A Night of Blossoming Fireworks and Rain of Stars, Half-Step to Innate

Anyone who's ever ridden a drop tower knows exactly how Maggie Monroe feels right now—eyes wide, body stiff as a board, and that primal urge to grab onto something for dear life. Even a regular elevator's little dip can make normal folks uneasy, no matter how solid the floor or how many safety features there are. But this? Forget elevators or amusement park rides—this is straight-up free-fall, no seatbelt, no mercy!

When Jack Young leapt off the rooftop with Maggie clinging to his back, he could feel her heartbeat skip a beat. Lucky for her, Jack's jump was pretty short—just a quick hop from this building to the next, maybe ten meters away. The scary, weightless feeling lasted only a split second, and before Maggie could even react, Jack had already landed smoothly on the neighboring rooftop.

"So, how you holding up?" Jack glanced back and saw Maggie Monroe looking like she'd seen a ghost—eyes glazed, hair practically standing on end. She could only mumble back, "Uh, oh, I'm fine..." After a moment, she focused on Jack's face, her eyes wide as saucers, hands gesturing wildly: "Just now, you—you were..."

Jack couldn't help but laugh at her goofy expression, and decided to mess with her a little: "What about just now?"

"Huh?" Jack's totally casual attitude left Maggie dumbstruck. She twisted around to check the other rooftop, then back at this one, making sure she wasn't dreaming. Finally, she looked at Jack, stammering, "Did you just... did you just..."

"Did I just what? Oh, I get it." Jack smirked and took off running, then—whoosh!—launched himself into the air again, this time clearing more than twenty meters. As they soared, Maggie clamped her hand over her mouth, barely holding back a scream.

Jack landed with a soft thud, turned to Maggie, and flashed a mischievous grin: "Is this what you meant?"

Maggie couldn't even speak, just nodded furiously, fingers digging into Jack's skin. After a long moment, she finally caught her breath: "Yeah, that's exactly it..."

"So, you okay?"

"I... I... I don't even know. I think I might be having a heart attack." Maggie was still totally dazed.

"I've got a great cure for heart attacks."

"What cure?" Maggie blurted out before she saw Jack's wicked grin and got a bad feeling: "Wait, you’re not gonna—"

Before she could finish, Jack sprang into the air again, this time jumping even higher and farther. The weightless rush was so intense, Maggie couldn't hold back—she bit Jack's shoulder hard and mumbled through gritted teeth, "You jerk—!!"

Jack was in a fantastic mood, his inner prankster totally satisfied. He chuckled, remembering the time he tossed Sally Shaw off the clouds back in the day. Sure, this wasn't nearly as dangerous, and Maggie was no Sally. But falling through open air with nothing to grab onto is a whole different level of thrill—and zipping between skyscrapers is even more intense.

Jack used his lightfoot technique and raw strength to leap effortlessly across the rooftops. He picked only the tallest buildings—dark night, no moon, so nobody would spot them. Jack was like Spider-Man, darting and soaring through the city, and he could feel Maggie go from stiff as a board to limp as a noodle. Her bite on his shoulder faded fast, and when he figured she'd had enough, he landed on a rooftop, set Maggie down, and helped her sit at the edge.

The moment Maggie hit solid concrete, she finally caught her breath. Her pretty face was a mess of pale and flushed, and after just one minute, she was drenched in sweat. Those big eyes stared at Jack—angry, surprised, curious, and a little embarrassed. It'd been so scary, she hadn't noticed how tightly she'd been holding onto him.

"So, did that cure your heart problem?" Jack asked, totally shameless, teasing her right to her face.

Maggie didn't hesitate—she started pounding Jack's chest with both fists: "You—you—you—you almost scared me to death!"

"You're a master with all seven chakras open, way tougher than me. No way you'd get scared so easily! Look at you, still full of energy." Jack took the light punches with a grin, then grabbed Maggie's fists and got serious: "Hey Maggie, have you ever heard the term 'Chosen One'?"

As soon as Jack grabbed her fists, Maggie froze.