The skies of Grossaint were silent.
No more sirens echoed through the city. No distant gunfire rattled the streets. The black smoke that had choked the skyline had begun to thin, revealing the stars hidden behind it. For the first time in hours that felt like days, Grossaint was quiet.
Yet in Himiko's mind, it couldn't be any louder.
The hostages lined the walls of the room, rolled up, staring blankly at the floor. And the alien general, the source of all their problems—the answer to all their questions, sat in the corner silently. No matter what they tried, the gap between their languages remained unbridgeable.
The war was over.
But did humanity really win?
They were no closer than they were before, except now, they stand on a pile of bodies, who sacrificed everything for where they are now.
And what have they got to show for it?
No answers.
No developments.
Still relying on the entities to save them. Every single time. Neppon. The school. The Verdant Void. Were they relying on them too much?
What if they disappeared?
Or even worse…
A hand placed softly on Himiko's shoulder.
"Huh?"
"Himiko, are you okay?" The voice was soft and motherly. It was the same voice that showed her a new path, one where she was the one behind the wheel.
Mrs Isamu.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Himiko responded. Her face displayed determination, betraying the whirlwind of emotions within. She can worry about that later; for now, they've got a job to do. "Have you got any information out of the General?"
"Unfortunately, we're having… communication issues."
Just as Himiko thought.
"Hey, Boss," Kaoru sauntered towards the two, eyes on Mrs Isamu, "I think I've got an idea?"
"Oh, yeah? What is it, Kaoru?"
"Back at the void, BB was able to translate some kind of code within the entity we found there. It happened when it touched him. There's a chance we could use that with the general."
"It couldn't hurt to take a look." Mrs Isamu said, hand placed on her chin, "It's not like we have any other way. Unless any of you know alien." She chuckled. "Round up the survivors and grab the general, we're leaving."
"Yes, m'am."
The lobby was just as pristine as it was before. Looking at it, it was easy to forget that the city had been at war less than half an hour ago. The music, a smooth, relaxing jazz piano track, and the room's temperature, which sat at the perfect balance between too hot and too cold, were just enough to distract them from the chaos swirling outside those walls.
The group walked towards the main foyer, General in tow. The survivors meandered a few steps behind, their eyes not leaving the grout lines between the tiled marble flooring. And just as they approached, Aiko trotted in through the main door, hands resting on the back of her head. She hummed a gentle tune that reverberated dimly against the jazz ambience.
"Woo-hoo, come on, Ghost-Line!" Her voice echoed."
Himiko smiled faintly. "Great shooting as always, Aiko."
"Well, what can I say, Mimi? You guys just put him on a plate for me. Anyway, when do you reckon we'll get our medals? I think a bit of gold might suit me."
"Better be careful," Kaoru responded. "All those medals and we'll sink through the floor. Especially the giant one for… 'Funniest Guy in MEI.' "
"Yeah, and the other one—'Worst Karaoke Singer in MEI'." Aiko retorted.
Kaoru scoffed. "I'm surprised you remember that with the way you were stumbling across the dance floor."
Aiko grinned. "I also remember when those girls laughed at you and Nozomi after you tried taking them home."
"Yeah? Well, I don't."
The two burst into laughter. Aiko wrapped an arm around Kaoru's shoulder as their howls echoed across the lobby.
Mrs Isamu moved from the reception desk to the group, dragging along the seven-foot alien general, who, despite his weight advantage over her, never resisted. "It's good to see that even after all this, you still know how to have fun. Anyway, we're heading back to the assembly hall."
"What about the survivors?" Himiko asked.
"Transport will be here any second to—"
Suddenly, Mrs Isamu paused mid-sentence as she noticed something behind them. Two of the survivors stepped over to the group, girls who looked roughly the same age as Himiko.
"We just want to… thank you for saving us."
"Yeah, you were amazing in there."
Himiko felt a warmth fill her heart—a feeling that told her 'it was all worth it'—that the sacrifices had actually enabled these people to continue their lives and see the people they love again.
