Chapter 4 Explosion

A deafening explosion rocked the left side of the warehouse.

Massive wooden beams rained down from the ceiling, followed by a thick cloud of dust that instantly swallowed the entire room.

"Watch out!"

In the blink of an eye, Cassian yanked Amora toward him, sending her crashing into his solid chest.

Crash!

A timber as thick as a tree trunk slammed onto the exact spot where Amora had been standing just seconds ago.

Her eyes went wide. "B-Boss..."

"Can you still walk?"

Amora nodded frantically. "Y-Yes!"

"Then stay close to me."

For some reason, those simple words made her heart skip a beat.

"O-Okay."

They dashed toward the exit once more.

But after only a few steps—

BOOM!

A second explosion blasted the warehouse's front entrance apart, sending shattered wood and debris flying in every direction.

Leon immediately stepped in front of Cassian, shielding him from the flying splinters.

"Sir! The front exit is blocked!"

Cassian swept his gaze across the room in a heartbeat.

His sharp blue eyes landed on a large second-floor window that was somehow still intact.

"That way."

"But that's on the second floor!" one of the guards exclaimed.

Cassian didn't answer.

Instead, he turned to Amora.

"Trust me."

She blinked a few times before nodding without the slightest hesitation. "...Okay."

Without another word, Cassian wrapped an arm around her waist.

"W-Wait, Boss! I can still wa—" Amora's protest was cut short.

Before she knew it, her feet had already left the ground.

"H-Huh?!"

Cassian ran.

Not like an ordinary human.

Every step was so impossibly fast that all anyone could see was a fleeting blur.

Within seconds, he had already reached the iron staircase, then shot up to the second floor as if gravity had no hold on him.

Leon could only stare at his master's back.

"Master's speed..." he murmured under his breath. "...is getting harder to control."

o0o

The moment they reached the second floor, Cassian finally set Amora back on her feet.

She remained frozen in place.

Her lips hung slightly open, while her eyes blinked over and over as if trying to convince herself they were still working properly.

"J-Just now..." She looked down to the first floor, then back at Cassian. "...We really came all the way up from down there, right?"

Cassian said nothing.

Amora pointed toward the staircase now several meters behind them.

"I didn't even see the stairs! It was like..." She waved both hands through the air, imitating the sound of rushing wind. "Whooosh!"

"Boss..." Curiosity sparkled in Amora's eyes. "Don't tell me you're actually some kind of superhero?"

"That's just your imagination."

Amora shook her head so hard her hair swayed.

"No way! I may be a little clumsy sometimes, but my eyes work just fine."

Cassian ignored the comment and continued walking toward the large window at the end of the corridor. "Come."

Amora hurried after him. "But seriously, Boss. You were insanely fast back there. Even an Olympic sprinter would've lost to you."

Cassian shot her a brief glance. "You still have time to chat?"

Amora nodded innocently. "If I keep panicking, I'll just wear myself out."

Cassian let out a quiet sigh.

"Then save your energy... and keep up."

A small smile spread across Amora's face. "Yes, Boss."

o0o

Cassian stopped in front of the large window.

Beyond the cracked glass, flames were already crawling up from the lower floor while thick black smoke billowed through every corner of the warehouse.

"Sir!" Leon shouted from behind. "The warehouse is about to collapse!"

The sound of splintering wood echoed through the building.

Crack...

Craaack...

The ceiling began to sag, looking as though it could cave in at any second.

Amora cautiously peeked out the window.

Her eyes instantly widened.

"...The second floor?" She swallowed hard. "Boss... don't tell me we're jumping."

"We are."

Amora let out an awkward laugh. "Haha... good one."

Cassian turned to her with his usual expressionless face. "I'm not joking."

The smile slowly disappeared from Amora's face."B-But..."

She quickly glanced down again.

It wasn't ridiculously high...

But it was more than enough to make her knees go weak.

"Boss... I still want to live."

"You will."

"...What if we fall?"

"I won't let you."

His short, unwavering reply left Amora speechless.

Her boss had never broken his word before.

But this...

This was a completely different situation.

Behind them—

BOOOM!

Another explosion ripped through the warehouse.

The entire building shook violently.

A massive wooden beam crashed down, crushing the path they had just crossed.

"We're out of time!" Leon shouted.

Cassian gave a small nod before looking at his guards.

"Find your own way out."

"Yes, Sir!"

The guards immediately scattered, each searching for another way out.

Meanwhile, Cassian turned his attention back to Amora.

"Hold on to me."

She blinked.

"Again?"

"Hold on."

"...Okay."

Awkwardly, Amora reached for his arm.

"Tighter."

Before she could ask why, Cassian had already wrapped one arm around her slender waist.

"W-Wait..."

Her heart immediately started racing again.

"Boss... this is way too close."

Cassian didn't respond.

His eyes remained fixed on the window ahead.

Then—

Crash!

With a single kick, the massive window shattered into countless pieces.

A powerful gust of wind rushed inside.

Amora instinctively squeezed her eyes shut.

"Boss! We're really jumping?!"

"Close your eyes."

"B-But that's dangerous! What if—"

"Trust me."

Those two words stopped her mid-sentence.

Amora fell silent.

Slowly, she shut her eyes as tightly as she could.

Without realizing it, both of her hands clutched the front of Cassian's suit jacket.

"...Don't let go," she whispered.

Cassian glanced down at the trembling girl in his arms.

For the briefest moment, the coldness in his eyes softened.

"I won't."

The next second—

Thud!

Cassian jumped.

The two of them shot straight through the shattered window.

"AHHHHH!"

Amora screamed at the top of her lungs.

The wind whipped across her face from every direction.

Yet strangely...

She never felt the sensation of falling.

All she felt was Cassian's steady embrace holding her securely against him.

Just a few meters above the ground—

Cassian bent his knees.

Boom!

He landed with such force that cracks spread across the ground beneath his feet.

Dust exploded into the air.

Amora barely felt more than a gentle jolt in his arms.

Slowly, she cracked one eye open.

"I..." She touched her own cheek. "...I'm alive?"

"Disappointed?"

Amora immediately looked up at him.

"As if!"

She let out a long breath.

"My heart almost retired early."

Cassian let out a quiet snort.

"If you still have the energy to joke..."

He finally released her.

"...then you're fine."

Before Amora could reply—

BOOOOOM!

A thunderous explosion tore through the old warehouse.

The shockwave sent her hair flying as she slowly turned toward the building, now nothing more than a raging sea of flames.

The cheerful look on her face gradually faded.

"Boss..."

"Hm?"

"I think..."

She swallowed hard.

"...the people who kidnapped me weren't ordinary humans."

"I know."

That was all Cassian said before walking past her.

Amora stared at his back in disbelief.

"I swear your heart must be made of stone." She pointed at herself with an annoyed look. "I was scared half to death, and all you can say is, 'I know'?"

Cassian stopped and turned around, slipping one hand into his pocket.

"What would you like me to say?"

Amora let out a small huff. "Nothing."

She walked past him, deliberately taking the lead.

"What an emotionally constipated man," she muttered under her breath.