Chapter 10- Soiree Incident

The ballroom was a charnel house. A gaping maw in the wall, a testament to some colossal force, spewed debris across the polished marble floor, amongst which lay the lifeless.

Panic reigned. People scrambled for cover behind overturned tables and heavy drapes, their terror palpable in the desperate silence between screams.

But above the human fear, a far more chilling horror moved.

Grotesque serpentine creatures, their forms hunched and brutal, swarmed the fallen, their vile task the methodical draining of life force.

Their feeding was a macabre ballet, each movement a sickening whisper of dread.

High on the balcony, Malachi awoke with a jolt.

The distant screams, the shattering destruction below, ripped him from unconsciousness. A sharp pain in his side anchored him to the brutal reality.

Bianca and Noah, the curly-haired young man, stood at the balcony's golden railing, their whispers urgent against the chaos below.

"They're everywhere," Noah muttered, his eyes darting nervously across the scene, scanning for any signs of danger.

Bianca nodded, her expression tense. "All I see are shadows," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Behind Malachi, an elderly couple huddled, their fear silent but profound. Beside them, a mother clutched her young son, her protectiveness a desperate shield.

Bianca spotted Malachi stirring. Relief flooded her features. She rushed to him, pulling him into a fierce hug.

"Hey," Malachi said, surprised. "What's going on?"

Bianca pulled back, her eyes searching his. "I thought you were dead," she breathed, her voice thick with emotion.

He stood, his gaze catching on the curly-haired guy, a face he recognized from the dance floor before the… *explosion*. They exchanged a fleeting, knowing nod.

"It's a bloodbath down there," Bianca whispered, her voice trembling with urgency.

She pulled him to the railing.

"Snake things," Noah added, his voice flat. "Attacked out of nowhere."

Bianca gestured towards Noah. "Malachi, this is Noah. He saved you."

Malachi nodded, a flicker of gratitude. "Thanks, man." Noah offered a modest smile.

An older man nearby shook his head, his confusion clear. "What are you talking about?

It's like trying to make sense of a storm from behind a closed door."

Malachi ran a hand through his hair. What kind of chaos had he stumbled into?

Explosions, screams, and monstrous roars filled the air, overwhelming his senses. He turned to Bianca, eyes wide with disbelief. "I know I hit my head, but please tell me I'm not dead right now!"

Bianca's gaze sharpened. She pointed towards the source of the guttural sounds. "Go take a look."

He felt it then—a discordant hum, resonating not just in his ears but deep within his bones.

A subtle tremor of Spiritual Energy , a ripple of cosmic imbalance, like the faint aftershock of a universal earthquake.

A cold, weightless pressure, a profound sense of wrongness that spoke to his innate understanding of cosmic justice.

But interwoven with that subtle tremor was something far more visceral—pure, unadulterated evil.

A searing heat, a stench of decay and malice that clawed at his mind.

This was not a subtle pressure; it was the raw, untamed energy of chaos, intent on obliteration.

He descended, each step bringing him closer to the heart of the turmoil.

Bodies lay strewn across the marble, limbs twisted at unnatural angles.

A horde of serpentine creatures dominated the scene. Their bodies were a mottled green and grey, segmented like colossal snakes yet possessing hulking humanoid torsos and arms. Sharp, red-tipped spines jutted from their backs and shoulders.

Their reptilian faces, with glowing yellow eyes, burned with predatory intensity.

Their mouths were filled with needle-sharp teeth. Dark, almost black, armored plating covered parts of their bodies, contrasting with the smoother texture of their limbs and tails.

Those powerful tails were wrapped around the corpses of several powered individuals.

The pattern of death was horrifyingly consistent. Each victim's mouth was agape, a faint blue light clinging to their lips – a chilling testament to their life force being cruelly drained.

The creatures had used their tails to restrain their victims, forcing their mouths open before absorbing the blue energy into their own gaping maws.

The brutality solidified Malachi's decision to remain hidden, to observe.

His eyes widened in horror at the chaos unfolding below.

Three figures fought fiercely against the horde.

Amidst the swirling chaos, a man in a tattered purple suit, with braids tied into a topknot and eyes glowing a fierce violet, engaged in a fierce struggle with a serpentine creature.

