Chapter 1
1540 Words
“You’re goin' to break it!” Kael yelled, panic cracking his voice.
“Then stop pulling!” Rowan shot back, his teeth clenched as he tightened his grip.
Rowan and his younger brother Kael were wrestling over something precious—an object they had crafted together for their mother. Kael had done all the work and wanted the honor of presenting it. But Rowan wasn’t giving in easily.
Cyrus, their father sat at the dining table, newspaper spread wide, barely looking at the commotion. Maya moved through the kitchen preparing dinner, glancing at the boys as she steeled herself to intervene.
“Rowan! Kael! Stop that this instant!” Maya called out, voice firm but warm.
Eventually, Rowan let go, frustrated as Kael bolted toward his mother, with excitement.
“Mama, mama, I have something for you!” he exclaimed.
"Kael? What is that?” Maya asked, quickly glancing at him.
“Here.” He held out a bracelet, with a cute smile.
Maya examined it closely, her fingers tracing the bent metal, sharp edges that hadn’t been filed down properly. It was messy. Imperfect. Poorly decorated but made with love. She smiled warmly, kneeling to his height.
“I made that!” Kael said.
“That's a lie mama, we made that,” Rowan argued, stepping forward.
“But I did all the work!” Kael shot back.
“Okay boys, that’s enough," Maya chuckled softly. "Mama appreciates you both, and I love my chunky little boys equally.” She reached out, cupping their cheeks gently before slipping the bracelet onto her right wrist and kissing each of them.
Barely a minute had slipped by from the fleeting, adorable moment of warmth when all hell broke loose.
The sound of helicopters, heavy military vehicles, and rapid gunfire tore through the air outside. Screams of startled neighbors mingled with the chaos. Everyone froze.
Cyrus shot upright, eyes wide with alarm. Peering out the window, he saw Kendric’s men advancing.
“They found us,” he whispered, “They found us, Maya. Grab the kids…”
“Oh my gosh… this can’t be happening!” Maya gasped, scooping both boys into her arms.
“Where’s the Chain?” Cyrus barked, rushing upstairs toward its hidden location as Maya directed him quickly.
She pulled the boys close. “Now listen to me. You both will hide somewhere safe, and whatever happens… do not come out,” she instructed.
“But mama, I’m scared,” Kael whimpered.
“I know baby, but listen to me... you’re strong. You’re special. And one day, you’ll understand what I mean. For now?… hide and don’t make a sound. Do you hear me?” Maya’s voice was soft but solid.
“Mama, I can’t leave you and Papa alone,” Rowan protested.
“Not you too, Rowan. Hide with your brother and don’t make a sound until I say so.” Maya said, tightening her hold on them.
A brutal crash shook the front door—metal and wood splintering as the armies attempted to break in.
Maya startled, spinning toward the noise. “Now go! Hide, and remember, your papa and I love you both so much! Go!” she urged, pushing them toward their safe spots.
Cyrus returned downstairs with the Lumen Chain. Rowan remained hidden. Kael froze just as the door burst open.
Maya and Cyrus stood side-to-side, ready for combat. As the door creaked wider, Cyrus flung the Lumen Chain toward where Kael had been hiding.
Kael, quick-witted and cautious, understood instinctively that there might be some kind of mystery behind the chain. He picked it up, clutched it to his chest, and hid as instructed, peeping through a small gap to watch.
“Well, well, well,” Commander Kendric’s voice cut through the chaos. “After all these years, Cyrus… after all these years of running and hiding…"
“Get away from us!” Maya snarled, her eyes blazing white, as she summoned her powers.
“You have what I want. If you surrender now, I’ll make this a smooth misery for you and your family,” Kendric said smoothly.
“I don’t know what the f**k you’re talking about,” Cyrus spat with anger mixed with fear.
“Don’t play dumb with me, Cyrus. Where the f**k is the Lumen Chain?”
Kael lifted the chain closer to his chest. He understood why they had come. Part of him wanted to surrender it to save his family, but Maya’s warning rang in his ears, so he stood firm.
“You might as well kill us now,” Maya said, her voice trembling. “Cause we ain't giving you shit.”
