After the fight last night, Serra tried to shake off the sting of defeat and enjoy a quiet day with her friends. They gathered at a small field near Garron's house, laughing and tossing an old, half-flat ball around.
"Serra, that throw was slow as hell," teased Milo, a wiry boy with a grin too big for his face.
"I'm just giving you all a chance," Serra shot back with a smirk. "If I went full power, that ball would never come back."
"Oh yeah? Try me!" Milo challenged, puffing up his chest.
Serra laughed and threw the ball harder this time. Milo stumbled trying to catch it and landed flat on his back. Everyone burst out laughing, including Milo, who wiped the dirt off his knees and joined in.
After a while, Mila, the only girl in the group besides Serra, had an idea.
"Hey, why don't we go to the city? I heard there's a small festival tonight. Food stalls, hologram shows, the whole thing!"
Serra hesitated. "The city? Isn't that kinda far?"
Mila shrugged. "Not really. We can walk. Come on, you've barely seen the place since you got here."
Milo chimed in. "Yeah, Serra! You gotta see the city at night. The lights are wild."
Serra smiled a little and nodded. "Fine. But we can't be out too late. If Garron finds out, I'm dead."
"Deal!" Milo grinned.
It took them almost an hour to reach the city, but the sight was worth it. Towering buildings lit up the streets with waves of neon light. Crowds filled every corner, and holograms danced in the air above market stalls selling food, trinkets, and scraps of old tech.
"See? Told you it's amazing," Milo said, pointing to a massive holographic show in the town square. "That's top-tier tech right there!"
Serra nodded, but her attention drifted to a large holo-screen on the other side of the plaza. It showed footage of hybrid humans—half-human, half-engineered beings—displaying incredible strength and agility.
"Hybrid humans?" Serra murmured, stepping closer.
Mila leaned in beside her and chuckled. "Hey, Serra, look! That one kinda looks like you!"
Serra turned toward her, puzzled. "What do you mean?"
"I'm serious!" Mila laughed. "Same face, same eyes! Maybe she's your long-lost twin or something!"
Serra tried to laugh it off, but her chest tightened. Her gaze lingered on the image—something deep inside her stirred. Then came a flash. A forest. The scent of rain. The sound of voices she couldn't name.
A sharp pain tore through her head. Serra grabbed it with both hands, staggering.
"Serra? Hey! What's wrong?" Milo shouted, catching her before she fell.
A faint blue light flickered in Serra's eyes, like a system trying to power up. Before anyone could react, she collapsed in his arms.
People nearby rushed over. Some recognized her as the girl who lived with Garron and helped carry her home.
When Garron opened the door and saw Serra limp in Milo's arms, his eyes widened.
"What the hell happened?!" he barked.
"She just collapsed!" Milo said, panicked. "We don't know why!"
Garron cursed under his breath and helped lay her on the sofa. "Damn it, girl, you're gonna give me a heart attack one of these days."
As he checked her, he froze. A viscous blue liquid was seeping from her nose.
"What now…" he muttered, grabbing a rag to wipe it away. "Serra, if you can hear me, wake up. Don't you dare scare me like this."
Milo and Mila hovered near the door, unsure what to do. "Should we get a doctor?" Mila asked.
Garron shook his head. "Ain't no doctor in Theros who'd understand this. Serra's not... like other kids."
He sighed heavily and glanced at them. "Thanks for bringing her back. I'll handle the rest. Go home, both of you."
They hesitated but eventually nodded and left. Garron closed the door and sat beside Serra again. He looked at her still face and muttered quietly, "Whatever's going on inside you, kid… you better fight it. I don't care where you came from or what's inside you, but you ain't giving up on me. You hear that?"
The small room fell silent. Serra lay still on the worn-out sofa, her chest rising and falling softly. But deep inside her mind, a storm was forming.
Visions flickered—tall trees, sunlight through leaves, the touch of a warm hand. Kirana. Zephyr. And Aelina.
The name echoed in her head, over and over, as fragments of her forgotten life began to stir.
