Samantha hated puzzles ever since she was a child.
"Ugh… it is so hard."
Puzzles were one thing that she couldn't understand.
But…
"Here, you can solve it like this."
"Wow! Brother, how did you do it? You are amazing."
…What she did know was that her brother was great at solving puzzles. It was as if he could read them.
"Brother, do you like puzzles? "
It was a simple question that she one day asked innocently.
"Hmm… Yes, I like them."
"Why?"
She asked with a glimmer of curiosity in her eyes.
"Hmm… Because I want to learn more about my ability. Do you know what is common between humans and puzzles, Samantha? "
Her brother looked straight into her eyes when asked that.
'Humans… Puzzles…'
She mumbled those words, but it only made her more confused.
"Brother, aren't we mutants? And what is human? "
Her brother looked at her, giving a gentle smile.
"…Do you know that our ancestors were human? Humans are just like us; they sleep, talk, eat, laugh when they are happy, and grieve when they are sad. The only difference between us is that they are normal. Their skin is neither purple nor yellow nor any other colour. It is brownish; some are a bit lighter, giving them the illusion of being white, while some are a bit darker, giving them the illusion of being black."
Samantha listened intently as her brother talked.
"They don't have four arms, they don't have vertical eyes, and they don't have eagle heads, wings, claws, or scales, nor do they have blue blood. Their irises are simply round, their strength is pitiful, and their blood is red."
Samantha became more infatuated with their origin the more she learned.
"We were once… just like them. But we later became what we are now…" He paused as his expression turned into one of sadness, but Samantha didn't notice it. "…because our ancestors were blessed."
"Now that you understand what they are, do you think we are much different? The only difference is physical, but deep down, we are all the same. So, we are humans."
He paused for a few moments, giving Samantha the time to digest his words.
"So, now can you answer my question? "
Samantha pinched her chin, contemplating her brother's question for a couple of seconds.
"No."
She gave a flat answer.
She was just a small child; her mind was not mature enough to think about such philosophies. Thus, she gave the answer that was expected of her.
"As expected."
Her brother merely smiled at her, and she just loved to spend her time with him.
*
"…I didn't expect to be greeted with a niece."
Samantha watched in a daze as her brother declared Julie her daughter. But she quickly snapped out of it as her mind went over everything that had happened.
The unease she felt when she first stepped back into the city, the feeling as if she was being monitored.
She glared at those vertical irises, a wave of disgust washing over her as she realized the cause of all the discomfort she felt. She wanted to retaliate and cut his throat.
But…
'He has gotten more powerful.'
She knew it was futile.
That…
'…I guess I don't have a choice.'
She might die.
"So, who did you—
Clenching her teeth hard, Samantha closed her eyes. Focusing every ounce of attention on her mana. It suddenly burst forth, going for her brother.
Bang!
Samantha's brother flung back as a powerful force thrust him in the stomach, sending him crashing against the pillars in the throne hall.
"Ghgh"
A painful groan escaped his mouth as he gasped for air. Clutching his stomach, he lifted his head, staring at Samantha. Mana surged around her, and she loosened the restraints with her tentacles.
Looking in his direction, two pairs of yellow eyes stared at each other before more tentacles started to sprout from the ground, hurling towards her brother.
'I need to finish this quickly—'
Before she could continue with her thoughts, the gate of the throne hall swung open, and knights in red armor rushed into the hall as if it was all pre-prepared.
"Your Majesty! Are you alright!? "
The knights' gazes wandered the hall before swiftly landing on Samantha. While she looked at her brother, his mouth curled upwards, forming an eerie smile that made her repulsed.
"Attack the traitor! Don't let her harm the king or the prince! "
'…I need to immobilize them! '
The knights lunged at Samantha with their drawn weapons, slashing at her. At the same time, Samantha called back her tentacles, making a shield around her and Julie just in the nick of time to defend against the attacks.
Squelch~
The tentacles were cut, thrust, and ripped open, but a new one would soon come out, replacing it.
Yet…
"Attack more! Enforcements will be coming soon! "
The situation was starting to turn dire with every second. Samantha's mind was flooded with thoughts as she saw that her tentacles were gradually being overwhelmed.
'I need to do something.'
Indeed, Samantha needed to do something soon or else…
She stared from an opening in her tentacle as more knights rushed.
'… I will not be able to handle them.'
This…
'I think it will work.'
Turning on her heels, she picked up Julie and suddenly called all her tentacles back. The knights who were about to slash at the tentacles with their full force abruptly halted their action.
But…
Bang!
Boom!
…It was not enough, as inertia made it impossible for them to completely stop their action. Resulting in them hitting the marble floors.
Dust billowed, and it made a perfect smoke screen for Samantha.
She immediately deployed her tentacles. The tentacles slithered like a snake, wrapping around the knights whose balance was still disoriented or whose weapons were stuck into the marble floor.
Thud!
Thud!
'…It worked! '
The tentacles made short work of the knights, and they started falling to the ground one by one. She was just about to take a breather.
But…
"She is there! "
More knights sprang into the hall just as the dust settled. Seeing them, Samantha tensed her leg muscle, dashing towards the throne.
'…I must take father as a hostage.'
Samantha's mana was low because of the earlier explosion she made to blast her brother; her lungs burned with every breath because it took stamina to sustain the tentacles, and her muscles cried as they were being strained to their limits.
She wasn't at her best since the start of the fight.
But…
'I can't stop.'
To get out of here.
'I must survive.'
To kill her brother.
With that resolved, she ran, even though her body was being pushed to its limit.
She didn't stop.
'…Close!'
Indeed, she was close.
So very close to reaching her.
"Get her! "
She could hear the knights shout behind, but she paid them no heed. No, she didn't have the luxury to do so.
Just as she reached the dais of the throne, her world seemed to stop. The time stretched endlessly as she saw another person beside her father.
His face was marred with a creepy smile that was going from ear to ear.
'…Noooo!'
Samantha's hair stood on end, the burning sensation intensified at her chest, and the hope she had crumbled like a sandcastle. Her heart pressed against her throat as she watched her brother suddenly appear beside her father.
Her brother.
Yes, her brother.
He was gone the whole time, only to suddenly stand beside her father.
"khuk"
The time returned to normal, as a pained groan escaped her lips. She found herself hovering a few inches from the ground while her neck was grabbed tightly by her brother.
She tried to move her body but found that all her resistance was futile.
Thud~
Julie fell to the ground as her strength started to drain from her body. Her eyes moved and landed on Julie before she eyed her brother.
In those crystal-clear eyes of his, she saw her own face that had paled. Her eyes sunken, breathing hard, her thoughts a mess. The knights too stopped when they watched the scene before them.
A silence filled the hall.
Before her brother broke it.
"Do you know what is common between humans and puzzles, Samantha? "