"Star Beam!"

The beam of yellow light propelled Zaki, causing him to burn slightly before he was launched into the air, disappearing from sight. Everyone present struggled to process what had just happened, including Nasuha, who was staring at her hand, now scorched and darkened from the strain.

"W-What?" she murmured, noticing the smoke rising from her palm. Khairul leaned against the car behind him, gradually sinking down to the ground.

"Nasuha? What was that just now?" Ehsan asked, but Rose dismissed her confusion, leveling one pistol at Khairul and the other at Nasuha.

"Don't move... anyone..." Rose commanded, her eyes narrowing dangerously at Khairul. He was too weak to resist and let out a long sigh.

"You both lied to me! What was that just now? Are you both monsters too?" Rose yelled, her voice filled with desperation.

"Khairul saved your life, ma'am," Nasuha replied, casting a glance at Rose.

"Don't point that gun at my daughter!" Ehsan shouted, his voice rising in anger. Rose clenched her teeth in frustration.

"Stop messing around. Tell me! What are you two really?" she yelled, panic evident as her finger hovered over the trigger.

"W-We don't know! I swear!" Khairul called out weakly, his remaining strength fading. Rose's hands began to tremble as she looked from Khairul to Nasuha, realizing they were just kids in her eyes.

"Shit..." Rose lowered her gun, and Ehsan rushed to Nasuha's side, examining her hand.

"Your hand is burnt..." he noted.

"It doesn't hurt... at all," Nasuha replied, pulling her hand away from Ehsan's grasp. She appeared uncomfortable with her father's touch, prompting Ehsan to look away, a sad expression on his face.

"Ergh..." Khairul winced from the searing pain of his wounds. He lacked the strength to stand, and the blade in his right hand retracted back into his arm. Rose holstered both her guns and moved toward the broken window of the hospital, making her way to Khairul.

"Can you get up?" She extended her hand toward him, but Khairul merely hung his head weakly. Rose's demeanor had shifted to calmness.

"Listen, kid, I don't know what's going on, but you and Nasuha are just kids. It's the responsibility of adults to protect you," Rose urged. Finally, Khairul reached for her hand, and she helped him to his feet, supporting him as they walked.

"Thank... you..." Khairul gasped, his vision fading. He had lost too much blood, and soon he succumbed to unconsciousness, the world around him fading to darkness.

"No! Don't! Khairul!"

I was on the verge of seeing Khairul die. In that moment, I felt utterly powerless, unable to do anything. Khairul's body was drenched in blood, wounds marring every inch of him. He looked exhausted. The monster drew closer, but Khairul merely smiled.

"Without... you, the light of hope... our future will fade away... At least, I can... die as someone... good. I'll prove them wrong!" Khairul cried, echoing Mantis's last words. I remembered the moments we shared.

Suddenly, my body moved on its own, and I sensed something shifting within me, though I couldn't articulate it. A powerful energy surged through me, as if I had been born with it.

All I could think was, if Khairul was Mantis, then I would be Ms. Star for him and set him free.

"Star Beam!"

The burn marks were still visible on Nasuha's palm. She was sitting in a wheelchair next to Khairul's bed, which was fully bandaged. She just gazed at Khairul's face, which looked weak, blood was being transfused into him, and machines were functioning to help him breathe.

"Khai... What's really happening to us? Where did this power come from? I don't understand anything at all. Is this all a nightmare?" Nasuha questioned herself, her eyes welling up, but she quickly wiped away the tears that threatened to fall.

The door to the room opened, and Rose and Shaurya entered. They approached Nasuha and Khairul with careful steps.

"He won't wake up anytime soon. Eat first, Nasuha," Rose instructed while handing Nasuha a food package.

"Why are you helping us? Why did you hide me and Khairul here?" Nasuha asked, her expression turning serious.

"To protect you both, that's the only reason. I'm breaking the law right now," Rose replied.

"But... why?" Nasuha pressed on.

"You two are the key to understanding what's happening. If the government gets their hands on you first, they won't be as nice as I am," Rose said. Nasuha finally accepted the food package from Rose.

