Yuna:
The moment didn't last long.
It never did.
One of them recovered first, shaking off the hit like it was nothing. His eyes locked onto me again—angrier now, more cautious.
Good.
That meant they were starting to take me seriously.
I shifted my stance, ignoring the burning in my legs. My fingers curled tighter, even as my knuckles throbbed from the earlier impact. Pain was there—but it had become background noise.
They circled.
Not rushing this time.
Smarter.
"Stay back!" one of them snapped to the others, raising a hand slightly. "She's not normal."
A faint, breathless laugh almost escaped me.
Not normal?
If only they knew how close I was to collapsing.
One stepped forward slowly, testing me. I didn't move.
Another tried to flank me from the side—
That's when I moved.
Fast.
I lunged forward instead of retreating, catching the one in front off guard. My shoulder slammed into his chest, sending him stumbling back. Before he could recover, I drove my elbow into his neck.
He dropped.
But the others reacted instantly.
A hand grabbed my wrist—tight.
I twisted sharply, forcing my arm free, but it cost me balance. Another удар landed against my side—not clean, but enough to knock the air out of me.
My breath hitched.
For a split second—
Everything slowed.
My knees almost gave in.
No.
Not now.
I bit down hard, forcing myself upright, even as my body screamed in protest. My vision blurred again, darker this time at the edges.
"Yuna!"
Ethan's voice cut through the noise again—closer this time.
Still fighting.
Still holding on.
Something in my chest tightened—not weakness, not fear—
Resolve.
I wiped the blood from the corner of my lip with the back of my hand and steadied myself.
"Come on," I muttered under my breath, voice low but steady. "Is that all you've got?"
They hesitated.
Just for a second.
And that second was mine.
I stepped forward again.
Yuna moved before they could close in again, her body running on instinct more than strength now. She slipped past the first man's reach, her shoulder grazing his arm as she pivoted and struck the second square in the chest. He staggered, giving her just enough room to breathe—but the air burned in her lungs. Everything felt heavier, slower, like her body was finally demanding the price she had been avoiding.
Then—
A gunshot rang out.
Sharp. Final.
The sound cut through everything.
Yuna's head snapped toward it, her heart skipping as she saw Ethan standing a few feet away, his arm still extended, the gun steady in his grip. Across from him, Viktor froze for a split second, disbelief flashing across his face before his body gave out, collapsing to the ground.
Silence didn't come—but something shifted.
Another shot echoed almost immediately after.
On the other side of the factory, Luca lowered his weapon, his expression hard as Alejandro fell, hitting the concrete with a dull, final thud.
And just like that—
It was over.
Not slowly. Not gently.
Just… over.
The remaining men hesitated, their confidence shattered, and within moments, whatever fight was left in them disappeared. Some tried to run, others dropped where they stood—but none of it mattered anymore. The chaos that had filled the factory only minutes ago now felt distant, like an echo fading into nothing.
Yuna stood there, unmoving.
Her chest still rising and falling rapidly.
Her ears ringing faintly.
It took her a second to realize—
Her body was swaying.
The adrenaline that had carried her through the fight was gone, leaving behind nothing but exhaustion and pain. Her vision blurred again, darker this time, her knees threatening to give out beneath her.
No…
Not here…
But her body didn't listen.
The ground tilted slightly—
And then a pair of strong arms caught her before she could fall.
"Yuna."
Ethan's voice was right there now—close, steady.
Too steady compared to the storm still raging inside her.
"Are you okay?"
She blinked slowly, trying to focus on him. His face was clear, but everything else felt distant, like she was drifting.
"I… yeah…" her voice came out weaker than she intended, barely above a whisper. "I'm okay."
She wasn't.
But she didn't have the strength to argue with herself anymore.
Around them, the aftermath unfolded. Bodies lay scattered across the factory floor, the sharp metallic scent of blood hanging heavy in the air. The place that had once been filled with noise and movement now felt eerily still.
