Alrik watched it happen in slow motion, and he moved so fast that none of the others in court saw what he did. All the felt was a slight breeze, and the next thing, the gunman was unarmed, and bent over with a bleeding nose. The court's security personnel rushed forward to apprehend the gun man while Alrik sat calmly next to Eliza and held her close. He was pissed off, but he decided not to show it to avoid suspicion.

Eliza was startled because she had barely seen the gun pointed in her direction for a second before it was gone. She looked at her husband, and immediately understood that it was his doing. Even she hadn't seen what he did because of how fast he moved, despite already knowing he had that ability. Now she was glad her husband wasn't normal, else she would be dead.

The judge tried to call the court to order, but it took several minutes after the shock of a murder almost committed in the court room. The judge tried to use the opportunity to extend the trial, and see if they could find a way to make the case turn in favour of the Pratt family. But Lawyer Koen was not having it.

"Your honour, the security has checked the rest of us present, and no weapons are present. The trial is all but done, all we need is the verdict and we can move on. There is no need for an extension."

The Pratt family's lawyer, Thran, also tried to argue for the extension to be approved, but the judge sighed. It was out of his hands now. Koen's point was valid, and the judge knew that if he extended the trial, he would be heavily criticised and suspected of foul play.

"Okay then, settle down. I'll give the verdict now."

Koen smiled as sat. Everyone waited while the jury announced their own verdict, and the judge concluded.

"In the case of the Pratt family Vs Eliza Crest, this court finds Eliza Crest innocent of all charges of assault and attempted murder."

Koen scoffed as he stood. "Just like that?"

"Your client won the case. Isn't that what you were here for? What more do you want?" The judge asked.

"Is there to be no punishment for the people who horribly accused my client, and caused her mental, emotional and financial distress? They should be fined at least, pending…"

"Mr Koen. This case is not against the Pratt family. It's against your client and she has been cleared of all wrong doing. The court is dismissed."

The judge left and people began to clear out.

"This isn't over." Henry Pratt snapped as he came closer to where Eliza and Alrik were seated with smiles on their faces.

Alrik just smirked. "I know it's not over. We still have one more ridiculous lawsuit you filed, which we will win as well. And now we have enough reason to not just kick you out of the company for good, but to sue you for defamation, slander, evidence tampering, bribery, and more. Word of advice, enjoy what little time of freedom you all have. You'll either be rotting in jail, or wallowing in poverty soon. Neither of those are pleasant options."

He stood with Eliza and walked out, to find the next court room for the next case. But when they got there, they were informed that the lawsuit had been dropped by the Pratt family.

"Something finally knocked some sense into them."

"They knew they would lose, and wanted to avoid further embarrassment. They're probably hiding somewhere now since there's a mob outside just waiting to harass them on sight." Alrik laughed.

"How the tables have turned. The same thing they planned to do to me."

"What's your next step, wife? I told you I'd handle this. But we still need to do some damage control." Alrik said and she nodded.

"For starters, I know my company phone lines are ringing non stop now. Requests for interviews from reporters, apologies from affiliated companies that were against us while I was a suspect, and requests from new investors now that my name has been cleared. But I'll deal with all of that tomorrow. For now, let's go on a date, husband. It's been a while." She smiled and he grabbed her waist.

"You're right. Where would you like to go?" He asked and she shrugged.

"Surprise me."

They got in the car while he searched for nearby places they could have their spontaneous date. Then suddenly, their car lurched and spun around twice before coming to a stop.

"What…" Alrik trailed off as he realised that this wasn't caused by reckless driving.

Even as their car had stopped, it was still shaking.

"It's an earthquake sir."

Tires screeched as more cars were forced to stop abruptly, just like theirs.

"It's safer to stay in the car, especially since we're in the middle of the road. No danger of anything collapsing on us." Alrik said and held Eliza tight as the earthquake seemed to get stronger.

The car moved forward suddenly and Eliza nearly screamed. Horns began to go off, unintentionally set off by startled drivers, and they began to hear sounds of glass breaking from some closeby cars.

Alrik began to feel a weird energy, and he realised that the earthquake might not be normal. He wasn't close enough to the house to discuss with Zee, and he didn't want to risk soul walking and losing time when Eliza was here with him. Emergency alerts began pinging on their phones as the shaking began to subside.

It took almost twenty minutes before the earthquake stopped completely.

"Don't drive yet. There may be after shocks. Wait ten minutes." Alrik instructed the driver, and then checked the news.

Several reports were coming in from around Velmorra. Multiple buildings collapsed. Several accidents. Many were injured. Some are missing. There had never been an earthquake in the country of Velmorra before now, so they were grossly unprepared for such an occurrence. That was another clue to Alrik that this was not a normal occurrence. He had a dreadful feeling in the pit of his stomach.

He remembered his vision of the beasts crawling out from the ground and wondered if this was an effect of that premonition. When it was safe to drive, the driver started the car. But there was traffic. A few cars had almost crashed into each other, and some had been abandoned by scared drivers. It took almost an hour longer than usual before they arrived home, but none of the others were back yet.

As soon as he was in the house, Zee spoke to him.

"You felt that, didn't you? I can feel it stronger than you, and if I had a body, I would shudder in revulsion."

"What the heck was that?"

"You know the answer, Alrik. It has begun. The beasts are getting stronger, and soon, they will no longer be confined to portals on the outskirts, and borders. Portals will open wherever they please. Red ones have spawned."

Zee was right. Alrik had already guessed the cause of the earthquake, but hearing confirmation was more nerve wracking.

"Is there a way to prevent them from ever gaining access here in the first place? Preventing their entry is better than waiting to fight them off."

"There is a way, but you won't be strong enough to do it in time. We must begin your training immediately and bond. Right now, our best option is defence."

"I'd still like to know regardless. Tell me how to permanently stop more beasts from gaining greater control over the portal."

"To do that, you must visit the world of beasts. There is a hive where the beasts are spawned from. You must retrieve the power source at the centre of that hive, and destroy it. To cross worlds, your power level needs to be at least at eight."

"What level of power am I at now? The few abilities I've unlocked should be enough to get me a three at least, right? I even saved Eliza with my speed."

"You're not even a level one, Alrik. What you have is raw energy that needs a channel. You can only summon your abilities now under duress, or to save your loved one. To be a level one, you need to be able to summon your ability at will. Control, instead of being controlled."

Alrik sighed. "That sucks."

"Spend time with your family. Soon, you'll be too busy to meet with them. And get enough rest. Our first training session will start at midnight."

"So what's the verdict?" Eliza asked as Alrik came down to meet her.

"My guess was right. The earthquake is not a good sign. I have to start training with Zee as soon as possible. Apparently, on a scale of one to ten, I'm not even at level one of my power. I need to master my abilities."

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