Kaelan wedged the crowbar into the slight seam between the door and the frame of the safe. He knew he didn't have the right tools for a smooth break-in; this was going to be loud, rough, and probably draw attention. But he'd seen enough to understand that timing was everything. If he moved quickly, there might be just enough chaos for him to slip out before the boss or his men could react.
With a grunt, he pressed down on the crowbar, the muscles in his arms straining. The metal groaned, a screech that cut through the relative quiet of the warehouse. He winced, freezing in place as he listened for any sign that someone might have heard. For a brief moment, the silence held, save for the low murmur of voices from the other side of the warehouse.
Encouraged, Kaelan continued, leveraging his weight against the crowbar as he slowly worked the safe's door open. Sweat formed on his brow, and his heart hammered in his chest, each second stretching into an eternity. The voice in his head was silent, watching, waiting, letting Kaelan focus without distraction.
Finally, the safe door gave way with a low clang, inching open just enough for Kaelan to slip his fingers in and pull it the rest of the way. Inside, stacks of cash lay piled in neat bundles, alongside small bags filled with shimmering blue crystals—Cosmic Krystals. His pulse quickened. This was it. The key to power, the means to fund his journey to the island… and maybe more.
He started loading the cash and Krystals into his bag, his movements fast but deliberate. Every bundle, every crystal was another step closer to freedom, another step away from the life he'd been forced into. But just as he reached for the last bundle, a shadow loomed over him, casting a cold dread that settled into his bones.
"So," came a deep, menacing voice behind him, "we've got ourselves a little thief."
Kaelan spun around, instinctively dropping into a defensive stance. The boss—no longer the figure he'd seen across the room, distant and commanding—now stood only a few feet away, his glowing eyes fixed on Kaelan with a mixture of anger and amusement. Up close, the man seemed even larger, his frame like a wall of muscle and menace.
The boss's skin darkened, shifting from a human hue to a shade as black as the void itself, tiny flecks of light shimmering within, like stars against a night sky. Kaelan's mind raced as he assessed his opponent's power—an energy manipulation, perhaps, or a transformation of some kind. Either way, this wasn't going to be a simple escape.
Kaelan tightened his grip on the crowbar, eyes narrowed. The voice in his head hissed, urging him to move, to strike first, to survive.
"Didn't anyone ever teach you not to touch what isn't yours?" the boss sneered, his own hands flexing, energy crackling at his fingertips.
And with that, he lunged at Kaelan, a force of raw, terrifying power.
The boss lunged, his massive hand crackling with raw energy as it came down in a brutal arc aimed at Kaelan's head. But Kaelan was faster—his training, honed over years of relentless drills and exercises, kicked in with deadly precision. In an instant, he sidestepped the attack, narrowly avoiding the blast of energy that erupted as the boss's fist struck the ground. Concrete shattered and dust exploded upward, creating a brief screen.
Without a moment's hesitation, Kaelan twisted, using the momentum of his dodge to bring the crowbar up in a vicious arc. It struck the boss's jaw with a sickening crack, and Kaelan felt the satisfying give of flesh and bone as the metal bit deep, sending the man stumbling back with a snarl of rage. Blood sprayed, dark and thick, splattering Kaelan's face, but he didn't flinch. He was numb to it, conditioned beyond the limits of empathy or disgust.
The boss wiped the blood from his broken jaw, his eyes blazing with fury. "You're gonna pay for that, kid."
But Kaelan was already moving. He dropped the crowbar, slipping into a low stance as he circled his opponent, eyes scanning for weaknesses, openings. The boss roared, charging again with his hands glowing, fists swinging wildly. Kaelan ducked, weaving under one blow, then the next, his movements smooth and efficient, the way he'd been trained to be.
In one swift, brutal motion, he drove his fist into the boss's solar plexus, sinking his knuckles into flesh with enough force to rupture organs. The boss let out a choked gasp, his power momentarily faltering. Seizing the opportunity, Kaelan followed up with a knee to the gut, doubling him over, before bringing his elbow down on the back of the man's neck. Another crunch echoed through the warehouse as vertebrae cracked under the force of the blow.
But it wasn't enough. The boss staggered, dazed but still standing, his rage now a palpable force in the air around him. He spat blood, his lips curled into a snarl. "You think... that's enough to stop me?"
Kaelan's eyes narrowed. In that split second, he knew what he had to do. He moved in close, grabbing the man by the back of the head and slamming it against his knee, shattering his nose in an explosion of blood and cartilage. The boss stumbled, dazed, and Kaelan didn't hesitate—he swept the man's legs from under him, sending him crashing to the floor with a heavy thud.
Then Kaelan was on him, his hands a blur of motion as he unleashed a brutal, relentless assault, his fists driving into the boss's face and throat with bone-shattering precision. Each strike was fueled by years of training, each movement calculated for maximum damage. The boss's face became a mess of blood and pulp under Kaelan's fists, his struggles weakening with every blow.
Finally, as the boss lay gasping, barely conscious, Kaelan grabbed the crowbar again, standing over him. For a moment, he hesitated, staring down at the broken man beneath him, his breath ragged, his knuckles dripping with blood.
The voice in his head whispered softly, coaxingly, "Finish it."
With a cold detachment, Kaelan raised the crowbar one last time and brought it down, ending the fight with brutal finality.