The lights were low in the AA-Rank Hero Lounge. Clean walls. A large couch. Cooling vents overhead.
Blazren stirred. His eyes opened slowly. His arms ached. His chest felt heavy.
The suit had been removed—only a light med-vest covered his upper body now.
He looked around. The ceiling lights blurred in his vision for a second.
Then he blinked.
"…I lost, huh."
A voice came from the corner. Calm. Flat.
"Yeah. Badly."
Blazren turned his head slightly.
Neuro was seated on a bench by the wall, one leg crossed over the other, a datapad in his hand.
Blazren stared at him for a second.
Then he laughed once. It was short, weak, but real.
Neuro looked up.
"…You're laughing?"
Blazren nodded slowly. "Yeah. Guess I needed that."
Neuro raised an eyebrow. "You lost to a villain who declared war."
Blazren smiled faintly. "No. I lost to Zain. That's different."
Neuro stared at him for a long moment.
He tapped the pad once, closed it, and set it down.
"You still trust him?"
