But then Daphne's eyes shifted—three more figures, bound and bruised, barely conscious. Her heart sank as she recognized them.
No…
The assassins stood in front of them, grinning like predators. One of them stepped forward, his voice calm, mocking. "Nice little nest you've got here. Didn't expect a hidden base this close to the mansion." The others chuckled behind him like jackals circling prey.
He crouched low in front of the captives. "Let's start simple. Your ranks."
From her cover, Daphne's heart pounded. Reinforcements… these were the ones Jason called for? Her eyes narrowed.
Ethan… A-Rank. She'd seen him with Jason more than once. The guy next to him—B-Rank maybe... and— her breath caught.
Cindy.
Her roommate. Her friend. Tied up like an animal. She's a D-Rank… just like me...
The assassin stepped toward Ethan, admiring his calm. "You… I'm guessing B-Rank," he said, then paused, eyes narrowing. "No. You're better than that. A-Rank. You didn't even blink when I drew my knife." He chuckled darkly.
"Word is one of you sliced off my colleague's arm. Vortex, was it?" His tone turned sharp, eyes gleaming with bloodlust. "Tell me his name… and maybe—maybe—I'll spare you."
Ethan clenched his jaw, refusing to speak. Obvious bait. He wasn't falling for it.
But then Cindy's trembling voice broke the silence. "If… if I tell you his name… will you let us go?"
Ethan turned to her, horrified. No. Cindy, don't. You don't know what you're dealing with—
The assassin's eyes lit up. He knelt in front of her. "Oh? Go on then… What's his name?"
Cindy's lips quivered. She thought fast, desperate. If I can bluff… maybe I can buy us time…
"His name… it's—"
BANG!
The gunshot echoed like thunder in the confined space. Blood sprayed across the floor.
Cindy slumped over. Lifeless.
The assassin stood, wiping his pistol. "Do I look like an idiot? Like I'd believe a D-Rank worm would know Vortex's identity?"
Ethan's scream tore through the silence. "You bastard!! You want someone to kill—then come for me!"
Hidden behind crates, Daphne couldn't move. She couldn't scream. Her hands shook as hot tears streamed down her cheeks. Her friend… gone, just like that.
And all she could do was watch.
The assassin's boots thudded against the metal floor as he turned his gaze to Flux.
"Well then…" he grinned, blade spinning idly in his hand, "Do you know who Vortex is?"
Flux's entire soul left his body.
His face went pale. Paler than chalk. His thoughts spiraled.
:What the hell?! Why me?! I didn't say jack! Ethan's the one who called him a bastard—pick him, pick him!'
He raised his hands slowly. "N-no sir... never heard of him... Vortex? Sounds like a shampoo brand..."
The tall, dark assassin squinted at him, clearly unimpressed. Then he scoffed and turned to the others.
"What's the use of keeping the plane here?" one asked.
Another snorted. "You idiot, it's so Vortex doesn't escape."
The third scoffed. "Escape? Are you out of your damn mind? The guy chopped off Bon's arm. He's going to butcher us and fly out like he's in a vacation ad."
The second one tried to object, "I mean, we're trained—"
"Bomb the plane," the leader cut in, grinning wickedly.
The others blinked.
"…yeah not bad."
"At least he won't get away."
"Or at least he'll get delayed... maybe?"
"Better than dying horribly."
Ethan side-eyed Flux, who looked like he was going to throw up and cry at the same time. He smirked.
'Relax,'he thought. 'They probably won't kill you. You're not threatening enough'.
Then his smirk faded into annoyance. 'But damn... of all the people to be stuck with. Why not someone useful?'
Flux felt the gaze, turned—and saw Ethan glaring at him like he was a defective sandwich.
"Why the hell are you looking at me like that?!" Flux hissed.
Ethan shrugged.
The assassin leader stepped forward, clapping his hands dramatically. "Alright, change of plans."
Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Let me guess. You suddenly grew a conscience?"
