"Woah, what's going on?" Chan shouted through the noise, trying to stay on his feet and hold onto Seunghyun at the same time, who didn't react to the turmoil around them.

"That's definitely Himchan, probably Yongguk as well," Jongup answered, clinging to the remains of one of the kitchen cabinets. "Keep your heads down!"

Another jolt shook the house and forced most of the people present on their knees.

"Someone stop Seungri!" Jihoon screamed over the rumbling and gesticulated towards the Warrior who was quickly shuffling towards the exit, a determined expression on his face. Hansol and Jun shared a look and grasped each others' hands before their silhouettes began to waver. Jisoo watched in fascination as their bodies started to distort until the familiar clones emerged from their backs only seconds later and immediately followed Seungri.

His attention got caught by another shout. "The ceiling is cracking! Jeonghan, move!"

Dodging a piece of rubble the size of his head, the long-haired Warrior hastily took shelter in the corner next to his brothers, who were moving Zelo and Jooheon out of danger. While the young Warrior had still not woken up, Jooheon was actively trying to help although he still looked rather dazed and needed assistance while walking.

Unable to carry him, Jisoo had thrown himself on top of Wonwoo's unconscious body to protect him from flying debris. Most of the Forcebearers followed his example and tried to shield as many people as they possibly could while Minghao kept the bigger pieces of rubble away from them.

Not only Jisoo screamed in surprise when the lights suddenly turned off and everything was shrouded in darkness. The tremors that had shaken the house stopped at once. An unsettling silence filled the room, only disrupted by the tinkling of falling concrete.

", I can't see! Stay close to the walls; I need to support the ceiling in case it gives out." Minghao already sounded beyond exhausted and the Wielder felt a painful sting in his chest at the strain in his voice. The small pebbles that had continuously hit his back ever since the tremors had begun, stopped falling but Jisoo could feel Minghao's anxiety and weariness wash over him as soon as the Warrior was too distracted to keep his bond closed off.

"Is everyone alright?" Seungcheol's tired voice rang out to his left. Affirmative murmurs followed.

Slowly, the Wielder raised his head, trying to make out shapes in the inky blackness surrounding him. He could feel Wonwoo's chest rise beneath his own. It calmed him to know that the other was still there even though he couldn't see him. Lifting his head even further, he called out, "I'm okay. I'll try to get Wonwoo closer to the wall." Based on the curses and shifting around him, he assumed that the Forcebearers were attempting the same.

The Wielder carefully reached out and felt his surroundings for a somewhat unobstructed path but sharp edges and ragged surfaces cut into his fingers almost immediately and he pulled back.

Shifting a little to check the other side, he reached out once more but froze when, without warning, a hand wrapped around his arm. Wonwoo's quiet voice close to his ear made him inhale sharply in surprise. "Why are you on top of me?"

Jisoo had never noticed just how deep and smooth the Guardian's voice was and this was definitely neither the right time nor the right place to ponder that thought.

"Oh my god, I'm s-so sorry! There was this e-earthquake and the rubble a-and..." he squeaked, before his voice faded and he hurriedly tried to get up. Only Wonwoo's tight grip stopped him from tumbling face first into the debris.

"Careful."

A shiver ran down Jisoo's spine at the feeling of hot breath against his throat. The darkness around them was making the situation strangely intimate and he couldn't help but lower his voice as well. "Y-yes, sorry. Are you o-okay? Does anything hurt?"

"I'm fi-"

"Dang it. Don't we have any working flashlights left?" Chan's annoyed voice sounded to the Wielder's left. "Or at least a phone? I dropped mine earlier."

"Whoops. I have one, somewhere. One moment." Jun's sheepish smile was almost audible. Sounds of him going through his bag followed almost immediately.

Jisoo flinched when a beam of light unexpectedly cut through the darkness to his right, a few meters away from Jun's position. In the dim glow, the Wielder became acutely aware of just how close his face was to Wonwoo's and how warm the Guardian's body was under his own. Once again, he tried to sit up and once again, Wonwoo's hand stopped him.

The beam of light wandered through the room for a moment before it fell on the Wielder and the Guardian. While the other Forcebearers pulled out their phones, the light source approached and Jisoo squinted to see who was holding the flashlight.

When Jihoon had reached them, he leaned down and roughly pulled the Wielder up by his arm, fury burning in his eyes. "Hands off, bastard," he growled.

"Jihoon!" Jisoo had blanched slightly at his tone and the glare he had pierced Wonwoo with. "He didn't do anything wrong!"

"Apart from being a high ranking member of one of the biggest crime syndicates in South Korea? Yeah, I'm sure he's a great person."

Grimacing in pain, Jisoo pulled his arm out of Jihoon's tight grip before he moved in front of the Guardian, who was still sitting on the dirty floor. "We would be dead without him."

