final judgment

Charlene peered through the window of the domicile and saw her father suspended in the air, unconscious. "Renew," she whispered, "what do we do now?"

"Charlene, duck down! He's not alone!"

Charlene crouched instinctively, her heart racing. She watched as the figure checked to see if Seth was still unconscious, then shimmered out of the room.

"For a moment, I thought we had been spotted," Renew muttered under his breath.

"What was that thing?" Charlene demanded, her voice trembling.

"That," Renew said solemnly, "was a fate. Your not the only one with powers, some can do awesome things and others not so much."

Charlene's mind was whirling, trying to comprehend what was happening. "Why would it hide its presence like that? It looked like… if I'm not mistaken, it's harming your father."

Renew's voice grew urgent. "That can't be. We don't do that kind of thing here! Are they torturing him? No, that’s unheard of. We have to get him out of there!"

Charlene’s eyes widened. "What's going on? Fill me in!"

Renew hesitated,"From what I can see, your father’s under extreme stress. But—" She trailed off, trying to put the right words together.

"Plainly, Renew. Please," Charlene demanded, her voice breaking with worry. "What’s going on with my dad?"

"Charlene..." Renew said, his voice soft but serious. "It looks like... he's being tortured."

Charlene's breath hitched. "How do we get in there?" she asked, already scanning the surroundings for a way in.

"Whoa! Slow down!" Renew shouted in her mind. "We don’t know if he’s being guarded or if someone else is camouflaged in there. We can’t just rush in. We need to gather intel first, see what we're dealing with. If we charge in without knowing, someone could shimmer in and it could turn into a life-or-death situation for all of us."

Charlene’s eyes were burning with urgency, but she nodded, trying to stay calm. "This might be my dad's only chance for survival. I can't let him down."

Renew's mind raced. As far as she knew, the fates had never been violent beings. Seth had always been a handful, yes, but violence? That was unheard of. "If they’re torturing him... what else could they possibly do?" Renew thought, her gut sinking.

She turned to Charlene. "Think about it. What if this is a trap? Your dad’s not being guarded. The moment that fate left... think about it. The timing is off. It could all be a trick."

Charlene's face hardened. "I don’t care. I need to save my dad!" With a burst of determination, she rushed to the entrance, threw the door open, and sprinted down the corridor. She searched every room, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Charlene, wait!" Renew’s voice echoed in her mind. "This is for your own good—"

"Put me down, Renew!" she shouted, fighting to break free from her mental hold.

Renew’s voice softened with urgency. "Please, just stop! Think about this. What if you get captured? What will happen to all of us? And your mom... what happened to her? We don't even know where she is. Calm down. We need to think carefully."

Charlene didn’t listen. She was beyond reason, every fiber of her being focused solely on her father. "I can’t wait, I have to go now!"

Renew sighed, seeing the fire in her eyes. "Fine. But listen to me—do it carefully."

Charlene paused only for a second, then she reached out and touched the glowing mark on her wrist. "Shimmer," she whispered.

With a flash, the world around her shifted, and she appeared at the end of a dimly lit hallway. She peeked around the corner. The room was empty. No guards.

"This must be it," Charlene whispered, feeling the coolness of the air. "But where is everyone?"

Renew’s voice came through, calm yet tense. "Take something—anything—and toss it in the doorway. I need to see what happens."

Charlene grabbed a wad of paper from a nearby stand and tossed it toward the door. The moment it crossed the threshold, a loud clang echoed, and a gate slammed down with a thud. Guards appeared in an instant, rushing to the scene.

"Follow them," Renew commanded. "Get inside the room, but stay against the wall. Move quickly and stay close to them."

Charlene moved silently, matching her steps to the guards’ as they spoke.

"It must’ve been a false alarm," one of the guards muttered. "I’ll tell the others. It was just a piece of paper. A gust of wind knocked it down."

"Okay," the other guard replied, "Let’s get back to our post."

Charlene’s heart was in her throat. She knew they couldn’t stay long.

"Remember," Renew warned, "once you're inside, you have only seconds before they return. Don’t waste time."

Charlene took a deep breath and steeled herself as she slipped into the room. A wave of dread washed over her, and just as she stepped forward, an invisible force slammed into her, knocking the wind from her lungs. She crashed to the ground, pinned by an unseen weight.

"Get off of me!" Charlene screamed, struggling to move.

The same eerie fate from before shimmered into the room, its voice cold and mocking. "Took you long enough. I saw you earlier—fell right into my trap. Now I have two for the price of one. Unfortunately, I don’t need both of you. One of you will die."

Charlene's defiance flared. "If you touch my father, I’ll kill you myself!"

Renew winced, thinking, Why doesn’t she ever think before she speaks?

The fate smirked, its sinister grin widening. "Little offspring is here... Oh, this will be fun!"

With a snap of his fingers, Seth awoke. He groaned in pain, his head spinning. At first, he couldn’t comprehend what was happening, but as his eyes locked with Charlene’s, everything became clear.

"Seth!" Charlene cried, her voice breaking.

Seth’s gaze hardened. "Get your hands off her!" he shouted, his voice raw with desperation.

The fate laughed, tightening his grip around Charlene’s neck. "Little one should’ve stayed where she was. Now I have exactly what I need. One of you will die today."

Charlene's heart pounded as she struggled to breathe, her mind racing for a way out