Third Person (POV)
Jay spoke calmly to Mrs. Hanamichine after she turned back, her tone steady even under the weight of everyone watching. Then, unexpectedly, she bowed.
The gesture made the entire hall shift in tension.
Behind them, the atmosphere had already shifted.
Kiefer took a step forward instinctively.
"Jay—" he started, voice low, already moving toward her.
Clyden's arm shot out and stopped him cleanly.
"No," Clyden said firmly.
Kiefer turned sharply. "What do you mean no? She's—"
"Jay knows what she is doing," Clyden interrupted, eyes still locked on the scene ahead.
Because something about Clyden's tone wasn't casual anymore.
It was alert.
Calculated.
Around them, murmurs spread like wildfire.
It didn't take long for the truth to surface in fragments—enough for everyone to understand.
Mrs. Hanamichi had been the one trying to break Kiefer and Jay apart from the very beginning.
But the atmosphere changed again.
Clyden's expression sharpened.
Because he saw something else.
At the far end of the hall, the Elder shifted slightly—too controlled, too intentional. A subtle signal passed from his fingers, barely noticeable unless someone was watching closely.
Clyden noticed.
And then he saw it.
Two figures in the crowd responded instantly.
Assassins.
Clyden's eyes darkened.
He understood what was happening immediately.
Jay wasn't just being judged anymore.
She had been marked.
The Elder had decided to eliminate her—quietly, efficiently—because she stood alone, without protection, without backing.
And now the signal had been given.
Clyden released Kiefer's arm only to step forward slightly, his voice turning sharp.
"Jay is in danger."
The words cut through the room like a blade.
"What??" everyone exclaimed at once, the entire hall snapping into alarm as attention shifted—too late realizing the threat had already begun to move.
Everything moved at once.
Clyden didn't wait.
"Move her before something happens," he said sharply, already breaking forward.
He ran straight toward Jay.
But halfway there, his steps faltered.
His eyes locked onto something behind the crowd.
A gun.
Pointed directly at her.
Time didn't feel like it continued properly after that.
Clyden changed direction instantly, closing the distance in a split second.
"JAY!" he shouted—
And then he hit her.
Not to attack.
To shield.
His arms wrapped around her fully, pulling her into his chest as he turned his back to the weapon.
"Jay…" His voice dropped, close to her ear, urgent but steady. "Run."
Her body froze.
"Kuya—?" she breathed, confused.
Then the shots came.
Multiple.
The sound shattered everything.
Kiefer moved instantly.
"GET DOWN!" he roared, pulling his weapon up as Cole and Angelo reacted at the same time, returning fire toward the direction of the shooter.
Chaos erupted.
Glass broke.
People scattered.
Screams filled the hall.
But Jay didn't move.
She couldn't.
Clyden was still holding her.
Still standing.
But his grip tightened briefly—just enough for her to feel it.
"Jay," Kiefer called again, rushing toward her through the chaos. "MOVE!"
She still didn't look at him.
"Aries! Jare! Percy!" Angelo shouted over the noise. "Get cars! Take Jay somewhere safe—NOW!"
Jare nodded immediately, already moving. "Clyden—Kuya—we need to get him to a hospital!"
Take Jay out of it," Percy said sharply, nodding toward Aries. "We'll get him to the hospital."
"Go!" Cole ordered, firing again while scanning the room. "Percy, Aries—cover that exit! We don't all leave together!"
Another burst of gunfire echoed.
People were down.
The party hall had turned into something unrecognizable—chairs overturned, lights flickering, smoke and panic everywhere.
But in the middle of it all—
Jay stood frozen, hands trembling, still caught in Clyden's hold.
"Kiefer!" Angelo shouted. "We can't stay here!"
Kiefer didn't answer.
He was already in front of Jay.
Blocking her.
So was Cole.
So was Angelo.
Then Cassian stepped in too, eyes dark, positioning himself like another shield without a word.
A line formed in front of her.
A wall.
Protecting her from everything behind it.
And behind them—
Clyden slowly sagged, still close enough that Jay could feel him, but no longer steady.
"Jay…" he said faintly again.
And the hall, once loud with celebration and chaos—
Was now filled with smoke, shattered glass, and the brutal silence between gunfire.
Jay-Jay (POV)
The moment I understood what had happened, my hands were already soaked in blood.
For a second, I couldn't even breathe properly.
My eyes flicked around in panic.
Cole, Angelo, and Kiefer were there—moving like shadows in chaos, guns raised, firing back like we were inside some nightmare that refused to end.