"The existence of these monsters can no longer be hidden. What happened in the hospital is going viral, but luckily, Khairul's fight with his father was so fast that no one could recognize Khairul's face, and there's no recording of you using your powers," Rose added, sitting next to Nasuha with Shaurya.

"We owe our lives to Khairul. If it weren't for him, I think I and Sister Rose would have died a long time ago. That's also why we're helping; Sister Rose may look fierce, but she has good intentions," Shaurya reassured with a smile. Rose merely ignored his words, her expression indifferent.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"For now, Shaurya and I will continue the investigation. At the same time, we have to keep you both under strict surveillance. Sorry, but we can't risk you two becoming like the other monsters—wild, strong, and dangerous." Rose stood up from the chair.

"We won't..." Nasuha tried to reply, but Rose cut her off.

"What makes you so sure?"

"I can promise you, I and Khairul won't turn out like that. Whatever happens, I will take responsibility."

"Alright." Rose walked out of the room, followed by Shaurya. Nasuha watched them until the door closed. Behind that door, Rose and Shaurya bumped into Ehsan.

"How long will Nasuha be locked up?" Ehsan asked, his tone firm.

"Not sure yet, Mr. Ehsan," Shaurya replied, Ehsan's expression showing anger.

"My daughter has school."

"We understand, but you also have to understand that something big is happening right now; dangerous creatures can kill us in an instant. Previously, they only appeared abroad—mostly in America, Japan, and China. But now they're appearing in Malaysia," Rose explained, Ehsan clenched his fists, anger and worry swirling within him.

Nasuha listened to their conversation from inside the room, her heart heavy with the burden of responsibility and the uncertainty that haunted them.

"My daughter is not a monster."

"We hope the same," Rose replied.

"What do you know about these monsters?" Ehsan asked, looking inquisitive this time.

"Not much, each monster that appears is different. The government has known about their incidents and existence for a long time; it's believed that the rain of particles a few days ago caused these monsters to emerge. It's a mutation. There are certain types of mutations that transform humans into monsters," Rose explained in detail. Ehsan rubbed his face and let out a long sigh.

"The cases of Nasuha and Khairul are new; they are humans who have mutated but haven't fully turned into monsters," Rose added.

"Doesn't that mean they're important? Doesn't the government need to know there are humans who haven't turned into monsters despite the mutation?" Ehsan questioned.

"Sir, if you want to see your daughter in one piece, you have to let her stay hidden like she is now. If the government... no, if the world knows about Khairul and Nasuha, they will be studied and taken apart," Rose said, her expression troubled. Ehsan swallowed hard.

"I believe there are others out there like Khairul and Nasuha. If they're found by the authorities, that's their bad luck, but I won't let the kids take on our responsibility. That's my promise; call me naive or foolish... I can't allow that." Rose and Ehsan exchanged glances for a while, Rose's serious expression slightly easing Ehsan's worry.

"Alright... I understand. I'll cooperate for Nasuha, and please let me know if you have a plan," Ehsan replied. The expressions on Rose and Shaurya's faces changed to puzzled looks.

"Okay... we're still working on that plan," Rose said, and she and Shaurya shared awkward and hesitant looks.

"Seriously... what kind of police are you?" Ehsan looked disappointed.

"Attack at Ipoh Hospital! Sightings of two mysterious monsters. 24 victims killed, 10 injured."

Newspapers with headlines about the incident at Ipoh Hospital were in almost everyone's hands across the country. Articles, videos, photos, and social media posts about the case were also going viral all over the web.

The existence of monsters was no longer a secret to the public.

"What really happened at Ipoh Hospital? No one has answers, not even the authorities or the government have provided any certainty for us. This is similar to the incident that occurred on the highway recently..."

"It's undeniable that the authorities are hiding something from us."

"Don't lie to us! The Malaysian people aren't foolish!"

