Time: 05 // 45 Fade (The Calm) Location: The Inbetween / The Workshop Memory

The air in the Inbetween hummed with the sound of fabrication. Hanjhit moved like a blur, his hands manipulating wires and threads to tailor the suits to each team member.

Romar had gotten the hand of his speed, his appetite noticeably growing along with him. He'd help speed up the work significantly.

"Done," Hanjhit announced, stepping back to admire his work. "If we're going to act like a Court, we need to look the part."

He gestured for them to step forward. These weren't just tactical suits; they were manifestations of their inner resonance.

For Val and Sarode, Hanjhit had woven a tapestry of Rahmori itself. Their suits were a deep, regal violet blending into slate grey, shimmering with sections of iridescent fabric that caught the light like oil on water. Patterns of crashing waves merged into constellations of silver stars across the chest and back. High collars framed their faces, while the fabric hugged their limbs for combat but draped elegantly with flowy sashes at the waist—a perfect marriage of the fluid waters and the solid shadow. They looked like royalty from a forgotten age.

For the operatives of the Kira—Wren and Ouhan—the look was severe and absolute. Hanjhit handed them suits of matte black, a material so dark it seemed to drink the ambient light. White, organic root-patterns traced their way up the limbs and torso. On Ouhan, these lines seemed to drift like smoke, barely there; on Wren, they pulsed with a faint, contained white plasma. The cuts were slim and skin-tight, covering every inch of skin to contain their volatile energies.

Saje and Hanjhit donned the heaviest gear, a true homage to the Storm weavers of Rhubiti. Layers of thick, woven fabric in tans, rich browns, and metallic coppers draped over tech-reinforced plating. Intricate circuitry was embroidered alongside real feathers on the shoulders. They both fastened traditional head-wraps that trailed down their backs, weighted with weather-charms that chimed softly when they moved. It was a look of ancient authority fused with modern engineering.

Gwen and Romar were blinding to look at. Their suits were a tactical skin of white, gold, and silver, but the material was highly reflective, designed to refract light. Accents of crushed glass and jewel-tone prisms were embedded at the joints to scatter laser fire. It was armor built for speed, aerodynamic, sharp, and skin-tight.

Finally, for the connectors, Talia, Emerjn, and Irame, the suits were a celebration of the biosphere. A blend of earthy browns, moss greens, and deep ocean blues flowed together in loose, comfortable layers that allowed for sweeping movement. Patterns of blooming flowers twisted around crashing waves, embroidered along the hems and sleeves, symbolizing the symbiotic relationship between water and life.

"How did they get these intricate designs?" Gwen asked.

"These suits adapt," Hanjhit explained, tapping a node on Gwen’s shoulder. "Heat regulation for Jefue, pressure sealing for high altitude. And... they have localized comms. No more shouting over the wind."

"They fit," Wren noted, flexing her hand. "Optimal mobility."

"They look like a Court," Sarode corrected, standing beside Val. He looked at his twin. "Ready to go back?"

Val took a deep breath, preparing to enter the dark once again. "Let's go."

Time: 06 // 15 Fade (Twilight) Location: The Border of Jefue / The Obsidian Flats

The transition back to reality was sharp. Thirty pulses had passed in the real world, but they felt rested and ready.

They loaded into the Thunderwave. They'd leave the Kjisugi in Hanjhit's garage for later retrieval. Saje took the driver's seat, placing his hands on the resonance-interface. The vehicle didn't roar to life; it purred, hovering slightly off the ground.

"Next stop: Land of Flame & Fire," Saje announced.

They drove out of the floating city, descending the massive ramps that connected the cloud-layer to the surface. As they traveled North, the air changed. The sweet floral scent of Rhubiti vanished, replaced by the dry, choking smell of ash and sulfur.

The ground turned from white stone to black, jagged obsidian. In the distance, the volcanoes of Jefue glowed like angry eyes in the twilight.