Mrs Isamu took a few steps back, "It was all thanks to these guys."
Kaoru stood tall, hands on his hips. Aiko stood beside him, hands still resting on the back of her head. She winked at the two survivors.
Meanwhile, Himiko smiled gently, eyes struggling to meet theirs, "N-no problem."
Aiko nudged into Himiko, wrapping her arm around Himiko's shoulders, "What she meant to say is that as long as MEI are here, there's nothing to fear."
The two survivors looked at each other, then back at Ghost-Line, smiling.
Aiko whispered to Himiko, "Come on, Mimi—live a little, we've fought hard to save them."
Himiko giggled, then met the two survivors' eyes, "What my friend means is that, whether it's aliens or any other threat beyond our imagination, we'll be the first to act, ready to give our all."
Aiko patted her back, "That's more like it."
"Thank you." The two girls said.
Himiko couldn't help the smile that forced its way onto her face. She looked down, trying to hide it in embarrassment. The two survivors walked back to the others. Himiko's eyes followed them until they met the receptionist, who gave her a grateful nod. Himiko nodded back.
There was a quiet rumbling, followed by the sound of engines from outside.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Mrs Isamu watching her.
The woman smiled faintly before turning towards the exit. "That's the evacuation team, we'll leave the rest to them. Let's go."
The four passed through the rotating glass door, moving through the warm, fragrant air of the hotel, to the cold outside, thick with smoke and burnt metal.
MEI agents passed them, marching with confidence into the hotel.
Himiko suddenly remembered, "Hey, Mrs Isamu, how's Nozomi doing?"
Aiko looked up.
Mrs Isamu smiled, "I'll let you see for yourselves."
The van rolled through the streets of Grossaint.
For the first time in hours, the city could finally breathe.
MEI vans sped past in the opposite direction, headlights cutting through the lingering haze. Agents moved between roadblocks and temporary checkpoints, dismantling barricades hastily built only hours earlier. Concrete slabs were loaded onto trucks. Portable turrets were powered down. Stacks of ammunition crates disappeared into transport vehicles.
The war machine was packing up.
Himiko rested her head against the cool window.
Outside, the city looked different. Not because the buildings had changed—they still bore the scars of battle. Cracked roads stretched into the distance. Storefronts stood shattered. Here and there, entire sections of pavement had been torn apart by explosions or the feet of those four-armed monsters.
And the bodies still littered the roads.
Broken and mangled.
But there was life.
A father swept broken glass away from the entrance to his café. Volunteers distributed blankets to exhausted civilians. A group of children sat outside a shelter, wrapped in coats far too large for them, watching MEI vehicles pass with wide eyes.
One of them waved.
Himiko waved back.
The light glistened in the child's eyes.
A thought began to linger in Himiko's mind.
The people had fought and endured the attack, losing homes, friends, and family in the process. And yet, even through it all, they still smiled. They still laughed. They still found their own ways to move forward. Kaoru joked with Aiko as if the world hadn't nearly ended. Families embraced outside shelters as though afraid they'd disappear the moment they let go. Life continued—not because the suffering had ended, but because it hadn't.
And maybe that was what it meant to be human.
To suffer.
And then keep living anyway.
Perhaps it was wrong for her to think that, while surrounded by a city of rubble and bodies, but if humanity couldn't move forward, then what meaning did those sacrifices have? The fallen had given everything in the hope that those still standing could continue living. Smiling. Laughing. Hoping for a better tomorrow.
Wasn't that what they had fought for?
No one said it out loud, but they were exhausted.
Himiko's eyes drifted toward the alien general seated opposite them.
Its turquoise skin was duller now. Its eyes remained fixed on the floor, weighed down by defeat. Himiko wondered if it was thinking about its own people. The loss they've suffered. How do they feel about this outcome? What's the purple entity doing to them right now?
The thought lingered.
Then she pushed it aside.
Not yet.
