Edmund stepped forward quietly to see who was knocking on the door, but Caesar quickly pulled him back when he saw the door blown off its hinges.
A figure entered calmly, their face fully covered.
Stranger: "Quickly, leave now! You only have ten minutes to escape!"
They stared at him in surprise and confusion, thoughts racing through their minds: "Who is this? What does he want? Can we trust him?"
The stranger suddenly shouted at them:
Stranger: "Hurry uuuuuup!"
They jumped at his voice.
Edmund looked deeply into the man's eyes, then grabbed Sophia's hand, lifted her up, and Caesar took his wife's hand too. They all rushed outside, glancing back at the stranger one last time.
They ran as fast as they could. Caesar threw the bags into the trunk, and the others jumped into the car.
Sarah: "Caesar, come on! Hurry!"
He jumped in, and the car sped away, kicking up dust as it raced the wind.
The stranger watched them disappear, then went back inside the house.
Suddenly, a massive explosion shook the area.
They turned to see the blast came from Caesar's house. A moment later, another explosion struck Edmund's home.
They exchanged tense looks, but Caesar didn't stop driving.
Everyone was on edge—the situation was dire. Exhausted, Sophia clung to her husband, resting her head against his chest as she held their baby. Sarah gripped Caesar's hand tightly, giving him a reassuring smile.
Some time later…
There were five people in the car: Caesar and his wife Sarah, Edmund, Sophia, and their newborn baby. None of them knew where they were heading.
Each one wondered what would come after this longest night of their lives.
Would they live to see tomorrow? What future awaited them and that mysterious child? Who was that stranger who helped them?
Silence filled the car. The smiles had faded, and exhaustion was written on their faces. But then, as light broke across the land, they saw a beautiful scene. And they knew: no matter how long the night, the sun always rises—even if delayed.
---
Ten Years Later
In a mountainous region, there were two modest homes side by side. People moved joyfully outside, preparing for a barbecue.
Laughter from children echoed from one of the small homes.
(Jack was now ten years old, and Black was two years younger. She was stunningly beautiful, with jet-black hair, rare violet eyes, and delicate features.)
The two were playing together, Jack chasing Black.
Jack: "Bii, if I catch you, I'm gonna pull your hair out!"
She laughed and stuck her tongue out, dodging side to side.
Black (laughing): "You'll never catch me, Jack! I'm faster than you! Hahaha!"
He leapt from a small table and managed to catch her.
She screamed, but it was too late—he had her.
Jack: "Gotcha! Now I'm going to beat you up, Bi!"
But suddenly, she started crying.
He looked at her, confused, until he realized someone was behind him.
Edmund: "Jaaack… What are you doing to your cousin?"
Jack (looking at Black, who was secretly giggling): "Dad, she's not my cousin—she's a little demon!"
Edmund: "Jack, why are you hitting her? You even made her cry!"
Jack (wishing): "I wish I had! I didn't even get to touch her yet! Dad, can you come back in five minutes? I'll cook her for lunch, I promise! I know how to prepare food!"
He laughed as he saw the frightened expression on Black's face.
Edmund scolded him and picked up the girl, taking her outside.
Black clung to her uncle, scared. Jack felt guilty and ran after her to continue playing.
Jack: "Bi Bi, I was kidding! Did you believe me?!"
Meanwhile, Sophia and Sarah were preparing lunch, with Edmund and Caesar helping grill the meat.
Edmund rushed inside suddenly—last time the kids ran around like that, they broke a bunch of things.
It didn't take long to convince Black to come down and play again.
Black (innocently): "Are you really going to eat me?"
Jack (laughing): "Of course not! I was joking. But I am going to pluck your feathers, you silly girl!"
They ran around again, their parents laughing at the kids' antics.
Jack and Black helped set the table and serve food, laughter filling the air.
Jack sneakily took a few skewers of grilled meat, handing one to Black and keeping one for himself.
Black (excited): "Jack, you're the best friend ever!"
Jack: "And you're the most gluttonous girl ever."
Black (annoyed): "Jaaack!"
