"What the hell are you doing here?!"
That was the first thing I heard.
Not are you okay.
Not are you hurt.
Not even thank you for saving our lives.
Nope.
Kuya Angelo.
Shouting.
At me.
I stared at him, still gripping the rod like it was emotional support metal.
"I-" I started.
"You think this is a joke?" he snapped. "Do you know how dangerous that was?"
Excuse me???
I looked around.
Yuri was untied.
The bad guys were down.
Everyone was breathing.
And I was the problem?
Ungrateful.
So ungrateful.
I was still processing his rudeness-mentally drafting a speech about bravery, sacrifice, and how I could have stayed home and eaten pakode-when another voice joined the chorus.
"What were you thinking, Jay?!"
I froze.
Keifer.
I slowly turned my head toward him.
Oh.
So today was Shout At Jay Day.
I blinked. Once. Twice.
Are they brothers or what?
Because this felt coordinated.
My jaw tightened.
Fine.
If that's how it is-
I crossed my arms dramatically. "I'm not talking to you."
Keifer looked like he wanted to say something else but stopped.
Good.
Silence is powerful.
Elara shifted beside me.
I felt it before I saw it.
That dangerous calm.
That tiny head tilt.
Roast mode: activated.
She looked straight at Keifer and said, very casually-
"Next time, maybe say thank you before you yell. It saves time and dignity."
One line.
ONE.
LINE.
Silence slammed into the room.
Keifer stiffened.
Percy actually gasped like he'd witnessed murder.
Aries coughed to hide his laugh.
I felt instant joy.
Perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
I turned to Elara, pointing at Keifer like a proud manager.
"Nice, Elara. Very good. He deserved it."
She didn't even look at me.
Just turned her head slowly.
Smiled.
And said-
"You too."
...Excuse me?
Before I could recover, she added, "Next time you jump into danger, at least stretch. You scream like a dying cat when you run."
The room exploded.
Percy doubled over laughing.
"DYING CAT-"
"STOP," I shouted, mortified.
My face burned.
I glared at her. "YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE ON MY SIDE."
"I am," she said calmly. "That's why I'm honest."
Traitor.
Absolute traitor.
I huffed and looked away.
But inside?
...okay fine.
It was kind of deserved.
Still.
I crossed my arms again, muttering, "I saved all of you."
Keifer's POV
Oh God.
What did I just do?
My queen literally came running into danger to save me-and my first instinct was to shout at her.
Brilliant, Keifer. Absolutely brilliant.
I should apologize.
No-apologize isn't enough.
Maybe plan a date. A proper one. Somewhere safe. Somewhere without guns, rods, or people trying to die for each other.
I was still stuck between guilt and planning redemption, when-
Footsteps.
Heavy. Rushed. Wrong.
I barely had time to turn before men stormed into the room from the side entrance.
"Shit," Percy muttered.
No thinking. Just instinct.
We moved.
Fists flew. Someone went down. I caught a punch, returned it harder. Angelo was already in front, terrifying as ever. Aries took two men at once. Edrix slammed someone into the wall. Rory grabbed Yuri and pulled him back.
For a moment, it felt manageable.
Then-
Metal clicked.
That sound.
Every fighter knows it.
Gun.
One of them hold the gun near my temples.
"Stop!" one of them shouted. "Nobody moves!"
Another man kicked Angelo in the knee.
Hard.
Angelo staggered.
For a split second, I thought he'd explode-tear the place apart with his bare hands-but he bent.
He bent.
That scared me more than the guns.
Aries cursed under his breath, furious but frozen. Percy's jaw was clenched so tight I thought it would crack. Edrix's hands slowly lifted, rage burning in his eyes.
The room filled with abuses.
"Drop it!"
"Heroes think they can win?"
"Move and she dies."
My eyes never left Jay.
My chest felt like it was being crushed from the inside.
I didn't care about the gun on my head.
"Down. On your knees."
The rod pressed harder. "Now."
Angelo clenched his jaw. "Touch me again and I'll tear your arm off."
Kick.
"Angelo!" I snapped.
He bent slowly, fury burning in his eyes.
I laughed-dark, sharp. "You really think this ends well for you?"
One of the men scoffed. "Still barking, Watson?"
"Careful," I said coldly. "Dogs bark. I hunt."
"Big words for a man with a gun on his head," another sneered.
Percy spat to the side. "Congratulations. You brought gun. Want a medal or therapy?"
"Shut up," a man shouted, hitting Percy's shoulder with the rod.
Percy grinned anyway. "Yeah, yeah. Violence issues confirmed."
Aries growled, voice low. "You're making a mistake."
Jason stepped forward, smirking. "Funny. Everyone says that right before they lose."
I tilted my head. "And everyone like you forgets one thing."
Jason raised a brow. "What?"
"You only win if you walk away alive."
He laughed. "Threats?"
"No," I replied calmly. "A promise."
Jay's voice cut in, sharp despite the fear.
"You point that thing at me again and I swear I'll haunt you."
One man laughed nervously. "She's crazy."
Elara's tone was bored. Deadly bored.
"No. She's angry. There's a difference."
Angelo finally spoke, voice like steel.
"You boys done feeling powerful?"
Jason's smile twitched. "Still talking?"
Angelo smiled back. Slow. Terrifying.
"Enjoy it. This is the last time anyone ever listens to you."
Jason moved behind me.
