[Secrets revealed]

The Next Morning

Amira groaned as sunlight streamed through her window, stabbing straight into her eyes like a cruel joke from the universe. She rolled onto her side, burying her face into the pillow.

Everything felt off.

Her body ached, her mind was sluggish, and worst of all—her vision still had that faint haze at the edges. It wasn’t as bad as last night, but it was still there.

She sighed and forced herself to get up.

As she stumbled into the hallway, the smell of fried eggs and coffee hit her.

Breakfast. Right.

Dragging herself to the kitchen, she found her mom standing by the stove, flipping pancakes with expert precision. At the table, her two older sisters were already seated—Kora, dressed in her usual grease-stained coveralls, scrolling through her phone, and Stacy, perfectly put together in a sharp blouse, sipping her coffee like it contained the last bit of her sanity.

“Morning, zombie,” Kora greeted without looking up.

“Mmgh,” Amira grunted, slumping into a chair.

Stacy raised an eyebrow. “Rough night?”

“You have no idea,” Amira muttered, reaching for some toast.

Their mom, a woman who somehow always looked effortlessly put together despite raising three wildly different daughters, turned from the stove with a knowing look. “You’ve been pushing yourself too hard again, haven’t you?”

Amira froze mid-bite. “W-what? No, I’m fine.”

Stacy sighed, setting down her coffee. “You always say that, and then two days later, you end up passed out somewhere. Again.”

“First of all, rude,” Amira said, pointing her toast at her. “Second, I’m fine. Just tired.”

Kora finally looked up, narrowing her eyes. “Tired how? Like ‘school is exhausting’ tired or ‘I secretly got into some underground fight club and now I have to lie about it’ tired?”

Amira choked on her toast.

Their mom shot Kora a warning look. “Let your sister eat in peace.”

“I’m just saying,” Kora shrugged. “She looks off.”

Amira hesitated. She wanted to tell them. Maybe not everything, but at least that something was happening to her.

But what would she even say? Hey, so I might be losing my eyesight because of magic fire powers, but don’t worry, I think I’ve got it under control?

Yeah, no.

Instead, she forced a smirk. “I think I just stayed up too late watching movies. You know, totally normal teenage stuff.”

Kora didn’t look convinced, but Stacy just sighed. “Whatever. Just don’t drag yourself into an early grave.”

Their mom set down a fresh plate of pancakes in front of them. “Enough talk about graves at the table. Eat before you’re all late.”

Amira exhaled in relief and focused on her food.

Maybe today would be normal.

Maybe.

Amira went through the motions at school, forcing herself to act normal. She laughed at Ruby’s dumb jokes, half-listened to the teachers, and avoided any mention of her powers. The blur at the edge of her vision was still there, but she ignored it. If I don’t think about it, maybe it’ll go away.

At lunch, the group gathered at their usual spot under a big tree in the school courtyard.

“So,” Dave said, taking a bite of his sandwich, “since today isn’t life-threatening, what are we doing after school?”

Ruby perked up. “Ooh, let’s go to the arcade! They just got that new fighting game I wanna destroy you guys in.”

“Bold of you to assume you’ll win,” Sara said, smirking.

“I know I’ll win.”

Amira smiled, letting the casual banter distract her. A normal afternoon with her friends sounded nice. No powers. No monsters. Just fun.

“Arcade it is, then,” she said.

After School – Downtown

The arcade was loud and packed with people. The flashing neon lights, the sound of buttons mashing, and the occasional victory yell made for the perfect distraction.

Amira was actually enjoying herself—until it happened.

A deep, bone-shaking rumble tore through the city.

The laughter and noise in the arcade fell silent. People turned toward the windows, confusion turning into fear.

Then, the sirens blared.

Dungeon Break Detected.

[DUNGEON BREAK IN PROGRESS ESTIMATE TIME OF COMPLETION 75 MINUTES FAILURE TO COMPLETE WE LEAD TO ELIMINATION OF PLAYERS WITHIN THE DUNGEON BOUNDARY]

[Time starts now]

[4:45]

A cold chill ran down Amira’s spine.