"We are crossing the thermocline," Wren warned from the nav-seat. "Heat sensors are spiking. Engaging thermal masking."

The Thunderwave shifted. Its outer hull darkened, absorbing the ambient heat to blend in with the lava flows.

"It's quiet," Gwen murmured, watching the scanners. "Too quiet. Vaelor said he was swarming the border of Rhubiti but we saw no one."

"Maybe they're focused on the main roads," Romar suggested. "We're in the forgotten lands."

"No," Val whispered, clutching the dashboard. Their Harmonic Stone was cold. Ice cold. "They aren't on the roads."

BOOM.

A bolt of blue plasma slammed into the front of the Thunderwave.

The vehicle flipped.

Inside, gravity plating saved them from being crushed, but the impact was brutal. Saje fought the controls, slamming the vehicle upright just before they skidded into a lava trench.

"Contact!" Gwen shouted. "North!"

The ramp dropped. The team spilled out, hands and weapons raised.

Standing on a ridge of obsidian, illuminated by the lava light, was a squad of soldiers. But they weren't the standard Fire-Walkers in red. They wore pristine white armor that glowed with blue energy. The Phantom Wing.

And leading them was a woman who looked like a mirror image of Wren, but taller, sharper, and smiling. She held a dual-bladed plasma staff that crackled with blue fire.

"Kaelin," Wren whispered, her voice trembling.

"Hello, prototype," Kaelin called out. Her voice was smooth, synthetic perfection. "You brought me the Heir. How efficient of you."

"Ambush pattern!" Sarode shouted. "Saje, destabilize the ridge!"

Saje opened his mouth to sing, but Kaelin was faster. She pointed her staff. A beam of concentrated light, blasted Saje backward, slamming him into the side of the Thunderwave.

"Saje!" Val screamed.

"Focus!" Kaelin commanded her squad. "Secure the Asset. Purge the rest."

The Phantom Wing descended. They moved like liquid light.

Romar tried to blitz them, but they were fast—genetically enhanced for speed. One of them caught Romar mid-run, slamming him into the ground. Gwen fired illusions, but Kaelin’s helmet visor flashed, filtering the light instantly. "New tricks? Commander," Kaelin laughed, deflecting Gwen’s plasma bolts.

Talia and Emerjn tried to summon roots, but the ground was dead rock.

It was a slaughter.

Val and Sarode stood back-to-back.

"They're too fast!" Sarode shouted, throwing shadow-blades that were parried by plasma shields.

"They aren't fighting to kill," Val realized, seeing the soldiers using stun-batons. "They're fighting to capture."

Kaelin lunged. She bypassed Wren entirely, aiming straight for Val.

Wren stepped in the way. "Halt."

Kaelin didn't stop. She spun her staff, catching Wren under the chin with a brutal upward strike. Wren flew backward, crashing into the ash.

"Obsolete," Kaelin sneered.

She grabbed Val.

Val tried to weave, Water, Spirit, Shadow, but Kaelin slapped a collar onto Val’s neck.

CLICK.

Val’s eyes rolled back. The connection to the elements was severed instantly. Their body went limp.

"Asset secured," Kaelin barked into her comms. "Extraction is inbound."

A drop-ship roared overhead, lowering a magnetic grapple.

Wren looked up from the ash. She saw Kaelin dragging Val’s unconscious body toward the lift.

Something inside Wren broke.

It wasn't a malfunction. It was a choice.

Wren could almost visualize her mind, webs covering parts she couldn't see, but she didn't need to see it, she just needed to know they were there. Safety protocols: OFF. Core temperature: UNLIMITED. Objective: KILL.

Wren didn't stand up. She erupted.

A pillar of blinding white fire exploded from her body. The ash around her turned to glass instantly.

"KAELIN!" Wren screamed. It wasn't a forced robotic voice anymore. It was a roar of pure, unadulterated rage.

