Golden hour bathed the Golden Globe in a warm, radiant light, drawing out a new layer of beauty from the already majestic capital.
The Shella building stood tall and mighty — a towering masterpiece of white marble and gleaming golden accents that rose several stories into the sky. Its design blended classical grandeur with subtle power: sharp vertical lines, massive arched windows framed in gold, and intricate carvings depicting ancient guardians along the façade. Broad stone steps led up to an imposing entrance flanked by two massive pillars. Lush, perfectly manicured gardens surrounded the base, with tall evergreen trees and flowering hedges that created a sense of seclusion while still showcasing the building's dominance over the skyline. The entire structure radiated wealth, influence, and quiet authority, as if daring anyone to challenge the family that called it home.
The Golden Guardian, Ethan, Cain, and Carol stood before it. The Golden Guardian knocked calmly on the grand door. A soft wave of energy rippled outward across the entire building. All four of them stiffened, stunned by the display.
The huge doors swung open with smooth, majestic grace.
A house helper stood waiting — dressed in a crisp black suit, composed yet visibly excited.
"Welcome to the Shella house, Golden Guardian and her companions. The master of the house is expecting you."
He turned and led the way inside. The group followed.
The interior matched the exterior's grandeur: soaring ceilings that made the space feel endless, grand staircases of polished marble, and walls adorned with golden inlays and tasteful tapestries. Crystal chandeliers and floating magic orbs cast a warm, luxurious glow. Every detail — from the patterned floors to the high arches — spoke of refined power and generational wealth. The team was beyond impressed but kept their composure as they followed the helper up the stairs, past numerous closed doors, until they reached the master's chambers.
The doors opened smoothly. The helper bowed and stepped aside. They entered, and the doors closed silently behind them.
The room itself was grand yet intimate — a spacious chamber with a high domed ceiling painted with faint celestial patterns, large windows overlooking the gardens, and elegant furniture arranged around a central seating area. Soft golden light filtered in, giving the space an almost regal calm.
Iobert Shella, a chubby man with fair skin, well-styled black hair, calm focused eyes, and a neatly trimmed goatee and mustache, sat before them in a gleaming white robe. He held a fruit cup casually in one hand.
"Welcome, Golden Guardian and friends," he said smoothly.
They stared at him in silence.
Iobert smirked. "I know you're wondering how I knew you were coming. Well, let's just say I have eyes everywhere." He finished with a calm laugh.
The Golden Guardian laughed softly in return. "That fact is well established, Mr. Iobert. That's why you are the overall seer of the Golden Storage."
Iobert's expression grew serious the moment "Golden Storage" left her lips. He ate a piece of fruit, a faint grin returning to his lips.
"What brings you here at this hour?" he asked, voice deceptively soft.
Before they could answer, he added with a smile, "Where are my manners? Please, sit down."
They took their seats.
"Thank you," the Golden Guardian said. "Now, Mr. Iobert, we're here to ask if you have anything useful that could help us identify who committed the Golden Storage massacre. Anything at all — a flaw in the system, any anomaly."
Iobert stood and turned toward the large window behind him.
"I'm sorry, Golden Guardian, but I don't have anything useful on the matter. It hurts me every day that so many people were killed in a place I'm responsible for." He turned back. "We ran a full system check. Nothing was wrong with the Golden Storage. Only the gods know how those fiends got in."
The Golden Guardian stared at him calmly. The air in the room turned cold. Silence stretched for a long moment.
Then she stood. "Okay, Mr. Iobert. I guess we'll take our leave now."
They rose and headed for the exit.
"Sorry I couldn't be of more help," Iobert called after them.
They stepped into their iron wheel outside. It lifted off smoothly.
Inside, Ethan broke the silence. "Now what? Another dead end."
"You know Iobert is lying, right?" the Golden Guardian said.
Ethan, Cain, and Carol looked at her in surprise.
"It was pretty obvious," she continued. "His first reaction when I mentioned the Golden Storage, the way he stood up and gave that little performance, avoiding eye contact, and the tone in his voice — it wasn't the tone of someone truly sorry or mourning."
Everyone froze. The same thought echoed in their minds: How did she do that?
"Then why did we just leave?" Cain asked. "Why not arrest him and force the truth out?"
"One: he's a pillar of the Golden Globe and we have no real evidence. Two: I made sure he felt that we know he's lying. That sudden silence after his speech will make him panic. He'll make a mistake and give us the evidence we need. And before you ask… I already have Sonia watching him."
Back at the Shella building, Sonia hid among the trees nearby, her Flow of Sight activated as she closely monitored the family's movements.
Inside the iron wheel, Ethan smirked to himself. She expected this to happen.
The iron wheel flew toward the Golden Tower.
Day fully broke across the Golden Globe. The long, eventful day began.
In the Golden Tower, reports from Sonia continued to stream in — every activity of the Shella family, plus Iobert's unusually nervous behavior. They waited hours for the right moment.
