BOOM!
A blinding white flash.
A tremor split the air.
I woke up, breath shaky. I felt like I was asleep for centuries.
Glass shattered.
The ground shook like it was alive.
But this wasn't just an earthquake.
Everyone, Aqua, Olsen, even Calila was collapsed across the floor.
Still. Breathing. But asleep.
Everyone but two.
Ruby was gone.
And so was Jewel.
"What's happening…?"
Then I felt it.
Like the world was tilting, turning, cracking open.
"The Collision…"
I stumbled toward the living room, clutching the wall to stay upright.
And that's when I saw it.
Ruby.
But she wasn't just standing she was floating, red aura blazing like fire, her eyes glowing.
"You should've killed me when I was powerless," she hissed, staring down at Jewel. "Instead, you left it to your weak little fiancée."
Her laugh was manic, sharp, like broken glass in the dark.
"That pathetic clan of mine? All they were good for was prepping me for this day. Teaching me the basics, preparing me for this power!"
She descended, landing beside Jewel, who was on his knees, blood pouring from his chest.
"I won't let you win," he growled, spitting blood. "I stopped you once. I can do it again."
But he was barely standing. His words were strong. His body wasn't.
Ruby tilted her head, mockingly. "Still got that defiance in you?"
Then she noticed me.
"Ohhh… look who's still awake."
"Look at you, Eli."
"Left with nothing."
Her smile was cruel. Her voice too calm.
"I raised you. Fed you lies to keep you weak. I even gave you Calila, my daughter, to keep you distracted. If I hadn't needed to stay undercover, I'd have killed your whole family long ago."
She stepped forward. Her voice lowered.
"But it's not too late…"
Suddenly
She rushed at me.
I couldn't move. I couldn't think. It was like my body froze on instinct.
The next moment
STAB.
Pain exploded through me.
I collapsed.
Blood. So much blood.
She yanked the blade free.
"I thought…" she whispered. "Maybe I could be happy here. Maybe I could forget. But you? You remind me I was never meant for peace."
She turned her back to me.
My vision blurred. The pain was unbearable. But then
I felt it.
A spark.
Like warm static running through my skin.
A light… growing. Filling me.
"Is this… my magic?"
My wound stopped bleeding.
My vision cleared.
The pain, gone.
Ruby noticed. She paused.
"Hmm. That's… interesting."
" So soon?" she muttered, intrigued. "But it doesn't matter. That trick won't save you."
As she turned again, I pulled myself up.
I felt light.
Like gravity couldn't find me.
I charged.
My fist flew fast, full of that unseen light but Ruby turned in one swift move and struck me down again.
My body hit the floor.
Blood burst from my mouth.
"That's funny," she mocked.
"You actually thought you had a chance."
I closed my eyes.
"Feel the light," I told myself.
"Let it in."
Cold.
Unbearable cold.
Then
Warmth.
Like the sun blooming inside me.
I rose, again.
This time, no hesitation.
I moved faster than I knew possible and struck.
BAM!
My punch landed
Ruby flew backward across the room, crashing through a marble pillar
Unconscious.
Silence.
I stood there, panting, staring at my hands.
"What… was that?" I whispered.
"My magic?"
Or something else?
Then it hit him.
They were still in danger.
Eli stumbled across the room, stepping carefully around shattered glass and bloodstains. He checked Olsen first still breathing, but unmoving. Then Aqua also unconscious, her chest rising and falling steadily.
Everyone was still asleep... except for one.
Jewel.
Eli knelt beside the man, who was barely holding on.
"Kill… her," Jewel whispered, his voice barely audible, his lips stained red with blood.
He was fading.
Eli froze. The words weren't shocking, but they hit heavy. Kill her. It was the logical thing to do she'd almost killed him, Olsen, Calila… everyone. But could he actually do it?
He walked slowly over to Ruby's body. She was still unconscious, her chest rising faintly.
And for a moment… Eli hesitated.
