The transport descended through layers of cloud, and Arin watched his world rise to meet him.
The lower city spread beneath—crowded, chaotic, alive.
For months, he had lived above it. Trained above it. Fought above it.
But this—
This was home.
The noise. The heat. The uneven rooftops stacked like broken steps. The smell of oil, metal, and food cooked over open flames.
It wasn't clean.
It wasn't perfect.
But it was his.
The transport landed with a heavy thud.
Arin didn't wait.
He was already moving when the doors opened.
And then—
"ARIN!"
Lina hit him like a storm.
Her arms wrapped around him, small but unbreakable. The impact pushed him back a step, but he didn't move away.
"You're back," she said into his chest, her voice tight.
"I told you I would."
"You always say that."
He smiled faintly and held her closer.
She felt smaller.
Or maybe he had just changed.
Behind her, his mother stood quietly.
She didn't run.
She never did.
But when he stepped toward her, she pulled him into an embrace that felt like something he didn't realize he had been missing.
"You're thinner," she said.
"And you look stronger," he replied.
She laughed softly. "The medicine is working. Lina makes sure of it."
"Someone has to," Lina added, wiping her eyes quickly.
Arin looked at both of them.
For a moment, everything inside him went still.
"I'm home."
And for the first time in months—
The hum in his chest was at peace.
The new house was nothing like the old one.
No cracks in the walls.
No leaking ceiling.
No broken wiring.
Everything worked.
Everything held.
Lina had her own room.
His mother had space to rest.
There was even a spare room.
"For your friends," his mother said, smiling knowingly.
Arin blinked. "You already knew?"
"Mothers always know."
Three days later, they arrived.
Hana stepped out first, eyes wide with curiosity.
"This place is amazing," she said, turning in a slow circle. "It's loud. It's messy. It feels real."
Ren followed, quiet as always, observing everything.
Maya waved enthusiastically. "Arin! We made it!"
Dmitri stepped off last, scanning the area like a silent guard.
Lina stared at Ren for a long moment.
"You look exactly like I imagined," she said.
Ren nodded. "I'm not sure if that's good."
She burst out laughing.
The days that followed passed like something fragile and rare.
Ren trained Lina in the courtyard.
She was terrible.
Unbalanced. Overeager. Completely undisciplined.
But she didn't stop.
And Ren didn't either.
When she finally landed a clean strike, she celebrated like she'd won a war.
Ren almost smiled.
Hana filled the house with noise.
Talking. Laughing. Asking questions no one expected.
She helped in the kitchen, learned recipes, and somehow became part of the rhythm of the house in a way that didn't feel forced.
Maya explored every corner of the market, returning with things no one needed but everyone appreciated.
Dmitri stayed close, steady, quiet—but present.
Evenings were spent on the roof.
Watching the city.
Talking about nothing and everything.
For once, no one was training.
No one was fighting.
No one was surviving.
They were just… living.
"You changed," Lina said one night.
They sat side by side under the dim glow of distant shard-light.
"Good or bad?" Arin asked.
She tilted her head. "Different. Like you're here… but also somewhere far away."
Arin didn't answer.
She leaned against him.
"Just don't go so far that I can't find you."
His hand rested lightly on her head.
"I won't."
And he meant it.
The last night was quiet.
Peaceful.
The kind of moment that feels too complete.
Like something is about to break it.
The transport was scheduled for dawn.
But Arin didn't board it.
None of them did.
Two extra days.
That's what they asked for.
Two more days of this.
That afternoon, Lina left for the market.
"I'll be back soon!" she called.
"Don't get lost," Arin replied.
"Impossible."
She disappeared into the crowd.
An hour later—
Arin's wrist buzzed.
Lina.
He answered instantly.
"Find something good?"
Her face appeared, bright and excited.
"You wouldn't believe the fabrics here—Arin, they have—"
She stopped.
Her expression shifted.
"Arin."
His chest tightened.
"What is it?"
"Something's wrong."
Noise filled the background.
Shouting.
Metal.
Running footsteps.
"I think—people are—"
The screen shook.
"Lina."
"I need to—"
The line cut.
Arin moved.
No hesitation.
No thought.
Just movement.
Ren was already beside him.
Hana's presence snapped into his mind. "North sector. Market district. Fast."
They ran.
Chaos greeted them.
Stalls overturned.
Crowds scattering.
Emergency drones cutting through the sky with red flashing lights.
And in the center—
A black vehicle rising into the air.
Wrong.
Too clean.
Too precise.
Arin saw her.
Inside.
Lina.
Her hand hit the glass.
She wasn't screaming.
She wasn't panicking.
She was looking at him.
Waiting.
Trusting.
Arin stepped forward.
The ground cracked beneath his feet.
And then—
He launched.
The air exploded behind him.
A shockwave tore through the street.
Windows shattered.
Dust lifted.
People screamed.
He didn't slow.
The vehicle climbed.
Fast.
But not fast enough.
Arin raised his hand.
The air compressed in front of it—
The vehicle jerked.
Stalled for half a second.
Inside, Lina was thrown sideways.
"ARIN!"
He saw it.
He heard it.
Fire ignited.
A focused blast struck the underside.
The vehicle dipped—
Then a barrier flared.
Blue.
Perfect.
The fire vanished.
"They're shielded," Hana said, her voice tight.
Of course they were.
This wasn't random.
A figure inside turned.
Looked directly at him.
Not surprised.
Not afraid.
Aware.
The vehicle surged.
Faster.
Higher.
Gone.
Arin jumped.
One last push.
Everything he had.
The ground shattered beneath him as he launched upward.
For a moment—
He was close.
So close.
His fingers reached—
And touched nothing.
The sky swallowed them.
Arin fell.
Hard.
The impact cracked the ground.
He didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Just stared upward.
"They're gone," Hana said softly.
Arin pushed himself up slowly.
His hands trembled.
"They took her."
The words felt distant.
Unreal.
Ren stepped beside him.
"We track them."
"How?" Maya asked.
Hana closed her eyes.
"…I can feel something. Faint. But it's there."
Dmitri's voice was steady. "Then we move."
Arin stood still.
Completely still.
Then—
The air around him tightened.
The ground sank slightly beneath his feet.
A faint golden shimmer flickered beneath his skin.
This time—
It didn't disappear.
"They didn't just take her," Arin said quietly.
He looked at the sky.
"They came for her."
Silence.
Heavy.
Cold.
"I'm getting her back."
No anger.
No hesitation.
Just certainty.
Hana swallowed. "Arin… whoever they are—"
"I don't care."
The hum in his chest pulsed.
Louder.
Deeper.
Awake.
Hana opened her eyes.
"…North. They're heading north. Fast."
Arin nodded once.
"Then we go north."
Ren stepped beside him.
"Together."
"Together," Dmitri said.
Maya nodded. "Together."
Hana exhaled. "…Together."
Arin took a step forward.
No hesitation.
No doubt.
There was no time left.