He laughed at her expression as he kept eating.
Caesar (grumbling): "Edmund, your son keeps annoying my little girl!"
Edmund (resigned): "Caesar, those two are impossible to separate."
Sarah: "You're right. Look, your daughter ran off to play with Jack again right after you brought her back. And she was the one teasing him while he was reading."
Sophia (smiling): "Like the saying goes, 'The cat only loves the one who teases it.'"
All four laughed as they set the dishes, while Jack and Black continued stealing bites of food.
(The families were truly happy. They had successfully escaped for ten years. After Jack's birth, they spent about three months on the run, traveling constantly for food and medicine. For ten years, none of them used their powers even once. Edmund sealed Jack's powers at birth, and Caesar did the same for Black. They lived hidden in the mountains—Jack and Black had never seen energy or powers used before.)
But the laughter didn't last long.
Edmund noticed strange movements nearby—then an explosion shook the area.
A blast hit Edmund's home, throwing them all back. Out of the flames emerged masked figures in black cloaks bearing the symbol of a giant snake.
They knew then: their hiding time was over.
They looked at each other in shock. How did they find us?
Jack's small voice cut through the silence as he cursed the strangers—Black had been wounded by shrapnel, but her fear kept her from noticing the pain.
One of the masked men spoke in a chilling voice:
Masked Man: "Did you really think you and your wife could escape?"
He eyed the children, recognizing Jack's resemblance to his parents. He signaled one of his men.
Masked Man: "Check the boy."
That sentence brought everyone back to their senses.
Edmund and Caesar shouted at Sophia and Sarah to take the kids and run. They knew they couldn't win, but Jack's unique mark terrified them—they feared the enemy might capture or harm him.
Caesar (shouting): "Sophia! Sarah! Take the kids and go!"
For the first time in ten years, they used their powers. Jack and Black, still in shock from the explosions, watched their parents summon lightning and water from their hands.
Sophia and Sarah hesitated—how could they leave their husbands to face death alone?
Edmund (yelling): "GO!!"
They turned to their children, picked them up, and fled.
They ran as fast as they could, tears streaming, not daring to look back—afraid it would be the last time they'd see them.
Edmund and Caesar rushed into battle.
Jack (screaming): "Mom! Let me go! I want to go to Dad! Let meeeeee!"
Black: "Mom, put me down! Mom!"
But suddenly they froze when they heard Caesar scream.
They turned to see Edmund holding Caesar as the masked man stabbed him through the heart with a steel spear. Edmund had sacrificed himself to save his friend—his friend who had followed him to the ends of the earth.
Caesar went mad, energy surging around him. He tried to strike the attacker but was ambushed from behind by two others using earth and wind powers.
They struck him with wind blades and rocks, leaving him bleeding on the ground.
Edmund and Caesar gave it everything they had, but they couldn't even injure their enemies.
The two women stood there, watching in utter shock as the lives of
their husbands were snatched away before their eyes.
Words failed them, and tears welled up in the eyes of the two children,
who screamed at the top of their lungs, calling out for their fathers.
Sophia and Sarah tried to return to Caesar and Edmund, but Caesar
was still breathing. With great difficulty, he told them to run before the
masked man ended his life with a blow to the back of his head.
Black screamed so loudly that it felt like her vocal cords had torn.
Black: "Daaaad!"
Everyone froze in shock.
She felt as though her heart had been ripped from her chest—her
husband, the love of her life, had died right in front of her. But she
knew this wasn't the time for grief. The children's lives were in real
danger. She grabbed Sophia's hand and turned quickly, her tears flying
as she silently bid farewell to her husband. Sophia did the same, casting
one last look at her beloved.
They ran as fast as they could and managed to disappear from the
guards' sight.
The masked man, furious: "After them! Quickly!"
Most of his men chased after them while the rest remained behind him.
The mountain was filled with twists and turns, but the two women
knew it like the back of their hands. They rushed to one of their hidden shelters to hide before the masked men could find them.
A few men followed but couldn't spot the hideout and scattered to
search.
Suddenly, someone appeared behind them,