Back on board the Starlight, the atmosphere was lively. Jinx stood on top of one of the dining room tables, drink in hand retelling the highlights of the day.
"And then BAM! Finn sends Kael crashing through the ground! You should've seen his face man! Kael was all smug, thinking he had the match in the bag and then Finn just wipes that smirk right off his face! Who knew the cook could throw down outside of the kitchen like that!? You elves are something else!"
She slapped Finn on the back, almost knocking him off his seat. He winced slightly but chuckled, rubbing his shoulder where the bruises from his match still ached.
"It wasn't that impressive… I just got lucky at the end." He said, slightly embarrassed.
"Yeah sure! Just lucky. If that's what your luck looks like, then I need a drink of whatever you got!" She said as she began to chug out of a mug nearly bigger than her torso.
Rorik chimed in, his voice full of energy, but not as much as Jinx.
"Luck or not you're still walking and Kael isn't! That's all that matters! You fought well little dude." He said while giving him a thumbs up.
Finn began to smirk a little. He took a long drink from his glass as his mind replayed the battle over and over trying to figure out where the sudden surge of power had come from. But for now, he let the thought drift away.
Elara sat at the far end of the table with a faint smile as she observed her crew. Kaito had secured his victory earlier, and Finn, despite his self-doubt, had proven himself as more than just a cook.
"You've all earned this moment. But don't forget—this is just the beginning. The tournament only gets harder from here." She said, grabbing everyone's attention.
Kaito, who was leaning back in his chair with his arms behind his head, shot her a playful grin.
"Come on captain, can't we have one night where we don't think about the next fight? We just kicked some serious ass out there." He said somewhat teasingly.
Elara raised an eyebrow at him with a teasing smirk.
"I'm not the one who's going to be sore tomorrow."
Kaito laughed, though he knew she was right.
As the conversation shifted and the crew continued to chatter and celebrate, Finn found himself lost in his thoughts. He still couldn't shake the feeling of doubt that lingered at the edges of his mind. He glanced around the room.
"Kaito, Jinx, Talon, everyone… They all seem so sure of themselves, so confident in their abilities… but me…" He thought to himself as he looked down to his bruised and cut up hand.
"That power… I never felt my essence surge like that before. I… don't even know how I did it. I barely made it through today. What if next time, I can't pull it off?"
He sighed softly, as his fingers began to absentmindedly tracing the rim of his glass. But before his thoughts could spiral too far, Kaito nudged him with an elbow.
"Don't go getting all mopey on me now man. You did good out there." He said softly, to where only he could hear.
Finn blinked. He tried to smile, but he couldn't hide the self loathing in his eyes.
"Yeah, but what if next time I'm not good enough? Kael almost had me. I only won because—"
Kaito held up a hand, cutting him off.
"Enough with the what ifs man. You won because you've got heart and you fought harder than he did. That's what matters. Not the almost or the what ifs. You're part of this crew Finn, and you belong here. Don't forget that."
Finn looked at Kaito and saw the sincerity in his eyes. The doubt in his chest began to ease slightly as a real smile began to form now.
"Thanks, Kaito." He muttered out.
Across the room, Kaeline stood near one of the large windows, her back turned to the crew. Her mind was far from the celebrations. The memory of the ominous masked man from the arena still lingered in her thoughts. His telepathic words echoed in her mind.
On the nearby host planet of Thaloria, Farro and the children gathered in the living room. On the screen, the highlights of Kaito's fight played on repeat. The children were ecstatic, their eyes wide with wonder as they watched. Some even tried replicating some of his moves… to varying success.
"Did you see that move? Kaito's amazing!" A small thalorian boy said.
"He's going to win the whole tournament, I just know it!" Said the same thalorian girl who asked him if he was going to become the King of the Stars.
Farro, leaning against the doorway, smiled faintly at the children's excitement as they bounced around the room. As they cheered for Kaito.
For them, he wasn't just a fighter from a lawless world. No, he was much more than that. He was their friend, their older brother… their hero.
Even as he watched, Farro couldn't shake the feeling of unease that had settled in his chest. He knew the dangers lurking in the shadows, knew that knowledge of Kaito's existence would come at a cost. He had done everything he could to protect the boy, but now, watching the events unfold from so far away… he felt powerless.
And little did he know, that cost was coming sooner than he expected.
knock knock knock
There was a loud knock coming from the orphanage door. Farro's smile faltered, and a chill ran down his spine. The knock came again, louder this time, more intense.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
The children practically froze and went silent.
Farro made his way to the door slowly, his hand instinctively resting on the concealed blade at his side.
"Shhh… Stay there." He mouthed to them silently.
He hadn't been expecting anyone, and on Thaloria, an unexpected visitor was never a good sign.
He inched cautiously toward the door.
"Who's there?" He asked.
There was no response.
Just silence.
He unlocked the door, then opened it. Before he could react, a masked figure lunged forward right into him, the same masked figure at Seraphine's meeting.
Farro's eyes widened in shock as the cold steel of a blade pierced his chest, directly through his heart.
His body went limp immediately.
The masked figure stood over him as he collapsed to the ground, his blood pooling beneath him as he gasped for air.
His eye slowly began to lose its life as he laid there.
The last thing he saw before the darkness claimed him was the wide, terrified eyes of the children staring back at him. He tried to reach out… to help them, but he couldn't. His body was shutting down on him.
The masked figure stepped over him and began to slowly walk towards the kids.
As Farro's life faded away, he used the last bit of energy to utter one final word.
"Kai…to…"