"Nope. We're strapping a bomb to your ride, and you two are gonna become toast. Like, premium-crispy. Sorry, no hard feelings."
Ethan smirked. "That's a hell of a way to die. Could use a theme song."
The assassin leaned in, grinning inches from Ethan's face. "Keep acting cocky. I might delay the bomb and gut you slow."
"Touching offer," Ethan said flatly.
The henchmen quickly tied them up and rigged the plane. Then the leader gave one last theatrical bow. "It's been real. You guys are kinda cool. Shame it had to end like this. Anyway… boom boom time."
They hopped in their truck and drove off, laughing.
From the shadows, Daphne watched, fists trembling.
'Time to move'.
Ethan shouted after the fleeing truck, "Get back here, you damn cowards! Fight me properly!"
Flux's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. "Ethan! What the hell?! Don't call them back! Are you insane?!"
From the shadows, Daphne whispered harshly, "Yeah, seriously—do not call them back!"
The two boys were tied up—back to back—perched awkwardly on top of the cargo crates outside the bomb-rigged plane. One wrong move, and they'd topple straight off.
Ethan gritted his teeth and hissed, "Flux. I swear, no matter what happens, do not move. If we fall, escaping is going to be a hell of a lot harder."
Flux was already sweating buckets. "I—I wanna get down, I can't feel my legs!"
"Flux, calm down—!"
But Flux was already twitching, wriggling, shifting like a worm in a microwave.
"I'm slipping—I'm slipping—!"
"Flux, don't—"
BAM.
They crashed down hard.
Ethan groaned, face smacking the floor. "—fall," he muttered, finishing his earlier sentence.
There was a moment of silence.
Then Ethan slowly turned his head, eyes twitching with rage. His face was bright red with fury. "Flux… I'm going to kill you. Slowly. With a blunt spoon. Get over here so I can rip you in half, you panicking gremlin."
Flux rolled away like a potato, hands still tied. "I'm sorry! I panicked! It was instinct, okay?!"
Just then, Daphne appeared, panting.
She stared at the mess, blinking.
Ethan was still wriggling toward Flux, trying to strangle him with tied hands.
Flux just screamed, " HELP HE'S TRYING TO MURDER ME AND I'M INNOCENT!"
Just then, Ethan and Flux looked up—faces dusty, ropes tight.
Ethan squinted. "Wait... you're that D-rank. What are you doing here?!"
Daphne crossed her arms. "I'm here to help. Jason sent me. Although… I'm pretty sure this wasn't part of the mission plan."
Flux gave her a long judgmental stare and muttered, "And who are you supposed to be? Mother Theresa's long-lost side quest?"
Daphne returned a look that basically screamed: 'Say one more word and I'll let the bomb decide your fate'.
Before either of them could start round two of the insult Olympics, Ethan growled, "Alright, enough! Hey, D-rank—see if you can find something to cut the ropes!"
"I'll check the cabin!" Daphne nodded and turned to sprint—
"NO!" Ethan shouted. "They probably booby-trapped the doors! You open that, and boom—it's D-rank stew."
Daphne froze mid-step. "Then what do I—"
"I GOT A KNIFE IN MY POCKET!" Flux suddenly screamed like he just discovered he had organs.
Ethan's eyes bulged. "WHAT?!"
Daphne froze. "Huh?!"
Ethan's entire soul left his body as he turned to Flux, eyes twitching. "You—you brain-dead lemon waffle! You mean we've been sitting here tied up like Thanksgiving chickens and you've had a KNIFE. IN. YOUR. POCKET?!"
Flux blinked. "I was under a lot of pressure, okay?!"
Ethan's face turned red like a cartoon kettle about to blow. "GET OVER HERE SO I CAN RIP OUT YOUR KIDNEYS AND STAB YOU WITH THEM."
Flux shuffled back like a guilty raccoon. "I'm sorryyyy…"
With a dramatic flourish, Daphne rolled her eyes, snatched the tiny knife from his pocket, and began slicing through the tension.