His hand trembled as he picked up the bloodstained knife she'd dropped. A memory flashed he was five, crying in the front yard as a stray dog lunged at him.
And then Ruby, his Ruby rushed in, shielding him without hesitation.
She got bit for him.
That Ruby was kind. Gentle. Protective.
This Ruby?
A cold-blooded murderer.
But they were the same person. Weren't they?
His grip tightened on the blade.
And just as he raised it.
"Let me do it."
A voice from behind. Eli turned.
Olsen.
Awake, standing in the kitchen doorway. Pale, bleeding from the temple but determined.
"Quick… before my sister wakes up," Olsen said, stepping forward. His voice calm but heavy with pain. "I need to do this. For revenge."
Eli didn't argue. His body still ached, and part of him… didn't want to be the one.
Olsen took the knife from Eli's hand. His grip was steady. His eyes locked on Ruby's heart.
No hesitation.
He raised the blade
"That's enough. Everyone!"
A booming voice echoed through the house.
The leader of the Abarice clan had arrived. He stood in the doorway with several men dressed in sleek, black combat gear. Their presence brought instant stillness to the room.
Olsen froze mid-motion. The leader's gaze swept over the chaos.
Behind them, Aqua stirred, clutching her head.
"Ugh… my head. What happened…?"
She sat up slowly, her eyes adjusting to the wreckage. Then she saw Olsen with a knife in his hand.
"Olsen?" she said quietly. "Why is there a knife in your hand…?"
Olsen glanced down, as if only now realizing it was still there. He placed it gently on the counter.
"Don't worry about it," he said with a tired smile.
But Aqua wasn't stupid. Her eyes flicked to the unconscious Ruby, then to the Abarice leader. She said nothing more.
Just then, Calila gasped awake. Panic overtook her as she remembered.
"Jewel!"
She scrambled to the living room, falling to her knees beside his body. Blood was still pouring from his wound.
"You'll be okay, Jewel!" she sobbed, trying to stop the bleeding with her hands. "Please don't die… please…"
She was breaking.
Aqua walked in behind her, arms crossed. She watched for a few seconds before kneeling beside Calila.
"Aren't you from the Abarice Clan?" Aqua asked, a bit sharp but not unkind. "We specialize in water magic including healing. They've been teaching us since middle school."
Calila looked up at her, confused.
"So why… don't you know how?"
The room went still again.
"I was thirteen when my life changed."
Calila's voice was quiet, trembling slightly. Everyone had gone still.
"Everything was good. My father the clan chief loved me. Even my mother, Ruby, seemed to."
She swallowed hard.
"But that day... I found her trying to steal the scrolls. I didn't know what to do. I panicked. I told my father. He told the guards."
Her voice cracked, eyes distant.
"Somehow… she found out it was me. She blamed me for all the deaths that happened afterward. And I… I believed her. I was so deep in grief, I couldn't think straight."
She fell silent, guilt pressing against every word.
"I left the clan. I thought if I ran far enough, I could forget. But she found me. She told me it was all my fault. She guilt-tripped me into working for her."
Her eyes flicked toward Jewel, who was still unconscious and bleeding.
"I did everything she asked. Until I met Jewel. We met a year ago, and… I fell in love. He realized who my mom was, and instead of running, he helped me break free. I still felt guilty. I tried to forget. But I couldn't."
Her voice was so soft, it was almost a whisper.
Aqua didn't say a word she just reached forward and hugged her tightly. The anger she had carried melted in the warmth of understanding.
"We'll try to help," Aqua said.
She looked at Olsen. They both placed their hands on Jewel's chest, trying to use the healing magic they'd trained in for years. But their energy had been drained.
Nothing happened.
"May I be of service to you?"
The old clan leader, with his one good eye, stepped forward.
He placed his palms over Jewel's wound, and suddenly a radiant blue light shimmered from his hands. It flowed into Jewel's body like water returning to a dry streambed. Jewel's color returned. His breathing steadied.
