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The Penta Province.

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"I can't shoot that fast. If I hit one, the others would be alerted of where we are. I can't put you at risk like that." Ayla explained in a whisper, her eyes on the Chigaru as they circled around, an array of sharp weapons in their hands. I felt numb and stricken. The men were only a few feet away from seeing us and, judging by the look on Ayla's face, there's not much she could do with me as baggage.

Just why did I have to come?

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My heart was pumping fast as I gazed at the Chigaru who were now zeroing in on our location. Holding my breath, I ducked as low as I could behind the cart, but before the fear could swallow me whole, a sound erupted in the distance.

The sound of rapid footsteps came from the corner that the Chigaru had come from and I peered over the cart slightly to see Emut appear, a large sword in his right hand and a shield in the other. I watched in awe as he swiftly used the sword to impale one Chigaru, whilst using his shield to strike a man at the nape. The lightening speed and strength of the blow resulted in the sound of cracking bones to reverberate through the alley and I stilled as both men fell simultaneously to the floor. He continued in such a manner, his eyes holding the burning intensity of a thousand suns.

Following behind, Demir entered, weapon in hand. Unlike Emut, he didn't hold a shield, but only a long single-edged blade on a 6ft pole. It was very large, but he handled it with finesse and familiarity. He didn't stab them, but rather used the weapon for a more ungraceful assault, slashing through a man with one end and skewering another with the other. This didn't slow him down in the slightest and he moved at an unbelievable speed, his grey eyes glistening like moonlight, a smirk on his face as he watched the blood pour like rainfall.

Then, suddenly, another tumble of footsteps sounded through the street, men piling in from every direction of the area.

20? No, 40 men?

Emut and Demir seemed strong, but they were evidently outnumbered and I watched in fear as the men circled around them, weapons at the ready. The silence was deafening as the opposing teams waited for the other to strike. That was until a Chigaru from the left decided to act, his sword facing forward, a savage battlecry leaving his lips. He charged at Emut at an inhumane speed and Emut readied his sword, waiting. However, his wait was unfruitful as before any of their swords could make contact, the Chigaru was mysteriously struck down, his body falling limp to the dusty ground. I looked on in shock as his body convulsed like a fish without water before laying still. What's more shocking was the large gaping hole in his back or, rather, the smoke that rolled off his body in waves.

Demir scoffing broke the deafening silence.

"You know, we don't need your help, Maya." He spoke, a teasing tone to his voice as if he hadn't just witnessed what I did.

The Chigaru was struck down by a ball of fire and, if I hadn't been hallucinating, the fire had come straight from Maya's hand. I watched as she recoiled her hand back to her body before retrieving the daggers at her belt, a scowl on her face

"From where I stood, you looked like a damsel in distress to me." Maya spoke jokingly and then she was racing towards the crowd. I watched as she jumped high, dodging the hands of 5 men before landing in the centre with Demir and Emut. She twirled the daggers in her hand and I watched in awe as the flames from her hand licked and hugged the daggers. She threw the daggers in two directions, one striking a man in between his eyes and the other in his neck. One fell straight down, his eyes wide and vacant whilst the other screamed in pain. The flames from the dagger engulfed his veil and he jumped frantically in place before also collapsing from the heat, his face scalded.

I staggered back, looking to Ayla but she looked on, her face blank as though it was normal.

"Ayla, what's going on? How did she do that?" I whispered frantically to which Ayla smirked, a knowing look on her face.

"It's what Maya does. She can create, shape and manipulate fire." She said simply before turning back and, when she didn't say anything else, I tutted loudly.

"Seriously? You think that's the only explanation I deserve to get?!" I whisper-shouted, feeling suddenly angry. All this, everything that was going on, the fighting and now the powers. I didn't even have a clue to where I was and the fact that everybody refused to tell me was irritating to say the least.

Ayla put a hand on my arm in a means to comfort me before pointing towards the fight.

"There's more. It's easier if you watch." She said and, even though her answer was still confusing, I looked ahead to see that Abrax had also entered the scene, an axe in his hand and a stern look on his face. They all were full-on brawling now and I didn't know where to look. That was until Ayla raised a tanned hand and I followed its direction, my gaze landing on Emut.

His sword was raised as 4 Chigaru surrounded him. Suddenly, they pounced on him and I watched as they pushed him down. But, this lasted only for a fraction of a second. Emut stood abruptly, the weight of four men on his body before they all toppled to the floor. I looked in shock as he raised two men by the neck up in the air. Seeing his hands occupied, the other two men were quick to get to their feet at the opportunity. They reached for their sword at a rapid speed, but Emut was evidently faster. And, surely enough, before they could wield their weapons, Emut spun, his leg hitting both the men with an aching thud. The men's bodies rippled through the air before slamming against the hard ground at almost 3 metres away. The men in his hand were already dead by then, their lifeless bodies dangling from his hands like dolls. He dropped them before retrieving his sword and continuing his assault. My mouth was already touching the floor at this point. What he did wasn't at all human, that was for sure.