Daphne struggled with the knife, her hands shaking—this rope wasn't normal. It was thick, reinforced, and barely scratched despite all her effort. Panic clawed at her chest. Time was slipping fast.
"Daphne!" Ethan barked. "You have to go! That thing's gonna blow any second—leave now!"
Her grip faltered. "What?! No—no way I'm leaving you here to die! I can cut this, I can—"
"Quit it!" he shouted, voice rising above the countdown. "You're wasting time! You think this rope's gonna magically snap because of your D-rank emotions?! Get the hell out of here while you still can!"
"I…" Tears streamed down Daphne's face as she knelt beside them.
Then Flux, unusually calm, spoke up. "He's right. As much as I hate this, you shouldn't die for people who barely even said hi to you."
Daphne clenched her teeth, knuckles white around the blade. She wanted to fight it—everything in her screamed to stay. But she finally gave in, placed the knife beside them, and staggered to her feet.
"Fine," she whispered, broken. "Here… I'll leave the knife. I hope you cut through in time."
As she turned, Ethan called out with a faint smirk, bloodied but still arrogant, "Next time, don't cry in front of your superiors… Rookie."
Daphne glanced back one last time, her heart shattering, then ran—through branches, roots, across rocks—fighting tears and time. 'Why… why wasn't I strong enough? Why does this always happen? I couldn't even save one person… I'm useless.'
And then— BOOM!
The shockwave launched her off her feet. She tumbled down a slope, smacking against dirt and debris until finally rolling to a stop. Bruised. Scratched. Gasping.
Alive.
But her soul felt crushed.
Lying there, she whispered to herself, "I couldn't save anyone... Not even a damn rope…" Her voice cracked. "They're all gone… Jason… Ethan… Flux… I'm the only one left."
Then it hit her— Brandon.
Eyes widened. "No. Brandon!"
With everything she had left, she got up and ran, legs screaming, lungs burning. When she reached the place she'd left him— nothing. Her breath hitched.
"He's gone… oh no—did they get him?"
"Did he die and I left him?!"
"What if—what if they dragged him off somewhere?!"
Panic crushed her. Then—a hand on her shoulder.
She spun around, ready to fight—but froze.
"…Hey," Brandon said quietly, half-awake but standing.
Without a second thought, she lunged forward and hugged him tightly, sobbing. "I thought I lost you—I thought you were gone —thank goodness you're alright…"
Brandon blinked, confused but comforted. "Uh… I'm glad I'm not dead too?"
He patted her back awkwardly.
"…Are all D-ranks this dramatic?"
She just cried harder, laughing in between.
Then she finally sniffled and let go of him, Brandon seeing she finally calmed down said "brief me in on the situation". Daphne told him everything when he said coldly "I see... Well then let's go".
"Huh? Shouldn't we go check if they made it out alive they could still be alive and —", Daphne tried to explain but Brandon couldn't care less, then he held her shoulder trying to reassure her.
"That explosion...no one could have that survived that our top priority now should be finding Jason".
"Yes I guess you're right" she muttered and then they left.
Back at the burned-down safe house, the scene was chaos—smoke rising, guards patrolling what was left. But deep beneath the rubble, it was still.
Until…
Liam's eyes snapped open. "Ugh… Where am I? And why does it feel like a house fell on me…?" He blinked, then noticed the massive weight on his back. "And who's this refrigerator laying on me?!"
He squirmed out, coughing as he rolled Jason's unconscious body off. "Oh my God, he weighs like a truck… But I guess he did shield me."
He tugged at Jason, who hadn't moved a muscle yet. " I shouldn't leave him under the pile—Whoa… he weighs a ton. At least he's out now."
As Liam stood up brushing dust off himself, his eyes widened. "Wait… where's the chopper?" He ran up the hilltop. Empty sky. "Seriously?! Mom and Dad left me? AGAIN?! What happened to family first?!"
