The Bigshot's Superstar Wife

Athena's breath hitched as she watched the creature shift its grotesque form, its elongated limbs stretching unnaturally as it sniffed the air.

The way it moved, slow and deliberate, was far too intelligent for a mindless beast. It knew they were there. It was searching for them.

Xavier motioned for everyone to stay low. The team moved swiftly, pressing themselves against the ruins for cover, but Athena knew it wouldn't be enough.

She could feel the weight of the creature's attention, an invisible pressure that made her skin crawl.

This wasn't like fighting zombies, those things attacked mindlessly, drawn only to sound and movement. But this? This monster was calculating. It was hunting them.

A guttural growl rumbled from its throat, its head snapping in their direction with unnatural speed.

Its face was wrong, where a human's eyes should be, there were deep, glowing slits, like molten embers burning beneath decayed flesh.

The moment its gaze locked onto their hiding spot, Athena knew they had no choice but to fight. "Scatter!" Xavier shouted.

The team burst into motion as the creature lunged. Athena barely had time to roll out of the way before a massive clawed limb crashed into the ground where she had been crouching, sending debris flying.

Dust clouded her vision, but she pushed forward, drawing her sword in one smooth motion. Gunfire erupted around her as the others opened fire, bullets tearing into the monster's flesh.

But it didn't stagger, it didn't even flinch. The wounds closed almost instantly, the flesh knitting itself back together as if it had never been damaged in the first place.

Regeneration. Just like the zergs from her dreams. Athena gritted her teeth and charged, her sword glowing faintly as she slashed at the beast's side.

The moment the blade made contact, red-glowing butterflies burst into the air, flickering like dying embers before vanishing.

A deep gash opened across the creature's torso, but unlike with bullets, this wound didn't close. The monster shrieked, its voice a twisted mixture of rage and agony.

It worked.

Athena barely had time to react before the creature retaliated. It lashed out with its elongated arm, and she twisted her body to avoid the strike, feeling the air shift violently beside her.

She rolled, using the momentum to spring back to her feet, but the monster was fast. Too fast. It pivoted unnaturally, one of its clawed limbs whipping toward her like a blade.

She braced for impact, but before it could land, Xavier was there. He moved like a blur, faster than humanly possible, slamming a heavy, reinforced blade into the creature's attacking limb.

The force of the strike sent vibrations up Athena's arms, and for a brief moment, she saw something flicker in Xavier's eyes. A dark, almost gleeful spark.

"Not bad," he murmured, barely sparing her a glance before twisting the blade and forcing the monster backward.

The fight descended into chaos. The team moved with precision, dodging and countering as best they could, but it was clear that conventional weapons were useless.

Only Athena's sword seemed to do any real damage, and even then, the wounds she inflicted weren't enough to put the creature down.

"We need to take out its head," Xavier called, slicing at one of the monster's legs to slow it down. "That's the only way!"

Athena gritted her teeth. Easier said than done. The creature was too fast, its limbs too unpredictable. Every time she tried to get close, it countered with a speed that defied logic.

Then, without warning, it changed tactics. Instead of attacking, it let out a piercing screech, the sound so high-pitched it rattled Athena's skull.

She stumbled, her vision blurring for a split second, and that was all it needed. It lunged.

She barely had time to raise her sword before the monster was on her, its claws slicing through her shoulder like a hot knife through butter.

Pain exploded through her body as she was thrown backward, crashing into a broken concrete pillar. Her head spun, her vision blackening at the edges, but she forced herself to stay conscious.

Blood dripped down her arm. She could feel the warmth of it soaking into her clothes, but she couldn't stop now. She wouldn't.

Through the haze of pain, she saw the creature closing in, its mouth stretching open to reveal rows of jagged, needle-like teeth. It was going to finish her off.

Athena took a deep breath and focused. The sword in her hand pulsed, and suddenly, she was no longer in the ruined city.

For the briefest moment, she saw the world from her dreams, the interstellar battlefield, the burning skies, the endless war.

She saw the man with long black hair, his piercing eyes locking onto hers as he raised his own blade.

Fight, his voice whispered in her mind. Athena's grip tightened. When her vision snapped back to reality, time seemed to slow. The monster lunged, but this time, she was ready.

She sidestepped with inhuman precision, her sword already swinging. The glowing blade sliced clean through the creature's neck, and for a second, nothing happened.

Then, with a sickening crack, its head slid off its shoulders.

The monster let out a strangled gurgle before collapsing to the ground, its body convulsing violently. The embers in its eyes flickered, dimmed… and then died out completely.

Silence. The team stood frozen, their breaths heavy, their weapons still raised as they watched the creature's corpse disintegrate into ash.

Athena exhaled shakily, forcing herself to remain upright despite the searing pain in her shoulder.

Xavier stepped beside her, his eyes locked onto the remains of the creature. Then, slowly, he turned to her, his expression unreadable.

"That sword of yours," he murmured. "It's not from Earth, is it?"

Athena didn't answer. She couldn't. Because deep down, she knew the truth. And she wasn't ready to face it yet.

Xavier's gaze lingered on her, his usual smirk absent as he studied her expression. Athena tightened her grip on the sword, feeling its strange energy still pulsing beneath her fingers.

The truth was right in front of her, undeniable. This weapon, her dreams, the strange familiarity with interstellar warfare, it all pointed to something beyond Earth.

She exhaled, trying to steady her thoughts. "I don't know where it came from," she finally said, though the words felt like a lie.

Xavier's lips curled slightly. "Liar."

Athena didn't respond. She simply turned away, watching as the ashes of the creature drifted into the wind.