Leonora woke slowly, as if she were rising through deep water.
At first there was nothing but silence.
Then came the light.
A harsh white brightness filled her vision as her eyes slowly opened, forcing her to squint against it. For a moment she couldn't tell where she was. Her body felt heavy, her limbs numb and distant as if they no longer belonged to her.
The faint hum of medical machinery filled the room.
A steady rhythmic beep echoed nearby.
Leonora blinked several times as her vision slowly cleared. The ceiling above her was smooth white metal, lined with long strips of sterile light. The smell of antiseptic filled the air.
The medical bay of Central Command.
But her mind wasn't there.
Her mind was still in the cockpit of the Phantom.
The last thing she remembered was the Hound.
The beam.
The blinding orange light that had swallowed everything.
Her breathing suddenly quickened.
Leonora shot upright.
Her muscles protested violently the moment she moved. Pain erupted along her ribs and spine as the sudden motion strained injuries that had barely begun to heal.
But she ignored it.
Her eyes darted wildly around the room.
The sterile medical ward stretched out before her, rows of empty beds and softly glowing equipment lining the walls. Transparent medical screens hovered quietly above nearby consoles.
Where am I?
What happened?
Her thoughts raced faster with each passing second.
Leonora swung her legs over the edge of the bed.
The moment her bare feet touched the cold metal floor, a sharp stab of pain shot through her back and down her legs like a bolt of lightning. Her balance faltered instantly and she grabbed the edge of the bed to keep from collapsing.
"Damn—"
Her breath caught in her throat as the pain surged through her body.
At that exact moment the door to the medical bay slid open.
A doctor stepped inside carrying a small datapad. The moment he looked up and saw Leonora standing, his eyes widened in shock.
"My Lady!"
He rushed toward her immediately.
"You have to sit down—please, you shouldn't be standing yet."
Leonora turned toward him sharply.
Her voice came out strained but urgent.
"Why am I here?"
The doctor reached her side and gently tried to guide her back toward the bed.
"You were brought here with severe injuries," he explained carefully. "Your orbiton sustained critical damage during the battle."
Leonora frowned, her mind racing through fragments of memory.
Then the question that mattered most tore through her thoughts.
She grabbed the doctor's arm suddenly.
"Where is the Duke?"
The doctor hesitated.
It was only for a moment.
But Leonora saw it.
The hesitation.
The uncertainty.
Her grip tightened.
"Where is Youri?"
The doctor lowered his head slightly before answering.
"The Duke… is currently in intensive care."
Leonora froze.
The words echoed inside her mind like distant thunder.
"We managed to recover him only a few hours ago," the doctor continued quietly. "Frankly… it's a miracle he survived."
For a split second Leonora couldn't breathe.
Then suddenly she grabbed the doctor by the front of his coat.
"What did you say?!"
Her voice trembled between anger and fear.
The doctor quickly raised his hands in a calming gesture.
"My Lady, please—"
"He intercepted the rogue unit and the unidentified warship alone," the doctor explained quickly. "He held them off long enough for the remaining Terrian ships to retreat safely. Many of the pilots out there owe their lives to him."
Leonora's grip slowly loosened.
The doctor's coat slipped from her fingers as she released him.
Of course he did.
Youri would never retreat.
He would never abandon the battlefield while others were still in danger.
Leonora took a slow breath.
Then she straightened despite the pain that surged through her body.
Without another word she began walking toward the door.
"My Lady—!"
The doctor hurried after her.
"You're not fit to move yet! Your injuries—"
But Leonora didn't stop.
Each step sent sharp pain through her spine and ribs, but she forced herself forward anyway. The cold metal floor echoed faintly beneath her bare feet as she moved through the quiet corridors of Central Command's medical sector.
Doctors and nurses turned to look as she passed, whispering softly among themselves.
But Leonora didn't notice any of it.
Her thoughts were focused on only one thing.
Youri.
She walked.
And walked.
Through long sterile hallways lit by soft white lights.
Past sealed medical wards and recovery rooms.
Until finally she reached the intensive care unit.
The doors slid open with a soft mechanical hiss.
Leonora stepped inside.
The room was quiet.
At the center of the chamber stood a large medical recovery tank, its glass surface glowing faintly with soft green light.
Youri floated inside it.
Suspended in a thick translucent liquid.
For a moment Leonora couldn't move.
Her heart felt like it had stopped.
Cables ran across his body, thin wires connected to his chest and arms monitoring every aspect of his condition. His face was pale beneath the floating strands of brown hair drifting gently in the fluid.
A breathing mask covered his mouth and nose, the thin oxygen tube the only thing keeping him alive without assistance.
Machines hummed softly around the chamber, displaying his vital signs across multiple hovering screens.
Leonora slowly stepped closer.
The faint green glow of the tank reflected in her eyes.
This was the man who had faced the Hound alone.
The man who had stood against an entire battlefield and refused to fall.
And now he floated here… barely alive.
The Hound had escaped.
And the battle had taken its toll.
Too many lives had been lost that day.
Too many ships destroyed.
But something about the attack didn't feel right.
It didn't feel random.
It didn't feel like a simple raid.
It felt…
planned.
Carefully orchestrated.
Deep down Leonora knew Youri would come to the same conclusion when he woke.
But in this moment—
None of that mattered.
Leonora placed her hand gently against the glass of the recovery chamber.
Her reflection stared back at her from the surface.
Exhausted.
Injured.
Afraid.
Seeing Youri like this… unable to move, unable to protect himself…
It broke something inside her.
For the first time since the battle began—
Leonora felt truly helpless.
She had spent her entire life fighting.
Training.
Protecting the empire.
But now…
Seeing him here…
She realized something she had never allowed herself to think before.
She couldn't bear to lose him.
Not like this.
Not ever.
That day—
Standing alone in the silent medical chamber—
Leonora Kaelthorn made a decision that would shape the rest of their lives.
A decision she knew would change everything.
She would never step onto a battlefield again.
Never pilot an orbiton.
Never fight another war.
She chose the selfish path.
The path that would eventually cost her everything.
But in that moment—
None of that mattered.
Because there was only one thing she knew with absolute certainty.
She never wanted to see her husband hurt like this again.
Even if it meant leaving the life she had always known behind.
Even if it meant living in isolation far from the world.
She would do it.
For him.
For Youri.