the red sorceress

In the narrow, labyrinthine alleys of the slums, a young girl's desperate flight is halted by a sudden stumble, her chest heaving with fear. As she glances back, the ominous advance of soldiers sends shivers down her spine. They close in, their heavy footsteps echoing off the decrepit walls. Amidst them, a man devoid of weaponry steps forward, his voice cutting through the tension like a blade.

"Don't be deceived by her appearance. She may seem innocent, but she's a witch who must be eradicated before her powers mature."

In the tense silence of the alleyway, the girl's terror peaks as the soldiers' weapons take aim. Suddenly, a commanding voice slices through the air, drawing her attention to a figure cloaked in red, masked and mysterious. His words cut to the core of her being.

"Do you plan to perish and render all you've learned in vain?"

Her gaze locks with his, absorbing his admonition. He presses on, his tone chillingly pragmatic.

"Unless you wield your blade against them, you'll only succumb to their aggression. They see you as a witch, so make them your adversaries, the antagonists in your narrative. Remember, he's the same man who struck first against your mother."

With a signal from the man accompanying the soldiers, the tension mounts. But before any shots can be fired, the girl's fear transforms into a blazing fury. She realizes the man before her is not just an oppressor, but the architect of her deepest pain. A wounded rat nearby becomes a catalyst for her wrath. With a surge of power, she channels her rage, causing the blood of the rat to ignite and streak toward her assailants with lightning speed. Within moments, the threat is neutralized, leaving only the echoes of her newfound defiance ringing through the desolate alley. The red mysterious man turns back. though his face was not visible, his satisfaction was. the girl's eyes began to darken as she looked at the dead that she had created. her sight turning blind to her wrath as the darkness covers everything.

"AHH"

She awoke with a sharp gasp, the echo of her scream fading into the reality of her dimly lit room. Beads of sweat clung to her skin as she grappled with the remnants of the nightmare, a haunting reminder of a past she'd tried desperately to bury.

Drawing the curtain aside, she was greeted by the familiar sight of the bustling Mumbai seaport. From her window, she watched as workers hurriedly unloaded cargoes and barrels, their movements a symphony of industry against the backdrop of the great expanse of the sea. Beyond, the city rose like a titan, its skyline dominating the horizon with a blend of ancient and modern architecture that left her breathless.

Her heart raced with anticipation as she bounded out of bed, her eyes darting to her lone backpack and the few essentials strewn nearby. With resolve coursing through her veins, she made up her mind to leave, to escape the spectre of her past once and for all. but as she was about to exit a broad man blocked her path.

"not so fast, who do you think is going to pay us?' a clear sight of annoyance in his eyes. She searched in her bag and the man stood there.

"here it is," she says as she gives him a pouch 

the man still in her way, takes it and checks in suspicion. he looks and sees there is no coin, card or even a relic inside but a stone that suddenly begins to glow red and then 

BOOM! 

it explodes on his face, capturing others' attention on the port and the ship. they hurry to see and find the man completely fine without any injury but lying on the exit asleep. As the other men checked him, the girl managed to slip away.

"I knew these were useful!" she says as running but then she bumps and drops. in anger, she spews "Hey, watch where you're going!"

but she regrets that as she looks up at the man, a white jacket over a black leather, hood covering his metallic face and a little muscular body.

" what was useful, you said?"