THE sound of metal clashing echoed through the training room. Sharp. Fast. Precise.
Vex moved first. Her blade cut through the air with practiced control... clean, efficient, deadly. Specter blocked. Blitz lunged in from the side. The rhythm was familiar. Too familiar. But something was off.
Vex's strike came a fraction too late. Blitz slipped past her guard. "Got you!"
Vex reacted instantly, stepping back just in time. But it wasn't clean. Not like her.
Blitz froze mid-step. "…Okay, that was weird."
Specter lowered her weapon slightly, watching Vex closely. "You're distracted."
"I'm not," Vex replied. Too quickly. Silence.
They resumed. This time, Specter attacked. A precise, calculated movement aimed directly at Vex's weak point. Vex should've seen it. She always did.
But for a split second, her mind wasn't there. A rooftop. Rain. A voice. "Still calling yourself Vex… Rania?"
CLANG... The impact snapped her back. Too late. Specter's blade stopped just inches from her neck.
Silence filled the room.
"…That's enough," Specter said quietly, lowering her weapon.
Blitz frowned, stepping closer. "Okay, what's wrong with you today?"
Vex turned away. "…Nothing." But even she could hear it. The lie.
Specter exchanged a look with Blitz. Then spoke, softer this time. "…Maybe it's about Phantom."
The name hung in the air. Heavy. Unavoidable.
Blitz crossed her arms. "…You think?"
Specter exhaled slowly. "I don't know," she admitted. "But… something feels off." Her fingers tightened slightly around her weapon. "About him… I feel like…" she hesitated. "…Rania and Phantom have something in the past."
Blitz raised an eyebrow. "Something as in… what?"
Specter shook her head. "I don't know. But..." she paused, her voice dropping. "Why did he save me?"
Silence.
"Yesterday," she continued, quieter now. "He could've let me die."
Blitz clicked her tongue. "Maybe he just missed."
Specter didn't smile. "…He didn't miss." The room felt smaller. Colder.
"…Something's wrong," Specter muttered, running a hand through her hair. "So stressful."
Blitz sighed dramatically, dropping her weapon onto the mat. "Okay, enough of this gloomy atmosphere." She stretched her arms lazily. "I'm hungry."
Specter blinked. "…That's your solution?"
"Yes," Blitz said confidently. "Food solves everything." She turned toward Vex.
"Ran," she called, using the name she rarely said out loud. "Let's eat. Don't think too much."
Vex didn't respond immediately. Her grip on her sword tightened.
A memory surfaced uninvited. Aiden.
His hand brushing against hers. That quiet smile he only showed when no one else was watching. "You trust too easily."
She had laughed back then. "I trust you." Her chest tightened. She knew the truth now. He didn't come into her life by accident.
He came with a purpose. To get close. To gain access. To learn everything her father had built. To use her.
And still... when she found out he was alive… She smiled. A real one.
For a second, her world felt whole again. And then it shattered. Because that meant everything was real. His betrayal. His lies. His choice.
"…Ran?" Blitz's voice pulled her back.
Vex blinked. The training room came back into focus. "…Yeah," she said quietly.
Blitz grinned, immediately grabbing her arm. "Good! Let's go before I starve to death."
"You won't die," Specter muttered, following behind. "You've said that five times today."
"It's serious this time."
"It's always serious."
Blitz gasped dramatically. "You don't understand my suffering."
Specter rolled her eyes. "You had snacks an hour ago."
"That was emotional eating. This is different."
Vex let out a small breath. Not quite a laugh. But close.
For a moment, everything felt normal. The three of them walking side by side. Arguing about nothing. Complaining about food. Like before.
Blitz suddenly stopped. "…Wait."
Specter nearly walked into her. "What now?"
Blitz turned to Vex, narrowing her eyes. "…You're paying."
Vex blinked. "…Why?"
Blitz pointed confidently. "Because you're the leader."
"That's not how it works."
"It is now."
Specter nodded calmly. "I agree."
Vex stared at both of them. "…You're unbelievable."
Blitz grinned. "You love us."
A pause.
Vex looked at them. Really looked. "…Yeah." Her voice was soft. Almost too soft. And they didn't notice.
But something inside her was breaking. Slowly. Quietly. Because for the first time, she didn't know who the enemy was. Phantom. Or the man who raised her. And somewhere between those two truths, she was losing herself.
Later that night...
Vex stood alone. The city stretched endlessly before her. Lights flickering like distant memories.
No voices. No laughter. No Blitz. No Specter. Just silence.
Her hand trembled slightly. She didn't notice until a drop fell.
Not rain. A tear. She exhaled sharply. Trying to steady herself.
"…Pathetic." Her voice was barely above a whisper.
She wiped it away immediately. Like it never happened. Like it meant nothing.
Because that's what she was taught. No weakness. No attachment. No hesitation.
But tonight... It was harder. Because no matter how much she tried.. She couldn't erase him.
Aiden. Phantom. The man who lied to her.
The man who once made her feel human.
And that was what hurt the most...
TBC