36 "Illusion " or " nightmare ".

Pov warehouse owner

' How did this happen?

I think while sitting on a chair in my own office! When behind me stands most likely a child trained as an assassin. Of course, at first when I heard the child's voice which from a logical point of view could have been an ordinary burglar, I tried to do something about it and somehow knock this child down but it was stupid on my part.

Rather, I would never have thought that an assassin would be sent after me, an ordinary not very rich warehouse owner.

Now I know that the person behind me most likely came to kill me which means that she was not sent by this bitch . After all, this woman gave me time " to think" until Friday. Well unless it was to force me to make a decision, however then this girl should not deny that that woman is sending her .

' that girl behind me talked about the dust stolen from my warehouse, which many people may know. But how does she know that I gave it to someone voluntarily ? Who sent her on me at all. Did anyone send her on me at all ? She doesn't sound likely to be some kind of smuggling boss so she's more likely to be a paid assassin or have some kind of underground affiliation ? '

' Could it be that this case is much deeper than that. It is true that I helped them rob my own warehouse. However, I did not help smuggling or selling this dust. Well it's true that once I heard this woman say something about a "customer" for this dust but I only let them take it from my warehouse I don't know anything about any sales'

' But In the end I can't tell this to the girl behind. Since my only value to her is apparently my information.'

Agonizing over my own thoughts, I ultimately have only one conclusion.

' I knew not to trust this woman, not only do I have problems on her part, but now it comes out that I upset someone else. '

' I wouldn't have entered into this deal at all if my daughter hadn't been sick. This insurance money was a lifesaver for my daughter because even I can't afford treatment at Atlas Hospital .''

My thought ends with a burning sensation in my finger as it is cut by the knife which belong to the " Partner" of the girl behind me.

" Unlock the file "

Says a calm girli voice from behind me with such gentleness that if it weren't for the barrel in the back of my head I would have thought of it as a joke, as I did before. However, now...

I sigh touching the holographic keyboard with my fingers as I pause again.

" I can't do it"

I say knowing that the girl behind me needs me to unlock this file and get the information. And after I do that, she won't need me anymore, which gives the likelihood that she will kill me and my family .

The file itself is also too important for me to give it away, if this woman found out what is on it, she would kill me. This file could destroy my life and kill my family just like the girl behind me .

I'm between a hammer and an anvil, behind me a assasin who is looking for information and on the other side I have this crazy woman who wants dust by Friday .

' Fuck'

With the last thought I feel the barrel push my head gently forward and this is followed by my neck being mussed by a gentle breath announcing that my attacker has moved closer to me.

" I beg your pardon?"

Asks a soft and innocent voice sending a shiver through my body.

" How do I know what you will do when you get the file. When I give you what you want you can just kill me along with my family, isn't that always the case with your actions? "

" I don't even know what exactly you are looking for in that file there is nothing there about selling dust I just delivered the dust and what happened to it is not my problem. "

I say, knowing that I have to get out of this, but hearing a sigh behind me followed by a sadistic giggle I know I'm screwed.

"Well then we do have a problem."

Says a voice as silence falls in the office. With each passing second I feel the tension between us grow. After a brief of moment of silence, I hear footsteps, and for a split second in the corner of my field of vision, I see a small silhouette walk past me.

However, after a second with the effect of picking up pieces of broken mirror or glass, the silhouette disappears before I can get a good look at it, and this is probably with the help of semblance .

Of course I am very surprised by this and this situation makes me realize that my current interlocutor, despite her probable young age can also possess one .

' Who are they? '

I think realizing how rare it is to have an aura and how much less to have a semblance. Of course everyone has an aura in large or small amounts but they have one. Anyone can also unlock it, however, few people choose to do so, and this is due to the current law that limits the number of people who have aura.

Of course, many people still decide to unblock it despite the fact that the law against such people is stricter. And all because of the threat from people with aura. Just imagine the chaos if everyone had super powers. Maybe that would defeat gimm but... I don't know, it's none of my business, after all, I myself rejected the offer to unlock my aura.

And while everyone has an aura, not everyone has semblance. It goes without saying that a man like me has no chance against a man who has an unblocked aura. I won't even mention someone with semblance.

Even a semblance not made for fighting is powerful in its own right and I know this because I am a passionate and a fan of hunters myself. I used to want to be one myself, like any child, so I trained in archery but an accident with arrows in my knee made me give up that dream .

Now I only give small donations to various institutions for hunters. So I know what talented monsters can come out of the walls of the academy.

' However, this girl behind me.'

At such a young age, as far as I can tell how old both of them are, they are certainly no older than my daughter, at most thirteen years old.

And they already have the ability to control Aura and semblance, well at least this whole 'partner' thing I'm not sure about the girl behind me. This is the real talent or very hard work '

If we are talking about a partner then

" Where..."

I want to ask about the purpose of the departure of the assassin's "partner" but her small childish gloved hand covers my mouth and her gun clutched even tighter to my head.

" We are in check and I can't make you do anything. So I guess it's time to show you that you really have no choice. "

Hearing these words I got a really bad feeling....

" You forgot that there may be more of us here.... Let me put it this way, no one will leave this house, not me, not you , not your family until I confirm or deny that you know something about the dust trade. So shut up and unlock the dumb file already or tell the truth before someone prepares a present for us.