His movements were a symphony of desperate precision. Vivid red markings flickered across his chest beneath his clothing, throbbing with an otherworldly energy.

With a forceful blow, he sent the creature crashing to the ground, then relentlessly continued his assault, each strike echoing with power.

Around him, people dashed frantically, their hurried steps a backdrop to his determined onslaught.

Then, a figure cut through the creatures like a scythe. His nappy hair barely stirred as he moved with impossible speed, his yellow eyes blazing, unleashing searing beams of light.

Each blast erupted in a spray of thick, black blood as the creatures convulsed and fell.

Twin laser blasts erupted from his eyes, obliterating a section of the horde. Another, in a blue suit, launched into the air, unleashing rapid, controlled blasts.

Though seemingly new to their powers, their fighting improved, hinting at a potential to hold their own.

As Malachi turned back to the group on the balcony, the old man studied him for a moment, then nodded slowly. "You're Enoch's son, aren't you?" he said, a hint of curiosity in his voice.

Bianca quickly cut him off. "Not now, sir," she said, her tone soft but firm. She looked at Malachi. "Are you okay?"

Malachi sighed. "Look, I can't stick around for this," he said, turning to leave.

Bianca grabbed his hand. He paused, surprised. She released him quickly, her face flushed. Noah raised an eyebrow.

Bianca's voice took on an urgent tone. "Malachi, you can't just bail.

We've been waiting for you to wake up. With Miguel and Deon gone, you're the best shot we have if we want to get out of here."

Malachi let out a sarcastic chuckle. "Oh sure, so now I'm the one who's supposed to save the world?"

Bianca leaned closer, her eyes fixed on him. "Isn't your family the guardian clan? You're supposed to be the protector."

Their argument heated up. Malachi insisted he wanted to leave, but Bianca wasn't backing down. She sighed deeply. "What happened to wanting to make your own path? Where's that fire?"

Malachi felt the familiar push from his family, the pressure to be a leader like his father hanging over him. It was a struggle that scrambled his thoughts and weighed on his heart.

Unwilling to show any weakness, he masked his turmoil with a brave face.

"Fine, I'll do it," he said, forcing enthusiasm despite the internal battle.

Noah stepped in. "I got your back, man," he said, his eyes serious.

The old man chuckled condescendingly, shaking his head. "Oh, the things you youngsters believe these days… It's like you've lost all sense of reality.

The world isn't changing; it's just the same old nonsense in flashy new clothes.

"Malachi shook his head, irritated by the casual dismissal. He then realized something – Bianca was half-awakened. He would keep that to himself for now.

He turned to Noah. "Let's go."

He turned to Bianca, handing her his phone. "B, stay here and try to call my family," he instructed, his gaze lingering on her. "Here's my password."

Bianca took the phone, worry etched on her face. "Why not call the JDF?"

"They would've been here by now if it were that simple," he said, his voice tinged with urgency. "I think something bigger's going on."

He took a deep breath and leaped over the balcony railing, channeling his Spiritual Energy .

The sensation was electric, a surge of power igniting his senses.

He landed with a thunderous impact, cracking the ground beneath him.

The monsters roared in response, their fury palpable. Just then, Noah landed beside him, unwavering and ready for the fight."Watch out!" Noah yelled, as a monster lunged.

Before it could reach Malachi, a man in a shredded purple suit appeared, delivering a bone-jarring blow that sent the creature reeling.

"Damn, you guys are still alive!" he exclaimed.

Malachi stared at the guy, feeling the air thrum with a vibrant energy that roared from within, filling the space with an intense presence.

The other two fighters were blasting their way through the horde. "Yo, they just keep coming!" Noah yelled.

Malachi shouted, "Focus on saving the people!"

The braided hair guy turned to him. "What about you?"

Malachi's right hand vibrated with energy as a blade of vibrant, electric blue light materialized, arcing directly from his fist. It shimmered like liquid lightning, alive with swirling patterns that pulsed with radiance.

These energy blades defied conventional form, existing as pure extensions of his power with no need for a hilt.

Instead, they floated seamlessly from his grasp, their ethereal, intangible presence marking them as weapons of pure energy and intent.A grin spread across Malachi's face as he began to back away.

"Me? I'm just going to play my part."

To be continued…