Part 1: A Promise in the Park
Two weeks had passed since the mission at the Old Cargo Port. Summer in Stellara was at its peak, bringing with it warm air and cloudless blue skies. For Kael, these two weeks were a precious period of peace, a chance to build normality amidst his extraordinary life.
That Saturday afternoon, Kael decided to keep a promise he had been postponing. He took his "family" for a picnic at Stellara Central Park, a vast green oasis in the heart of the city. Elara, of course, was the most excited. She ran ahead, trying to catch the holographic butterflies that inhabited the park.
Kael walked leisurely behind her, flanked by the two Phantasms who had become an inseparable part of his life. To his right, Lyra walked with grace, her silver hair shimmering under the sunlight. She wore a simple, sky-blue summer dress that Elara had picked out for her, a refreshing change from her school uniform or her nebula dress. To Kael's left, Chroma walked with small, barefoot steps on the grass, her gray-blue eyes taking in the surroundings with a quiet curiosity. She wore her simple white dress and black beret, clutching a new sketchbook to her chest.
"Beautiful…" Lyra whispered, gazing at a bed of multi-colored roses. "So much color. So much life."
"You like it?" Kael asked with a smile.
Lyra nodded, then with a slight hesitation, she reached out and touched the petal of a red rose with her fingertip. "It's soft. And warm. Different from my starlight."
Seeing that, Kael felt an impulsive urge. He gently took Lyra's free hand. Lyra's hand was cool as usual, but Kael's grip was warm.
Lyra flinched in surprise, her face immediately blushing red. She looked down at their intertwined hands, then up at Kael with questioning eyes.
"Your hand is cold," Kael said, making an excuse. "Let me warm it up."
Lyra didn't answer, but she didn't pull her hand away. Instead, she returned Kael's grip firmly, her slender fingers slipping between his. A very sweet, small smile formed on her lips as she looked back at the flowers, now with a clearly radiant happiness.
Chroma, walking on Kael's other side, noticed their interaction. She stopped, then with a shy gesture, she reached out her small hand and tugged on the hem of Kael's shirt.
Kael turned his head. "What is it, Chroma?"
Chroma said nothing, just looked at Kael's hand holding Lyra's, then back at Kael.
Kael chuckled, understanding her meaning. "Sorry, sorry, my other hand can't be empty either, can it?"
He let go of Lyra's hand for a moment, making Lyra pout, then offered both his hands. "Alright, alright. One for the Cosmic Princess, one for Miss Painter. Fair?"
Lyra immediately snatched his right hand back possessively, while Chroma hesitantly accepted his left. And so, Kael walked through the middle of the park, holding hands with the two most beautiful Phantasms in the world on either side of him. He felt like the protagonist in a romantic comedy novel, and he could feel the envious stares from a few men they passed. His face felt hot, but his heart felt warm.
They spread a picnic blanket under a shady oak tree. Elara was busy with soap bubbles, while Lyra and Chroma helped him set out the lunch they had made together. Just then, Kael saw Rina walking towards them, wearing casual clothes—a white t-shirt and jeans—that made her look much more relaxed and approachable than usual.
"I didn't think you'd come," Kael greeted.
"I was on patrol in the area," Rina replied, a clearly fabricated excuse. Her eyes glanced at Chroma, who was trying to arrange a sandwich into the shape of a star. "I was just… making sure everything was okay."
"Sit down, Rina. We have plenty of sandwiches," Kael said with a smile.
Rina hesitated for a moment, then sat down on the edge of the blanket, keeping a slight distance. Chroma, seeing her arrive, took one of the star-shaped sandwiches she had successfully made and offered it to Rina.
"...For you… Big Sis," she whispered.
Rina froze, staring at the sandwich, then at Chroma's hopeful face. With an almost imperceptible movement, she took the sandwich. "...Thank you," she replied softly, then turned her face away to hide her small smile.
Kael looked at all of them—a laughing Elara, Lyra trying to explain the structure of a galaxy to a squirrel, Chroma sharing her food with Rina, and Rina who was slowly beginning to open up. This was his family portrait. A painting filled with strange and beautiful colors. He wished a moment like this could last forever.
Part 2: The Uninvited Heat
The peace lasted until the evening. As they were packing up their picnic things, Kael felt something. A strange, brief wave of heat, lasting only a few seconds before disappearing.
"Did you guys feel that?" Kael asked.
"What? The gentle breeze?" Elara asked, not noticing anything.
But Rina and Lyra were immediately on alert.
"It wasn't wind," Rina said, her eyes scanning the surroundings. "A thermal anomaly. Very weak."
"Heat," Lyra added, her nose wrinkling slightly. "Like the distant breath of a dragon. Unpleasant."
Rina's phone vibrated. She lifted it to her ear, her expression immediately turning serious. "Understood."
She ended the call and looked at Kael. "That was the command post. This wasn't the first one. Over the last 48 hours, there have been several reports of sporadic heat anomalies like this across the city. No Rifts, no major damage. Just… heat that comes and goes."
Kael's heart sank. The peaceful feeling he had just enjoyed evaporated, replaced by a bad premonition. The warning from the Crimson Hunt leader echoed in his mind again. The Lord of Flame.
"Could this be a new Phantasm?" Kael asked.
"Most likely," Rina replied. "But the pattern is unusual. It's like reconnaissance. Or a warm-up before the main show."
They decided to return to the apartment immediately. The cheerful picnic mood had vanished, replaced by an unspoken tension.
That night, Kael couldn't sleep well. He kept thinking about the heat anomalies. Around midnight, he woke up feeling thirsty. As he walked to the kitchen, he saw a dim light from the living room.
There, in front of the large window overlooking the city, Lyra and Chroma stood side by side, staring into the darkness.
"You're not asleep?" Kael asked softly.
"Can't," Lyra replied without turning. "The air feels 'wrong'. Like something is holding its breath, waiting to scream."
"Hot," Chroma added with a single word, her hands unconsciously hugging herself.
Kael stood between them, placing his hands on each of their shoulders. "Whatever it is, we'll face it together."
As he said that, in the distance, in one of the deserted industrial districts, a small fireball exploded at the top of a building, lighting up the night sky for a moment before extinguishing. No one reported it. It was too small, too fast.
But for the three people in that apartment, it was a signal.
The fire had been lit. And it was getting closer.