Despair had taken over Hitomi as she watched the fire getting bigger around them. She couldn’t see any way out. With Yesenia closing in, she knew she wouldn’t make it out safely. The flames were getting closer and more intense, when suddenly, a huge wave of water slammed into the fire, putting it out.

“MEGUMI, ARE YOU OKAY?” Naoko rushed over, already searching for her friend.

“Yay! You put out everything!” Akiko came running up right behind her, excited by what her friend had done.

At a distance, Yesenia watched as the new Potentia arrived, showcasing her power. She couldn’t help but feel pleased.

But… Such luck! Two Potentia together here!

Meanwhile, the girls faced another surprise. The water Naoko had thrown to extinguish the fire was useless; the flames kept growing higher and getting closer.

“WHAT KIND OF FIRE IS THAT? IT WON’T GO OUT!?” Naoko shouted.

“WHO ARE YOU?” Hitomi asked, eyeing the tall woman with dark hair.

“Please, Hitomi, calm down! They’re my friends,” Megumi said, trying to ease the tension, despite everything going on.

“WHAT?” The model was still lost, overwhelmed by the flood of new information.

“WE’LL DEAL WITH THAT LATER. WHERE IS THE FIRE POTENTIA?” Naoko kept her focus on the immediate danger, brushing aside the smaller conflicts.

Far from the confusion and shouting, Yesenia remained calm, watching the girls’ growing despair. The flames were slowly forming a circle, tightening around Megumi, Hitomi, Naoko, and Akiko, trapping them more and more.

She seemed completely unfazed by the situation.

Nonconformist, Hitomi thought, watching her with a mix of anger and disbelief.

God damn it, Yesenia! That’s the same fire I saw at Esther’s place.

She stepped closer to the flames and reached out her fingers. As she did, the fire flared up, lashing out and singeing the tips of her fingers.

“AH!” she shouted. 

The flames flared up as soon as I tried to reach my hand. She must have some way to control them from a distance.

The fire continued to creep closer, growing taller with each passing moment. The girls began to grow more apprehensive.

“Oh no! We’re gonna become barbecue! Lady, I don’t taste good!” Akiko was so nervous she blurted out nonsense, hoping, in vain, that the woman might feel pity for them.

“Pay attention!” Naoko snapped.

“The flames are…” Hitomi stammered, trembling and unsure what to do. “…getting closer.”

Well satisfied, Yesenia watches the girls on their nerves that now were facing the imminent death. 

Soon there will be only screams of despair… Thought her without any regret on her face. 

The flames reached a great height and now would be waiting time for them to die burnt. However, suddenly, with a desperate attempt, two beams of light get out from the middle of the fire and they can hit Yesenia's eyes. She shouts because of the pain and scare; she wasn't expecting a different power coming from those girls. Her eyes burn, getting to a certain degree of blindness. 

The stroke made Yesenia instinctively retreat with her flames, giving time and space to the girls to save themselves, for at least that moment.

“It's extinguished! The distraction helped.” exclaimed Naoko who had given the idea to Megumi: using her beam of light in a concentrated burst.

After that, sticking to the plan, Akiko used her Potentia. Crystals began to form around Yesenia, rising and shifting under Akiko's control. They united and merged, creating a cage that trapped Yesenia, preventing her from using her Fire Potentia.

A Crystal Casing?

Yesenia's momentaneous blindness had passed and she realized the situation she was in.

Dammit… They took advantage of my distraction.  She complains in frustration, slamming the crystal barrier, searching for a weak point that she could exploit.

I’m trapped! This won’t break!

From the outside, the girls were safe, but they weren’t calm. 

“Alright! Looks like it worked out, but we are interrogating her?” Hitomi asked, trying to figure out what to do next.

“AND YOU REALLY THINK SHE’LL COOPERATE?” Naoko pulls Hitomi back to reality with her blunt responde. 

“Naoko…that’s…” Megumi holds Naoko’s arm, cutting off the argument. “Fire?”

Through a tiny gap in the crystal cage, flames shot out with intensity. As a last resort, Yesenia was using her fire to try and melt the crystals.

“SHE IS TRYING TO KILL HERSELF!!” Akiko got desperate seeing the situation.  “WHAT DO I DO? SHOULD I RELEASE HER?”

“WHAT? NO! IF YOU SET HER FREE, SHE WILL KILL US ALL, FOR SURE!” says Naoko, preventing Akiko’s well-intentioned impulse from putting them all in danger. 

