The Bigshot's Superstar Wife - Chapter 34

Chapter 34: Disaster

Mors chuckled softly, his lips curving into a rare, relaxed smile.

“I used to have long hair before,” he admitted, running the towel gently over her head. His touch was unexpectedly careful, his fingers deft as they worked through the strands.

“Long hair?” Athena repeated, a faint note of disbelief in her voice. “You? I can’t imagine it.”

He smirked, his eyes glinting with a hint of amusement. “It was a long time ago. But I know what I’m doing, so sit still.”

Athena obeyed, though her body remained tense, her instincts unwilling to let her guard down.

The soft rustling of the towel and the rhythmic movement of his hands created an oddly soothing atmosphere.

Despite herself, she found her shoulders relaxing slightly under his care.

“You’re surprisingly domestic for someone who wields a sword like it’s an extension of their body,” she said, her tone teasing.

“Domestic?” Mors huffed a quiet laugh. “You’d be surprised what I’m capable of.”

When he finally finished, he set the towel aside and leaned back slightly, his gaze lingering on her for a moment. “There,” he said simply. “Now you won’t wake up shivering.”

Athena turned to him, her eyes searching his face. The moment felt strange, intimate, even, but the lingering tension in her chest refused to dissipate.

“Why are you doing this, Mors? Acting so… normal?”

He met her gaze, his expression unreadable. “Because sometimes, even in the chaos, it’s good to remind yourself of the ordinary.”

She didn’t reply, instead lowering her eyes to the floor, her thoughts a tangled web of suspicion and reluctant curiosity.

As the night deepened, neither of them fully relaxed. Mors sat near the window, his posture straight and his sword resting against the wall within arm’s reach.

Athena remained on the bed, her senses heightened despite the comforting warmth of the blanket around her.

Every creak of the floorboards and whisper of the wind outside kept them alert, their vigilance unbroken.

It was as if the earlier battle and the storm had heightened their awareness of unseen threats lurking just beyond the quiet.

For now, they shared an uneasy truce.

The room was still, but the unspoken tension between them buzzed like static in the air. It was a fragile peace, held together by circumstance and necessity.

Tomorrow, they would face whatever came next, but tonight, they remained watchful, two wary souls bound together by secrets and a storm that had yet to pass.

–

The ground beneath them rumbled violently, a deafening roar tearing through the stillness of the night.

Athena was jolted awake, her instincts kicking in instantly. Mors was already on his feet, his sharp eyes scanning their surroundings.

“Earthquake!” Athena yelled, her voice barely audible over the crashing sounds of falling objects and cracking wood.

Without hesitation, she activated her space ability, rapidly storing every object within the hut in her boundless sword space.

Pots, tools, supplies, everything vanished into the void within seconds.

“Move!” Mors ordered, grabbing her arm as the structure of the hut began to groan under the strain of the quake.

They rushed outside into the chaos of the darkness, the ground trembling beneath their feet.

The earthquake was relentless, shaking the forest to its core. Several trees came crashing down around them, their massive trunks splintering as they hit the ground.

Athena and Mors dodged debris with precision, their movements swift and calculated. The cool dawn air was filled with the scent of damp earth and the sharp tang of splintered wood.

“It’s still dawn,” Athena whispered, her voice carrying a hint of dread as she glanced at the faint glow of the early morning horizon.

Just as the tremors began to subside, a loud mechanical whirring filled the air.

Athena turned her head to see the camera bots, which had been resting in standby mode, suddenly activating with a burst of bright light.

Shouldn’t it be in rest mode? That’s odd…

The devices hovered around them, their lenses glowing as they began transmitting a live feed.

“What now?” Mors muttered, his tone edged with irritation as one of the bots projected a holographic message in front of them.

The message displayed a map with a glowing red dot representing their current location. Another red dot indicated a designated meeting point not far from their position.

[Attention: All participants must gather at the indicated location. A natural calamity is imminent. Further instructions will be provided upon arrival.]

Athena frowned, her eyes narrowing at the cryptic message. “They’re forcing us to regroup,” she said, her voice laced with suspicion.

Mors studied the map for a moment before nodding. “It’s not safe to stay here. We move now.”

The bots hovered closer, almost herding them in the direction of the marked location. Athena exchanged a quick glance with Mors, who seemed as wary as she was.

“Do you think this is part of the show?” she asked, her tone low.

“I don’t know,” Mors replied, his expression dark. “But we’ll find out soon enough.”

With the map as their guide, the two of them began their trek through the forest.

The morning light struggled to pierce through the thick canopy, casting long shadows that danced with every movement of the swaying branches.

The ground was uneven, littered with fallen trees and debris from the quake.

Athena and Mors trudged forward through the dense forest, their boots sinking slightly into the damp earth with each step.

The air was heavy, the faint scent of rain lingering. They had barely covered a mile when the skies opened up without warning, unleashing a torrential downpour.

“Perfect timing,” Athena muttered, pulling the cloak Mors had given her tighter around her shoulders.

The rain soaked through quickly, plastering her hair to her face and making every step more cumbersome.

Mors glanced at her, his expression unreadable beneath the steady stream of water dripping down his face.

“We need to keep moving. This isn’t ordinary rain,” he said, his voice steady despite the howling wind around them.

Athena nodded, her instincts telling her the same. The rain felt unnatural, almost as if it were alive, pulsing with a strange energy that prickled against her skin.

“The rain felt acidic…”