Scene 1: The Hunt Begins

  The man in the black suit stood at the edge of a desolate clearing, his sharp eyes scanning the faint traces in the soil. The cold morning mist clung to his coat as he knelt down, pulling a sleek, futuristic device from his pocket—a Moticon.

  He activated it with a flick of his wrist. The device emitted a faint, violet beam, sweeping across the area. Almost immediately, it detected an anomaly—a faint trace of gas hovering just above the ground. Invisible to the human eye, but not to him.

  He smirked.

  “So… they did land here.”

  The Moticon beeped softly, confirming the chemical composition: a gaseous compound rare on Earth but common on certain alien worlds. The reading was faint, almost imperceptible—a sign that only a few ships had landed.

  “Just a few of them… but why?” he muttered, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

  The clearing revealed no remnants of the ship itself. No wreckage, no debris. Just a lingering trace of their presence. It was as if they had simply vanished into thin air.

  But the man knew better. They were hiding. And he was getting closer.

  ---

  Scene 2: The Exam of Deception

  The next day, at Westbridge College, students shuffled into the astronomy lecture hall with weary expressions. Professor Morris stood at the front, his face stern but composed. In his hand, he held a stack of papers—the exam he had meticulously designed.

  It wasn’t just any exam.

  It was a test. Not for academic performance, but for something far more important.

  He cleared his throat, addressing the students with his usual calm yet authoritative tone.

  “Alright, everyone. You may begin.”

  The hall filled with the sound of scribbling pens and anxious sighs. Most students stared at the questions in confusion. The concepts were beyond their curriculum—complex theories that only seasoned astronomers could hope to understand.

  Yet, in the middle of the room, three students wrote steadily: Kael, Lyra, and Amelia.

  Kael’s hand moved fluidly, his eyes narrowing in concentration. For him, the questions were laughably simple—a child’s puzzle compared to the knowledge ingrained in his alien mind. Lyra, sitting beside him, deliberately wrote at a slower pace, pretending to struggle. She occasionally scribbled a few wrong answers, playing the part of an ordinary student.

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Meanwhile, Amelia pressed her lips together, her brow furrowed. She struggled with a few questions but held her own, determined not to give in to the exam’s difficulty.

  When the bell rang, signaling the end, students groaned in disappointment. Many left the hall looking defeated.

  Professor Morris collected the sheets, his eyes lingering on Kael and Lyra for a moment longer than necessary.

  ---

  Scene 3: A Gentle Connection

  Outside the hall, Amelia spotted Kael leaning against a pillar, casually watching the other students leave. Her eyes still carried traces of disappointment as she approached him.

  “Hey, Kael… how was the exam?” she asked, trying to sound casual, but her voice gave away her frustration.

  Kael turned, flashing her a soft smile.

  “Oh, it was… good, I guess,” he said with an easy shrug.

  Amelia blinked in surprise.

  “Good? You must be really smart, then… mine was a total disaster.”

  She let out a small sigh, clearly disheartened.

  “I think I need to work a lot harder.”

  Kael’s smile faded slightly. He could sense the frustration in her voice—the self-doubt gnawing at her. He offered her a reassuring glance.

  “Hey, don’t be like that. It was just an exam—it doesn’t define your future,” he said softly.

  Amelia smiled faintly, but her eyes still held a shadow of doubt.

  “Thanks, Kael. It’s just… my mother has high expectations for me.”

  Her voice lowered slightly, the weight of her words pulling at her shoulders.

  “She’s… kind of a big deal. I can’t disappoint her.”

  Kael’s brow furrowed slightly, sensing the burden in her voice.

  “Hey… you didn’t choose to be born, right?” he said quietly.

  “So why does she get to put all her expectations on you? Love isn’t a trade—it’s unconditional. If she truly loves you, she’ll be proud of you no matter what.”

  For a moment, Amelia stared at him, speechless. His words caught her off guard—so genuine, so unexpected.

  Before she could respond, Lyra suddenly appeared, her eyes sharp and impatient.

  “Sorry, Amelia. I need to borrow my brother for today.”

  She offered a forced smile and practically dragged Kael away before Amelia could protest.

  ---

  Scene 4: Sibling Tension

  Once they were out of sight, Kael frowned and yanked his arm free.

  “Hey! What was that for?” he pouted, rubbing his wrist.

  Lyra shot him a sharp glare.

  “You shouldn’t be talking to humans unless necessary,” she snapped.

  “We’re here for a mission, Kael. Not to make connections.”

  Kael’s expression fell. The warmth from his conversation with Amelia faded, replaced by the cold reminder of their true purpose.

  Lyra crossed her arms, watching him carefully.

  “Anyway, did you answer all the questions today?”

  Kael blinked, slightly confused.

  “Yeah, of course. It was easy.”

  He grinned smugly, clearly pleased with himself.

  Without warning, Lyra smacked him on the back of the head.

  “Ow! What the hell, Lyra?!” Kael yelped, pouting as he rubbed the spot.

  Lyra glared at him.

  “You idiot! Morris was testing us. He’s suspicious!” She jabbed a finger at his chest.

  “You shouldn’t have answered everything so perfectly.”

  Kael’s grin faded as realization hit him. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

  “Oh… whoops.”

  Lyra let out a frustrated sigh, trying to think of a way to cover their tracks.

  ---

  Scene 5: The Enforcer Strikes

  Back in his office, Professor Morris sat at his desk, flipping through the students’ exam papers. He came to Kael’s sheet and paused, his eyes narrowing.

  Perfect answers. Precise, detailed, and articulate. Far beyond what a college student should be capable of.

  His fingers tightened slightly around the page. He then reached for Lyra’s. Her answers were clever—intentionally flawed in places—but still suspiciously advanced.

  Morris rubbed his temple, his mind spinning. His grandmother’s story echoed faintly in his memory—the one about otherworldly beings. He shook his head, unwilling to entertain the thought fully, but the doubt lingered.

  *Before he could dwell on it further, the door to his office burst open with a loud BANG.

  The man in the black suit strolled in, his cold eyes locking onto Morris.

  “Well, well, well… what do we have here?”

  His voice dripped with mockery.

  “Just a small fish on the hunt for a bigger one.”

  Morris’s eyes widened. He stood, trembling slightly.

  “Who are you? What do you want?”

  The man’s lips curled into a cruel smile.

  “Oh, come on. A village boy turned professor? I had a hard time finding your records, but I managed.”

  Morris’s face paled.

  “H-How do you know that?”

  The man casually gestured toward the necklace around Morris’s neck.

  “That necklace. Hand it over.”

  Morris clutched the chain protectively, his knuckles white.

  “No… it was my grandmother’s. It’s all I have left of her.”

  The man’s eyes narrowed darkly.

  “Oh, you fool… it’s more than just a necklace.”

  He lunged forward, his hand raised to strike. But before his blow could land, a hand shot out and caught his wrist.

  Someone had blocked him