The crystal surrounding Yesenia began to weaken and crack. The fire didn't stop, and it looked like it was growing stronger. The barrier was now thinner and more brittle. Suddenly, a loud crack echoed through the air and the smithereens spread in all directions.

Amidst the smoke and smithereens, can be seen Yesenia’s silhouette, struggling to stand up and with the panting breathing. She walks very little and soon leans over on a nearby tree. Some parts of her face on the left side were marked with burns, besides her left arm and other parts of her body. Her dress was singed as well, and now she was not well dressed anymore, because it was spoiled.

Dammit… I lost… too much… energy… She thought while little by little the portal opens up and she disappears, as if she was taken by the light.

“SHE IS DISAPPEARING! SHE’LL ESCAPE! WHAT IS GOING ON?” Hitomi was even more confused and annoyed. “BUT…”.

The model woman turns around, noticeably annoyed and scared with all of that.

“YOU SAW THAT TOO, DIDN’T YOU?” she asked, her voice sharp and urgent.

“Lady Hitomi, I can explain.” Megumi has already initiated trying to calm the veteran down, in search to reassure everything.

“YOU BET YOU CAN, RIGHT NOW! Hitomi snapped, her tone sharp and commanding.

“Megumi, we’ll go ahead and talk to Sayuri about it,” Naoko said, making the decision to head home with Akiko. She wanted to help calm Megumi down so she could handle everything.

“Ok, Naoko. I’ll go with Hitomi.” the blonde nodded.

Hitomi watched the two going away and turned to the opposite side, moving back to her house. 

“Okay, let’s go. It’s not just me you’ll have to explain things to,” Hitomi said, sounding more relaxed, though a natural tension still lingered from everything that had happened.

Hitomi and Megumi walked in silence to the model’s building, who seemed not to talk along the way. She unlocked the car door and opened it up with some strength, slamming it shut making a loud noise with the impact. Her calmness was just a front. Inside she was full of anger. 

Inside the building was Nami, who had set up a painting spot in the living room. She was painting on an easel with watercolor. She was working on a paper with a subtle texture and her face was stained with ink, as were her hands and arms. As she was used to her wife’s temper, she simply glanced over her shoulder and greeted her.

“Hitomi!! Finally! It’s so late!”

“NAMI, WHAT IS THIS MESS? YOU HAVE TO PAINT EVERYWHERE?” Hitomi saw all the chaos and she freaked out. It seemed like just another ordinary moment in a weird day, making her lash out without even realizing how loud her voice had become.

In a good mood, Nami swung her long blue hair as she walked toward Hitomi, wrapping her arms around her in a warm hug.

“Quit being so picky! I always get everything tidy, you know that.” she said with a loving tone.

Hitomi needed to have a serious talk, so she didn’t return the hug, her stress keeping her at a distance. Behind them, Megumi watched silently, saying nothing. It wasn’t until then that Nami noticed a third person in the room.

“Hey… what a beautiful woman, who is she?” asked her, impressed by the beautiful appearance of the woman. But soon, her eyes went back to her wife, and with a teasing smirk and ironic tone of voice, she added, “Are you leaving me for her?”

“I am. She doesn’t make any mess.”, Hitomi replied in a rude and sharp tone of voice. 

“Oh, don’t worry! We are just colleagues.” Megumi interjected, worried about creating an unnecessary fight between the couple.

Nami found the reaction amusing and let out a soft laugh. She released Hitomi and headed to the kitchen. 

“I know, I know! Come in! You should see your faces!” Nami teased with a grin. “You were so late that Hana has already gone to bed after waiting for so long.”

“Get some tea done because we are about to set our tongues wagging.” ordered Hitomi ignoring everything Nami had said before. 

Nami went to the kitchen to make some red tea for all. Meanwhile, Hitomi sat down on the armchair and Megumi on the couch beside her. The house was decorated in a classic style with clearly high-end furniture. A modern wooden coffee table was in the center surrounded by some plant vases and framed pictures. 

“This is my wife, Nami. And I have a six-year-old daughter, Hana,” Hitomi said, resting her elbow on her knee, trying to lighten the mood before diving into the real conversation.

“So cute! Maybe she and Matsui could be friends. She’s the six-year-old sister of the lilac-haired girl,” Megumi said, excited by the idea of Matsui potentially making a new friend.