A soft blue glow shimmered in her pupils, pulsing gently like a heartbeat waiting to be remembered.
*****
The first light of dawn crept through the window, painting the room in soft gold. Aelina opened her eyes slowly. Something in her gaze had changed. The warmth, the spark that used to dance there, was gone—replaced by calm detachment, the stillness before a storm.
Garron, who had just finished fixing a simple breakfast, turned and caught the look on her face. He frowned, setting the pan aside.
"Well, look who's finally awake," he muttered, walking over. "You scared the hell outta me last night, girl."
Aelina sat up, rubbing her temples. Her voice was quiet, distant. "I remember everything now."
Garron blinked, then dragged a chair and sat across from her. "Everything? What do you mean by that?"
She met his eyes. "My real name is Aelina. I'm not human, Garron. Not the way you think. I'm a hybrid… from Erevos Facility."
The room fell silent. The only sound came from the old refrigerator humming in the corner. Garron leaned back, rubbing both hands over his face.
"You're tellin' me all that glowing and twitchin' in your head wasn't just… you bein' weird?"
Aelina shook her head. "No. I was part of their experiment. I escaped. Somehow I ended up here."
Garron let out a short, half-crazy laugh. "Well, ain't that somethin'. I thought I was just takin' care of some troublemaker who liked pickin' fights in the arena. Turns out I've been roomin' with a damn science project."
Aelina gave a faint smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I don't feel special, Garron. I feel… broken."
He sighed deeply, leaning forward with elbows on his knees. "So what now? You gonna go back there? Girl, that's suicide. Those people don't play nice."
"I have to," Aelina said quietly. "But not how you think. I need your help. We'll make them believe I'm defective. They'll take me back inside thinking I'm just scrap. That's our way in."
Garron stared at her like she'd lost her mind. "Hold up. We? Oh, hell no. You mean you. Ain't no 'we' in this madness. I'm too old to be messin' with people who build monsters in labs."
She stood, steady despite the tremor in her voice. "I can't do it without you. They'll only trust it if you're the one delivering me. You deal in scrap, Garron. You're the only one who could pull it off."
He got up, pacing the floor. "This is insane. Girl, I swear, you've got a death wish. You tryna get me killed too?"
Aelina stepped closer. "You won't have to fight. I'll handle the rest once I'm inside. I just need you to get me there."
He stopped, eyes narrowing. "And what if I say no?"
Aelina's gaze softened but didn't waver. "You won't. Because you know I'll never find peace unless I do this. And Garron… they'll pay you enough to start over. You could finally have that shop you always talk about."
He barked a bitter laugh. "Money? You think I care about some damn payout when my head might end up on a spike?"
Aelina's voice dropped, almost a whisper. "You're all I have left, Garron. You're my only family now."
That broke him. Garron rubbed his face again, muttering under his breath. "Damn it… girl, you really know how to twist a man's arm."
"I'm not forcing you," she said softly. "I'm just telling you this is the only way."
After a long silence, Garron exhaled, shoulders slumping. "Fine. I'll do it. But I ain't goin' in there, you hear me? I drop you off and I'm gone. That's the deal."
Aelina's lips curved faintly. "That's all I need. Thank you, Garron."
Before he could reply, she turned toward the old table. What she did next made Garron's stomach drop.
There was a sharp crack—like bone and metal shattering together.
KRAKK!
"Serra—Aelina! What the hell are you doin'?" Garron shouted, rushing to her side.
Aelina was on one knee, breathing heavily, her leg twisted unnaturally. "I told you… they have to believe I'm broken."
"You could've said that instead of breakin' yourself in half in front of me!" Garron's voice cracked between anger and panic.
But she wasn't done. She grabbed a metal rod from the table and slammed it down on her right hand. The crunch echoed through the small room.
"Stop! Damn it, stop!" Garron caught her arm, horrified. "You're gonna die before we even start this fool plan!"
Her voice trembled but stayed calm. "It's enough. Take me now… before I lose my nerve."
