Rehab for SuperVillains (18+)
Chapter 221: heavy silence

Chapter 221: heavy silence

The guttural roar that had torn from Tila’s shadow-fused form faded into the void, swallowed by the midnight silence.

The shattered street fell eerily still, a wasteland of cracked asphalt, twisted metal, and pooling oil, the air thick with the stench of scorched earth and the Reaper’s obliterated remains.

The towering silhouette that had been Tila and Lila’s merged entity collapsed inward, slumping forward with a dull, wet thud against the gore-soaked pavement, the sound echoing like a final heartbeat in the desolate night.

A moment hung heavy, the world holding its breath.

Then, as if an unseen veil had lifted, the writhing shadows cloaking the monstrous figure peeled away, twisting and hissing, dissolving into the darkness like smoke at sunrise.

Two smaller forms emerged in the aftermath—fragile, naked, curled together in a yin-yang spiral of exhaustion and silence.

Lila and Tila, reverted to their human selves, lay entwined, their breathing shallow, chests rising and falling with labored effort.

Steam rose from their sweat-slick skin, glistening under the moonlight, their black eyes closed, their bodies drained, marked by faint bruises and the residual sheen of shadow energy.

The reek of charred oil, scorched asphalt, and the Reaper’s disintegrated flesh clung to the air, a grim testament to the battle’s ferocity.

From a rooftop on a neighboring building, far enough to evade detection but close enough to feel the battle’s tremor, two figures watched the carnage unfold, their silhouettes stark against the city’s neon haze.

"Sheesh," Kael murmured, lowering his high-magnification binoculars, his casual tone belying the tension in his grip, his knuckles white against the rooftop’s edge.

"That was fucking intense."

His posture betrayed his unease—shoulders rigid, jaw tight, eyes shadowed despite the moonlight.

Even Kael, who’d seen life threatening situation up close looked rattled, the twins’ raw power and the Reaper’s brutal end shaking him to his core.

Beside him, Lightning Lass—Liss—stood silent, her midnight-blue suit with ivory armor plates catching the faint glow of a distant streetlamp.

Her long blonde hair rippled in the cool night breeze, a golden banner against the dark.

She let her binoculars dangle at her side, her blue eyes fixed on the wreckage below, sharp with curiosity and a flicker of awe.

"Did you expect this to happen?" she asked, her voice low, edged with intrigue, her breath visible in the chilly air.

Kael exhaled through his nose, his face unreadable under the moonlight, his torn coat swaying faintly.

"When you called me about the Reaper snatching the twins and taking them away in a car, I thought that we would follow her and save the twins," he said, his tone measured but heavy.

"Had no clue it’d go down like this. Why do you think they turned against each other?"

They’d tracked the Reaper’s car using a signal tag Liss had planted right after she saw the reaper driving away with the twins—S-Class tracking gear that had finally paid off.

Rhea and Freya had begged to join, their fiery and icy resolve burning, but Kael had shut them down, telling them to stay at the Haven.

They weren’t ready, not for a shadow-wielder like the Reaper at midnight.

Liss had carried him across the rooftops, her leaps graceful and silent, Kael clinging to her back, her strength a quiet reassurance.

Before they left, she’d thrown a smug wink at Rhea and Freya, a playful taunt—"Don’t worry, he’s mine tonight"—her confidence a spark in the tense air.

Everything had felt under control—until the car stopped, its interior swallowed by pitch-black shadows, until the explosion of dark energy signaled a fight unlike any Kael had witnessed.

The raw power in his bones told him this was no ordinary clash, so they immediately stopped following and watched from the building as the chaos unfolded.

"I meant," Liss said after a pause, her voice softening, "did you expect the twins to actually kill the Reaper?"

Kael glanced at her, his black eyes narrowing, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Oh, that? Fuck no. Not a chance."

She raised an eyebrow, her blonde hair catching the wind, her suit’s ivory plates glinting.

"Then why didn’t you let me jump in? You had no idea how strong they were. If they’d lost—"

"Midnight," Kael cut in gently, his voice firm but kind, his gaze drifting back to the wreckage.

"That’s when shadow-wielders hit their peak. If you’d stepped into that mess, Liss, even though you are really strong, you might not have walked out."

Her breath caught, her blue eyes widening, a rare crack in her confident facade.

"You were worried about me?" she asked, her tone softer, almost vulnerable, her fingers curling at her sides.

Kael shrugged, his smirk fading into something warmer, his eyes meeting hers.

"Of course I was. The last thing I want is you getting hurt, Liss. Especially not when you’re out there fighting for me."

Liss’s heart skipped, her lips parting, caught between surprise and a rush of warmth.

Without a word, she leaned forward, her hands bracing on his shoulders, and pressed her lips to his—a gentle, lingering kiss, soft but charged, speaking volumes in the quiet night.

She always thought that Kael preferred his Haven’s customers over her. Rhea, Freya and these twins.

But now, this proves, it might not be the case.

The wind swirled around them, cool against their heated skin, as the kiss held, a moment of connection amidst the chaos below.

When she pulled back, her breath was a whisper, her blue eyes searching his. "So what’s next?"

Kael’s gaze dropped to the street, to the barely-moving forms of Lila and Tila, curled together like broken dolls in the wreckage.

"Now?" he said quietly, his voice heavy with resolve. "Now we bring them home."

Liss nodded, her suit creaking faintly as she shifted, slipping her arms into position.

Kael didn’t hesitate, climbing onto her back, his arms looping around her neck, his legs locking around her waist, her strength a steady anchor.

Her blonde hair brushed his cheek, her warmth grounding him as she braced for the leap.