The tea was ready and served to everyone. Nami sat down, resting her arm on the arm of Hitomi's chair, her eyes carefully scanning Hitomi’s clothes.

“Your clothes are singed. What happened?” Nami asked, noticing the damage.

“We were attacked. Megumi, my apprentice, will explain.” Hitomi replied.

“Attacked?”, Nami was confused.

“What I’m about to say might sound absurd, but…” Megumi took a deep breath before continuing. “…We were attacked by someone who has Potentia. It’s… well, a kind of power.”

Nami was startled by Megumi’s words but kept her emotions in check. After a moment of reflection, she asked:

“You mean our powers are called Potentia?” Nami asked, still processing the information.

“‘Our?” Megumi couldn’t hide her surprise at the word.

“Yeah, Nami, Hana and I developed this “Potentia” a few months ago. But we hadn’t used it against anyone until today…” She turned to Megumi, her expression serious. “What did that woman want?”

“I am sorry, but I may not be able to answer all your questions.” Megumi apologized. “What I can tell you is that we have been under attack ever since we arrived on this planet. We don’t know why, but today’s attack was the most violent.”

“ARRIVING ON THIS PLANET? HOW COME? YOU’RE AN ALIEN?”, Hitomi exclaimed, her voice rising in surprise.

“Lady Hitomi, while that’s technically accurate, I don’t think it’s very polite…” Megumi said, a bit embarrassed, but trying to answer with grace. “But yes, we’ve come from another planet.”

The technical term is extraterrestrial, though, the blonde woman thought.

“She told you off, huh? Take it easy,” Nami said sarcastically to Hitomi. “But, well, having powers isn’t exactly normal, so coming from another planet doesn’t seem that strange.”

“Doesn’t?”, Hitomi asked, raising an eyebrow.

“And it’s late already. Stop shouting!” the blue-haired lady warned Hitomi.

“Listen, we don’t know why we came here, but it’s clearly had an impact…” Megumi said, her voice filled with distress. “The situation here is unstable, and we already know that new Potentia users will appear…”

Hitomi stared at Megumi intently, her voice serious as she blurted out:

“Megumi, I was abandoned by the person I loved when I was pregnant. I watched my career fall apart, and many friends turned their backs on me. Nami was the one who helped me trust again. So, anyone who tries to hurt my family or interfere in our lives will get what is theirs.”

“Don’t worry, I understand,” Megumi said, standing up. “I’ll invite you all to meet the other Potentia. I think it’ll help you feel more at ease.”

“It’s late,” she added, glancing at the time. “I need to go now.”

“It is,” Hitomi agreed, standing as well. “I’ll walk you out.”

Both of them headed for the door. Hitomi opened it, but before letting Megumi pass, she hesitated:

“Hm, Megumi…”

“Hm?” Megumi turned her face at Hitomi to see what she wanted to discuss.

“I hope you didn’t think it was weird that I’m married to a woman,” Hitomi said. Megumi gave a warm smile and responded softly:

“Hitomi… There’s nothing wrong with people who love each other.”

Finalia

In a dimly lit room with dark walls and asymmetric artwork, Yesenia sat wounded, applying some kind of cream to her burns. She struggled to contain her moans of pain, though her expression couldn’t hide her suffering. As she focused on tending to her wounds, a young figure appeared quietly at the entrance.

The figure moved closer, revealing himself to be a fifteen-year-old boy—tall, with an athletic build, shoulder-length orange hair, and blue eyes. He wore a simple cotton t-shirt and straight-leg jeans. Upon noticing Yesenia and what she was doing, his eyes widened in surprise as he saw the severity of her burns.

“GOOD GRIEF! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? HOW DID YOU GET BURNED?” the boy exclaimed, his voice filled with concern. Yesenia simply stared at him, annoyed and with a look of disdain. “Okay, my bad. I just got startled! You don’t need to ignore me,” the boy said, trying to brush off the tension.

“What do you want, Adonis?” Yesenia asked, her tone impatient.

“Tell me… are they really that strong?”, the young one wanted to know.

“Not in the way I imagined. Rosália’s reports were exaggerated. But they all performed well, and there were unexpected abilities.”

“I see. I’ll need to plan better, then,” Adonis said, his tone thoughtful.

“Why all the concern? Were you called?” Yesenia asked, her voice laced with suspicion.

“I was,” Adonis replied simply.