The Capture Part 1

Secret Base, 7:30 PM

"What do you think, Jira? Do you think they used the Saraswati Lotus Snare?" asked Chi, sitting in a dark corner of the large room that was located at the center of the base

"They did, but it didn't work as intended. The Lotus Snare was not activated properly. Only Kin should have been able to see the lotus, but when his family came back to the jeep from the viewpoint, I saw Kin's sister holding the lotus, meaning Kin must've given it to her. Only the Cursed Child can see the lotus, so they'll think Kin's sister is the Cursed One. Normally that would be to our advantage, but..." said Jira, the guide from the tour agency, standing in the middle of the room.

"But what?" asked Chi, anxiously.

"There's a big risk that they find out she's not the Cursed Child. If they do, they'll kill her and Kin's family right then and there, instead of at the ceremony like usual," said Jira, his hands shaking. "That's why I signaled you here. Before they arrive at the resort, we must head there right now and somehow ensure they capture Kin instead."

"But Kin isn't the lotus holder. How are we gonna make them believe Kin's the Cursed Child?" asked Chi, standing up, ready to leave.

"There's only one way," said Jira, in a serious tone. "We need to awaken Kin's powers."

If we fail, the Swarna Tribe will eliminate him and his family tonight.

Resort, 7:45 PM

Exhausted and out of breath, I barged into our cottage, panting loudly. Mom and Dad were sitting in the living room, staring at me, surprised by my demeanor.

"Where's-" I stuttered, wiping sweat off my forehead. "Where's Sakura?"

"She's gone to bed," said Mom. "What happened? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Not waiting to listen to her, I barged into the dark bedroom. Breathing heavily, I fumbled around for the light switch, and after finding it, I turned it on.

There was Sakura, sleeping soundly on the bed, wrapped in the sheets.

"Oh, thank God..." I said, falling to my knees. "She's okay..."

"Of course she is," came Dad's voice from behind me. "You've got some explaining to do, Kin. What on earth made you think she wasn't?"

I didn't reply, just staring at the floor.

I felt Mom's touch on my shoulders as she kneeled down next to me.

"What is it, Kin?" she said in a soothing voice. "I told you, if anything's on your mind, you can tell me."

"Mom..." I whispered, turning to face her. "I don't know why, but I feel like you're all in danger..."

"Dange-?"

......................................................................................................................................................................

She couldn't complete the word, due to her head suddenly being ripped off her neck.

I stared wide-eyed in shock as her head fell down to the wooden floor and rolled towards my lap.

"Oh fuck, my bad," a male voice came from outside the bedroom. "I used too much power. Sorry, kid."

I heard my dad scream in rage as he darted towards the man, but the scream was quickly silenced with a Thud. I turned towards the doorway and saw my unconscious Dad falling towards the floor, blood flowing from his head.

I didn't know what to do, or what to think anymore. I felt like a spectator who couldn't do anything except watch as my family was killed in front of my eyes.

I held Mom's headless body close to my chest as a dark-skinned man dressed in tribal attire entered the room, his golden ornaments jingling as they made contact with each other.

"Don't worry, kid, your dad's not dead," he said in a voice that made me want to throw up. "I never make the same mistake twice."

He walked towards me, sniffing the air. I watched in horror as his gaze moved toward the bed Sakura was sleeping in.

"Oh, what do we have here," he said, licking his lips. "Looks like your sister there's the lotus holder. What a twist! I wouldn't have guessed that."

"No..." I whispered, a mixture of grief and rage welling up inside me. "Leave her alone..."

He approached the bed slowly, a grin forming on his face.

"No," my voice was louder now. "LEAVE SAKURA ALONE!"

Sakura suddenly stirred from the sound of my scream and slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"Brother...? Who- Who's this?" she asked, half-asleep but noticing the man approaching her.

"Close your eyes, Sakura," I said in a desperate voice, trying to hide Mom's body. "Close them for me, will you?"

"Oh-ho-ho, playing the protective brother, huh?" said the man, moving his hand towards her. "This'll be the last ti-"

With a loud Bang! the wall behind the bed was destroyed, and his sentence was cut off by a powerful beam of fire blasting him away from the bed and sending him crashing through the opposite wall.

Smoke and debris suddenly filled the room as I dashed towards the bed and caught Sakura, shielding her from the impact. There was a huge hole in the wall where the fire came from, and I tried to make out what was beyond it as the smoke cleared.

"You're safe now, Kin," came a familiar voice from outside as tears began to flow uncontrollably from my eyes.

Standing there was her silhouette, with a giant metal cannon in the place of her left hand. As the smoke disappeared, the cannon transformed back into a regular hand as I confirmed the source of her voice.

Standing there was Chi, a ball of fire forming in her left hand.