Jay didn't answer. He stared back, silent. Too silent.
That silence only stoked the fire burning in Ray's chest.
"Say something, damn it!" Ray barked, eyes narrowing. "Why do you always stand there like a ghost when everything's falling apart?"
Before Jay could speak, another voice—gentle yet firm—cut through the tension.
"It's alright," Kai said, stepping forward with quiet finality as he picked up both children into his arms. "Everything's settled. Esme and the organization… they're gone. They've left the city."
Ray froze, as if his entire system just shut down.
"What?" he asked, his voice barely more than a breath.
Kai looked at him, eyes unreadable.
"Her parents told me. Esme was taken by them. And now…" He exhaled slowly. "Now they won't be coming for us. Because they got what they came for. They got their Ray."
The words hung in the air like the aftermath of an explosion. Ray stood there, rooted, blinking, unable to comprehend.