“Hmmm... Is that so?” Kendric lifted his head, signaling his soldiers. They surrounded Maya and Cyrus, as they both positioned back-to-back. The armies, immediately began to open fire.
Cyrus and Maya moved in sync, their attacks clean and fast as they drove into the soldiers.
Cyrus sent shockwaves through the room while Maya threw ice and lightning without holding back. Their words came low and steady, each attack hitting exactly where it should.
Soldiers were thrown, slammed, some burning where they stood as their power overwhelmed them.
And then it began—the low, terrible hum. The Null Field Generator, one of Dr. Brett’s creation pulsed to life. Cyrus and Maya fell to their knees, writhing in agonizing pain.
Kendric approached the broken form of Cyrus, squatted slowly, and lifted his chin. “I told you to give me what I want, didn't I?" he said. "Where... The fuck... Is the Lumen Chain?”
Cyrus looked at him with rage. Immediately, he spat on his face.
Kendric flinched, wiped it away slowly, stood up, and snatched a gun from an army, he fired three bullets into Cyrus’s skull.
“Nooooooo! Cyrus!” Maya’s scream tore through the room. Kael covered his mouth, eyes wide, unable to look away. Maya crawled toward Cyrus, the Null Field Generator still roaring, and pulled him into her arms, his blood soaking her hands.
“Search the place! It must be here somewhere!” Kendric ordered as armies tore the house apart. One soldier yanked Rowan from his hiding spot.
“Mama!” he cried, stumbling toward her as his eyes fell on his father.
“Clever… you have a kid?” Kendric sneered. “Too bad he gets to witness this horrible scene. All because his parents were too stubborn.”
The scanner which Dr. Brett had built, designed to detect magical artifacts, began to scream through the house, its beeps rising in pitch and intensity as it drew closer to Kael’s hiding spot.
Each pulse of sound seemed to vibrate through the walls, rattling the floorboards beneath him. Kael trembled, clutching the Lumen Chain to his chest, tears streaking his face as fear and death battled inside him.
Kendric watched with predatory patience, his gaze fixed on the spot. The army breached the spot where Kael hid, kicking the door open with a brutal force. And then. finally, there it was. Kendric’s eyes glinted with triumph.
“Finally. The Lumen Chain,” he whispered. The Null Field Generator ceased for a heartbeat.
Maya rose, summoning all her remaining strength. She struck Kendric against the wall and incinerated the surrounding soldiers. Within moments, the room was cleared, smoke and scorched walls the only remnants of their fury.
She grabbed Rowan and raced to Kael. “Go to your uncle in New Orleans, his name is Corbin...”
"Mama, how do we even find him?" Rowan asked, his voice trembling, while Kael, still in shock, stared at his father’s lifeless body.
"Don't worry about that, I'll create a portal to..." Her words were cut short as she staggered, blood streaming from her mouth. Kael froze. Rowan screamed.
Kendric had regained consciousness and fired bullets from behind her. But Maya refused to quit, not while her children were still in danger.
Summoning the last of her strength, she willed a portal into existence with her mind.
“Run.”
She whispered as she staggered to the ground. Kael ran through, clutching the Lumen Chain. Kendric fired relentlessly, trying to strike him before he could escape, but Maya’s will held the gateway steady. She closed her eyes as the portal sealed.
Then, silence fell.
She was dead.
Rowan wasn’t so lucky, as Kael vanished through the portal. Kendric’s men lunged at him. He was no match for their strength. He screamed. His voice cracked in terror and agony as they dragged him toward the waiting soldiers.
Kendric’s eyes blazed with fury, his veins throbbing with controlled rage. “s**t!..." he cursed. "Seize him... I want this insolent brat taken alive... and burn this wretched place to ashes! Let him see the cost of defiance!”
The soldiers obeyed without hesitation. Rowan thrashed, clawing at their grip, but it was useless.
The house behind him erupted in flames, smoke curling into the stormy sky. Rowan’s cries mingled with the roar of fire and the crash of helicopters above, a haunting symphony of terror and destruction.
Kendric’s smirked like a victor as he watched the chaos unfold, satisfied that nothing and no one, would escape his wrath.
- Writer
