Escape from the flames

Karmin found online a former real estate broker who was quite famous for making contracts in cash and on the spot, without needing much of a deposit. She was called Madame Rita Lim.

The siblings wanted to get life insurance first, but when they saw that they would have to provide information about their income and location, they decided it was better not to risk having their information leaked until they were completely safe.

"Barlon, let's go, I've already talked to this lady, she warned us that we need to go to her office, to meet us and today we can buy a house without having to provide details of where we live."

"Okay, I'll get ready and go with you," Barlon replied.

Without wasting time, the two began to get ready and left to meet Madame Rita's office, her office was located in an upscale neighborhood.

When they arrived at the location, they didn't need to be frisked, as the receptionist had already been warned about their visit.

The environment had soft carpets and crystal chandeliers. Barlon felt like a stray dog that entered a purebred kennel.

Madame Rita herself was a whirlwind of feelings, she was spectacularly beautiful, her hair was a bit white with age, but she was still as beautiful as no other woman.

"Ah, Mr. Sena," she vibrated, her voice mixed with an exotic accent, "Hello! You and your sister must be the buyers, am I right?"

Barlon was a little shy about being called by his last name, with a sigh, he picked up the fisherman's hat that was resting in his lap and put it back on.

"You must be Madame Rita, my sister told me about you, you're right, ma'am, I want to buy a house immediately, could you help us?"

Madame Rita's smile widened into a dazzling smile. "Of course, Mr. Sena. My clients have my help as a priority." She then pointed to a more luxurious door. "I will contact the seller of the house, please make yourselves comfortable. I will prepare some things for us to leave, while you can relax in the living room."

When they settled in, Karmin was vibrating with nervous energy. "This is amazing! Imagine, a real house, not that cramped apartment…"

Barlon was less certain. Something about Madame Rita's elegance seemed… polished, almost too perfect. There was a glow in her eyes that he couldn't identify. Was it just a keen business sense or something more?

Before Madame Rita entered another door to do paperwork, she looked at the fisherman's hat that Barlon was wearing. For a moment, Barlon could swear that her impeccable facade cracked, revealing a glimpse of something cold and calculating. He shuddered, the office suddenly seeming less luxurious, more… predatory.

The voice of the jellyfish arose in his mind, weak, but urgent: "A wish fulfilled draws attention, bearer. A being, is watching you. Your fortune awakened something…"

Barlon's heart pounded. He thought about the news report, the lottery winner dead. Was this the invisible price the jellyfish had warned about?

Without waiting and trusting that he was in danger, he quickly looked at where Madame had entered and took the opportunity to communicate with his sister:

"Karmin, I'm feeling something wrong about that lady, as if she knew about the hat, what are we going to do?"

Karmin, hearing this, was surprised, she thought her brother was joking about that ragged hat that their grandfather had given to Barlon. She just smiled and decided to ignore her little brother's question.

However, it was when something that caught them both by surprise, the place where the two were became much hotter, as if the floor was being boiled…

"Sister!!! That lady is her, I'm sure of it. I'm going after her."

Barlon didn't even wait for his sister's answer, and ran to the door where that lady had entered. The floor was hot and seemed to get hotter every second, when trying to touch the doorknob, he felt as if he had touched a pan on a lit fire.

However, with a strong push, he managed to open the door and when he saw what was inside, his heart almost stopped.

A three-headed being with the appearance of a dog, almost 4 meters tall and a fire so strong that even looking at it made his eyes tear up.

Madame Rita was smiling at him, and a small red cap was by her side. That cap had the appearance of real art of a cerberus, with openings on both sides and the main colors were red and yellow.

Barlon backed away, with a choked scream in his throat. Even with the intense heat, the sight before him defied comprehension. The monstrous three-headed beast, straight out of ancient myth, its eyes shone with infernal rage and its three jaws snarled, spewing smoke and fire from its mouth.

Barlon's mind raced. The cerberus being, the enigmatic jellyfish… everything turned into a horrible understanding. He was not being hunted FOR HIS money; but for the wish he had asked for.

"Calm down Bearer, you must invoke me, otherwise this being will kill you."

The jellyfish then mentally passed on how to free her again. Without wasting time Barlon took the cap off his head and stuck his hand inside the cap.

Madame Rita saw and without wasting time ordered Cerberus to attack. The being with the three heads opened its mouths and shot a jet of fire in his direction.

Barlon closed his eyes and prayed for the little jellyfish to save him.

"Transparent Barrier—"

Pow!

Everything went silent, Barlon couldn't hear anything, his senses were confused, before he went a little deaf, he had heard something hitting and breaking in the midst of all the confusion.

The room was full of smoke, the Jellyfish had disappeared and without wasting time Barlon ran out of that place. The whole place was filled with a weak smoke, he ran out while looking for his sister.

"Barlon, where are you? Barlon!!!"

Upon hearing that voice, he didn't waste time and went after his sister and as soon as he got close to her he shouted:

"Let's get out of here fast Kamin, this place is going to catch fire, we have to run!"

Karmin was scared, but when she saw her brother she didn't think twice and decided that she would leave that place, as it really seemed to have been some explosion in the place it was so hot.

"And Madame Rita, do you know what happened to her?"

Barlon didn't have time to tell about that woman and didn't even know how she was, but he was sure that if it wasn't for the Jellyfish protecting him at the last moment, he would have died.

"She's fine" he replied "She must have run away after the explosion, sister, we'll see her later, for now it's better to run or we won't be able to escape from here anymore."

So Karmin followed his advice and the two left that place, it was total chaos and no one knew who had set fire to such a privileged place. And no one saw when the two brothers had fled.