Claire was trying her best to put some sense into her group members. Right now they were acting on pure greed and weren't even taking the time to analyze their surroundings or to even question the situation.
So she had to do something, it didn't matter what she did, anything would do as long as it brought them back to life.
"Yes, you're right, but weren't you the same person who just said moments ago that they might have forgotten them?" Liam countered.
"Yes, I know, and now I realize how stupid I was to think that." Claire sighed.
"If you ask me, I'd say it's a trap. Although the bald man said the minimum amount of gold needed was five coins, he never said anything about a maximum limit."
"So, where are you going with this?" Amy asked, still looking lost, to her Claire sentences weren't even matching.
"It means there's no way they'd just leave their hard-earned gold like that, especially when they had every reason to take it," Claire insisted. "I'm telling you guys, something's up. It might be a trap, a set up to have us. We have to get out of here it could be an ambush."
She explained to her best knowledge.
"So, if I'm following, what you're trying to say is we just leave these coins alone? All because this might be a trap?" Amy retorted, her tone making it abundantly clear that she had no intention of following Claire's suggestion.
"You are not even sure of your own words, you're still assuming, so there is still a chance that you are wrong." Amy retorted.
"I'm telling you, we can't just leave them!" Amy exclaimed, her voice laced with greedy conviction as she pointed toward the fallen Johnson.
"Look at the coins!"
"Are you insane?" Claire shot back, incredulous.
"Even if we ignore the possibility of this being a trap, we still don't even know who they are or what they represent! We're better off leaving them alone!"
"Better off? They're just lying there, with coins that could help us get through this assessment, and I don't recall any rule saying we can't take coins from those who are unconscious!"
Amy retorted, her exasperation deepening.
Liam seeing what was going on decided to move, and he stood between them, hands raised, and his eyes were closed as if attempting to mediate.
"Guys, let's just think this through. It's too risky to engage with anyone we don't know, especially if Claire is right, and this could very well be a trap." Liam tried to calm the escalating tension.
But Amy was beyond listening.
Before her, gleamed coins that could transform her current predicament, enabling her to pass the second stage of the assessment.
And standing between her and these precious coins was a person she was certain was weaker than her.
She had no desire to heed anyone's advice, especially if it meant being deterred from acquiring the coins. Her decision was made: she would act, she would claim the coins, and no one would stop her.
Amy lunged forward, forcefully shoving Claire and Liam out of her path.
"Get out of my way!" Claire, caught completely off guard by Amy's unexpected aggression, stumbled aside effortlessly.
Now, nothing stood between Amy and her coveted gold.
Slowly, deliberately, she began to advance toward the shimmering coins scattered on the floor.
Amy was about to unleash a torrent of furious words, her anger simmering, when the scene was abruptly interrupted.
Another figure entered the scene: a young woman with striking crimson red hair and piercing green eyes.
Flames flickered ominously in her hands as she slowly approached the group from the opposite direction.
"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded, her tone authoritative yet remarkably calm.
Instinctively, Liam, Amy, and Claire exchanged worried glances as they took in Sarah's formidable presence.
The Red Angel.
A mixture of surprise and arrogance washed over Amy. "And who are you to tell us what to do?" she snapped.
"I'm sure of it. Just like us, you want those coins," Amy asserted, her gaze fixed directly on Sarah, the fiery stranger.
"Those coins don't belong to you," Sarah replied, completely unfazed, the flames dancing playfully at her fingertips. It was truly a sight to behold.
At first, the flames had coalesced into a single ball, serving merely as a source of light for her.
But now, they had split into five smaller orbs, each hovering over a particular fingertip, never remaining still, but rather hopping from one finger to the next, almost as if they possessed a life of their own.
The level of control she wielded over the flames was unlike anything they had ever witnessed.
'Even I don't have such control over my water mutation. Who the hell is this girl, and why is she here? Could Claire have been right all along?'
Amy pondered, a flicker of doubt finally entering her mind.
"You think you can just take them without consequence?" Sarah challenged.
Liam attempted once more to mediate, moving closer to Amy and leaning in to whisper into her ear.
"Listen, we shouldn't be here. This place, this girl... I can feel it, she is dangerous, very dangerous. I think it's better we go," he implored, his voice tinged with nervous urgency.
"Dangerous? Please!" Amy scoffed, cutting him off, her eyes gleaming with greed.
"If anything, she's the one who needs to be worried! Can't you see we have the advantage in numbers? We can handle this, plus, I have just the perfect mutation to go up against her!"
With a flash of fury, no warning, Amy hurled a colossal tidal wave of water toward Sarah.
She knew Sarah was a fire mutant, and what better way to intimidate her than to demonstrate her inherent disadvantage?
Amy was absolutely certain that Sarah believed she held the upper hand due to her destructive fire mutation.
But when confronted with water, fire stood no chance.
Water would always conquer fire. At least, that was the prevailing logic.
Sarah was swift. Seeing the deluge of water rushing towards her, she simply leaped aside with remarkable agility.
The massive wave Amy had unleashed harmlessly splashed against the spot where Sarah had stood mere moments before.
"Okay, now I know where your confidence comes from. You think because you have a water mutation, you stand a chance against me, right? Then bring it on, let's see what you've got,"
she challenged, her voice resonating with an undeniable power.
"But you should know one thing: you are lucky it isn't one of my sisters you're facing, or else I doubt you'd make it out alive."
This last remark, however, was not spoken aloud; it was almost as if Sarah were talking to herself.
That was when Sarah began to assume a fighting stance, her body shifting into a position of readiness. As she did, memories from her past flooded her mind.
Memories of her first lessons.
********
Thanks a lot for the vote
sheikh ,
Anna Grace .
And thanks for reading so far
I appreciate all the support you guys have been giving the novel .
Trust me , It's all the motivation I need c