowly toward her.
Her smile returned.
Sharp.
Dangerous.
"Yes, Rachel."
Her fingers tightened around the small device she had stolen earlier.
"This key."
Rachel's chest burned with anger.
"You're not using it."
Selene tilted her head.
"And who exactly will stop me?"
Rachel stepped forward.
Energy crackled around her hands again.
The lights in the mansion flickered violently.
Raziel whispered quietly,
"She's losing control."
Lucien raised an eyebrow.
"I noticed."
Rachel didn't hear them.
Her eyes were fixed on Selene.
On the key.
On the machine that her father had left behind.
Everything inside her screamed the same thing.
Take it back.
Selene slowly inserted the key into the machine's control slot.
CLICK.
The sound echoed loudly in the hall.
Daniel gasped.
The silver aura around his body suddenly flared brighter than before.
Rachel felt the connection immediately.
It was like electricity running through her veins.
The machine reacted instantly.
Lights across the massive structure burst to life.
Blue energy surged along the metal surface.
Deep inside the machine
Something powered on.
A mechanical heartbeat echoed through the chamber.
THUD.
THUD.
THUD.
Lucien whispered,
"Well… that's definitely not good."
Raziel's voice turned deadly serious.
"Rachel."
She didn't look away from Selene.
"Yes."
"If that machine fully activates…"
He paused.
"…this entire city could be destroyed."
Rachel's heart skipped.
"What?"
Selene laughed softly.
"Oh relax."
Her fingers slid across the control panel.
"I'm not planning to destroy the city."
Her eyes gleamed with dark excitement.
"I'm planning to rule it."
Rachel's energy surged again.
"No."
The machine's internal lights grew brighter.
Systems continued booting up.
Daniel suddenly dropped to one knee.
"Rachel!"
She rushed to him instantly.
"What's wrong?!"
Daniel clutched his chest.
"It's pulling my energy!"
Rachel looked back at the machine.
Then she realized something horrifying.
The machine wasn't just activating.
It was feeding.
Selene noticed it too.
Her smile widened.
"Ah…"
"So that's how Alessandro powered it."
Rachel's blood ran cold.
"You're draining Daniel."
Selene shrugged casually.
"Technically."
Rachel's voice became ice.
"Turn it off."
Selene laughed again.
"No."
Rachel slowly stood.
Her glowing eyes locked onto Selene.
Then she said something that made everyone freeze.
"You think my father built that machine for you?"
Selene's smile faded slightly.
Rachel's aura exploded outward.
Glass shattered.
Walls cracked.
The entire mansion trembled again.
"Then you clearly didn't know Alessandro Moretti."
Selene's eyes narrowed.
"Oh?"
Rachel took one step forward.
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"Because my father…"
Her power surged violently.
"…never built weapons he couldn't control."
Behind Selene
The war machine suddenly changed.
Its glowing sensors slowly turned.
And locked directly onto her.
Selene's confident smile finally disappeared.
For the first time
She realized something terrifying.
The machine wasn't obeying her.
It was obeying Rachel.
And it had just chosen its first target.
Selene.