Cold metal kissed the back of my skull.
"On your knees," he said, voice low, satisfied. "Now."
I didn't move.
"Bent," he repeated, pressing the gun harder.
I smiled. Slow. Dangerous.
"No."
The room went silent.
Jason hissed, "You think you're brave?"
I answered without turning, "I think you're stupid."
The gun dug in deeper. "Last warning."
I clenched my jaw. "Pull the trigger then. I don't bow."
Angelo's voice snapped, furious. "Keifer-"
I cut him off. "Don't."
Behind me, Jason laughed nervously. "You really want to die for pride?"
I said calmly, "No."
Then quieter, colder-
"I want you to live long enough to regret this."
Author's POV
Elara didn't panic.
She didn't shout.
She didn't move.
Her eyes swept the room quietly, taking everything in-the men, the guns, the fear, the tension thick enough to choke on.
Then her gaze dropped.
Near Jay's feet, half-hidden by shadow and dust, lay something metallic.
Keifer's POV
I was sure of one thing.
He was going to kill me today.
Not maybe. Not if.
Just-today.
Jason's gun was pressed close enough that I could feel the cold threat of it without it even touching my skin. My jaw was tight, teeth clenched, spine straight. I wasn't ready to bend. Not now. Not like this.
Then-
Elara spoke.
And for the first time since this mess began, the room shifted.
Her voice wasn't sharp or cold like usual. It had drama in it-almost theatrical. The kind of tone that would look strange to anyone who knew her seriousness... but probably sounded perfectly reasonable to strangers.
"Keifer," she said calmly, tilting her head just a little, "I think you should bend down. Kneel before him. Otherwise... he might actually kill you."
I turned my head toward her so fast it almost hurt.
What?
For a second, I genuinely thought I misheard her.
"Elara-" I said under my breath. "No. I won't."
She didn't even look at me this time.
Her eyes slid-slow, deliberate-toward Jay.
And that's when she said it.
"Jay," Elara continued evenly, "I think you should bend first. Maybe if you do, he'll follow."
My heart dropped.
I looked at Jay.
Shock was written all over her face-wide eyes, parted lips. The same disbelief I felt was reflected right back at me. For a moment, neither of us understood what game Elara was playing.
Then she kept talking.
And her voice changed again-lower now, more analytical, frighteningly calm.
"You should understand something," she said, addressing the men as much as us. "The only person holding a gun is him. The others behind us?" She glanced briefly at them. "They're strong enough to kill us without weapons."
I saw it then.
The way a few of the men straightened.
The way their chests puffed out slightly.
Pride.
Elara continued, unfazed. "If the guns were aimed at his arms or shoulders, he might survive. But he's aimed at his heads." She paused. "One shot, and he's dead."
Silence.
Heavy. Thick.
The men were listening.
I hated how much sense she was making.
Then-she did something small.
Just a look.
A quick movement of her eyes toward the floor.
Toward Jay.
I didn't understand it.
But Jay did.
Jason chuckled darkly. "Listen to the girl, Keifer," he said. "She's smart. Bend."
Jay swallowed, then spoke up-her voice suddenly soft, almost fragile.
"Yes," she said gently. "Keifer... I think you should bend."
My chest tightened.
Before I could stop her-
"I'll go first," Jay added.
And she did it dramatically. Slowly. Carefully. Lowering herself to her knees like she was made of glass. So soft. So harmless. So Jay.
My instincts screamed.
I bent too.
The second my knees touched the floor-
Jay's hand moved.
Fast.
Too fast for anyone to stop.
She grabbed the gun lying near her feet, and before I could even shout her name-
BANG.
I close my eyes thinking I took the bullet but no it was
Jason.
Jason screamed as the bullet tore into his shoulder.
The room exploded into chaos
The sound of that shot-
It didn't just hit Jason's shoulder.
It hit all of us.
For a split second, nobody moved.
Not even me.
Jay did that.
My Jay.
I knew she was fearless, I knew she had fire in her-but seeing her pull the trigger like that still sent a shock straight through my spine.
Then everything exploded.
Shouts.
Curses.
Gunshots clattering to the floor.
Bodies moving all at once.
Chaos-raw and violent.
Before I could even push myself fully up, Elara was already in motion. The man behind her reached for her arm-big mistake.
She twisted, drove her fist straight into his jaw, then without hesitation lifted her knee and kicked him hard between the legs.
He folded.
Didn't even scream. Just dropped.
Knocked out cold.
That was the signal.
Angelo lunged at the man near him, slamming his elbow into the guy's throat. Percy grabbed someone from behind and smashed his head into the wall.
Aries didn't even hesitate-one clean punch, one body down. Edrix and Rory were already fighting like they'd been waiting for this moment.
I turned-
And my heart stopped.
One of the men broke free and charged straight at Jay.
She was still trembling.
Not weak-just shaken. The aftershock of firing a gun that close. Her hands were shaking, breath uneven.
For a terrifying second, I thought-
No.
She moved.
Even with trembling hands, Jay knocked one man out with a wild swing-raw, messy, desperate-but effective.
Then another came at her.
"JAY!" Elara shouted.
Jay didn't look back.
She threw the gun toward Elara without even checking if she'd caught it.
Elara caught it mid-air.
No pause.
No warning.
She lifted the gun and fired.
The shot echoed brutally as the bullet hit the man's leg mid-lunge.
He screamed and collapsed to the ground.