The assembly hall came into view. Now, the atmosphere had changed completely. The panic that had consumed the shelter earlier had all but vanished. Survivors who could walk were being escorted towards a long row of transport trucks. Families reunited outside the entrance, embracing each other tightly as if afraid they'd disappear the moment they let go. Some stood alone, watching them silently. Volunteers checked names against clipboards while medics performed final examinations before departure.
The air still carried grief.
But not fear. That had been replaced. For the first time since the invasion began—
There was hope.
But more importantly, a man stood at the entrance, waiting. Hands in his pockets, bodyweight shifted to one side, his brown fringe fluttered across his forehead in the gentle breeze. His uniform was ripped across his chest. Where there was once a wound, there was now just skin. Is that—?
"NOZOMI!" Aiko yelled as she threw the car door open and jumped out.
Kaoru leapt out after, a wide smile plastered across his face. Himiko held off. There was a feeling inside that held her back, one that she couldn't quite explain. It felt as though she shouldn't show her face to him after what happened to him.
Mrs Isamu watched quietly, her expression softening, "Well…? You gonna go?"
Himiko looked up and locked eyes with Nozomi. He was smiling. There was no anger, no sadness. It looked like he wanted Himiko by his side.
She stepped out of the car, each step calculated. "Hey, Nozomi, you're looking well."
"Not looking so bad yourself, Himiko."
Silently, Makoto Isamu watched from the car, a gentle smile resting on her face as the squad reunited. Aiko's voice carried through the air as she wrapped Nozomi in another hug. Kaoru laughed beside them. Even Himiko, hesitant as ever, had finally stepped forward.
The four stood together beneath the assembly hall lights.
Whole.
Makoto's eyes drifted to the rear-view mirror. The alien general sat motionless in the back of the van. Its restraints remained fastened. Its posture hadn't changed. Yet its eyes—those fluorescent oceans of colour that had watched cities burn and soldiers fall—were fixed on them.
The General didn't speak.
It didn't move.
There was something familiar in its gaze.
Longing.
Makoto's expression softened. War had taught her many things.
One of them was that grief looked the same in every language.
"Seriously, though, what happened to your injury?" Aiko asked.
"It was the wave, wasn't it?" Himiko concluded.
Everyone looked at her, brows raised—now an audience to her claim.
"Uh, M-miko had the same thing happen to her—the wave healed her injuries. You two probably didn't notice because… well… you were screaming in agony."
Kaoru's eyes narrowed, "And after that happened, our powers got boosted. Have you noticed anything, Nozomi?"
Nozomi shook his head in disappointment, "No, unfortunately. Nothing's awoken yet."
Himiko placed a hand on her chin, "It could be situation dependent. You two accidentally awakened your powers when the situation called for them. Maybe you just don't know how to activate it yet."
Nozomi's eyes strayed, "hmm."
"Hey, guys!" Mrs Isamu yelled from the car, "Come here!"
"What's up, Boss?" Kaoru asked as they approached the car.
"I need to go talk to Voss. Can you, Aiko and Nozomi watch over the General?"
Kaoru stood tall and saluted passionately, "YES, MA'AM!"
"And me?" Himiko asked.
"You're coming with me."
"Oooh, mama's favourite," Aiko jested.
"Uh-oh, someone's jealous," Kaoru nudged her.
"It's okay, Aiko, we appreciate you," Nozomi nudged the other side.
Aiko didn't say another word; she just slipped out of the sandwich, back into the car.
Mrs Isamu slipped past Himiko, whispering, "Let's go," on her way past.
The assembly hall's interior was far less packed than it was before; the glossy wooden floor was fully visible, not through small cracks between bodies. Volunteers handed out drinks to the injured survivors. There were smiles all around.
Mrs Isamu walked beside Himiko. The two remained silent for a while.
Then—
"You've grown, Himiko."
Himiko blinked. "Huh?"
