The road to the observatory had no name.
Just cracked asphalt, overgrown edges, and silence.
A black vehicle rolled slowly up the slope, headlights cutting through the early morning fog.
Inside, three agents sat in silence.
On the dashboard, a tablet displayed a blinking signal.
Seven faint pulses.
All clustered in one location.
"Confirm the reading," Agent Kellan said.
The driver tapped the screen. "Confirmed. Same energy signature as the incident site."
In the passenger seat, Agent Mirael adjusted her glasses.
"They didn't disperse," she said. "They stayed together."
Kellan leaned back slightly.
"Good," he said. "Makes our job easier."
The vehicle slowed.
Ahead, through the fog, the outline of the abandoned observatory emerged.
Old.
Quiet.
Perfect for hiding.
Kellan's eyes narrowed.
"Looks like we found them."
Inside the observatory, Ava was asleep on the floor.
Mira sat nearby, sketching absentmindedly in a notebook.
Luna watched the horizon through a broken window.
Riven stood behind her.
"You've been staring out there for ten minutes," Riven said.
Luna didn't turn. "Something feels off."
Riven crossed her arms. "Define 'off.'"
"Like…" Luna hesitated. "Like we're being watched."
Riven's expression didn't change.
"Nyra."
Nyra was already standing.
Her bracelet pulsed faintly.
"I feel it too."
Ava groaned from the floor. "Please don't say that first thing in the morning."
Mira closed her notebook. "What is it?"
Nyra looked toward the distant road.
"Human presence."
Riven's voice dropped.
"How many?"
"Three," Nyra replied.
"And they're getting closer."
Outside, the vehicle came to a stop a few hundred meters from the observatory.
The engine shut off.
Silence returned.
Kellan stepped out first.
Cold air hit his face as he looked up at the structure.
"Scanners on," he said.
Mirael stepped beside him, activating a handheld device.
The screen lit up immediately.
Seven signals.
Stronger now.
Closer.
"Confirmed," she said quietly. "They're here."
Kellan smiled faintly.
"Then let's not scare them off."
Inside, tension snapped into place.
Riven moved fast.
"Everyone up."
Ava sat up immediately. "What's happening?"
"We've got visitors," Riven said.
"Aliens?" Mira asked.
Nyra shook her head.
"No."
Riven's eyes hardened.
"Worse."
Luna moved to another window.
"I see them."
She ducked slightly.
"Three people. Not armed… at least not obviously."
Ava stood up. "So what do we do?"
Riven thought for a second.
Then:
"We don't transform."
Mira blinked. "Wait, what?"
"They're human," Riven said. "We don't reveal anything unless we have to."
Nyra added quietly:
"They already know something."
That made it worse.
Outside, Kellan and Mirael slowly approached the observatory entrance.
No sudden movements.
No weapons drawn.
Just calm, controlled steps.
Kellan spoke under his breath.
"If they're inside, they already know we're here."
Mirael nodded.
"Then this becomes a conversation."
Kellan smirked slightly.
"Or a very short mission."
Inside, the girls gathered near the center of the observatory.
Ava whispered, "This is bad."
Mira nodded. "This is really bad."
Luna looked at Riven. "Are we fighting them?"
Riven shook her head.
"No."
Nyra's eyes flickered gold.
"They're not here to fight."
"Then why are they here?" Ava asked.
Riven didn't answer immediately.
But she already knew.
"To find us."
The old observatory door creaked open.
Footsteps echoed inside.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Agent Kellan stepped into the room.
His eyes scanned everything.
Then stopped.
Seven girls.
Exactly where the signal said they would be.
He smiled faintly.
"Well," he said calmly.
"That saves us a lot of time."
Silence filled the room.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Then Mirael stepped beside him.
Her scanner lit up brightly.
Seven signals confirmed.
She looked at them carefully.
"You don't need to be afraid," she said.
Ava whispered, "That's usually a bad sign."
Kellan raised his hands slightly.
"We're not here to hurt you."
Riven finally stepped forward.
Her voice was cold.
"Then say why you're here."
Kellan's eyes locked onto hers.
"We represent Trapply."
The name hung in the air.
"We've been looking for you."
Nyra's bracelet pulsed once.
Hard.
And somewhere far away…
A hunter smiled.
Because now…
The game had truly begun.