Sonia's Flow allowed her to see through thick walls and layers, making surveillance straightforward — except for rooms protected by seals. Iobert spent most of the day in his sealed master room.
Finally, night fell.
For a chubby man, Iobert moved with surprising speed thanks to his Flow. His movements were almost too fast for ordinary eyes to follow. Thankfully, Sonia's eyes were far from ordinary.
She trailed him carefully, keeping a safe distance, blending into shadows and corners so a cautious man like Iobert wouldn't notice.
He eventually reached a cave about twenty minutes outside the capital.
Sonia tried to peer inside but couldn't. A seal must be protecting it, she thought.
She quickly contacted the Golden Guardian with the location.
After Iobert entered, ten figures in black cloaks slipped into the cave within ten minutes — moving like shadows, silent and swift.
Moments later, the Golden Guardian arrived. She and Sonia moved to a concealed spot near the entrance.
An unfamiliar voice echoed from inside the cave.
"Seriously, Iobert… you risked everything because you believed she knows your secret?"
Inside, Iobert replied, "I know what I'm saying. She didn't become the Golden Guardian by mistake. The only reason I'm here is to go with you. Place one or two there, make it look like a kidnapping. That should throw the Golden Guardian off my trail."
"Seriously, Iobert. That's a horrible plan," the Golden Guardian's voice cut in from the entrance.
Everyone inside froze and turned. The Golden Guardian and Sonia stood side by side.
Fear flashed across their faces.
"Why are you scared?! It's ten of us against two of them!" one yelled.
They hesitated for a split second, then charged with a roar.
The Golden Guardian smirked beneath her mask.
A combo Flow attack — a swirling tornado crackling with electricity — hurtled toward her at blinding speed. She dodged smoothly, robe fluttering. More attacks followed in rapid succession.
Lightning bolts lanced from multiple directions. She twisted and weaved, hands still tucked inside her robe. A massive hammer swung down from the super-strength user; she sidestepped at the last moment, the impact cracking the cave floor. Wind blades sliced through the air — she ducked low, letting them whistle overhead.
Sonia's eyes glowed. She pulled out a reinforced fighting stick and spun into action as three attackers turned on her: an earth manipulator summoned jagged spikes from the ground, the super-strength user charged with his hammer again, and another hurled sharp stone shards. Sonia leaped back, her stick cracking against the hammer with a metallic ring. She countered with precise strikes, using her enhanced sight to predict movements and deflect spikes with rapid spins of her staff.
The Golden Guardian continued dodging, analyzing. A metal user launched sharpened steel projectiles from afar — she tilted her head, letting them embed in the wall behind her. A swordsman lunged with a glowing blade; she bent backward fluidly, the edge missing her mask by inches. An expandable limb user stretched his arm into a giant fist — she rolled aside as it smashed into the ground where she had stood.
Close calls mounted. A tornado nearly sucked her in; she planted her feet and pushed off the wall to escape. Sonia took a grazing hit from an earth spike that tore her sleeve, drawing blood, but she retaliated with a sweeping strike that broke the attacker's wrist.
The Golden Guardian finally decided it was time. Still using only one hand (the other remained tucked in her robe), she shifted from defense to offense. She grabbed the sword user's wrist mid-swing, twisted hard, and slammed her knee into his stomach, dropping him. A lightning user fired again — she redirected the bolt with her open palm, spun, and delivered a powerful roundhouse kick that sent him crashing into the wall.
Sonia fought fiercely beside her. She dodged another hammer swing, then thrust her stick into the earth user's solar plexus, followed by a spinning strike that took down the spike user.
One by one the cloaked figures fell. The metal user tried a desperate long-range barrage — the Golden Guardian closed the distance in a blur and dropped him with a precise palm strike to the chest. The expandable-limb attacker stretched both arms — she ducked under one and swept his legs, then finished with an elbow to the throat.
The final attacker charged with wind and lightning combined. The Golden Guardian sidestepped, grabbed his collar with one hand, and slammed him hard into the ground.
She looked up.
Iobert stood trembling in fear before her.
"Seriously, Iobert… you betrayed the entire Golden Globe."
"You won't take me down!" Iobert yelled. He activated his speed Flow, blurring forward. He appeared right in front of her, smirking, convinced he had caught her off guard. His fist flew toward her face.
She dodged effortlessly and whispered in his ear, "Nice try."
In one fluid motion she caught his face and slammed him violently into the ground.
Iobert's eyes rolled back, turning white.
The Golden Guardian stared down at him with cold anger. Sonia walked up behind her.
"So… we call the rest and take them in?" Sonia asked.
The Golden Guardian nodded.
She turned and began walking toward the exit when thick, blinding smoke suddenly poured into the cave. In mere seconds it overwhelmed them. Both the Golden Guardian and Sonia dropped to the ground, bodies paralyzed, unable to move.
The last thing the Golden Guardian saw clearly was a pair of boots approaching. One stopped right beside her. A figure leaned down close.
Max.
He gave a small, casual wave.
Her eyes closed.
TO BE CONTINUED.