The Bloody Apartment, part 2/2

Tia pressed herself tightly against the walls while the five metallic spheres hurtled at a dizzying speed, appearing as blurred silver streaks. Four of the spheres disappeared around the corner of the doorframe nearby, while the last one shot straight toward the opening door.

The wooden doors exploded open, and a man in khaki shorts emerged, firing wildly into the corridor while screaming. One bolt, then another, and a third vanished into the darkness of the passage, flying in her general direction, accompanied by blinding flashes that made her squirm her eyes.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

But before he could pull the trigger again, the final metal ball crashed directly into the center of his face, blood splurting out as he collapsed onto a pile of glass bottles. He convulsed uncontrollably, blood and foam pouring from his mouth.

With a wand emitting a bright glow in her outstretched hand, Tia stood there confidently. The single red bolt was frozen just a few steps away from her while the other two harmlessly scorched black circles into the ceiling.

'Who would have thought that pyrokinesis could influence plasma fire...' she mused, realizing her hypothesis was correct, so when combining her telekinesis with pyrokinesis, she found it easy to block low-powered weapons, even those using plasma.

In an instant, the shooting ceased, plunging the corridor back into silence and darkness, marking all the attackers as likely dead.

<Basic Telekinesis V (63%)> --> 69%

<Basic Pyrokinesis I (15%)> --> 20%

Feeling safe, she closed her eyes, and her dulled sense of touch expanded outward, exploring the air like the tentacles of an octopus. The invisible tendrils of force entered the adjacent room, meticulously sweeping through it, detecting every inch of the dusty surface.

The squishy sensation of blood-coated lifeless bodies indicated her targets were indeed deceased.

'Clear, time to move.'

With a smile, she opened her eyes and confidently stepped forward into the corridor. The old carpet rustled under her feet, but she no longer cared about being heard.

'Only one room remains, I just hope she is there.'

Stepping over the lifeless body, she halted in front of the shattered door. She focused her hearing, catching the muffled sounds of human noises coming out.

With every angle already cleared, she closed her eyes once more, intensifying her focus. Her will projected itself into the open room ahead, conjuring a hazy but informative image of the situation inside.

Her eyelids snapped open a moment before she confidently strode inside. The gun in her hand emitted a radiant glow, poised to shoot at a moment's notice, while her wand remained at the ready to deflect any potential attacks.

Huddled on the ground were four young girls and boys, all dressed in black school uniforms, their trembling figures bound tightly by thick ropes. Their wide eyes conveyed fear and terror, their muffled noises barely audible through the cloth wrapped around their mouths.

Her gaze fixated on the platinum-haired youthfully girl before her, captivated by the striking resemblance to the girl from her memories. The lilac hue of her eyes, the flowing length of her hair, and even the contours of her face—all of it stirred a powerful sense of familiarity. Instantly, she recognized her as her cousin.

'She grew up... she is no longer that small girl. She is safe... my only non-shitty relative.' Seeing her tied and scared on the ground with small bruises on her face only filled her with anger and fury.

"S-stop right there or I will shoot her brain out!"

A slender man, clad in a pink plushy jacket, loomed behind the student, tightly embracing another girl while pressing his pistol against her temple. His trembling arm and glistening beads of sweat betrayed his own nervousness.

His voice boomed a second time, even more vehemently, "Are you deaf? Drop your damn gun!"

A grin tugged at the corners of Tia's mouth, her anger finding its target in the scumbag before her.

'What is the point of a hostage I don't care about?'

Without uttering a word, Tia flicked her wrist, and the room echoed with the man's agonizing screams as all his fingers on the hand holding the gun contorted in the opposite direction. With a thud, the firearm clattered to the floor.

"Haha!" Her laughter exploded like wildfire—her eyes ablaze with vibrant, colorful light. The man's knees gave way, cracking and bending to the side, and another soul-shattering scream escaped him.

"Ahhhh!!!!" He remained suspended, held by her power as if he were a mere puppet, while a wet patch formed in the crouch of his pants.

Her thirst for vengeance fueled her desire to make him suffer a thousandfold for the pain he inflicted on her dear cousin. However, her ruthless determination faltered as she glimpsed the fear in the eyes of the still-bound teenagers.

'No, if I torture someone in front of her... she will think of me as a monster.'

In an instant, a brilliant blue light burst forth from the muzzle of her gun, obliterating the man's head. A red-hot mark appeared on the wall behind him, and his headless body crumpled beside the fallen weapon.

<Basic Telekinesis V (69%)> --> 72%

The hostage girl remained motionless, paralyzed by overwhelming fear.

Tia paid no heed to the pathetic criminal; he was unworthy of her attention.

Her focus was solely on her cousin as if the remaining hostages didn't exist.

'Will she recognize me? Will she still like me or fear me?'

Her eyes gleamed with power as the ropes and cloth binding her cousin gently unraveled.

To her astonishment, the girl she had just freed sprang to her feet and, like a human arrow, threw herself at Tia. In the next moment, a warm hug enveloped her, the affection and warmth washing over her like a soothing balm, erasing all worries and fears.

'She doesn't hate me...' Tia realized, her heart swelling with relief and gratitude.