The early morning hours were a dark and silent ocean, and at its bottom, Nina was drowning. Sleep, which should have been a refuge, had become a stage for horrors. Her small body tossed and turned in bed, the sheets tangling around her feet like seaweed, while her mind was assaulted by fragments of a future she didn't understand.
They weren't dreams, they were flashes. Scars from events that hadn't yet happened.
Click. A woman's silhouette, encased in armor that gleamed like liquid gold, was pierced. The golden light shattered against the darkness of the blade that pierced her. The sound was not of pain, but of something breaking, like glass.
Click. Another woman, her contours etched against a fiery inferno. Her skin crackled, her hair turned gray, but there was no scream, only the silence of the fire consuming everything.
Click. The cold blade of a guillotine descending. The silhouette of a head separating from a body in a silent, terrifying arc.
Click. A man, as large as a mountain, crushed between two misshapen forms, his body crumbling under invisible pressure. Another, his arm torn off, the dark shape of the limb falling to the ground with a dull thud. And a final woman, entangled in a web of vines and roots sprouting from the ground, her body inert like that of a broken doll in a profane garden.
Nina saw no faces, heard no names. She saw only death in its rawest form, silhouettes dancing a macabre choreography against a backdrop of darkness.
With a gasp that tore through the silence of her room, she awoke. Air rushed into her lungs as if she were rising to the surface after a long dive. Her heart pounded against her ribs, a frantic drum in a sleeping house. Cold sweat clung to her hair against her forehead. And then, the tears came. Silent, hot, uncontrollable. She didn't understand why those images made her cry, but the pain in her chest was real, a crushing tightness.
She stood up. Her bare feet touched the wooden floor, the cold rising up her legs, but she barely felt it. She opened the bedroom door with a care that her age didn't suggest and went down the stairs, the steps creaking softly under her weight. She passed through the dark living room, a small shadow moving towards the backyard.
The grass was damp and cold beneath her feet. She fell to her knees in the middle of the garden, her head bowed, her body trembling. The crying now came in sobs, and she brought her hands to her mouth to muffle the sound, to swallow her own pain, so as not to wake anyone. To be alone with her ghosts.
But she wasn't there.
Soft footsteps on the grass, almost inaudible. A presence approaching with a caution that was not invasive, but protective.
"Nina? Are you okay?" The voice was Maya's, a whisper in the night, filled with a genuine concern that the little girl hadn't expected.
Nina nodded, a "yes" that was an obvious lie, while rubbing her face with the back of her hands. Maya crouched beside her, supporting herself on her heels, and said nothing more. She just stood there, in silence, an unexpected guardian in the darkness. The silence stretched, filled only by Nina's muffled sobs. Maya didn't hurry her. She just waited.
"What happened?" Nina finally asked, her voice trembling, still without turning around. "I already said I'm fine."
Maya took a deep breath, the night air filling her lungs.
I did the same thing you did.
The phrase hung in the air, simple yet heavy with meaning. Nina stopped trembling. The silent confession hit her in a way no question could.
"I tried to hide my problems," Maya continued, her voice still a whisper. "And it only hurt me. It took me a while to realize that I needed someone to confide in, someone to tell my problems to. So, if you want... I'm here."
Nina remained motionless. Maya thought she had failed, that the girl's barrier was insurmountable. She was about to stand up when she felt two small arms wrap around her neck. Nina hugged her with the strength of someone clinging to a buoy in the open sea, her face buried in her chest, and the tears, previously held back, now came freely, desperately. Maya enveloped her in her arms, one hand gently stroking the little girl's head in a slow, rhythmic caress, a comfort that needed no words.
Some time later, under the sky that was beginning to lighten, with Nina calmer, the words came. She told everything. The flashes, the deaths, the fear. Maya listened, her green eyes fixed on the horizon, absorbing every detail without interrupting, without judging.
"You must think it's silly..." Nina said, her voice tired as she finished, shrinking back slightly.
"No!" Maya's response was immediate and firm, making Nina look at her. "I didn't think so. It was too much for a child. If I were in your place, I would have had the same reaction." A small, welcoming smile appeared on Maya's lips.
Nina smiled back, feeling a weight lift from her heart.
"Couldn't you see their faces?" Maya asked gently.
— No. — The answer was short, almost like Cael's.
Nothing? Couldn't you even recognize the silhouettes?
Nina remained silent, her eyes lost in the grass as her mind plunged back into the nightmare.
"Look, if it's too much..." Maya began, but Nina interrupted her.
"There was one. The burned woman... She..." Her hesitation was palpable, the difficulty in giving form to the image.