“Oh, you’ve gotta be kidding me,” Ruby groaned.

Outside, the sky darkened unnaturally, and a jagged, swirling rift split open above the city square. A massive, clawed hand emerged first, followed by something far worse.

Screams filled the air as people ran in every direction. The monster—a hulking, armored beast with glowing red eyes—let out a deafening roar.

Amira’s heart pounded. She wasn’t ready for this.

“Guys,” Sara whispered. “We need to move.”

Dave pulled at her sleeve. “Amira, now’s not the time to freeze.”

But Amira wasn’t frozen. She was calculating. If I use my powers, what will it take this time?

She clenched her fists. No time to think. We need to stop that thing before it wrecks the entire city.

.

.

.

Kora and Stacy stood frozen as the chaos unfolded before them.

The monster in the city square let out a thunderous roar, shaking the very ground beneath them. The air was thick with dust and screams as people ran past, desperate to escape. But while others fled, Amira and her friends stepped forward.

Kora reached for her sister instinctively. “Amira, don’t—”

Too late.

Amira’s hands ignited with purple flames.

Kora and Stacy could only watch as their sister lunged toward the monster, the fire twisting around her fingers and forming a long, jagged sword. With a single, fluid motion, she sliced at the creature’s thick, armored leg, leaving a trail of burning embers in the air.

The monster recoiled, slamming a massive clawed hand into the pavement, cracking the asphalt. But before it could retaliate, Sara dashed in from the side, wind swirling around her like a storm. With a flick of her wrist, a powerful gust sent debris flying at the beast, momentarily distracting it.

"Ruby, now!" Amira shouted.

Ruby jumped forward, her hands glowing with bright blue energy. She slammed them onto the ground, and suddenly, ice erupted beneath the monster’s feet, freezing it in place.

Kora’s breath caught in her throat.

What the hell is happening?

This wasn’t just some freak accident. This wasn’t normal.

Her little sister—the same one who used to trip over her own shoelaces—was out there, fighting a giant monster with literal magic.

And all she and Stacy could do was watch.

The feeling of helplessness gnawed at them as the battle raged on.

Dave leaped onto a nearby car, charging up a ball of crackling electricity in his palms. He hurled it toward the beast, the impact sending sparks flying. The monster howled in rage, breaking free of the ice and swinging wildly. Amira barely dodged in time, rolling across the pavement before skidding to a stop.

Her vision blurred.

[25 MINUTES LEFT]

Not now, not now, she begged silently.

She forced herself to stand, gripping her sword tighter, even as the edges of her world flickered in and out of focus.

The fight dragged on, each second stretching unbearably. And through it all, Kora and Stacy could do nothing but stand on the sidelines, their hands clenched into fists, their bodies trembling with frustration.

They weren’t weak. They weren’t cowards. But here, in this moment, they were powerless.

And it was the worst feeling in the world.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Amira found an opening. With one final burst of speed, she drove her sword straight into the monster’s chest.

The creature let out a guttural roar before its body began to dissolve into particles of dark energy. Within seconds, it was gone—leaving only a crater where it once stood.

[5:47]

[DUNGEON BREAK HAS BEEN SUCESSFULLY COMPLETED]

The city was silent.

Amira stood there, breathing heavily, her body swaying.

Then, she collapsed to her knees.

Kora didn’t think. She ran.

"Amira!" she shouted, dropping beside her sister.

Amira’s vision wavered, but she forced a weak smile. “Hey, Kora… didn’t expect to see you here.”

Kora ignored the joke. “What the hell was that? What just happened? Since when do you—what was that?!”

Stacy arrived a second later, her face pale. "Amira… what did you just do?"

Amira swallowed hard. They saw everything.

There was no hiding it now.

She took a shaky breath and looked up at them.

“… It’s a long story.”

