Kai held Lila's hand as they ran further upstairs, the guards immediately following them, spreading out to cut off any possible escape routes. Kai bent down slightly, gripping Lila's wrist as he whispered urgently.
"Should we split up?" He smirked. "The intensity has certainly gotten deep into your head."
Lila frowned. "What?! Me?" She suddenly grabbed Kai's ear and leaned in close, her voice barely above a whisper. "If we split up, I might actually die for real this time."
Kai chuckled, unfazed by her seriousness. He tightened his grip on her hand and said, "No problem, Lila, but just so you know—the plan is that I'm the one killing you."
He quickly stood up and waved his hands. Instantly, shimmering illusions of both of them formed, sprinting in the opposite direction. Meanwhile, the real Kai and Lila took another route, carefully maneuvering away from their pursuers.
As they burst into an open hallway, a guard suddenly fired his gun. The sharp crack of the bullet echoed through the factory walls. Kai staggered, grabbing his shoulder as blood seeped between his fingers.
Lila's eyes widened in horror, then narrowed in fury. "You're gonna pay for that," she hissed.
With a swift motion, she raised her hand and made a subtle pulling gesture through the air. The guard gasped, clutching his throat as he staggered backward. He groaned, his body convulsing violently before collapsing lifelessly to the floor.
Kai barely reacted to the pain in his shoulder; instead, he was fixated on what he had just witnessed. He turned to Lila, his face a mix of awe and disbelief. "Uhmm... what was that?"
Lila smiled, her eyes glinting. "Nature powers."
Kai still looked puzzled, unable to fully grasp what she meant.
Lila sighed and clarified, "Oxygen. I can control nature's elements."
Kai nodded slowly, then smirked. "Yeah, I know what oxygen is—I did go to school, duh. But I never knew that as much as you can heal, you could also manipulate it to attack. Impressive."
Lila grinned. "Thanks."
Their brief moment of respite was cut short when they reached a dead-end corridor. The sound of hurried boots grew louder. Within seconds, a group of guards blocked off their exit. The lead guard smirked, gripping his weapon.
"Oops, looks like this is the end," he sneered. "Fire!"
Gunfire erupted, but instead of piercing flesh, the bullets tore through shimmering illusions. The real Kai and Lila were nowhere to be seen. The lead guard's face twisted in confusion.
"What the—? Are we fighting those recently jailed teens?"
Another guard nodded. "The ability users."
"Yeah."
The lead guard turned back to the others, his face serious. "Do you know what this means? James would kill to have his hands on these ones. With such power... what's this ability called again?"
A random voice from the crowd of guards answered, "Illusions, sir."
The lead guard didn't blink. "Yeah, yeah... illusions. So be careful. And before you capture them, make body contact to be sure it's them. 106! We still have the tranquilizer guns, right?"
A guard named 106 responded immediately, "Yes, sir."
"A pair for everyone."
The guards split up, fanning out through the factory in search of Kai and Lila. Meanwhile, the lead guard picked up his walkie-talkie and issued another order.
"Lock down the building."
"Alright, sir."
He dropped the device and smiled darkly. "This is gonna be fun."
---
Lila and Kai hurried up another set of stairs, panting. Lila glanced at Kai. "Will those illusions still be around?"
Kai shook his head. "Depends. What did we send them to do? Distract them, right? So yeah, they're long gone."
Before Lila could respond, a guard burst into the hallway ahead of them. "I found them! I repeat, I've found—"
Kai didn't let him finish. With a swift movement, he pulled out his knife and leaped through the air. The blade plunged straight into the man's skull. The guard collapsed instantly.
Kai rushed to the window, staring out at the city. "I think we just have to hold on long enough before the police show up."
Lila placed a hand on his shoulder. "Then staying here isn't the right thing to do."
---
Elsewhere, the lead guard made a call. The line clicked, and a deep voice answered. "Yes?"
"Mr. James, uhmm... I come with good news."
James sighed, clearly occupied. "Kinda busy right now, so—"
The lead guard chuckled. "Not too busy to recruit, I suppose."
James, who had been signing documents, paused and straightened in his seat. "Their names?"
The lead guard laughed, twirling his chair. "Oh, don't be in a rush. We don't know their names yet... but their abilities are something you'd be very interested in."
James stroked his chin. "What kind of abilities?"
"Uhmm, we only know one of them—illusion."
James froze. His mind raced. Kai. The name rang in his head like an alarm.
The lead guard was still speaking. "Hello? Can you hear me?"
James clenched his jaw, inhaling deeply to calm himself before responding. "I can hear you."
"Yeah, as I was saying... the second one is a girl. We don't know what ability she possesses yet. So, are you interested? Or should we clear em out like we did that mind girl—what's her name again?"
James chuckled darkly. "Mei. It's Mei. No, there's no need to clear them out. The witch isn't even in the city as we speak..." He paused, then smirked. "I'll send some Apostles over. After all, the more, the merrier. But be careful with the illusion one. I know him. He's harder to deal with than he looks."
The lead guard stood up. "Oh, no problem, sir. We're using your special tranquilizers."
James ended the call and leaned back, laughing to himself. "I'll just kill him myself if they actually bring him over."
---
The lead guard loaded his sniper rifle and left, prepared for the hunt.
---
Back inside the factory, Kai and Lila crouched behind a stack of metal crates. The sound of approaching footsteps grew louder.
Lila exhaled sharply. "Kai... this might be bad."
Kai glanced at her, his expression unreadable. Then, with a smirk, he whispered, "Then let's make sure they regret underestimating us."
Lila nodded. "No holding back, then."
The door burst open. A group of guards rushed in, weapons raised.
"Found them!"
Kai and Lila exchanged a look.
It was now or never...