The call connected with a soft hum.
Auriel's face appeared on the glass-like screen hovering above Caelis's desk, his expression calm but tired, shadows under his eyes.
The faint sound of wind passed through his end, probably standing near one of the Skyspire meadows he commanded.
"Caelis," he said, smiling faintly. "Still alive?"
"Barely," she snorted, leaning back in her chair, armor peeled halfway off. "Do you know how boring high-tier inspections are? Paperwork, Auriel. I command one of the deadliest forces in the world and I've spent half the week reading logistics."
Auriel laughed. "That's what you get for being a model soldier."
She rolled her eyes. "You always knew how to twist a compliment."
They relaxed into silence for a moment. There was no tension between them, just the weariness of two warriors who had earned the right to speak without pretense.
"I met your sister," Caelis said finally, her voice softer.
Auriel straightened slightly, his eyes alert. "How was she? Is she alright?"
"She's… something." Caelis smiled. "Reminds me of you. But more heart and less ego."
Auriel huffed, but didn't deny it. "Is she okay?"
"She's still finding her footing," Caelis said. "But she's got the spark. The kind that gets noticed. Even without your name trailing behind her."
He exhaled, eyes distant. "She was never supposed to be part of this."
"None of us were," Caelis replied gently.
"I wanted her to be safe," Auriel murmured. "A normal life. One without blades or blood."
Caelis leaned forward, elbows on the table. "We don't get to choose for them, Auriel. We just make sure they survive long enough to choose for themselves."
Before he could answer, the tower shuddered.
A deep, echoing rumble tore through the walls. The air thinned instantly.
And then there was a blast.
BOOM.
The blast rippled like thunder. It was real and violent.
The calm broke.
Caelis was already standing. Her communicator buzzed.
"Commander!" a voice barked through. "Rift breach. South Wing corridor. Class 3 casualties. One of ours is down."
She didn't speak. Didn't waste time.
Auriel's voice came through the static again, sharp now. "Caelis, what happened?"
But she was already grabbing her weapons, strapping her armor. Her calm was replaced with ice.
"Auriel," she said, clipped. "I have to go. Your sister might be in it."
He froze.
His lips moved, a wordless breath, "No."
But the line had already gone dead.
The south wing was in chaos.
The corridor was split open, as debris was strewn like shattered teeth across the stone. Dark sludge clung to the walls. The scent of blood and something far worse, burned rot hung heavy in the air.
Caelis arrived with five of her legionnaires. Their silver armor shimmered in the smoke as they moved like one body.
And what they saw made her breath freeze in her throat.
Dozens of Riftspawn.
Monsters twisted beyond shape. Eyes where no eyes should be. Mouths full of black fog. Bones curled like horns and legs that slithered instead of walked.
In the middle of it, she saw them.
Nola.
Taveer.
Maika.
All three of them were bloodied and standing like broken pillars.
And behind them was one of her own.
Moon soldier Lira, collapsed against the wall. Her claymore was broken. Armor shredded.
And she was still reaching for her weapon.
Even now.
Caelis stopped.
The flames of fury hit her in the ribs.
"I see," she whispered.
She drew the silver pin from her cloak, the symbol of the Moon Legion.
Held it to her heart.
Then dropped it.
It clattered to the floor.
And she let go.
Light burst around her.
Fur sprouted from her arms. Her nails elongated into curved, black claws. Her eyes narrowed into gold slits.
And her body reshaped itself wider and stronger. Bear-like. Yet still human. Still sharp. Still whole.
Atalanta.
The will surged through her veins like a tidal wave of muscle and instinct.
"I am the Huntress of the Moon," Caelis growled. "You monsters will pay for your insolence."
And then she moved.
The first Riftspawn didn't even see her coming. Her claws tore through its chest, bones exploding in her wake.
The second tried to flank her but she ducked, flipped, and shattered its skull with a backhanded swipe.
She roared and the monsters hesitated.
That was their mistake.
Because behind her, her legion moved. Her shadow. Her teeth.
Silver armor flashed in synchronized motion as the other Moon warriors surged forward, blades drawn, spells burning.
But it was Caelis who led.
One woman against an army.
She danced through the Riftspawn with fury wrapped in grace, a living storm of claws and muscle and howling rage.
Nola watched, dazed, from where she still stood beside Taveer.
"She's…" Nola breathed.
"A goddamn baddass," Maika whispered.
Taveer said nothing.
Because he recognized it.
That power.
That kind of fight that didn't come from strength, it came from loss. From vow.
And Caelis wasn't fighting because she wanted to win.
She was fighting because someone she loved had been hurt.
And that was enough.
The monsters began to fall back, but it was too late.
Caelis struck the ground, sending shockwaves through the floor. Dozens of Riftspawn scattered.
And the rest?
Her legion cut them down.
By the time it was over, the rift pulsed once and collapsed.
Gone as the silence returned.
Only breath remained.
And dust.
Caelis stood in the center, her bear-form flickering, fading back to her human shape.
She turned, eyes scanning.
"Everyone still breathing?"
Nola raised a shaking hand. "Barely."
Taveer just nodded.
Caelis walked to them slowly, her knees threatening to buckle, but her back straight.
She knelt before Lira, pressing two fingers to her pulse.
Still there.
Barely.
Caelis exhaled.
"Thank the moon."
Then she turned to Nola.
"You fought."
Nola's lips trembled. "We tried."
"You didn't die," Caelis said softly. "That counts."
And for the first time that day, Nola felt her knees give out.
She fell into Caelis's arms.
And let herself cry and fell asleep.