But none of that mattered.
Not the noise. Not the shouting. Not the running feet around me.
All I could feel was the heavy weight still pressed against me.
Kuya.
My throat tightened as I forced myself to look down.
"Kuya…" my voice came out broken, like it didn't belong to me.
He didn't move.
My fingers trembled as I touched him again, softer this time, desperate.
"Clyden… Kuya…"
I shook him slightly, like that could undo whatever was happening.
Nothing.
No response. No breath I could feel. No familiar irritation. No teasing comeback.
Just stillness.
"No… no, no, no…" My voice cracked harder now as I leaned closer. "Hey, Kuya… this isn't funny. Don't do this."
My hand pressed against him again, harder this time, like force could wake him up.
"Wake up," I whispered, my voice trembling so badly it barely sounded like me anymore. "Please… just wake up, Kuya…"
My fingers tightened helplessly around the edge of his shirt as tears blurred my vision again.
"Your scared me," I admitted softly, almost like a child. "Please don't leave me here alone…"
My eyes burned as I swallowed the panic rising in my chest.
"You don't get to do this," I said shakily, my voice breaking completely. "Not now… not like this."
I kept tapping him, like repetition could fix reality.
"Kuya… please…"
"Please…" I whispered, louder now, panic rising. "Someone help him—please!"
My voice cracked into a scream.
"HELP MY KUYA!"
"JAY!"
Jare grabbed my face with both hands, forcing me to look at him.
"Get yourself together," he shouted, eyes filled with panic and tears at the same time. "Don't break now. Listen to me—we need to get out of here. Right now."
I stared at him blankly.
The sounds around us felt distant.
Gunshots.
People screaming.
Glass breaking.
None of it felt real anymore.
Jare grabbed my arm tightly.
"Move!"
"Jare…" My voice came out weak and shaking. "Kuya isn't moving…"
I tried pulling away from him immediately.
"We take him to the hospital," I said desperately. "Now."
My eyes went back to Clyden Kuya lying on the floor.
Blood kept spreading underneath him.
Too much blood.
"No…" I whispered again, stumbling toward him, but Jare caught me before I could fall to my knees beside him again.
"Jay!" he snapped, holding my shoulders this time. "Look at me!"
I couldn't breathe properly.
"He protected me…" I cried. "He got shot because of me…"
"That's exactly why you can't stay here!" Jare shouted back. "Do you think he took those bullets just for you to die beside him?!"
That hit me hard enough to freeze.
Tears blurred everything instantly.
Behind us, Angelo fired another shot before yelling, "JARE! MOVE HER NOW!"
"Aries and Percy are taking Clyden!" Jare said quickly, voice cracking. "They'll get him to the hospital, I swear!"
"I can't leave him…" I whispered.
"You have to."
"No…"
"You have to, Jay."
Then another gunshot echoed closer this time.
Jare immediately pulled me against him protectively.
And for the first time—
I saw fear on his face too.
The way his face changed.
The way his eyes shone with tears he was trying so hard to hold back.
"Jay…" his voice broke for a second before he forced it steady. "They're targeting you. If you don't move right now… everyone dies."
He pulled me harder toward the back door.
"What the fuck are you talking about?" I snapped, panic rising. "I can't leave him here. He's going to die. Please, Jare—please."
My voice collapsed on the last word.
Jare stopped for half a second, like it physically hurt him to hold me back.
"I know," he said quietly, his grip tightening around my arm.
His voice cracked halfway through, like he was barely holding himself together too.
"Do you think I like what I'm doing?" he asked painfully. "He's my kuya too…"
That broke something inside me even more.
Jare looked back toward Clyden for one second, and I saw it—
The fear.
The helplessness.
The tears he was trying so hard not to let fall.
"I love him too," he whispered. "I want to take him with us too."
Another gunshot rang through the hall.
Neither of us moved.
"But I promised," he continued, forcing the words out. "I promised I'd get you out of this room no matter what."
I shook my head immediately.
"No—"
"Jay, listen to me," he said, gripping my shoulders harder now. "If something happens to you too… Kuya would never forgive me."
My chest hurt so badly I could barely breathe.
I looked past him again.
Clyden still wasn't moving.
He swallowed hard, jaw shaking.
"Why can't you understand?" he whispered, almost breaking. "He's going to be okay. Aries and Percy are coming. They'll get him to the hospital."
I looked back.
Clyden.
Kuya.
Still not moving.
The world blurred for a second.
