The morning light crept slowly across the quiet streets, washing the city in pale silver. It was an ordinary day for most — except for two girls whose lives had stopped being ordinary long ago.

  Luna stirred first, stretching under her blanket. Her gaze drifted to the small black device resting beside her pillow — the one the System had given her the day she turned twelve. It blinked faintly, a tiny pulse of red that seemed to watch her breathe.

  One week remaining.

  In the next room, Sabrina was already awake. She sat by the window, her reflection dimly mirrored in the glass. The old storybook they had taken out the night before lay open beside her — the one filled with myths of heroes and villains from the days before the System.

  Saint Midrandir. Angela the Amazon Warrior. Professor Ludwig. Shaman Nightwolf.

  And opposite them, the names that parents once whispered as warnings: Melisandra. Zola the Mad. Monstrum, the living abomination.

  When Luna joined her, rubbing sleep from her eyes, Sabrina closed the book. “You still like the old stories?”

  Luna nodded. “They made sense. Heroes fought villains, and everyone knew who was who.”

  Sabrina gave a small, bitter smile. “Not anymore.”

  Downstairs, Denis was making breakfast. The smell of toast and coffee filled the air — simple comforts in a world where comfort had become rare. When the girls entered the kitchen, Denis greeted them warmly, trying not to notice how pale they both looked.

  “Big day at school?” Denis asked.

  Sabrina shrugged. “Just lessons. Nothing special.”

  “Mm.” Denis studied them briefly, sensing something under their words. That faint tension again. Denis wanted to ask — what’s wrong, girls? — but instead, he just smiled and said, “Don’t forget to eat.”

  After school, when they returned home, the devices came alive again — faint light spreading across their small screens. A message appeared, this time longer than usual.

  From: Melisandra

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  “You have been selected for a special assignment. Locate and interrogate the following individuals. They possess information regarding the Central Bank’s vault systems. Extraction is required. No witnesses.”

  Below the message, three faces appeared. Ordinary men and women — workers, perhaps. People who looked more tired than dangerous.

  The final line of the message froze them both:

  Reward: Melisandra’s personal approval.

  Failure: A month of engineered nightmares.

  Sabrina’s voice broke the silence first. “They’re not criminals… are they?”

  Luna stared at the screen, her brow furrowed. “No. Just people. But the device doesn’t care.”

  They sat in silence for a long time, listening to the faint hum of the house.

  Finally, Sabrina stood. “We’ll do it our way. Scare them, but don’t hurt anyone.”

  Luna looked up. “What if the System knows?”

  “Then we’ll make it look convincing,” Sabrina said, her tone sharp with determination.

  That night, the sisters crept through empty streets — shadows moving through fog. Sabrina whispered to stray cats, commanding them softly, and they followed her like silent soldiers. Luna’s power slithered across the walls — dark tendrils that mimicked her movements, watching everything.

  They found the first of the marked “targets” — a middle-aged man closing a small shop. The girls stepped from the darkness, masks of shadow and illusion hiding their faces.

  Sabrina spoke first, her voice low, distorted. “You know what we want.”

  The man stammered, terrified. Luna’s shadow reached toward him, flickering just close enough to make him drop to his knees.

  After a few frantic moments, they had enough — random words, frightened pleas. They didn’t care about the answers. They just wanted it to seem real.

  By the end of the night, three “interrogations” were done. No one was hurt. The girls stood on the rooftop above the city, wind howling between them.

  Sabrina exhaled. “Do you think it’s enough?”

  Luna nodded. “They’ll believe it. We did what they asked… just not how they wanted.”

  When they returned home, it was past midnight. Denis was sitting by the window, pretending to read, but really waiting. They slipped inside quietly — too quietly. He noticed the faint smudges on their hands, the look in their eyes that no child should have.

  But he said nothing. Just smiled and said, “You’re late. Wash up — there’s still some dinner left.”

  They nodded, grateful that I didn’t ask more.

  Later, as they lay in bed, their devices glowed once more.

  Task complete.

  Melisandra is… intrigued. Approval pending.

  Luna glanced at her sister. “Intrigued?”

  Sabrina forced a small smile. “Better than punished.”

  Neither of them noticed that the light didn’t fade this time. It stayed glowing — faint, steady, red.

  Watching. Waiting.