"Assalamualaikum, I'm the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Ahmad Faritt. I'm sure many citizens are feeling fear and anxiety about what just happened at Ipoh Hospital, but I want to say that the authorities are doing their best."

Hazim was watching television, where a special broadcast was taking place. The Prime Minister of Malaysia finally made a statement to the public regarding what had happened. He watched intently, as did many other Malaysians.

"It is believed that these monsters are the result of mutations from the colorful particles that fell a few days ago; investigations and studies are still ongoing to confirm this. For now, as the government, I urge the public to remain calm..."

How can we be calm? This is insane...

Hazim let out a long sigh and stared at the television screen with a troubled expression.

"Ah! I missed it..." Hazim's younger sister walked into the living room, having missed the broadcast, and sat on the sofa with a disappointed look.

"Watch whatever you want, Nur," Hazim said, handing her the remote.

"What did the Prime Minister say, brother?" Nur asked.

"The monsters come from mutated humans. There could be monsters anywhere right now. We could die at any moment... and he tells us to stay calm," Hazim spoke quickly.

"Wow... There goes his weird behavior again..." Nur remarked.

"Sigh... What's happening to our world now?" Hazim lamented.

"We're just the citizens, bro; we have to leave our fate in the hands of the government. Unfortunately..." Nur replied.

"I can't believe I voted for him during the elections. Prices are still skyrocketing under his administration. Okay, I'm not trying to criticize or anything, but sigh... I don't want to think about it..." Hazim tried to calm himself.

"Actually, it's good that we're in the village now; we can take care of Mom and Dad. If monsters attack us or something, we're here for them," Nur said.

"Oi, don't just say whatever comes to your mind! Ugh, you..." Hazim scolded.

"Isn't that true? Why are you getting mad?"

"Just shut your mouth..." Hazim rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

Khairul slowly opened his eyes, his vision gradually becoming clear again. When he turned to the side, he saw Nasuha sleeping in her wheelchair.

"N-Nasuha..." he whispered, feeling weak all over, but he tried to move to get out of bed, causing the bed to creak. Nasuha woke up, her eyes widening as she saw Khairul awake.

"Khairul!" She stood up and almost fell, forgetting about her injured legs. Nasuha leaned against the railing of Khairul's bed, and they looked at each other.

"H-Hey..." Khairul smiled weakly, and Nasuha's tears began to flow as she hugged him.

"Khairi! I'm so grateful... So grateful you woke up," Nasuha said. Khairul didn't know what to do, his hands hung awkwardly in the air.

"Just hug me back, you idiot," Nasuha pleaded, and Khairul returned her embrace.

"You defended me again and almost died. Khai, I can't bear to see you like this again. Please don't die, Khai," Nasuha tightened her hold, and Khairul rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Yeah... I'm sorry..." Khairul replied. Slowly, they released their embrace and looked at each other, but Nasuha's hand remained on top of Khairul's.

"Where are we now?" Khairul asked.

"It's a long story..."

"Make it short."

"We got kidnapped by those two police officers, the woman and the man, Mrs. Rose and Mr. Shaurya."

"Okay..."

They both chuckled softly as Khairul leaned his head back onto the pillow, and Nasuha settled back into her wheelchair.

"I'm hungry..." Khairul sighed.

"Huh?" Zaki's eyes opened; he was naked and lying in the middle of a field, sprawled on the grass with a patch of dried blood behind him. He slowly lifted himself up and looked at his hands; he had returned to being a normal human.

On his back were burn marks. Zaki stood up slowly, the wind blowing gently as he took a deep breath.

Visions of him killing many people, including police officers, and almost killing the injured Khairul flashed through his mind. Zaki grinned sinisterly.

"Ah... haha... Haha... Hahahaha!" he laughed loudly.

"I want more... That power! This time I can kill him! Who cares about anyone else! Let them all die! Ahahahahahaha!" Zaki looked thrilled, suddenly his nails elongated and sharpened, and he looked back at his hands.

"I don't know what you are, but thank you. I will kill Khairul, and anyone who stands in my way, I will kill them all... All of them!"