- "She"?
Nina took a deep breath.
I don't know, but... she looked like you...
"Me?" The surprise in Maya's voice was genuine. She forced a reassuring smile. "It wouldn't hurt to think it was just a nightmare."
Yes... But it seemed so real... I... felt...
The sentence died in her throat. Nina's eyes widened, not from fear, but from a sudden, sharp pain. A small hand flew to the side of her head, fingers tightening in her hair.
— Aaaah!
The scream tore through the silence of the dawning morning, sharp and filled with a pain that wasn't from a nightmare, but physical. Before Maya could react, Nina's body went completely limp in her arms, unconscious.
— Hey, Nina! What happened?! — Panic filled Maya's voice.
The sound of the scream caused lights to flash in the house. Seconds later, Hana came downstairs, her face etched with worry. She saw Maya in the garden, holding Nina's lifeless body.
- What happened?
I don't know! We were talking and she fainted!
Hana assessed the scene with the speed of an emergency room doctor. Reason replaced panic.
— Take her to Cael's room. Now.
Maya didn't question it. She picked Nina up and carried her, her heart pounding against her ribs. She carefully placed her on the bed. In the dim light of the room, the pale light from the window illuminated the space. The walls, once a deep blue, now seemed almost black, transforming the bookshelves and disassembled gadgets into mysterious silhouettes. Cael's room at night wasn't a refuge, it was a cave.
Hana examined the girl, her experienced eyes scanning her pale face, measuring her breathing.
"She's just sleeping..." she said, relief softening her voice. "What happened, anyway?"
— I found Nina crying because of a nightmare. So far, so good. But when I asked her about the people she saw, she said she had seen me... and then she screamed in pain and fainted.
Hana looked at Nina, asleep, and then at her adopted daughter, worry etched on Maya's face.
"Let's... just leave it as it is," Hana said, her voice soft.
Maya stared at her, the disagreement clear in her eyes.
— We shouldn't force explanations right now. The stress of the nightmare, and the stress of remembering it, may have caused a breakdown. Of course, this is just a theory.
Maya nodded reluctantly. She sat on the edge of the bed, her gaze fixed on Nina, a mixture of worry and a pang of guilt weighing on her shoulders. Hana watched her. She saw the change, the gentleness that Maya's trauma had, paradoxically, awakened in her. She knew, at that moment, what they both needed.
Without saying a word, Hana turned, left the room, and closed the door with a soft click, leaving them alone in the quiet of the ending night. A silence that was not one of absence, but of permission.
Morning light streamed through the window, a pale golden blade that cut through the dimness of the room and touched Nina's face. Under the gentle warmth, her eyelashes fluttered and she opened her eyes. The ashes of the dawn images still floated in her mind—the glint of golden armor, the silence of the fire, the fall of a head—but now they seemed distant, like echoes of a story she wasn't sure was her own.
She ran a hand over her face, a gesture to clear away the sleepiness and traces of crying. Turning around, the surprise made her hold her breath. Curled up on the edge of the bed, like a sleeping guardian, was Maya. The redhead was fast asleep, her breathing soft, a strand of hair falling across her face.
An instinctive caution took hold of Nina. She needed to leave without waking her. She moved with the slowness of a cat, gliding to the edge of the bed. But, at the moment of placing her foot on the floor, something in her brain miscalculated. For a fleeting instant, her body moved with the memory of a longer reach, a height she didn't possess, as if she expected the floor to be farther away. The hesitation was enough. She lost her balance.
TUMP.
The dull thud of her small body on the wooden floor was enough to awaken Maya, who sat up with a start, her green eyes wide.
"Are you alright?" The sleepy voice was heavy with almost exaggerated concern, an echo of the panic from the previous night.
"I think so..." Nina replied, her cheek still pressed against the cold floor.
She wasn't thinking about the fall, but about the strange movement that caused it. A feeling of disarray, as if she inhabited a body that no longer served her. And there was something else. A clarity in her thoughts, an articulation in her words that seemed new, that simply... was there.
Maya helped her to her feet, her hands checking her arms and back for any scratches.
— Maya. I just fell on the ground. And I'm a Superhuman, remember? — The sentence came out with a calmness and logic that made Maya stop. That tone, that cadence... it wasn't that of a six-year-old child.
Since when do you talk like that?
Nina blinked, the question catching her off guard. She didn't know.
- I don't know...
"Well, that's not important," Maya said, cutting off her own train of thought and, on impulse, picking Nina up. The little girl let out a surprised "Hey!" "Let's have breakfast. And I'll try to convince Cael not to have training today."
