The room was small and filled with papers everywhere. Dust covered everything like a gray blanket. Kaizu never let anyone clean here. Unlike other leaders' big, fancy offices, his was simple—just a small desk, one chair, and a window showing the broken training field outside.
He sat down carefully, his body hurting from two months in a coma. Bandages wrapped around his chest under his black shirt.
Knock knock.
Only one person could enter without asking.
Skye.
She walked in wearing an old hoodie from their training days, her right arm still in a healing cast from Borarah's attack. She threw a tablet on his desk, making dust fly.
"You look terrible," she said.
Kaizu caught the tablet. "Feel worse."
For a second, they weren't captain and lieutenant—just two old friends who survived training together long ago.
---
Skye leaned against the wall as Kaizu read the reports.
"While you were sleeping," she said, "the universe kept being messed up."
The screen showed bad news after bad news
- Fights between naser race and karkian traders
- A famous temple destroyed
Then Kaizu saw the headline that froze his blood
"JAYA TEMPLE DESTROYED - 'DESTROYER VS MYSTERIES FIGURE "
The picture showed a shadowy figure standing in the ruins.
Kaizu's hands shook so hard he dropped the tablet.
Suddenly the traumatic childhood memories haunted him .....As Young Kaizu running through fire. Something scary chasing him—
"You know who that is," Skye said. Not asking.
Kaizu wiped his mouth. His hand came away red with blood. He hid it fast.
"Old story," he muttered.
Skye pretended not to see.
---