"Back at the academy, you were this timid girl who'd rather let her work speak for her than say what she was thinking." Mrs Isamu smiled. "Now you're giving speeches and raising morale."
"How did you know?"
Mrs Isamu chuckled. "Come on, Himiko. I'm head of spec ops. I know everything."
Himiko looked away. "I just… couldn't stand seeing everyone so sad."
Mrs Isamu nodded. "That's exactly why people follow you."
Himiko frowned. "Follow me?"
"You care." Mrs Isamu's voice was calm. "More than most. Sometimes too much."
The words struck deeper than Himiko expected.
Mrs Isamu glanced ahead at the survivors boarding transport trucks.
"You're hard on yourself." She paused. "You always have been."
Himiko's eyes widened slightly.
"You want every decision to have the perfect outcome. But people aren't machines. Leaders, least of all."
Her footsteps slowed.
"You made a call with Miko."
Himiko stiffened.
"It nearly went wrong."
The weight in Himiko's chest returned all at once.
Mrs Isamu continued walking.
"But you made that choice because you wanted to save someone."
Silence hung between them.
"Trust your gut, Himiko. It's gotten people this far."
"Y-yeah…" Himiko murmured. "Sure."
They approached a door ahead—a simple wooden one. There were no windows revealing the interior, and the door's location made it inconspicuous; it was a little off to the side of the hall.
"Well, this is Voss's office."
"This?"
"Humble, huh?"
She knocked on the door, and a muffled voice spoke.
"One second."
Hmiko heard faint talking behind the door; she must've had another guest in there.
Seconds later, the door opened, and a man walked out holding a clipboard. A volunteer. The interior revealed itself through the open door; a makeshift office formed in a store cupboard. Voss's desk was moulded from stacked boxes, covered with a sheet of fabric. She sat on a fold-up chair, working her way through the stacks of paperwork in front of her.
Peeking into the doorway, Mrs Isamu told Himiko to 'wait outside'.
"Ah, Mrs Isamu, it's good to see you again."
"Likewise, Voss, it's—"
The door closed, and the voices faded into a muffle.
Himiko turned around slowly, leaning her back up against the wall. She let out a slow breath. Children ran between rows of folding chairs, weaving around volunteers carrying crates of bottled water. Conversations filled the room. Small conversations. Ordinary conversations.
Her eyes drifted across the hall.
She noticed the guy from before—Max Sinclair. He sat in his bed, leg stump bandaged up, smiling. His youngest daughter, the one they found balled up under a desk in a crumbling house, rested against his side, asleep. His wife spoke quietly beside him. Max wasn't listening. He was watching his children instead. The corners of his mouth curled upwards.
Himiko smiled to herself.
The voices behind the door grew louder. The door rattled—the meeting must be ending. Then it opened. Mrs Isamu stepped out first, and Voss followed behind her, clipboard tucked beneath one arm.
"Thank you again for everything," Voss said.
Mrs Isamu waved the compliment away. "You kept this place running during an invasion. I think that deserves more credit than what we did."
Voss laughed. "I'm not sure about that."
As Mrs Isamu turned to leave, Voss suddenly snapped her fingers. "Oh, before you go."
Mrs Isamu stopped.
"Have you seen a… erm… Tom O'Clerigh anywhere?"
Himiko's attention immediately shifted towards them.
Mrs Isamu shook her head.
"Can't say I have."
"White male. Athletic build." Voss glanced down at the clipboard. "Missing a leg."
Mrs Isamu raised an eyebrow.
"That would be hard to miss."
"That was my thinking."
Himiko frowned.
A missing survivor?
Voss continued.
"He was registered here a few days ago. Food records, medical checks, everything matches."
"And now?"
"Gone."
Mrs Isamu folded her arms.
"You think he left?"
Voss shook her head. "With one leg?"
"Hmm, yeah, that is strange."
"He disappeared shortly before the attack. Nobody remembers seeing him leave."
Himiko's stomach tightened. People didn't just disappear.
Not normally.