That's when his gaze landed on something shiny sticking out of the rubble.
"Oooh… is that a real gun?!" He picked it up, grinning like a kid with candy. "Wow, it's lighter than I imagined. I thought these were supposed to be heavy—like in the movies—"
"You shouldn't touch other people's stuff," came a deadly cold voice.
Liam yelped and nearly flung the gun into orbit. "HOLY— You're alive?!"
Jason was slowly pushing himself up from the rubble, eyes locked on Liam like he just watched the kid commit a federal crime.
"I wasn't dead to begin with," Jason snapped, voice colder than the morning air.
Liam squinted at him with suspicion. "You sure? You looked like a corpse—like, legit."
Jason rolled his eyes.
Liam tilted his head pretending to inspect him like a curious cat " hmm…I'm Liam you?"
Jason's brow arched. Didn't anyone teach this kid about strangers? He cleared his throat, his expression unreadable. "Jacob. Now let's move."
"Jacob, huh? Cool name. Kinda mysterious. Like a ninja's name."
Jason sighed deeply. "Just walk."
Liam grinned and followed. "Wait—do I get a cool codename too? Like... Shadow Phoenix? No? Okay, we'll work on it."
Jason muttered, "God help me."
Jason was already getting irritated. He hadn't expected this kid to be this talkative. Had the plan gone smoothly, Liam wouldn't even be awake right now — and worst of all, he couldn't just knock him out. It was still broad daylight. With Liam's condition, there was a 50/50 chance he might not wake up again. Jason wasn't willing to risk killing him... at least, not accidentally.
Liam blinked up at him, curious.
"Did Mr. Butler send you?"
Jason paused. "Uh… yeah, he—"
His mind clicked. Mr. Butler? That old guy who got sliced last night?
He glanced at Liam. The boy clearly didn't remember. Perfect, Jason thought. Might as well use it.
He continued smoothly, "Yeah, your butler sent me." He started walking again.
Liam blinked, then grinned mischievously. "Ooooh, bodyguard! Nice! So… does that mean I can boss you around? Like, 'Hey, carry me!' or 'Get me candy!'?"
—I'm going to lose it. "Kid… you'll be dead before the bad guys even notice us if you keep talking."
Liam laughed, bouncing on his heels. "Pfft, I'm not scared! I mean… well, maybe a little. But only if you start sweating. I'll even let you pick the scary music!"
Liam beamed. "Okay! But why'd he send you? Is it because you're super grumpy or because you're good-looking?"
Jason sighed. "Probably the second one.
Liam's eyes sparkled innocently. "Wait! Where are we going? And… are you the new bodyguard Dad hired? Or are you, like… a superhero? You know, with a mask and everything?"
Jason pinched the bridge of his nose, jaw tight. I did not sign up for this. "Yes. I'm your bodyguard. No masks. And stop talking."
"But… superheroes usually talk a lot! And you could be secret-agent-style too, right? Do you have gadgets? Can I have one?" Liam chirped happily, oblivious to Jason's growing irritation.
Jason's gaze hardened, scanning the street ahead. "This isn't a playground. Keep quiet. Count to ten. Eyes closed. Now."
Jason didn't flinch. He scanned the street ahead, every movement precise and predatory. "This isn't a playground. Keep quiet. Count to ten. Eyes closed. Now."
"Eyes closed?" Liam pretended to clutch his face dramatically. "Oh noooo! I'm blind! I can't see the super-duper dangerous… uh… shadowy thingies coming at us!"
Jason's jaw tightened. "Now!"
Liam sighed loudly, still grinning. "Fine… but only because you asked so nicely. 1… 2… 3…"
By the time he reached seven, Jason had already neutralized three patrolling guards with silent precision. Liam peeked one eye open. "huh?... nothing happened."
Jason lifted him effortlessly. "You just didn't see it happen. Keep your mouth shut, or next time, you'll be my problem."