Base Omega breathed differently at night.
The halls, usually buzzing with Arcana practice and gunfire, quieted to a dull hum. Kael wandered the common room, a towel over his neck, fresh from the medbay. His ribs still ached from training with Khaleed, but it wasn't the pain that kept him awake.
It was the dream—again. His home. The fire. His father's voice.
"The past will catch up…"
Lounge, 11:37 PM
He pushed open the doors to the lounge, expecting solitude. Instead, he found James sprawled across the couch, a half-assembled revolver in one hand, a can of soda in the other.
"Well, well," James smirked. "The fire prince lives. Want a drink or a rematch?"
Kael raised an eyebrow. "A rematch of what?"
James flicked his fingers toward a small table cluttered with cards and worn-out chips. "Poker. Strip or regular—up to you."
Kael gave him a look and walked to the fridge. "Pass."
From the bar, Jonathan (three of him) was polishing glasses, fixing wires under a monitor, and stirring something suspiciously glowing in a mug.
"Welcome to insomnia hour," one of the Jonathans greeted. "Would you prefer tea, bourbon, or emotional support?"
Kael smirked faintly. "All three?"
A small laugh came from the other end of the room.
Luna sat by the window, legs tucked under her as she watched the snow beyond the glass. Her spear leaned against the wall beside her. She looked peaceful there, but her eyes told a different story.
Kael hesitated, then joined her.
"Can't sleep?" she asked without looking.
He shook his head. "Nightmares."
She nodded like she understood too well. "Same."
They sat in silence for a moment.
Kael glanced at her. "What was it like for you? Before this."
Luna didn't answer at first. Then, softly: "I believed in justice. In the system. Then I watched it drown my village and call it progress."
Kael looked down. "I burned mine."
Their pain met in the space between them—unspoken, understood.
"You're not the only one with ghosts, Kael," Luna said. "But they don't have to define you."
She reached into her coat and handed him something: a small, carved water stone shaped like a teardrop. "From my home. It calms the nerves... supposedly."
Kael stared at it, then took it gently. "Thanks."
"You break it, I break you," she added without smiling.
There it was—that bite.
He laughed quietly.
Hallway – Just Outside
The Resonance Twins watched from the hallway, whispering wordlessly between them, minds linked. The boy mimed gagging. The girl elbowed him.
"Gross," he mouthed.
"Cute," she mouthed back.
Lounge – Later
James dealt cards for a sleepy Jonathan and himself. One Jonathan had powered down in the corner; another cleaned James's guns.
Kael leaned back on the couch beside Luna. His bruises still ached, his past still clawed at him...
But for the first time in years, the fire in his chest didn't feel like a curse.
It felt like company.