Garron cursed under his breath, running outside to borrow his neighbor's old junk hauler. When he came back, he gently lifted her into the back of the vehicle. Her body was limp, wires sparking faintly beneath her skin.
"Girl, you really know how to make my life complicated," he muttered, shaking his head as he started the engine.
Aelina smiled weakly, eyes half-closed. "You'll thank me someday."
"Yeah, sure," Garron grumbled. "If we live long enough for that."
The vehicle rumbled down the dirt road as the morning sun rose higher. Inside, Aelina's breathing slowed, her mind already slipping into the darkness she'd chosen to face once more.
*****
The old truck groaned as it rolled to a stop before the towering gates of the Erevos facility. Under the harsh floodlights, two guards in black combat gear approached, rifles ready. One of them rapped on Garron's window with the butt of his weapon.
"Identify yourself. What's your business here?"
Garron lowered the window, trying to keep his voice calm even as sweat traced a line down his spine.
"Name's Garron. I've got something you people might be interested in."
The guard squinted, glancing past Garron into the back of the truck—where Aelina's broken body lay still beneath a heap of torn fabric.
"What the hell is that?"
Garron offered a thin, uneasy smile. "Let's just say… I'm pretty sure she belongs to you. Found her in the scrap fields. But I'm not giving her away for free."
The guard frowned, then signaled his partner to cover him while he walked over to the comms panel near the gate.
"Command, we've got someone at the gate," he said through his helmet radio. "He's got an Aiko unit. Awaiting instructions."
While the man spoke, Garron exhaled slowly, forcing his heartbeat down. This was the moment. One wrong word, and everything he'd risked would go up in smoke.
The guard returned. "You'll wait here while we verify."
"Listen, pal," Garron interrupted, leaning out slightly. "I know how your people work. I also know that thing in my truck ain't just scrap metal. So here's the deal—no payout, no delivery. I drive off, and you'll never see her again."
The guard's tone hardened. "You do realize this is a military facility, right? You're one breath away from getting shot."
Garron shrugged, feigning ease he didn't feel. "Sure. But I'm guessing you'd rather not explain to your boss how a prototype like that got melted down for parts. See my point? I've got leverage, buddy."
The guard hesitated, eyes narrowing behind his visor, then spoke again into his comms. After a tense pause, he turned back.
"Stay where you are. Someone's coming to meet you."
"Yeah, yeah," Garron muttered, fishing a cigarette from his pocket. He lit it with a shaky flick of his lighter, the ember glowing against his tired face. "Don't keep me waitin' all night."
Minutes dragged. The sound of an approaching engine broke the silence. A sleek black vehicle, unmarked, stopped beside Garron's truck. Its rear door opened, and a man in a neat suit stepped out, briefcase in hand.
"This is for you," the man said flatly, offering the case. "Your payment. Now hand over the body."
Garron opened the case slowly. Bundles of credits shimmered under the floodlights. He closed it again with a click. "Looks fair enough," he said, though the unease in his gut told him it was far too little for what he'd just done.
The man nodded to the guards, who moved quickly to retrieve Aelina's body from the truck. As they lifted her, Garron's voice cut through the hum of the engines.
"Hey—easy with her, alright? She's not just another pile of junk."
The suited man turned, his expression unreadable. "That's no longer your concern."
Garron gave a dry chuckle. "Yeah… story of my life."
He watched in silence as the vehicle's doors shut, sealing Aelina away. The convoy pulled off, its taillights fading into the dust-choked night.
For a long moment, Garron just sat there, smoke curling from his cigarette. Then, softly, he murmured,
"Safe travels, girl. Hope you know what you're walking into."
His eyes drifted to the briefcase on the passenger seat. He exhaled a tired laugh, one that didn't reach his eyes.
"Guess this makes me a rich bastard with an empty house."
He started the engine, the truck coughing to life. As he drove away from the glowing gates of Erevos, the city swallowed him whole—along with the guilt and the faint, foolish hope that maybe, just maybe, Aelina would survive whatever awaited her beyond those walls.