"No," I said again, smaller this time. "No… I'm not leaving him."
"JAY!" Jare shouted, losing it now. "Until you move from here, they won't stop firing!"
A gunshot cracked somewhere outside.
I flinched—but I didn't move my eyes from him.
From Kuya.
From the way everything suddenly felt like it was falling apart at once.
And still—
I couldn't let go.
"JAY!" Kiefer shouted, still firing without hesitation.
"GET OUT," he ordered sharply, eyes locked on me for a split second—angry, steady, unshakable. "NOW."
His jaw tightened as he added, "Clyden won't die… I promise you that."
Something in his voice cracked through my panic for half a second—but it wasn't enough to pull me away.
Jare grabbed me again, this time forcing me toward the car.
"Go," he said urgently. "Get in now."
I stumbled toward the vehicle, but my body refused to follow.
My hands were shaking too hard. My mind wasn't listening.
Because behind me—
Kuya was still there.
I yanked myself free.
"Sorry, Jare…" My voice broke as I turned back. "I can't leave him."
Before anyone could stop me again, I ran.
Straight back into the chaos.
Straight back to him.
I dropped to my knees beside Clyden, my hands sliding under him as I tried to lift.
"No… no, no, come on," I whispered, struggling against his weight, against everything.
"I'm not losing anyone tonight… I'm not—"
My strength gave out.
For a second, everything blurred—panic, noise, fear.
Then a hand suddenly supported him from the other side.
Firm. Controlled.
Cassian Watson.
He didn't say anything at first. Just stepped in like he already understood everything without needing explanation.
And together, we lifted him.
My breath shook violently as we moved.
Gunfire still echoed around us—sharp, distant, endless.
I kept my eyes on Kuya's face the entire time.
"Stay with me," I whispered, barely audible. "Please… just stay with me…"
We ran through the chaos, dragging him toward the outside.
Gunfire still tore through the air behind us.
I couldn't find Jare anywhere.
Then I saw it.
A car idling.
Keys still inside.
Without thinking, I lunged forward, ripped them out, and didn't even look back.
No time for explanations.
No hesitation.
No mercy for delay.
We shoved Clyden into the back seat
I kicked off my heels without hesitation, tossed them aside, and slid into the driver's seat while Cassian got in beside me.
The moment I turned the key—
the engine roared like it had been waiting for war.
I slammed the accelerator.
The car shot forward violently, tires screaming against asphalt.
And I didn't stop.
Not even when the tires screamed.
Not even when the car jumped forward like it was breaking every rule of physics.
Wind tore past the windows.
Lights streaked into lines.
The city turned into motion blur.
I drove like my life depended on it.
Like his did.
We weaved through traffic, barely avoiding collisions, slipping between cars with inches to spare.
just speed.
Just escape.
Just don't let them catch us.
Then I saw it.
In the mirror.
Lights.
Too many.
Following.
Jare and Percy weren't alone—multiple cars were chasing them, closing in fast.
My grip tightened on the wheel.
"Shit…" I breathed.
Behind us.
Too many.
"Jare must've been distracting them…" I muttered under my breath. "That's why I couldn't find him..."
My foot slammed harder on the accelerator.
The speed climbed.
Higher.
Higher.
"Tighten your seatbelt," I ordered.
"Why?" Cassian asked, tense now.
"Because I said so," I snapped. "And stop asking questions."
"Can't you do that damn thing without asking?" I shouted when he hesitated.
We crossed 200.
Then more.
The engine screamed under pressure like it was begging to stop.
Behind us—
flashes of headlights.
Gunfire reflections.
"Hey—are you trying to kill us?!" Cassian shouted.
"Shut up!" I yelled back, eyes locked on the road.
Jare and Percy weaving through traffic, forcing the enemy to break formation, dragging them into chaos so we could breathe.
Just seconds.
That's all they were buying.
"Hold on," I whispered, eyes locked forward now—frozen, sharp, burning. "Just… hold on."
And I drove like the night itself was chasing us.
The world outside was nothing but speed and noise—headlights slicing through the dark like blades.
Then it happened.
A car slammed into us from the side.
Metal screamed.
The entire vehicle jerked violently, throwing me hard against the wheel.
"Shit—!" Cassian braced himself, shoulder hitting the door.
In the back—
a sharp sound.
Clyden.
A small, broken grunt.
My heart dropped instantly.
"Kuya…?" My voice cracked as I glanced at the mirror. "Kuya, are you okay?"
Silence.
No response.
