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It took a little while, but Kilian did managed to regain enough consciousness to put together simple thoughts.
He was much more aware as Edith practically dragged him from the car, but still far too dazed to even think of putting up much of a fight, so he kinda just went with it.
Besides, if he was really in danger, he had it in him to use an illusion to get out of harm's way. Just maybe.
They were at some kind of fancy restaurant, the place was mostly closed so they went around the back.
Kilian saw a door open and opened his mouth to warn whoever was about to come out only for Edith to give him a rough shake, leaving his head spinning.
"Don't make a peep." she warned and the boy let out a soft hiccup, his voice dying out instantly.
He felt sorrow when this crazy woman shot the exiting employee through the head, giving the body a round eyed stare as the body was tossed into a pile of garbage before he was dragged on into the building.
'There's a lot of security around here.' Kilian noted, observing Edith's caution as she made her way through the lower level of the restaurant, making her way around the corner.
"And... 8, good they're all here."
'Eight?' Kilian wondered, glancing up at the little rectangular thing messily taped to the wall.
Come to think of it, when him and Edith were doing a weird loop of the building, he saw a couple more of those...
Kilian's blood ran cold.
Oh.
"Come along now, Kilian." Edith hummed as she led Kilian elsewhere, "I think it's about time we said hello to your Aunt, don't you?"
'I've gotta do something! I need to warn Auntie and Grandpa about the bombs!' Kilian thought frantically, looking around for some way to get out of the mess he was in, 'How, how, how...!'
He spotted one of those dudes guarding the area and his eyes lit up, 'Right! Illusion! I'll give it a go!'
The man wandering around the area was a middle aged gentleman called Barry. He had a wife and daughter at home, and was pondering on what kind of sweet food he wanted to bring home to his daughter.
As he was thinking deeply, he thought he saw a cost disappear around the corner. Of course, since he was supposed to be watching the area, he went to investigate.
Right as he neared, little Kilian came running right past with a, "There's an intruder, sir! Please make sure she doesn't get any further!"
"Wha-? Huh?" Barry looked after the fleeing Kilian with a look of surprise before glancing around the corner where he'd come from.
There, around the corner; was Edith holding her hand from where Kilian had bit her, "Little 💩...! I'll kill that brat when I get my hands on him!"
Barry put two and two together rather easily.
"You there! Stay where you are!"
Kilian ran off around the corner, making a few more turns before bursting into the room where he was sure his Aunt and Grandfather were. As expected, there they were.
Y/n, her Father, and the two Gretchers which they were seated with all looked to him in alarm.
"Kilian? What are you doing here?" y/n questioned before zeroing in on the trail of blood running down the boy's face, "You're bleeding!"
She hurried out of her seat and met Kilian half way, catching him before he could fall flat on his face, "A-Auntie! It's that lady again!"
"Lady? What lady?" y/n demanded.
Kilian sure as hell wasn't gonna call her his mother.
"Edith!" Kilian blurted.
"Edith?" y/n demanded.
"Right here!" a voice chimed.
💩, saying her name was bad luck.
Kilian and y/n looked towards the entrance to the room where Edith stood, roughed up and bleeding from the shoulder where she'd been shot.
Damned silencers, Kilian hadn't even heard gunshots!
Y/n's worried expression immediately went cold upon recognizing who the woman was. Kilian was immediately ushered behind her, the woman uttering a soft, "Get back, Kilian."
He didn't have to be asked twice, hiding behind his aunt and peering out with round eyes. This woman had bombs planted around the building, multiple of them!
How were they triggered?
Did she have to push a button or something?
"You ruined everything, you know?" Edith hummed, breathing heavily likely due to whatever hell she went through to get rid of the armed dudes guarding the room, "Sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."
"My nephew, my business." y/n retorted sharply, "We gave you everything you needed to take care of yourself and Kilian, but you got greedy!"
"I simply got rid of what I didn't need. You could've gone about your business and just took him back, but you had to make me suffer too!" Edith practically shrieked.
Y/n didn't bother replying. She didn't get the chance to. Alessandro was the one to shoot Edith in the chest not once but twice.
Kilian let out a small gasp and hid behind y/n again where was a heavy thud of a body hitting the ground.
Y/n rubbed his hand without a word while Alessandro turned back to Gram and Arron with a strained smile, "Apologies. Crazy daughter-in-law. We'll do our best to help you with your problem, as you've contributed to resolving ours."
"Of course." Gram said with a nod, "It's best that we leave now, I think we'll have to save that dinner for another time."
Y/n not briefly, "Thank you again." she gave Kilian a gentle tap, "Come on, let's get you to a hospital."
Kilian felt a flash of alarm, "W-Wait! Bombs!"
Y/n frowned, "Bombs?"
"She planted bombs!"
...
A couple blocks away, Anya and her new dog friend had reached the clock tower which the little girl had seen in the dog's mind.
They were there to disarm a bomb that would possibly kill Loid, but they had to do it quickly! Before the clock went dong-dong!
I—
I mean, in less than thirty minutes.
Anya found the room where the bomb was, but all the wires were black. Not knowing what else to do, she grabbed a bottle of ketchup and drew a warning on the door so the bomb wouldn't be triggered.