Mrs Isamu seemed to reach the same conclusion. "Now that the fighting's over, it'll be safer to search the city."
Voss nodded.
"I was hoping you'd say that."
"We already have recovery teams moving through Grossaint." Mrs Isamu replied. "I'll have them keep an eye out."
"Thank you."
Mrs Isamu extended a hand.
"You've done good work here, Voss. We'll be in touch once this is all over."
Voss accepted the handshake.
Mrs Isamu walked through the door, "Let's go," she said to Himiko as she passed.
"What was that about? There's a person missing?"
"Don't worry about that, it's war, people go missing. It's about hoping as many missing people turn up in one piece."
Himiko let the words hang in the air as they made their way back to the car.
Mrs Isamu opened the door. Nozomi already placed himself in the drivers seat.
"Oh… taken my spot, have you?"
Aiko's head peeked over from the seat behind, "Sorry, boss, Ghost-Line rules: Nozomi drives."
Nozomi shrugged.
Mrs Isamu giggled, "it seems my authority means nothing now." Then her face tensened slightly, "Anything from the general?"
A voice came from the back, Kaoru's, "Nope."
"Yeah, the creep just keeps mumbling to himself," Aiko said as she regressed back into her seat.
"He's a living person you know, eve if he's not human," Nozomi retorted with a smile.
"Oh, how inclusive of you."
"Hahaha, Nozomi's got an alien boyfriend."
Hands on her hips, Mrs Isamu's eyes darted between the three as they jested. Then she hopped into the passenger seat beside Nozomi. Himiko followed suit, stepping into the back with the rest.
The car passed through the city, bouncing over craters in the road. As the motorway led them out of the city, the backdrop changed. The moon hung in the night sky, bathing the fields in its white glow. The stars twinkled around it—distant worlds watching over them. One of them may very well be the invaders' home. The fields lay pristine, untouched by war.
The motorway was empty. The cars that were once there were long gone—they drove as far as they could from the chaos. They're probably still afraid, waiting for a voice to tell them it's all over.
As if called upon, a low, gentle voice came through the radio. It was a voice that all MEI agents knew and looked up to. Calm. Steady. Deep.
"To the people of the world."
There was a brief pause.
"My name is Tosin Oladeji, Director of the Ministry of Extraterrestrial Investigation."
The motorway remained empty as the broadcast continued.
"I know many of you are scared. I know many of you are still hiding. Some of you are waiting for confirmation that it is safe to come home."
His voice softened.
"So let me be the one to tell you."
"The invasion is over."
Himiko watched the road drift by outside the window.
"The hostile forces have withdrawn. MEI recovery teams have secured the city and are continuing search-and-rescue operations as we speak. If you are sheltering, remain where you are for now and wait for emergency services to reach you. If you require immediate medical attention, contact the emergency frequencies being broadcast alongside this message."
Another pause.
Long enough for the words to settle.
"I would also like to speak to those who have lost someone today."
The atmosphere inside the vehicle changed.
Even the alien general looked up.
"There are no words I can offer that will erase that pain. No speech can undo what has happened. No victory can bring back those we have lost."
His voice remained steady.
"But their sacrifice was not meaningless. Because of them, millions more will see tomorrow. Because of them, families will be reunited. Because of them, humanity still stands."
The radio crackled softly.
"The world has suffered greatly today. But humanity still stands. The people of this world still stand. And together, we will rebuild."
For the first time, a faint warmth entered his voice.
"Not because rebuilding will be easy."
"Not because we have all the answers."
"But because that is what people do. We endure. We help one another. And we move forward."
The broadcast fell silent for a moment. Then Tosin spoke one final time.
"To everyone listening. Welcome back."
"You are safe now."
Himiko rolled down the window. The wind blew her hair free from the bun, filling the car with crisp, fresh air, free from the thick smoke that hung over the city. No more pounding of distant gunfire, the thudding of explosions, or the roars of four armed monstrosities wreaking havoc. Just the sound of the wind banging against the car.