Finally, he opened his eyes.
"Jewel, you're alive!" Calila cried, throwing her arms around him. "I was so worried you would..."
He kissed her gently, cutting her off.
"You don't need to say anything," he said with a soft smile. "I'm here now."
The moment was still. Then Calila turned to me.
"I'm sorry," she said, her voice heavier now. "For trying to bait you into my mother's trap. I didn't want to hurt you. I really didn't."
I nodded. The hurt was still there, but so was understanding.
Jewel walked over to the clan leader. The two men shook hands.
And then, the leader leaned in and whispered something just for him:
"I didn't help you because you were dying. You're no use to me dead. This… was for our future plans."
He smiled and turned to address all of us.
"Olsen, Aqua, it's time to return. We must restore our clan to what it once was."
"What about Ruby?" Olsen asked.
"She'll be taken in for questioning and placed in the Cleansing Dungeon. She will spend the rest of her days there."
Just like that, it was over. The guards in black remained behind to clean the aftermath, silently moving bodies and debris with practiced ease. Ruby's unconscious form was carried away.
As Calila and Jewel turned to leave, she hugged me tightly.
"I'm truly sorry for everything... all the trouble me and my mother caused you."
Jewel reached out, gently taking her hand.
"Hope to see you again," he said to me, as they stepped out into the morning sun.
Then they were gone.
The house felt different. Too quiet. No bickering in the hallway. No footsteps. No giggles from Aqua, or overexcited book facts from Olsen. Just silence.
I sat down in the living room and turned on the news, hoping the sound would fill the space.
Old habits. Die hard.
I wondered…
Are people awake now?
Do they know?
Do they feel it?
That the world…
has changed.
"We're here live at TTM News. Today, we're speaking with a man named Aritha, who's here to shed light on what people are calling 'The Drop.'"
The camera panned to a serious-looking man in his early 30s, hair slightly wild, eyes sharp with conviction.
"Now, people you may not believe me, but this isn't a coincidence. What happened to us… it was a predicted phenomenon called The Collision. It's been foretold for thousands of years. A moment where Earth and a spiritual plane merge, returning magic to our world. So if you're developing strange powers, or if someone won't wake up after The Drop… it's because of the magic surrounding their bodies."
He leaned in slightly, voice lowering.
"But don't think this is only a good thing. Earth was invisible to monsters before, spirit beasts couldn't find us. But now… they will. They'll come, and they'll..."
"Thank you for watching Talk Too Much News! Come back next time for future updates!"
The anchor's voice cut in abruptly, cheerful and clearly flustered. Her fake smile said it all, she thought he was crazy. But I didn't.
"Aritha..." I muttered to myself.
"Where have I heard that name before?"
I knew he wasn't crazy.
But maybe… maybe it was just too soon for the public to accept the truth.
---
Later that night, I sat alone in my room, trying to feel that strange light again.
I closed my eyes.
Slowed my breathing.
Focused on my heartbeat.
Searched within.
Nothing.
I tried harder. Thought about Ruby, about nearly dying… still, nothing.
Then it clicked.
Before when I used the light, I had felt helpless. Powerless.
I had been afraid… and something inside me had responded.
Was that the key?
I looked down at my stomach, where the stab wound had been. I lifted my shirt.
Gone. Not a single mark.
The light didn't just stop the bleeding. It healed me completely.
I thought back to earlier:
The blue glow the Abarice Clan leader used.
The strange shimmer around Ruby's body.
And mine when that warmth had surged through me.
It was all connected.
Magic energy.
I didn't know what mine meant. Was it an element? A spark? A gift?
Or… was it something else entirely?
Too many questions. No answers. Not yet.
I sighed and lay back on the bed. Maybe tomorrow, something would make sense.
Maybe tomorrow, I'd understand why the light chose me.
Maybe tomorrow… the world would start to make sense again.