Chapter 17: Jayce is Here

Sierra Sullivan watched Sebastian Crawford’s grim face, and her heart sank.

’What’s going on?’

’Why did Sebastian suddenly show up and go ballistic?’

While Sierra was still lost in thought, a fireball appeared in Sebastian’s palm.

The next moment, Sebastian Crawford hurled the fireball straight at the door.

Seeing Sebastian’s move, Sierra instinctively retreated.

The fireball slammed into the door with a loud BOOM.

Even though Sierra had backed away, she could still feel the door shuddering.

The door didn’t give way, but the video doorbell screen went dark.

From outside, Sebastian Crawford’s voice was as menacing as ever.

"Sierra, are you going to open this door or not?"

Sierra remained silent, quietly retrieving an extremely sharp bone cleaver from her dimensional space.

All her training over the past several days hadn’t been for nothing.

She’d practiced swinging the cleaver alone over a thousand times a day.

’If Sebastian Crawford really manages to blast the door open, I won’t go down without a fight. It’ll be a battle to the death.’

Outside, Sebastian Crawford waited quietly for a moment but still received no response.

This only infuriated him further.

The supplies he’d brought back last time were nearly gone after all these days.

With more and more Aberrant Beasts roaming outside, he couldn’t even get out of the apartment building, let alone search for supplies.

’Sierra has been holed up in her apartment for days without coming out. She must have tons of supplies.’

’So today, no matter what, I have to break this door down!’

"Sierra, you’re forcing my hand!"

As he spoke, Sebastian hurled another fireball at the door.

A patch of the door was quickly blackened by the blast, but it showed no signs of giving way.

Without another word, Sebastian just kept forming fireballs and blasting the door.

But his Superpower was limited.

After launching ten fireballs, his face had become so pale it was nearly translucent, and he could barely stay on his feet.

Sebastian knew his Superpower was completely drained.

"Sierra! I’ll be back tomorrow!"

With that, Sebastian turned to head downstairs.

But just as he turned, he saw someone coming up the stairs.

The lighting in the stairwell was dim, and Sebastian was too weak to get a clear look at the newcomer’s face.

He could only tell from the figure that it was a man.

As the figure drew closer, Sebastian gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stand firm. "What are you doing up here?"

’I don’t know who this is, but I need to show some strength first, stop him from getting any funny ideas.’

Just as the thought crossed his mind, he heard the man’s reply.

"To kill you."

The three short words were ice-cold, devoid of any emotion.

A jolt of shock went through Sebastian, and cold sweat broke out on his back.

’I’m sure of it, I’ve never heard this voice before.’

’This guy... he doesn’t live in this building!’

"Who are you?"

Sebastian asked, taking a few steps back.

He was forced to stop only when his back hit the wall.

’My Superpower is drained, and this guy is clearly hostile. If we fight, I’m not sure I can win.’

With that in mind, Sebastian’s attitude softened instantly. "Buddy, I don’t think we know each other. We’ve got no beef! I’m a Superpower User! If you just let me go, I’ll—"

"Dare to bully her, and you die."

The voice that reached Sebastian’s ears was even colder than before.

Sebastian froze for a second, then quickly realized who "her" was.

"You know Sierra?"

Overcome with anxiety, Sebastian swallowed hard.

"I was just... I was just joking with Sierra. I swear, I’ll never do it again—"

He couldn’t finish his sentence before the man opposite him raised a hand.

A ball of water was coalescing in his palm.

Sebastian’s pupils contracted sharply. "You’re a Superpower User, too?"

The man didn’t answer. The ball of water in his hand simply began to change shape.

It transformed from a sphere of water into a Water Arrow.

The next instant, the Water Arrow shot forward, faster than the eye could see.

Sebastian tried to dodge, but before he could even move, the Water Arrow pierced the center of his forehead.

Sebastian’s eyes bulged wide, but his body slumped lifelessly to the floor.

Jayce didn’t spare Sebastian another glance, instead turning his gaze to the scorched door.

"Sierra, it’s me."

-

"Sierra, it’s me."

The familiar voice reached Sierra’s ears through the door.

Although Sierra couldn’t see what was happening, she could piece together the situation from the conversation she’d just overheard.

’Jayce actually came looking for me!’

’And at a time like this!’

For a moment, Sierra couldn’t quite put a name to the feeling in her heart.

"Sierra, are you okay?"

Hearing Jayce’s voice again, Sierra no longer hesitated. She walked to the door, unlocked it, and slowly pulled it open.

As the door swung open, a man with a scruffy beard and a haggard face appeared before her.

It was the same face she remembered, but his condition was worlds apart!

So much so that, for a moment, Sierra almost didn’t recognize him.

In Sierra’s memory, Jayce had always been the epitome of a rich playboy.

He always had that artfully messy hair, long bangs half-hiding his flirtatious, almond-shaped eyes.

A high-bridged nose, thin lips, and the corners of his mouth always seemed to be turned up in a faint smile.

He was recklessly handsome, dazzling to behold, yet aloof and unapproachable, not to mention arrogant and sharp-tongued.

The two of them had been neighbors since they were children and grew up together, but they were never close.

As far as Sierra could remember, Jayce had been nothing but critical and disdainful of her their entire lives.

She couldn’t recall ever hearing a single good word about herself from his lips.

The term "frenemies" was practically tailor-made for them.

’So why would a guy like that call her on the first day of the apocalypse?’

’And how did he manage to come all this way to find her?’

"You—"

Sierra had only gotten a single word out when Jayce opened his arms and, before she could react, pulled her into a fierce hug.

He held her with incredible force, as if trying to crush her, to merge her into his very bones.

"Sierra! Sierra!"

Jayce’s voice was choked with emotion, filled with the joyous relief of finding something he had lost.

Though Sierra couldn’t see his face, she could feel the raw emotion rolling off him.

The words that had been on the tip of her tongue quietly retreated.

Sierra raised a hand and patted him gently on the back.

"I’m here."

Those two simple words only made Jayce more emotional.

She didn’t know how much time had passed, but by the time Jayce finally let go, Sierra felt her legs had started to go numb.

"Not bad!" Jayce nodded. "I told you not to open the door, and you were very obedient!"

Sierra, "..."

’My hand is getting itchy. I really want to punch someone!’