The last sentence triggered an alarm in Nina's mind, but she remained silent, nestled in Maya's embrace. They went downstairs and found the kitchen empty, but a pungent smell of smoke guided them to the backyard.
Through the hole in the wall, they saw the scene. Hana, with her Chanel-style hair slightly disheveled, stood before an improvised bonfire, whose flames rose almost to her height.
— Hana. What are you doing? — Maya asked, incredulous.
"I'll make breakfast," Hana replied, with a calmness that belied the blazing chaos before her.
But does the fire have to be higher than you?
Hana sighed, defeated. "I admit I don't know how to do this and that things got a little out of control."
It was then that Cael emerged from the forest, pausing to observe the scene with his usual impassive expression. With a simple gesture, an invisible telekinetic barrier enveloped the flames, suffocating them until only a lazy column of smoke remained. The silence that followed was broken by his voice.
Wouldn't it have been easier to just order the food?
Hana simply nodded, head bowed. Cael approached and, in a gesture that shocked everyone, placed his hand on her head. It was a slow, almost clumsy touch, his fingers briefly sinking into her hair before withdrawing.
— I already ordered it. It should arrive soon.
Hana stood motionless, her face flushing intensely. Maya's eyes widened. Only Nina, for some reason, felt a sense of déjà vu, as if the tenderness of that gesture were an old memory. Cael then approached Nina, still in Maya's lap, and repeated the gesture, a gentle caress on her head.
Maya watched, and for a second, prepared herself to receive one too, a silly hope that was ignored by Cael's distraction. But then, something strange happened. Nina's hand, in an act that seemed not to originate from her, rose, grasped Cael's wrist, and guided his hand to the top of Maya's head.
Cael and Maya froze, surprised by the instinctive gesture. Nina herself seemed confused by what she had just done.
Before the silence could be broken, the doorbell rang. Cael stepped away to answer it. Minutes later, everyone was at the table, eating. Except for Cael, who stood watching from his corner. Maya took a deep breath, gathering her courage.
Listen, Cael. Don't you think you could postpone Nina's training a little?
— No. — The answer was a wall.
But she probably won't be willing. This morning...
"I know what happened last night," he interrupted her. "But her evaluation won't be postponed, so she needs to prepare."
"What's so important about this evaluation?" Maya's voice trembled with indignation.
— You don't know why she passed without knowing. But the evaluation she'll take is done by the government. They screen students for potential. Those who don't pass, unless they're from a privileged background, won't be able to continue their studies at any legally recognized school. That's why it's important that she passes.
The revelation hit Maya like a bucket of cold water. She never knew the real purpose of that test.
But... at least go a little easier on her.
I don't want it like this!
Nina's voice, loud and firm, surprised everyone. She stood up in her chair, her eyes shining with newfound conviction.
"I'm fine! You don't need to go easy on me! I'll manage!" A confident smile spread across her face.
Cael watched her, noticing the change. The frightened girl from the early morning had vanished, replaced by a determination he didn't recognize. Maya was equally surprised. Hana simply smiled from behind her coffee cup.
"Finish your coffee first. Only go outside in thirty minutes," Cael said, his voice containing a newfound respect.
He turned and walked out into the garden, leaving behind a silence filled with questions.
The morning sun was already high in the sky, a bright white disc that warmed the yard and chased away the last vestiges of the early morning chill. The grass, still damp, glistened in the light. The thirty minutes that Cael had stipulated dragged on like hours for Nina. She was already standing in the center of the yard, her small body vibrating with a contained energy, her eyes fixed on Cael, who remained leaning against the wall of the house, impassive.
He finally moved, his steps slow and deliberate as he positioned himself several meters away from her. He could see the impatience in her feet, which danced on the grass.
"Let's go. Get ready," he said.
"You took too long to ask. I was ready all along." Her reply came quickly, with a confidence that made Cael raise an eyebrow.
SPLAT.
Before the last syllable left her lips, a ball of mud materialized in the air and struck her squarely on the shoulder, leaving a dark, damp stain on her red tank top. The smell of wet earth filled the air.
"You were ready, weren't you?" The irony in Cael's voice was almost palpable. "And since when do you talk like that?"
Nina didn't answer. She wiped the mud from her shoulder with a quick gesture and took a defensive stance. The change was instantaneous and shocking. Her posture was no longer that of a child trying to imitate a fighter; it was that of a warrior. Knees bent at the perfect angle, center of gravity low, eyes fixed, calculating. Cael felt a chill. This wasn't a mistaken impression. This was real.
