"Oh no..." Hina whispered, her fingers trembling against her lips as she stared at the screen.
I glanced at her, then shifted my gaze to the TV.
The crowd around us murmured anxiously as the reporter's voice echoed through the café. The footage showed the Skyview Mall, surrounded by knights and inside, the shadowy figures of the gang. They wore hoodies, their faces obscured, and wielded swords with flames flickering at their edges. Two bodies lay motionless on the floor.
Hina's restlessness grew, her foot tapping on the floor as if she could barely contain herself. "Skyview Mall is just five kilometers away from here," she said, her voice tense.
"So?" I asked, keeping my tone indifferent.
"So? What so? Let's go there and help!" she exclaimed, her voice rising above the murmurs of the crowd.
I raised a brow, unimpressed. "Isn't that the job of the country's knights? What can a student like you possibly do?" My voice was calm, almost dismissive.
Her eyes filled with frustration, a hint of tears glistening in the corners. She clenched her fists, her face red with emotion, before turning away from me and storming out of the café.
I sighhed, watching her retreating back.
She disappeared into the bustling streets, determination that she will change the world written all over her face.
Hina ran as fast as her legs could carry her, leaping over obstacles with a grace that showed how much she had done her training. She jumped over the houses and walls as she reached Skyview Mall, the scene was chaotic.
Crowds gathered outside the barricades, whispers and panic rippling through the air. Armed guards stood at their posts, and knights in polished armor huddled in groups, discussing their strategy.
She scanned the area but couldn't see a clear opening. Her eyes shifted to the back of the mall, where fewer guards patrolled and the crowd thinned out. Without hesitation, she slipped past the main perimeter and circled to the back.
As she neared the building, her attention was drawn upward. On the roof, a terrified woman clung to the edge of the malls building, her screams piercing through the commotion. "Save me! Please, somebody help!" she cried, her voice shaky and desperate.
Hina waved at a nearby guard. "Hey, there's someone on the roof!"
The guard glanced up and raised his hands. "Stay where you are! Don't move!" he shouted, trying to calm the woman. But she was too frightened, her body trembling as she edged closer to the brink.
"Please! I can't hold on!" she wailed, her hands slipping.
"Oww!!" The woman's mouth let out a scream as her hands slipped and body fell down.
In an instant, a shadow darted from nowhere, leaping high into the air. The crowd gasped as the figure caught the woman mid-fall, the sunlight catching his form. Cheers erupted as the guards and Hina looked on in amazement.
As the figure descended gracefully to the ground, the woman safely in his arms, the light revealed my face.
Hina crossed her arms, her lips twitching and gave me a side eye as I handed the woman over to the guards. "So, you came," she said, her tone laced with mock irritation.
I shrugged, adjusting my hoodie. "Yeah... I felt like it."
She rolled her eyes but couldn't hide the small smile creeping onto her lips. "You could've just come with me rather than coming from behind thinking of yourself as some hero." she said, waving her hands and teasing me.
I glanced at her and looked at the mall and its height. "You're welcome, by the way."
I grabbed Hina's hand and pulled her along, moving calmly toward the front.
"Hey, where are you taking me?" she said, her voice sharp with curiosity and a hint of resistance.
Without slowing down or looking back at her. "Let's wait at the front. The knights are planning their strategy, and trust me, you don't want to be the reason it fails. So please, calm down now." My tone was firm but reassuring, enough to settle her nerves.
Her lips parted, ready for another argument, but the logic in my words seemed to strike her. She sighed softly, her shoulders relaxing.
"Hmm, alright," she murmured, her usual energetic demeanor momentarily calmned as she fell in step beside me.
We stood to the side, watching the knights prepare their plan. A large suitcase filled with money was being carefully pushed through the main entrance. Several knights raised their hands in surrender as they entered, presumably to hand over the ransom.
After that, the gangs closed the door and few minutes passed by as everyone waited for the news that the hostages are all okay.
Hina frowned, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. "Why aren't they storming the place already? What's taking so long?" she muttered, her frustration mounting.
I leaned casually against a tree, my hands stuffed in my pockets, eyes closed. "They're wasting their time," I said softly.
She turned to me, her brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"They're long gone already," I replied, opening my eyes to the mall.
"What?" Her voice was a mix of confusion and disbelief.
For a moment, there was nothing but silence. Then, a loud explosion echoed from inside, shaking the ground beneath our feet. Smoke came from the mall's side as the knights began their search.
The knights finally moved in, storming the mall from multiple entrances, their coordinated effort sending a ripple of anticipation through the crowd.
In few minutes the news came out. A reporter's voice broke through the noise, her words sending a chill down everyone's spine.
"They all vanished into thin air," she said, her tone surprised. "The gang isn't inside anymore."
Hina's jaw dropped, her eyes wide with shock. "That's impossible..." she whispered.
I straightened up, my gaze fixed on the mall as the knights looked panicked and confused for what just happened.
—The money—The Gang. Both are gone and vanished as if they never existed there in the first place.