"No, no, no…" I swallowed hard, gripping the wheel tighter until my knuckles went white. "Just—just wait… I'll get you to the hospital. I promise. I'm almost—"
Another impact.
This time harder.
A second car rammed into us.
The vehicle skidded sideways, tires burning against asphalt as I fought to regain control.
"Jay!" Cassian shouted, grabbing the dash. "They're pushing us off the road!"
"I can see that!" I snapped back, voice shaking now but still forcing control into my hands.
The mirror filled with headlights.
Too close.
Too many.
They weren't chasing anymore.
They were hunting us into a corner.
I pressed harder on the accelerator anyway.
The engine screamed in protest.
The road blurred.
My breath shook.
"Stay with me," I whispered again, but this time it wasn't just for him anymore.
It was for all of us.
Another hit came—metal grinding, car jerking dangerously toward the divider.
"Don't you dare—" I muttered through clenched teeth, yanking the wheel back violently.
We barely stayed on the road.
Cassian looked at me, voice lower now. "If they hit us again like that, we're going to flip."
"I know," I said.
But I didn't slow down.
Because slowing down meant losing him.
And I wasn't ready to lose anyone else tonight.
"Think, Jay… what can I do…" I muttered under my breath, forcing my mind to work through the panic.
Another hit nearly threw us off balance again.
The car lurched, tires screaming.
My grip tightened so hard my fingers ached.
Then it clicked.
A gap.
A split-second opening between the chasing vehicles as Jare and Percy cut across their path, forcing them to break formation.
"That's it…" I whispered.
I yanked the steering wheel hard.
We shot toward the opposite side of the road, slipping into a narrow stretch between two moving cars.
Horn blared.
Brakes screeched.
We barely missed a collision.
"Jay—!" Cassian started.
"Hold on!" I cut him off.
My foot slammed down again—but not for speed this time.
For control.
For timing.
Then—
I switched off the headlights.
Darkness swallowed the car instantly.
The road ahead vanished into black, but so did we.
For a split second, we weren't visible anymore.
Just another shadow in the chaos.
"Where did we go?" Cassian asked sharply.
"They can't track what they can't see," I said, voice tight. "Don't move."
We coasted forward in near silence now, engine low, hidden by distance and distraction.
Behind us, the chaos continued—Jare and Percy pulling the chase away like a storm dragging lightning in the wrong direction.
I didn't look back too long.
I couldn't.
Because if I did, I might lose focus.
And I couldn't afford that.
Not when the hospital was finally close.
The emergency lights of the building flickered into view ahead—bright, steady, real.
Hope.
For the first time that night.
"Just a little more…" I whispered, more to Clyden than anyone else.
My hands shook as I guided the car into the hospital approach, still keeping it hidden in darkness until the last possible second.
And only when we were seconds away from the entrance—
did I slam the headlights back on and brake hard.
The tires screeched violently as we stopped at the emergency drop-off.
Before the car had even fully stopped, I threw the door open.
"Get him out!" I shouted desperately.
Everything after that became chaos.
Doors slammed open around me.
Footsteps.
Shouting.
Blood everywhere.
"Doctor!" My voice cracked as I ran beside them. "Please—please help my brother!"
The second the hospital staff saw him, their expressions changed instantly.
"Nurse, trauma room now!"
"Multiple gunshot wounds!"
"Move!"
People rushed forward with a stretcher while others cleared the hallway immediately.
I stumbled back as they pulled Clyden Kuya from the car carefully, oxygen already being pushed toward him.
His arm hung lifelessly off the side for one terrifying second before the nurses adjusted him onto the stretcher properly.
And seeing that—
Seeing him like that—
Almost destroyed me.
"Kuya…" I whispered weakly, following after them immediately.
Doctors surrounded him fast, speaking over each other in rushed medical terms I couldn't even process.
"BP dropping!"
"We're losing too much blood!"
"Prep the OR!"
The stretcher wheels screeched against the hospital floor as they rushed him through the emergency doors.
I tried to follow—
But someone stopped me.
"Ma'am, you can't go inside!"
"No!" I cried instantly, trying to pull away. "That's my brother!"
"He needs immediate surgery!"
"Please let me go with him—please!"
But the doors already swung shut in front of me.
And just like that—
He disappeared behind the emergency doors.
Leaving me standing there covered in his blood.
Everything around me moved too fast.
Doctors rushing.
Nurses shouting.
Phones ringing.
I couldn't process any of it.
My mind was still stuck on the way Kuya looked in my arms.
