"Oh, come on, that one took me two hours," Kaelen groans, though a small, mixed smile plays on her lips — part defeat, part pride.
"What?" Thia blinks, her concentration slipping.
"Nothing. It's fine." Kaelen waves it off.
Thia tilts her chin toward Kaelen's monitor. "Hey, you should look at that."
Kaelen turns, blinking. "Wha—" Her voice trails off as her eyes scan the screen. "Huh. That's... wow."She stares, amazed by the sheer volume of data Thia had pulled from Myles — and the lengths she must have gone to get it.
Thia smirks. "Yeah, I'm cruel and amazing. But focus — look here." She points to a pulsing wave in Myles's brain scan.
Kaelen leans in. Her expression hardens. "It... it couldn't be." The words are barely audible.
A beat passes.
Suddenly, half her hair flushes crimson. Her left emerald eye glows — the same side as the red. Data flashes through her vision, and her mind races to make connections in real time.
Shock crosses her face, layered with another emotion she can't name. She reaches out instinctively and pulls Thia into a tight embrace.
"Hey," she murmurs, voice uneven, "I don't say this enough, but... I love you. Your weird, cruel self." She chuckles, but her arms stay wrapped around Thia.
Caught off guard, Thia stiffens. Her face flushes. She quickly pulls back, fumbling for composure and subtly trying to hide her blush.
"How did you even know?" Kaelen asks, her hair slowly fading back to its usual blonde. "You're amazing."
Thia averts her gaze from Kaelen's grin. "It wasn't a big deal. I just noticed something I figured you'd care about. That's all."
A moment of silence.
"This is huge," Kaelen says finally. "We could actually help him."
But Thia lifts a hand, stopping her.
"Think about it," she says quietly. "It would kill him."
Kaelen's excitement fades. She looks down, chastened. "You're right... I let it get to me." A pause. "Then maybe... we just help him hold on longer?"
Thia nods. "Mhm."
A soft quiet returns to the room.
"Thia... thank you."
Over in Lia's room...
"But it's convenient, and I'm not sleeping alone after last night," Lia says, trying to convince Myles to sleep in her room again.She sits across from him behind a flower-shaped glass table, breakfast laid out between them — untouched, cooling.
"Not happening," Myles replies quietly, almost under his breath. "You don't even need me."
"Come on, you know that's not true."
"That's not what I meant."
"But—"
"You've got guards," he says, a bit more firmly. He pauses, sighs. "Plus, you're more than capable. Stop being so stubborn."
Lia huffs and leans back, frustrated. "You're the one being stubborn."Her voice sharpens. "Why did you protect me then?"
Myles tenses. His jaw tightens."That's not fair, you—"He stops himself, his tone softening."You know why."
Lia's face flushes pink. She looks down, avoiding his gaze. She picks up a piece of bread and takes a small bite — trying to hold herself together.Then, quietly but clearly, she says:
"I love you too. That's why I can't bear to be away from you any longer."
Myles stills. Something shifts in his expression — subtle, but unmistakable. A realization creeps in, and it shows.
"It's to protect me, isn't it?" he asks, voice calm but laced with something raw.
"What?" Lia looks up, caught off guard, eyes wide.
A loud silence settles between them.
Myles stares at her — not in anger, but in revelation. He searches her eyes, as if seeing something that had been in front of him all along.
"Fine then," he says, almost resigned. "On one condition."
"What is it?"
"Teach me. Teach me how to be stronger."
Lia blinks. "Huh? But you're already plenty strong."
"It's not enough — that's clear now. I want you to be able to lean on me, too. It might sound stupid, but I know I can rely on you. I think... you should be able to do the same."
Lia squeals in delight and jumps into Myles's lap like an overjoyed child. She throws her arms around him and kisses him on the cheek.
"You're way too big to be acting cute like this," Myles mutters, half smiling.
"Well, it's working, isn't it?" she grins.
Myles clears his throat. "So... that's a yes, then?"
"Mhm," she hums, kissing him on the cheek again.
Suddenly, Myles's body tenses — the air thickens with pressure.
A spike in criole.
Lia feels it too. Her smile drops slightly as she reads the shift. She reaches for his arm, trying to pull his attention back to her.
"Hey."
Myles doesn't move. His gaze sharpens.
"Isn't that your dad's?" he asks, eyes narrowing.
Lia looks surprised for a second."Yes, it is."
"There's someone else… Rai?" Myles turns to her, gauging her reaction.
Lia nodded slowly. "Yeah… that's right. My older sister and my dad spar every few years—or whenever he feels like it. He says it's how he gauges her strength. She'll be the next family head soon anyway."
"Oh, that's nice. Your sister seems pretty mature. How old is she, anyway?"
"She's about one million… and six."
"Oh?" Myles choked on his drink.
"Yeah…" she replied quietly.
"What's wrong?"
Lia hesitated. "It's just… sometimes it's hard. Rai's been around so long, and compared to her, I feel like a speck that just blinked into existence. It's hard to even see myself as her sister. And thinking about living up to that…" She let out a weary sigh. "Terrene used to be…"
"Hey," Myles said gently, "you still love her, right?"
"Yes. Of course."
"Then that's what really matters, don't you think?"
"Mhm. Yeah." A small smile tugged at her lips.
"Hey, I think we should go watch—cheer her on and all that," Myles said with a grin.
Lia gave him an I love you smile, warm and soft, then stretched out her arm so he could take her hand. Myles stood slowly and gently helped her up. With their arms linked, they walked side by side down the corridor to the room where Rai and Julian now faced off.
By the time they arrived, Rai and Julian had already exchanged a few blasts, each showing off a technique or two. Now, the tension in the air was thick as they circled each other, reading the next move.
The moment Lia and Myles stepped into the room—BOOM—a thunderous clash echoed through the vast chamber. The shockwave rippled outward, shaking the floor beneath them. Myles stumbled slightly, eyes wide from the force of it. Lia giggled under her breath, though she tried to cover it with her hand.
"Strong, huh?" she teased, nudging him with her elbow—a callback to their earlier talk.