The police had arrived just in time. They took the remaining guards into custody, but I could tell they didn't understand the full scope of what had happened. To them, we were just victims. But they didn't know what we'd just been through. They didn't know the kind of monsters we had to face.
As the chaos started to settle, I saw the girl from the auction. She was free now, standing with the officers, her wide eyes full of gratitude as she clutched her arms to herself. She was safe.
And then I saw the detective, standing just a little farther off, wiping the blood from his hands with the back of his sleeve. He didn't seem phased. He was already thinking about the next step.
Emilia and I stood there, watching him. It had been a long fight, but in a way, it was just the beginning. We owed him everything.
"Detective," I called out, my voice a little quieter now, "you saved us."
He turned, his eyes sharp but tired. "You saved yourselves," he replied.
But I could see it in his eyes. He wasn't done. He couldn't be.
And that's when he did something I hadn't expected. He knelt down in front of us, his gaze softening just a little. "Byron. Emilia. I want to adopt you."
I blinked, not sure if I'd heard him correctly. He wanted to take us in? After everything we'd just been through?
"The world isn't safe for kids with powers like yours," he continued, standing up again. "But with me, you'll learn how to use them properly. I'll train you. And you'll be safe."
Emilia smiled faintly. I felt a weight lifting off my shoulders, the uncertainty about our future starting to fade. We weren't just orphans anymore. We had a home.
The detective, who had been just a shadow in the chaos, was now the one person who saw us for who we were—and who could protect us from the world that had tried to break us.
"We're a team now," he said.
And just like that, we were no longer alone.
It's funny how things change. I used to think my life was a mess, that I'd never find a way out of the Black Market, that I'd always be a slave to my powers. But then Detective S. came into our lives, and he gave us a chance—one that didn't come with chains or cages.
We started fresh. The detective adopted us—Emilia Cole and Byron Cole. A new name. A new life. And with him, we weren't just students. We were partners. A team. And our story was just beginning.
It was fun until the new case arrive with a terrible luck where we lost our precious master.