As I got in, my mother and father were overjoyed to see me. They immediately came forward with smiles full of warmth and happiness.
But the truth was… they were my real, biological parents.
Lily and Daniel were my actual sister and brother. Aria and Evan were my uncle's children—my cousins. They were my uncle and aunt , but this… this was my real home.
I had been gone from London to study and to meet my power partners. That was the real reason I went there.
As I stepped inside, Lily ran towards me. She was my younger sister, just one year younger than me.
"Sis!" she shouted, hugging me tightly.
I smiled and hugged her back. "I missed you."
Then Daniel came forward. He wrapped me in a hug and said, "You've grown up."
I laughed a little. "So have you."
Then my mom came closer, gently touching my face. "How was your trip?"
"It was great, Mom," I replied.
She smiled and asked, "Did you make any friends?"
"Yes, Mom. I made a lot of friends. They're all really nice."
Before she could say anything else, my dad suddenly asked, "Boys or girls?"
Mom gave him a sharp side-eye. "Whoever her friends are doesn't matter. As long as she's happy."
I smiled softly. "I'm going to Rosé house, okay? Bye!"
Without waiting too long, I left.
When I arrived at Rosé house, something felt different.
All the bodyguards, Rosé, and even her parents were kneeling in front of me.
"Rise," I said calmly.
They all stood up immediately.
"Where is Nicholas?" I asked.
Rosé lowered her head slightly. "Master is in the basement."
I nodded and walked down.
As I entered the basement, I saw Nicholas searching through something, completely focused.
"Hey, what are you doing?" I asked.
He looked up and smiled. "Oh… Sarina, you're here."
Nicholas was one year older than me. He was also a master, just like me. We both held the same position as guardians, and everyone respected us equally.
He was also my childhood best friend.
"I'm checking the news," he said. "A few days ago, it was all about you and the others… but suddenly, everything disappeared."
I crossed my arms slightly. "Yes… I noticed that too."
For a moment, the room fell silent.
Then I asked, "By the way, how much time is left?"
I checked the time. "Only half an hour."
I turned towards the training area. "I'm going to cultivate."
"Okay," he replied.
As I entered the training room, I looked around.
It was filled with all kinds of fighting and cultivation equipment. Weapons, training dummies, energy crystals—everything was perfectly arranged.
I changed into my black training suit.
The moment I stepped into the center of the training room, everything around me felt silent.
Too silent.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
Then slowly… I started cultivating.
Energy began to flow around me, like invisible waves circling my body. At first, it was calm… soft… like a breeze.
But then—
It started getting stronger.
My hands clenched slightly as I focused more. A faint glow surrounded me, growing brighter with every second.
Something was different today.
My power… it felt unstable.
Suddenly—
BOOM!
A burst of energy exploded from around me, pushing everything nearby. The training dummies shook, and a few weapons fell to the ground.
I quickly opened my eyes.
"What… was that?" I whispered.
My breathing became heavy. This had never happened before.
Then, a strange feeling hit me… like someone was watching.
I turned around sharply.
No one.
But I could feel it.
Something was coming.
Just then, the door opened.
"Sarina!"
It was Nicholas.
He walked in quickly, his expression serious. "Did you feel that?"
I nodded slowly. "Yeah… something's wrong."
He looked around at the slightly damaged training room. "Your energy just spiked suddenly. This isn't normal."
"I know," I said quietly. "It felt like… my power was reacting to something."
Nicholas frowned. "Or someone."
The air between us turned tense.
"Call the others," I said firmly.
He nodded. "Already did."
Within minutes, footsteps echoed outside.
Rosé entered first, followed by the others—each one looking confused and slightly worried.
"What happened?" Rose asked.
I looked at all of them.
"My power… lost control for a second."
They all went silent.
"That's not possible," one of them said. "You have perfect control."
"I did," I replied.
Nicholas stepped forward. "Also… the news disappearing isn't normal. And now this? Something is definitely going on."
Suddenly—
All the lights in the room flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then everything went dark.
For a second, no one spoke.
Then—
A cold voice echoed through the room.
"Finally… I found you."
My eyes widened.
That voice…
I didn't recognize it.
But somehow—
It felt familiar.
I stepped forward, my eyes glowing faintly in the darkness.
"Who are you?" I demanded.
A soft, chilling laugh filled the room.
"You'll find out soon… Guardian."
Then—
Silence.
The lights came back on.
Everything was normal again.
But…
Nothing felt normal anymore.
Nicholas looked at me. "Did you hear that?"
I nodded slowly.
"This isn't just about us anymore," I said.
I clenched my fist, my power flickering again—but this time, I controlled it.
"This is a warning."
Rosé whispered, "From who…?"
I looked straight ahead, my expression serious.
"I don't know yet…"
"But we're going to find out."
✨ To be continued…