.

.

.

The ride home was tense.

Amira sat slumped in the backseat of Kora’s car, head resting against the window. She was exhausted—her body ached, her vision still flickered in and out of focus, and her mind was spinning with everything that had just happened.

Next to her, Ruby and Sara sat in complete silence, looking just as drained. Dave was staring at his phone, scrolling through what was clearly the trending news.

“Yeah, uh… we’re screwed,” he muttered, turning the screen so they could see.

#Mystery Teen Heroes Fight Monster Downtown!

#Dungeon Break Fighters?! Who Are They?

#Purple Flames? Ice? Wind? What Is Going On?!

Countless videos flooded social media, showing every second of the battle. Some were shaky phone recordings, others had captions theorizing who they were, and a few had even been edited into dramatic montages with music.

Amira groaned. “Oh, come on.”

Stacy, in the front seat, exhaled sharply. “You’re telling me this has been going on behind our backs?”

No one answered.

Kora tightened her grip on the steering wheel. “We’ll talk at home.”

The moment they stepped inside, their mom was already waiting for them, arms crossed, phone in hand, eyes filled with barely contained panic.

“Explain. Now.”

The five of them hesitated before awkwardly shuffling into the living room.

Kora and Stacy sat down across from them, their expressions unreadable. Their mom stood near the doorway, still waiting.

Amira sighed. “Okay, uh… this is going to sound crazy, but—”

“Oh, we know it’s crazy,” Stacy interrupted. “We just watched a video of you summoning fire swords and fighting a monster the size of a building.”

Kora leaned forward. “So, let’s start with the basics: What the hell is happening?”

Amira exchanged a look with her friends. There was no more running from this.

“…It started on Wednesday.”

And so, she began to explain.

She told them everything—about the mysterious voice in her head, the sudden appearance of powers, the first dungeon break, and how she and her friends had been fighting ever since. She left nothing out.

By the time she finished, the room was dead silent.

Kora leaned back, rubbing her face. Stacy had her arms crossed, deep in thought. Their mom just… stared.

Finally, Kora let out a short, humorless laugh. “So, let me get this straight—you’ve been fighting monsters all week, nearly dying, and you didn’t think to tell us?”

Amira winced. “I didn’t know how to.”

“That’s not an excuse, Amira!” Stacy snapped. “Do you have any idea how dangerous this is? You’re sixteen!”

“I know that!” Amira shot back, frustration bubbling up. “Do you think I wanted this to happen? I don’t even know why it’s happening! I just—” She paused, fists clenching. “I just didn’t want you guys to worry.”

“Well, congratulations,” Kora said dryly. “Now we’re extra worried.”

Their mom finally spoke, her voice quiet but firm.

“…You’re losing your vision, aren’t you?”

Amira stiffened.

Ruby, Sara, and Dave looked at her in shock. “Wait—what?”

Amira swallowed hard. She hadn’t told her friends yet.

Kora’s eyes widened. “Mom—what do you mean?”

Their mom sighed. “I noticed it this morning. You were squinting at your plate like you couldn’t see it properly.” She looked directly at Amira. “Tell me the truth. What’s happening to you?”

Amira exhaled. “Every time I use my powers… my vision gets worse. It starts blurry, then clears up. But I don’t know how long that will last.”

The silence that followed was heavy.

Stacy pinched the bridge of her nose. “This just keeps getting worse.”

“Then we figure it out,” Kora said firmly. “No more keeping secrets. You’re not dealing with this alone.”

Amira blinked, surprised. “You’re… not going to try to stop me?”

Kora sighed. “Amira, I want to. But it’s not like we can undo whatever this is. So, if you’re stuck with this, then we’re going to help you.”

Stacy groaned. “I hate that this makes sense.”

Their mom nodded. “We’ll figure this out as a family. No more hiding.”

Amira felt a weight lift off her chest.

“…Okay.”

For the first time in days, she felt like she could breathe.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***