With a wave of his hand, dozens of mud spheres rose from the ground, orbiting around him like a deadly swarm. What followed was not a brief training session, but a battle that stretched into the morning.
The first ball was thrown. Nina didn't move like the day before. Each slide, propelled by a micro-burst of red energy, was precise, economical. BZZZT! The sharp sound cut through the air. The smell of ozone mingled with that of the earth. She didn't just dodge, she used the momentum to reposition herself, turning the defense into an opportunity. The grass beneath her feet was torn with each slide, leaving red trails of residual energy.
Cael increased the intensity. The mud balls now flew from multiple directions, a chaotic bombardment. And Nina responded. Her movements were a blur. She glided to the left while firing a burst that intercepted a projectile coming from the right. The sound of her shots and the muffled THWUMP of the mud colliding in the air created a symphony of combat. Hana and Maya, watching from the kitchen threshold, were speechless. This wasn't learning, it was mastery.
So, she did the impossible.
With a blast fired directly at the ground, she launched herself into the air. The impact raised a small ring of dust, and the recoil propelled her upwards, some four meters into the air. Her body spun, becoming parallel to the ground, her pigtails whipping through the air. There, suspended for an instant that seemed to last an eternity, her eyes gleamed, and she released a blast that wasn't a beam, but an arc. A crescent moon of crimson energy that cut through the air toward Cael.
He simply raised his hand, and the energy dissipated inches from his face with a hiss, like water on a hot plate. But astonishment had already set in.
"She fights better than me," Maya whispered, her voice filled with incredulous admiration. "But... she wasn't fighting like that yesterday."
Taking advantage of the supposed distraction, Nina used the recoil of another burst to propel herself forward, still in mid-air, a red bullet aimed at Cael. She was close, close enough. But the air around her thickened, becoming an invisible wall. She stopped inches from his chest, her body vibrating with the contained energy. With an almost disdainful gesture, he pushed her back with his telekinesis.
She landed on her feet, unsteady, but not defeated. The look she gave him wasn't that of a frustrated child, but of a strategist assessing a goal.
"What's wrong with her? It doesn't look like I'm seeing a child in front of me." Cael's thoughts were a mixture of pride and deep unease. But, in the next moment, the illusion shattered. As he tried to reposition himself, Nina's feet got tangled and she fell face-first to the ground. "Am I misinterpreting this?"
Nina stood up, wiping the dirt from her face, the frustration of a child finally visible. She looked at the ground, at Cael, and a new idea seemed to emerge. She went on the offensive, firing direct bursts of fire, which Cael easily dissipated.
"He's not going to use the mud anymore?" Hana commented. Maya remained silent, noticing the same. Cael was no longer testing her defense. He was testing her resilience.
The hours passed. The sun, which had been high, began its slow descent toward the horizon, lengthening the shadows in the yard. Nina attacked from all sides, her swift movements leaving trails in the grass, but each attack was nullified. Exhaustion began to weigh on her. Her breathing became labored, a subtle tremor running through her arms. The pain from overusing her power began to throb behind her eyes. She was at her limit.
Then, with a final cry of effort, she didn't aim at Cael. She aimed at the ground, at her feet.
KABOOM!
The blast struck the ground with force, raising a thick cloud of dust and debris that engulfed Cael, blinding him momentarily. It was the breach. His last chance. Using the smoke as cover, she advanced.
Cael, however, remained motionless within the cloud of dust. He felt more than he saw, his perception extending beyond normal vision. He sensed her approach, her desperate footsteps on the grass. He saw her drawing near, her small hand outstretched. He could stop her. It would be easy.
But he didn't.
When the dust settled, the scene was sealed. Nina's small hand rested firmly on the giant's leg. The silence that followed was louder than any explosion. She had done it.
Cael picked her up, and a smile, a genuine, small, and rare smile, appeared on his lips.
You did it.
Seeing this, silent tears streamed down Hana and Maya's faces. The only applause was the sound of stifled sobs. Nina, exhausted and victorious, hugged Cael tightly, burying her face in his chest. As the two approached, he made a subtle gesture. Nina had fallen asleep, completely exhausted.
A little later, Cael placed her on the bed. The girl's body, previously so tense and full of energy, was now completely relaxed. With a subtle gesture, he used his telekinesis to pull the dirt from her body, a cloud of dust and earth that dissipated into the air, and then covered her with the sheet.
"Just this once," he said, his voice a whisper.
The curious thing is that it was only four in the afternoon, but Nina's exertion had been so great that her body simply shut down, plunging into a deep sleep long before nightfall.