Still.
Too still.
"He will be okay," Cassian said firmly beside me.
I didn't know if he was trying to convince me or himself.
Then another doctor rushed toward us quickly.
"Miss, does he have any medical history?" the doctor asked urgently. "Any allergies? Previous surgeries? Conditions?"
I stared at him blankly.
The words barely registered.
"Jay," Cassian called softly beside me.
I looked down at my hands.
They were still shaking violently.
There was blood under my nails.
On my clothes.
On my skin.
Seeing Kuya like that… not moving…
I swallowed hard. My voice came out barely above a whisper. "Get yourself together."
I slapped my own cheeks, once… twice. The sharp sting pulled me back into reality. My breathing steadied just enough for me to focus.
Then I spoke quickly, forcing my mind into control.
"His blood type is AB+. He was intoxicated—possibly two bottles of alcohol. He was on medication but stopped six months ago… and he's allergic to succinylcholine."
The doctor nodded immediately. "Thanks for telling us. That helps a lot."
The doctor didn't hesitate for even a second.
"Noted. Succinylcholine allergy—no depolarizing paralytics," he called out immediately, already turning toward the trauma team. "Switch anesthesia plan. Prep alternative intubation protocol."
The room shifted instantly—calm, controlled chaos replacing panic.
Monitors were wheeled in. Gloves snapped. Metal trays clinked. The sharp smell of antiseptic filled the air, drowning out everything except the frantic rhythm of the situation.
My legs still wouldn't move properly, like your body hadn't decided whether to collapse or keep standing.
Inside the trauma bay, doors shut with a heavy final sound.
And then—
Nothing.
No one came out.
No one said anything.
Only the red light above the operating room burned brightly while I stood frozen outside the glass doors.
And because the doors were glass—
I could see everything.
Doctors surrounded Kuya from every side, moving fast around him while machines flashed beside the operating table.
My breathing stopped the second I saw one doctor suddenly look at the monitor.
"His pulse is dropping!"
Everything inside the room moved faster instantly.
"Bring the defibrillator now!"
A nurse rushed forward with the machine while another doctor climbed partly onto the bed to continue chest compressions.
"No…" I whispered weakly.
The monitor beeped sharply.
Loud.
Warning sounds filling the room.
"200 joules… charging," someone called out.
The machine let out a rising electronic whine.
My hands started trembling harder.
Inside the room, one doctor pressed the paddles against Kuya's chest.
"Clear!"
His body jolted violently from the shock.
I flinched so hard I stumbled backward.
But my eyes never left him.
Never.
The monitor kept screaming irregularly.
"Again!"
"Charge!"
People moved around him desperately while blood stained the doctors' gloves and surgical sheets.
One nurse was pushing medication.
Another was adjusting oxygen.
And Kuya—
Kuya still wasn't waking up.
"Come on…" one doctor muttered under his breath while checking the monitor again.
I pressed my shaking hand against the glass.
"Kuya…" my voice cracked completely.
He still wasn't moving.
His chest rose and fell faintly, each breath uneven—painful to watch, like even his body was struggling to hold on.
"Clear!"
The shock hit.
Nothing changed.
"Again. Increase charge."
The room blurred at the edges of my vision.
"Kuya…" My voice broke as I stumbled closer to the glass doors, my shaking hands pressing against them helplessly. "Kuya, you're scaring me…"
Inside the operating room, they were still working on him desperately.
Doctors shouting.
Machines screaming.
People moving around his body faster and faster.
But Kuya still wasn't opening his eyes.
"Don't leave me…" I whispered, sobbing now. "Please… I'll do anything…"
Another shock hit his chest.
I flinched violently.
"Didn't you promise?" I cried. "Didn't you promise I'd always be your number one?"
My breathing became uneven, painful.
"Then why are you lying there?" I whispered brokenly. "Please…"
My legs finally gave out beneath me.
I collapsed onto my knees outside the glass doors, my hands still pressed weakly against them while tears blurred everything in front of me.
The cold floor hit hard.
But I barely felt it.
"Please don't leave me…" I begged quietly, completely breaking apart now. "Please… don't take another person from me…"
Inside the room, another doctor immediately continued chest compressions while the others checked the monitor again.
The beeping sound echoed through the glass.
Too fast.
Too unstable.
I covered my mouth with trembling hands as another sob escaped me.
"Please…" My voice barely came out anymore. "Please don't do this, Kuya…"
And inside the room—
For one terrifying moment—
The monitor let out one long continuous sound.