Wren moved. She didn't run; she teleported in a streak of plasma. She slammed into Kaelin, knocking the staff from her hand.

Kaelin gasped, her blue eyes widening as she looked into Wren’s face. Wren’s eyes weren't black anymore. They were burning white.

"You took them," Wren snarled, grabbing Kaelin by the throat. Her grip was melting Kaelin’s armor.

"Extraction!" Kaelin screamed at the ship. "Get me out!"

The pilot looked down. He saw the unstable nuclear event that was Wren and saw what they came for raising toward him. He made a calculation.

"Abort," the pilot said. "Asset is secure. Leaving the ground team."

The grapple lifted Val’s body into the air. The ship thundered away, leaving Kaelin behind.

"No!" Val’s voice echoed in the distance, strained immensely.

Wren watched the ship fly away. The rage had nowhere to go. She looked down at her sister.

"You let them take Val," Wren whispered. Her hand glowed brighter. She raised a fist of concentrated plasma. She was going to take Kaelin’s head off.

"Wren! Stop!"

Sarode lunged forward, reaching to grab Wren's shoulder.

CONTACT.

Sarode froze. Literally. He hung in mid-air, his hand inches from Wren, trapped in a bubble of distorted time. The air around him shimmered like a heat haze.

Wren didn't even notice. Her focus was absolute. She brought her fist down.

"NO!" Talia screamed, tackling Wren from the side.

The impact broke Wren’s concentration. The time-bubble popped. Sarode collapsed to the ground, gasping as time rushed back into his lungs.

Wren’s plasma fist missed Kaelin’s face by an inch, slamming into the obsidian rock. The stone liquefied instantly. The heat wave singed the ends of Talia’s green hair, turning them brown.

"Look at her!" Talia screamed, pinning Wren’s arm down. "Wren, look at her!"

Wren blinked, the blinding white fire in her eyes fading back to deep black. She looked down.

Kaelin wasn't fighting. Her armor was melted to her chest, her weapon destroyed. She was staring up at the empty sky where her ship, her family, had just abandoned her. She looked small. Broken.

Wren froze. She looked at her trembling hands, still smoking. She looked at the sky where Val was gone.

"I... I failed," Wren whispered.

She stood up, stumbling back from Kaelin.

"Wren?" Talia reached out, ignoring the heat radiating off her friend.

"Don't touch me!" Wren cried out, her voice cracking. She saw Talia’s concern, but then she looked past her.

She saw Gwen staring with wide eyes. She saw Romar helping a groggy Saje up, both of them looking at Wren with... fear. They weren't looking at a teammate. They were looking at a monster be born.

Wren looked at Talia’s burnt hair. "I can't... No matter what happens I will always be a concern."

"Wren, no," Talia stepped forward.

Wren turned and ran. She didn't use the vehicle; she simply blurred, her form flickering into a streak of white light as she vanished into the obsidian dark of the Forgotten Lands.

"Wren!" Talia screamed, trying to run after her, but Emerjn held her back.

"Let her go," Emerjn said gently. "She needs to cool down before she kills someone."

Sarode stood up, wiping ash from his face. His expression was pure ice. He walked over to Kaelin, who was still staring at the sky.

He summoned a shadow-blade, pressing the cold edge against her melted throat armor.

"Get up," Sarode said, his voice low and dangerous.

Kaelin looked at him, her eyes empty.

"You're going to tell us exactly where they took them," Sarode promised. "Or I will let Saje bury you alive in this rock."

Kaelin let out a shaky breath. "It doesn't matter," she whispered. "Where they're going... you can't follow. It's the Deep Lab."

"We'll see," Sarode grabbed her by the collar and hauled her toward the Thunderwave.

"Saje! Can you drive?"

Saje stumbled forward, clutching his ribs where the sonic blast had hit him. "Yeah. Yeah, I got it."

"Then get in," Sarode commanded. "We have a sister to find. And a leader to save."