She had to leave quickly though, before she was spotted. Her and the future-seeing dog took refuge a couple blocks away, and watched the clock intently.
'Papa, did you see my message?' Anya thought frantically, 'I'm too far away to read his kind... Papa, please be okay!'
A few more seconds passed before the clock chimed, the resounding noise ringing on and on before ending.
No explosion.
'It didn't go off!'
Anya tried reading the dog's mind, and found that the future was happy again! Loid, Anya, and Yor all there together with happy, smiling faces.
"Papa's back!" Anya exclaimed as the dog licked her, "We saved Papa, doggy! We saved the future!"
The dog paused, sniffing the air before whining.
Anya gave the dog and inquisitive look and tried reading his mind again. It was all dark. Just dark.
Dark, cramped, and only a little bit of warmth.
"Auntie, hey, Auntie! Wake up! Please!"
Anya flinched, 'That was Ian's voice!'
She grabbed the dog and shook him, "When is this? Where is this?! What's gonna happen to Ian?!"
Maybe if she could get to him, she could—
A loud, booming— well, boom caught Anya's attention and she whipped around to see smoke rising up into the sky just behind her.
Kilian.
That had to be Kilian!
"Come on, doggy! We have to hurry!" Anya shouted at the dog who nodded with a 'worf'. She hopped on his back once more, and they hurried towarss fa the scene of the explosion.
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"Auntie?"
No reply.
Kilian let out a couple of coughs, chokingn on dust as he opened his watery eyes. It was too dark to see much of anything, but he could just barely make out y/n's form beside him.
"Auntie!" he gasped, preparing to get up just enough to turn towards her only for his back to bump something.
"Careful, Kilian." Alessandro's voice warned, "Grandpa is struggling a bit, so I'll need you to keep still."
"Huh...?" Kilian whispered, "Grandpa...?"
The little boy glanced at his Aunt. She seemed fine for the most part, pain evident in her features despite being unconscious, but Alessandro— huh...
Kilian carefully observed the dim area.
There was rubble all around them, every side, and he could see just a little bit of sunlight in the distance.
Kilian and y/n were side by side, sheltered by the old man's body from whatever the hell was over them.
"Auntie, hey, Auntie! Wake up!" Kilian pleaded, giving the woman a light shake, "Please, wake—!"
A quiet grunt from Alessandro caught his attention and something above them shook. Oh. Oh no.
"Grandpa! Are you okay?" Kilian cried, panic rushing through him, "Is it too heavy? Are you hurt?"
"I'll be fine, Kilian. Grandpa may be old but he's super strong!" Alessandro replied with a quiet chuckle, "Besides, I have you and your Aunt to protect. Nothing's too heavy if it means you'll be safe."
'I don't know how big it is, but Grandpa definitely has some rubble on his back. He was shielding us from whatever fell.' Kilian realized, "Will you be okay?"
"I'll be okay. We'll all be okay." the man assured him, "Listen closely, Kilian. Can you hear that outside?"
Kilian paused, listening to the silence.
He could hear the distant sound of sirens.
"Help is on the way, so you don't need to worry. Grandpa is—" there was another rumble and some creaking which interrupted the old man's words. Kilian warily watch led how his grandfather's arms trembled for a moment, "—grandpa is perfectly fine."
"Why?" Kilian whispered, "Why are you fine? It's not normal for a human to be fine in a situation like this."
Alessandro let out a quiet laugh, "It sure isn't. Do you know what adrenaline is, Kilian?"
The boy nodded a little, "Mhm. It's a hormone our bodies make when we're stressed. It increases our blood circulation, you breathing, and prepares out muscles for exertion. But... what does it have to do with this?"
"You and y/n. You two are the light of my life." Alessandro murmured, "I already lost my son, and I couldn't bear to lose both my daughter and little grandson as well. After you father died, I promised that I'd never let anything happen to you two. Ever."
"I failed once with Achille, and I failed again when Edith went and sold you off." Alessandro continued quietly, "I'm not going to fail again. That desire I have to protect you gives me the adrenaline I need to hold up the rubble, you know? I bet I could even hold up the sky for you two."
"Really?" Kilian asked in a small voice.
"Really." Alessandro confirmed with a little smile, "So, Kilian. What have you been up to in school? Come to think of it, I haven't gotten the chance to ask you about those two little friends of yours!"
It wasn't strange for Kilian's grandfather to conduct a normal, every day conversation in a dire situation.
The boy did find it odd at first, but came to realize that Alessandro was like any other human. Prone to panic, often driven by emotion, and fearful of death.
He talked to keep himself calm.
He distracted himself to avoid panicking.
Kilian knew the man was just as scared as he was.
He knew he was just barely holding up the rubble which had piled up on top of all three of them.
He knew that the man didn't want to die.
But his love for his daughter and grandson was what kept him going. He wasn't going to let them be crushed to death. Even if he was tired, severely injured, or right on the brink of death, he wasn't going to move.
He'd stay right there, protecting Kilian and y/n from harm. Even if he died right there and then.
"Well, we played dodgeball not long ago." Kilian began quietly, "It was... an interesting game."
"Oh really?" a light cough, "Please, tell me more."
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