2025-12-17 04:08:31
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24 Soothing Ocean Sounds
Inside the hover car, Threi sat in the front seat with her boots propped up on the dashboard, fully absorbed in a loud, fast paced video game on her datapad. Her fingers moved with precision, tapping and sliding across the screen as small flashes of light reflected off her focused eyes.At the back, Aēllion and Sira sat side by side, separated by just enough space to feel awkward about it.Sira glanced from Aēllion to Threi, then cleared her throat.“Can you tell me why we’re going to Qiravel of all places?” she asked.Threi didn't look up. The sound effects of her game filled the hover car for a moment longer.Aēllion shifted in his seat. His eyes moved to the window, watching tall buildings slide past as the vehicle climbed higher. His thoughts raced. Do I tell her the truth about why we’re going, or do I make something up? he wondered. Either option felt wrong.Sira waited. Her gaze stayed on him, patient but searching.Before Aēllion could decide, Threi sighed loudly and paused h
23
Aēllion’s POVI woke to shouting.Not the kind that comes from danger or alarms, but the sharp, irritated yelling of someone who had been awake far too long and had lost all patience with the universe.“You owe me, man!” Threi snapped through her datapad. “I don’t wanna hear any excuses.”There was a pause. I could only hear her side of the conversation, but I imagined whoever was on the other end shrinking with every word.“You don't want to get on my bad side, Lou.” she continued. “Yeah. Thought so.”She ended the call with a sharp tap and muttered something under her breath that I suspected was not polite in any known language.I groaned softly and rolled onto my back. My body felt stiff from sleeping on the couch. Every muscle protested as I sat up. I rubbed my eyes, then stretched my arms over my head until my shoulders cracked.Threi turned toward me the moment she heard the sound.“Well, look who finally decided to wake up,” she said.Her voice carried its usual edge, but there
22 The Weight of a Word
Sira’s POV..I woke to the soft hiss of the fridge opening.At first, I didn't move. My head felt heavy, as if someone had stuffed it with cotton and regret. The light in the room seemed too bright even through half-closed eyes. My mouth tasted bitter, dry even. My body ached in that dull, unpleasant way that only bad drinking decisions could explain.Then I heard it again. The fridge door closing.I opened my eyes properly.Aelly-Hal stood near the fridge with his back to me. I could see he was fully dressed. His jacket was on, his boots laced, his bag resting at his feet. That alone should have told me something was wrong, but my head was spinning too badly to think clearly.I pushed myself upright and immediately regretted it. Pain flared behind my eyes. My stomach rolled.I sat up for a moment then swung my legs off the bed and stood carefully. The room tilted, and I pressed a hand to my forehead, breathing slowly. I didn't say anything to him. I could barely think, let alone sp
21 For The Mission
The days following the meeting between Prime-Dexūs and the other leaders were harsher than anything the soldiers of the Edge had known before. Training drills that once pushed them to their limits now drove them past exhaustion. The training fields rang with marching feet, barked orders, and the low groans of tired bodies that refused to collapse only because collapse meant punishment. The air around the barracks was thick with tension and the sharp scent of coolant from the defense drones that patrolled the perimeter.Lorekeeper Veydrān carried out every order Prime-Dexūs gave, but even he could feel the weight settling over the training yards. The soldiers no longer hid their frustration. Some cursed the day they were born into this world. Others whispered the same name over and over with bitterness.Aēllion.°Aēllion-197.Voidbōrn.The runaway. They spoke his name like a curse and sometimes like a warning, as if he had doomed them all the moment he crossed into the real world. A fe
20 The Path to Qiravel
"Awesome,” I replied.She raised one eyebrow. “But…”I stood still. “But what?”Threi leaned back in her chair and folded her arms while the virtual screens hovered behind her shoulder like quiet witnesses. “But I am not doing it for free.”Her words slowed my heartbeat. “Not doing it for free? You want me to pay you in some way?”She scoffed and waved her hand. “I don’t need money, chill man. I just need you to fix things with Sira later. I know you are upset about what she said, but she was drunk out of her mind.”I sighed. My chest felt tight. I did not know how to respond.Threi didn't stop. She pointed at me with a lazy but sharp gesture. “You saw it. We all saw it. If you walk out now, she'll be heartbroken. So you have to stay until she apologizes and you two talk things out.”I froze where I stood. Her demand pressed against me even though her tone stayed soft. I could not tell if she was being kind or not.“That's my price. If you want my help, you keep the peace.” Threi said
19 Self Reflection
The dancers nearby slowed and stared. The lights shimmered across their faces as the scene unfolded. Threi wobbled toward them, her steps uneven. One eye was squeezed shut as if the light annoyed her. She tried to focus on Sira but kept blinking through the haze.Calviox came back from the restroom at that moment. He froze in place when he saw Aēllion holding Sira in his arms. “I was gone for seven minutes,” he said. “What happened?”Aēllion looked down at Sira’s unconscious face. Her breath brushed against his shirt in soft, uneven waves. Her hair stuck to her cheek. Her body felt heavier than he expected. He lifted his eyes to Calviox and told him what he had seen happen on the dance floor.Calviox listened without interrupting. He glanced at the bottle of supplements on the booth table and let out a long sigh. “The mix hit her too hard,” he said. “She never knows her limit.”Threi was still swaying. She pointed at Sira with her datapad. “She challenged the vodka,” she said in a rou
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