"Emut is... enhanced. His speed and strength is like nothing I've ever seen. Combine both, he can kill with a single strike or blow." Ayla spoke up and I sputtered on the air.

Enhanced? That sounded like a more technical term for powers and that was impossible. There was no such thing as powers.

Then again, there was no such thing as a mirror transporting you to another world

"Impossible." I muttered to which Ayla giggled, her arm nudging me.

"Oh really? Look over there." She retorted and I looked over at Demir. At first glance, it all seemed normal. He twirled his weapon in his hand, eyeing his opponents as they approached. Yet, something was off. The sand around him seemed to be almost wild and erratic, following the movement of his body as he stepped forward, a crazy smile on his face. His dark hair was waving around in the wind, only there was no wind around. I watched on as 3 men rushed forward, their swords ready to impale, but Demir was quick to dodge them, his movements like fluid. He grabbed ahold of two men by the cuff of their neck, their struggling grunts filling the air. It all happened so fast, Demir had put his palm flat on their back and then sand was spurting through their front. They stood like this, their bodies shaking from the load before dropping down like all the others. The sand, piled around their bodies, was wet with blood. Seemingly unfazed, the third man tried his luck coming up from behind Demir, sneakily. But, the smile on Demir's face said it all- he could sense the man coming. But, still, he gave into the facade, a look of nonchalance on his face as he cleaned his weapon using the men's veils. He was toying with his prey and I watched on at the dangerous game of cat and mouse. When the man was about a foot away, he raised his sword to Demir's back, but Demir moved faster, turning around swiftly before grabbing the man from the back of the head and shoving him face first into the ground. I watched as the man struggled, the ground around him engulfing him. I heard his pleas of desperation and I noticed how this made the smile on Demir's face bigger. Then, the man let out a feeble choke before giving in, his body going still. Demir stood up, dusting his hands before proceeding forward.

"Demir- he's able to manipulate sand, if it's there. There's... other things he can do, but he doesn't tend to use them. He sticks to his weapons, mainly." Ayla explained and I noticed the hesitation in her tone when she spoke as though there was something she couldn't or didn't want to share.

Before I could ask, she was already pointing towards Abrax and I looked to him. Out of all of them, he was the one I had not conversed with, so there was not a lot I knew about his nature. From his movements, I could tell he was less tactical than the other males and more brute force. His axe swung left and right, his dark muscles rippling as he claimed victim by victim. It continued in this ruggish manner until a man came and hit him from behind. He staggered slightly before turning his way, but more men surrounded him. I watched curiously as he grunted, his nostrils flaring in anger. And then, the man struck at his chest. I gasped loudly, waiting for Abrax to fall, but nothing of the sort happened. Instead, the sword that struck him broke in two, the sound of it breaking echoed through the village. The weaponless man looked uncertain now, but still, he raised his fists. In response, Abrax dropped his Axe to the ground before delivering a violent punch to the man in front of him, rendering him unconscious. He then turned his seething gaze to the men behind before grabbing the sides of their head and knocking their skulls together. The deafening crack that resonated made me turn away.

Ayla moved closer to me, turning away from the fight as well.

"Abrax can change the state of his body. He can make it as hard as diamond if he wanted to." Ayla stated, her voice in awe and I shook my head.

"All this- it's too much." I uttered, feeling slightly surprised that my voice wasn't shaky. I felt the sudden urge to pinch myself. All this, it had to be a dream. Things like didn't just happen. Any moment now, I would wake up and Debra would call up the stairs for me to come down and make breakfast. Then, I'd do a shift at the cafe before Sue reminds me of my seminar.

Thinking back to university, I suddenly recalled the coursework. If time worked the same, the deadline would have happened by now. Only, that thought didn't make me panic. Usually, I'd be stressed, breaking out at the thought of flunking my final year, but it all seemed trivial, compared to this.

And, what about my dream career, Braxton publishing? I had wanted to pass my year to work there and now, I didn't seem to give a thought to it.

I knew, whatever was happening right now, it wasn't a dream. It felt all too real and that thought scared me to no end. It meant, there was no means of escaping with a pinch. It wasn't that easy.

Ayla put an arm around me, her voice gentle.

"Hey, calm down, the fight's over." She cooed, wiping away at the tears that fell down my cheek. I hadn't even realised I was crying.

I moved away from her hold, looking at her through tear-filled eyes.

"Why is this happening?" I choked out quietly and Ayla moved closer, a sympathetic look on her face.

"I think, it's time we told you what's going on."