The night greeted them with the sigh of wind through trees.
They had surfaced miles beyond the city, under a moon smeared by drifting clouds. The floating craft settled on the forest floor, then folded itself back into a cube, small enough to fit in a hand. Its glow dimmed, as though it, too, were exhausted.
No one spoke. They simply breathed—long, uneven, grateful breaths.
Ryn collapsed first, clutching his knees. "That wasn't a mission," he said, voice cracking. "That was suicide."
Sera didn't respond. She was staring at her hands, trembling still.
Lena sat beside her, eyes unfocused.
Rena remained standing, gaze fixed toward the distant horizon where the city's red lights still flickered faintly like dying embers.
"We can't go back," she said quietly. "They'll be hunting us before dawn."
Shadow leaned against a boulder, cloak torn, gauntlets cracked. The cube floated beside him, dimly pulsing with each heartbeat.
He didn't speak.
Rena approached, sword lowered, her tone losing its usual edge.
"You saved us."
"The cube did," he replied.
Her eyes flicked to the object. "Then what is it?"
Shadow turned it in his palm, watching the faint glow trace across its surface. "Something that shouldn't exist in that place. It called itself an Ego Device."
Her brows furrowed. "Ego… like an ego weapon?"
"Similar," he said. "But this one's smarter. It doesn't just sync—it learns."
The cube pulsed, as if confirming his words.
[Skill Synchronization: 13%.]
[Data Collection: Ongoing.]
The holographic text blinked in Shadow's vision and disappeared.
Across the small clearing, Ryn finally found his voice again. "What do we do now? You know the kind of people we just crossed. If the government's running things like that down there, they'll bury us before we even think of talking."
Lena hugged her knees. "Then we hide. We're not ready for this fight."
Sera nodded faintly. "We saw too much."
Silence hung over them again. The only sound was the whisper of wind through trees.
Rena finally sat beside Shadow. "You're bleeding again," she murmured.
"It'll heal."
"You said that last time too."
He allowed a small exhale, something between a sigh and a smirk. "Then I'm consistent."
Rena rolled her eyes, but the corner of her lips curved faintly. "You're hopeless."
They sat there in quiet understanding. For once, neither words nor plans mattered. They were alive. That was enough.
Shadow glanced at the cube again. It floated gently beside him, its light like a steady heartbeat.
[Ego Device: Synchronization Progress — 14%.]
[Next Feature Unlock: Pending Integration.]
He looked toward the distant lights of the city—small, flickering, unreachable now.
And for the first time, a thought crossed his mind.
Maybe this thing isn't just a weapon.
Maybe it's a key.
The cube pulsed once in silent answer.