Hearing this my head is forcibly directed towards the door at which I am looking through the transparent holographic screen of my computer .

After a moment the door opens soundlessly and looking at the situation behind it, I fall into shock and my world quiets down as my eyes watched my wife enter the room with a face drenched in tears while her mouth was blocked with a cloth, followed by a child with a bowler hat on his head.

While the child's silhouette and short black hair under his bowler hat appear boyish, it is nevertheless hard to determine his gender because this child's face is pixelated as one would describe it.

However, the " Partner" look itself doesn't matter when I watch nim kicking my wife in the back of her knee making the love of my life and mother of my child fall to the ground.

" Leave ..."

I want to shout but I am interrupted by the same child's hand as the girl's thumb and forefinger dig into my cheeks.

" I told you that we have people outside. Your daughter as well as the wife present before you are in my hands. "

Hearing this I look at my wife's face and into her empty lifeless eyes. In my imagination I can only imagine what they did to her. In a fit of anger I want to get up but after a sudden pain in my occiput I fall face down on the desk.

" You know this gun is old, it's an antique. So don't make me beat you with it."

Says a voice behind me as I try to lift my head only to feel my whole body somehow being held in place . But before I can look under the desk to see what is holding me , a small hand pushes me face down on the desk . In this position all I can see is a hand with an antique gun leaning next to me and my wife with a knife to her neck with this boy right behind her .

Of course, seeing my assailant's gun would make anyone wonder who uses such weapons in these times. Of course, there are hunters who would do this, but in general, everyone likes a good automatic pistol or rifle. However, it doesn't matter to me when I watch the knife slowly draw a red line on the neck of my beloved.

" This is the last chance, you don't give me what I want is equivalent to the fact that you are no longer useful to me, so you die. By giving me the file you at least have hope that I will leave you and your family alone."

Hearing this I look at my wife which is obviously in pain beyond my description. I don't want to see her in such a state especially since this whole situation is my fault. I have no choice, now .

" I will do it already, let her go".

I say calmly feeling powerless. It's not a pretty show for anyone, but I don't care when I feel the pressure on my head relax as well as the pressure on my whole body. Sitting down again in the chair I put my hands out in front of me. Looking to the side for a moment I see my interlocutor for the first time.

As well as the person holding my wife she is also a child, but this time apparently a girl with long black hair and a black ribbon on her head. She has a black dress whose style can only be called "gothic" . Along with her "partner," they both give off a sense of resemblance which gives me the idea that they may be twins.

'At least they are both dressed "elegantly and exquisitely ".'

As if nothing ever happened, girl sits on the desk with her head turned back as she looks at the computer screen and next to me her legs dangle freely as she waves them, while humming to herself.

When I look at her she turns her head to me and despite her blurry face same as her "partner", I can tell she is smiling at me like a little monster enjoying my pain. When I look at her she only tilts her head gently to the side as her finger slips over where her lips should be, just as if she was thinking.

Silently her head returns to its place as her finger points to the monitor. By the fact that it's a holographic monitor, I can see what's happening on the other side.

This " Partner" is using my wife like a bench. When with all of her four limbs she holds this brat on her back. The kid himself looks at me with the same invisible sadistic smile when the tip of his knife touches my wife's neck.

'. THIS LITTLE BASTARD!!! :

" Time is money"

Says this time irritated girl interrupting my pointless anger. Without much thought I set up the program and all the ones and zeros in the correct order, which creates a program key that fills in the missing metric data.

Slowly the ones and zeros turned into a code display the data which are mostly post-messages between me and that woman and videos that were " stolen and destroyed" by the thief during the robbery . In short, all the evidence that can put that woman behind bars.

Seeing everything in front of her, the girl reattaches the data card to the computer as I ripped everything in the file onto the card.

"I do not know anything about this sale, however, once this woman mentioned something about the sale and the buyer. I don't know if that's what you mean. I also don't know if you will find anything in this file, but this is all the information I have to offer you ."

I say hoping that this is the end of this " Nightmare" .

"Thank you for your cooperation".

Says the girl, after which she jumps off the desk and like a ghost without a sound lands on the ground. Seeing this, her partner gets up from my wife and walks over to the girl, after which they both simply open the window and jump out through it into the back alley, which is behind my house.

" Honey!".

Seeing that they are gone I quickly run over to my injured wife not even caring about the relief on my heart. But this only to have her shatter like a mirror under my touch .

"Honey did you call out? "

Hearing the door opening behind me, I turn around to see my wife whole and healthy .

' They played with me'

I think remembering that something was wrong in this situation the whole time.

' There was no sound from my wife, she even looked younger and had different clothes, just like she looked in our old photo on...'

Then I realized that I was too worried about my family's life to think sane thoughts and my attackers exploited my weakness for my family. And all that was happening in front of my eyes was just an illusion or a dream closer to a nightmare.

" Honey you are terribly pale, did something happen at work?"

My wife's question and worry brings me back to my thoughts. I look at her stroking her chek and smile.

" Nothing happened honey, can you bring me some tea? "

I say as I look into the eyes of my wife which clearly doesn't believe me but that doesn't matter now because I have to think of what I should do now.