The Warrior only shook his head at him, an exasperated expression on his face, before he turned his flashlight towards the ceiling. "We have bigger problems right now. But I'm keeping an eye on you." Wonwoo returned Jihoon's scowl with an impassive look.

"Oh god." Jisoo almost fell for the second time when he tried to take a hasty step back after seeing the amount of rubble Minghao was keeping from falling on them. This time around, Jihoon's hold was much more gentle and without a word, he let his fingers run over the area he had gripped too harshly earlier.

They looked up when Jeonghan joined them, his eyes also fixed on the ceiling. "Come on, everyone's already near the walls and Minghao looks like he'll pass out any minute. Also two of the other guys woke up; I didn't catch their names."

Jisoo extended a helping hand towards Wonwoo, who took it after a moment of hesitation. It earned him another glare from Jihoon which he promptly ignored. Jeonghan also helped supporting the tall Guardian while Jihoon grudgingly lighted the way. Navigating through the debris, they were greeted by Hyungwon's and Jooheon's pale faces, the latter looking a lot healthier now that Seokmin had taken care of him.

"Okay, everyone's safe. Minghao, you can stop," the Healer announced while he walked over to take a look at Hyungwon's dislocated shoulder.

"Thank ing god," the Warrior pressed through clenched teeth before he let the rubble drop. With a relieved groan, he slumped to the ground next to Zelo, but immediately jumped up with surprised squeak when a visibly embarrassed Minzy materialized where he had tried to sit.

"I need to reset your arm before I can properly heal you," Seokmin said to Hyungwon and Jisoo could see the growing fear in the former guard's eyes. It took Jooheon's support by holding his healthy hand for him to agree with a hesitant nod.

"Are the others okay?" the Technopath asked while Hyungwon turned even paler when Seokmin examined his shoulder.

"Well most of your team members are still knocked out but I treated the worst injuries, so they should wake up soon."

Jisoo had to give Hyungwon credit for not screaming when his shoulder popped back into place.

"Now what?" Hansol asked a short while later, watching Seungri struggle against the clones in the beams of their flashlights. The rain clouds outside had fully dispersed, allowing pale moonlight to fall through the windows.

"Let's wait. Seungkwan said they'd pick us up, right?" Jeonghan replied and sat down cross-legged. His head came to rest against Seungcheol's shoulder, who seemed too tired to shake him off.

As if on cue, everyone tensed when hurried footsteps became audible in the hallway. All available light sources turned towards the door which got flung open only a few seconds later. Seungkwan tumbled into the room, trying to shield his eyes from the lights directed at him. "What the hell are you waiting for?! Let's go!" The Clairvoyant was sweating, armed with a long stick and clearly out of his comfort zone.

"Wow, what are you doing here?" Minghao croaked, his body shaking from overexertion. Despite his condition, he still managed to sound cynical.

Seungkwan glared at him. "Stop asking stupid questions and hurry. Youngjae is guarding the door but I'm useless when it comes to fighting."

"What about Shownu and his group?" Jisoo dared to ask while everyone got up.

Seungkwan's angry gaze softened once it fell on him but his words were cold. "What about them?"

"They helped us so much; we can't leave them here! We should get rid of the forcebonds while Jiyong is still knocked out."

"Jisoo, we have exactly seventeen minutes left; there's no time to cancel contracts," the Clairvoyant huffed, dismay lacing his voice.

"Wonwoo can help me. Right, Wonwoo?"

The Guardian looked up at the question and was met with Jisoo's bright, expectant eyes. One of the corners of his mouth twitched before he answered, "You got rid of my contract. I can't help you."

The Wielder's face fell at once and his Bonded felt disappointment wash through them. Seungkwan twiddled with his thumbs while everyone else avoided looking at Jisoo's sad expression.

It was Minghao who spoke up in the end. "Oh my god, just get it over with and bond with him if you really want to free those guys that badly," he grunted, still trying to get his weak knees to carry his weight.

Jisoo's hopeful gaze once again turned to Wonwoo whose lips finally pulled into a small smile. It grew wider once he noticed Jihoon's balled fists. "I wouldn't mind."

"You guys are killing me! Fine, but the rest better get ready to leave. Everyone pair up with one of the half-dead ones or something. And Jisoo, hurry. I'll drag you out by your hair if I have to; I'm not getting in trouble with the police after escaping from a freaking gang." Seungkwan sulkily turned around after seeing the Wielder's bright smile.

"This is only temporary, dickweed. Don't get any funny ideas," Jihoon hissed as soon as everyone was busily moving about. Wonwoo only shrugged in response.

"Why's the police involved in the first place?" Jun asked while he watched Jisoo and Wonwoo press their hands together.

Seungkwan didn't look up from his watch. "Apparently Kangin's father got fed up with his brother taking his sweet time to pay the ransom for Chaerin. And when Minzy vanished too, he used his connections to find out what he needed to know."

"But isn't it a good thing they're coming? When they find the basement, they'll final