Footsteps approached.
Ethan's men.
Efficient. Silent.
They moved without hesitation, carrying containers of kerosene oil, spreading it across the factory floor, over the broken crates, the shattered glass, and everything that remained of the chaos.
Yuna watched it happen through half-lidded eyes, her mind struggling to keep up.
This was how it ended.
No evidence.
No trace.
Just fire.
"Let's go," Ethan said quietly, his arm still steady around her as he helped her walk.
Each step felt heavier than the last, but she forced herself forward, leaning on him more than she wanted to admit. The cool night air hit her as they stepped outside, but it didn't clear her head.
If anything, it made everything feel more real.
Behind them, the factory stood silent for a final moment.
Then—
Ethan struck a match.
The small flame flickered in the darkness, almost fragile.
For a second, he just held it there.
And then he let it fall.
The fire caught instantly.
Kerosene ignited with a sudden whoosh, flames spreading fast, devouring everything in their path. Within seconds, the factory was burning, orange light reflecting in the night sky as smoke rose thick and dark above it.
Yuna didn't look back for long.
She couldn't.
"Move," Luca called out, already heading toward the cars with Elena, Kai, and Charlie.
They piled into one car quickly, the engine starting almost immediately before it sped off into the darkness.
Ethan guided Yuna to the second car, his hand still wrapped firmly around hers.
"Sit," he said, opening the door for her.
She didn't argue.
Couldn't.
The moment she sank into the seat, her body felt like it was finally giving up. Ethan moved quickly, grabbing a small kit from the front before sitting beside her.
"Hold still."
She barely registered his words as he cleaned the cut on her arm, applying medicine with careful precision. His movements were steady, controlled—but there was something else there too.
Something quieter.
He checked her head next, brushing her hair aside to look for injuries, his touch surprisingly gentle for someone who had just been in a fight moments ago.
"Does this hurt?" he asked.
"A little…" she murmured, though everything hurt at this point.
He didn't respond, just finished what he was doing before closing the kit.
Then the car started moving.
The road stretched out ahead of them, dark and empty. The glow of the burning factory faded behind them, replaced by silence.
Yuna leaned back against the seat.
And before she even realized it—
She fell asleep.
—
The car slowed to a stop.
"Yuna."
A voice pulled her back slowly.
Her eyes opened slightly, unfocused at first. Everything felt heavy again, her head spinning faintly as she tried to sit up.
"Stop…" she muttered weakly. "Stop the car…"
Ethan reacted immediately, pulling the car over to the side of the road.
Before the engine even fully stopped, Yuna pushed the door open and stumbled out.
The cool air hit her hard.
But it didn't help.
She barely made it a few steps away before she bent forward, her body reacting on its own as she threw up.
Her hands trembled slightly as she braced herself against her knees, her breathing uneven.
Footsteps approached quickly.
Ethan.
He didn't say anything at first, just held her hair back and waited until she was done before handing her a water bottle.
"Rinse," he said quietly.
She took it, her hands still shaky as she followed his instruction, the taste bitter in her mouth.
"Are you okay?" he asked again, his voice lower this time.
She nodded slowly, though her head still felt light.
"I think…" she swallowed, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "Maybe it's because of the smell… the blood…"
Ethan watched her for a moment before answering.
"Yeah," he said. "It is."
There was no hesitation in his voice.
"It's your first time seeing something like that. Too much at once."
Yuna looked down at the ground, her fingers tightening slightly around the bottle.
The images flashed briefly in her mind—
The fight.
The bodies.
The sound of gunshots.
She exhaled slowly, trying to steady herself.
Ethan stepped a little closer, his presence grounding in a way she didn't expect.
"It gets easier," he added after a moment.
But something about the way he said it—
Didn't sound like reassurance.
It sounded like a fact.
Yuna didn't respond.
She just stood there in the quiet, the night stretching around them, knowing deep down—
Nothing about tonight would leave her easily.