I groaned as something beeped overhead. My whole body felt like it was on fire, every muscle aching like I'd just gone ten rounds with a heavy mech. Slowly, I opened my eyes. The light above was blinding, sharp, piercing through the haze still gripping my mind. My throat felt dry as sand, and I shifted, groaning again as the pain pulsed through me.

"Welcome back," a smooth voice cut through the fog. I blinked, focusing on the figure standing beside the bed. Dr. Veshra, still looking pristine, her expression unreadable.

I tried to push myself up, but my arm jerked awkwardly, swinging up and… Smack. My palm collided with my face, hard. "Shit!" I gasped, the sting surprising me more than the pain.

Dr Veshra was at my side in an instant, her hands hovering near my face like she was worried I'd knock myself out. "Easy," she said, her tone clipped. "Your motor functions are still adjusting to the Nexus integration. Reflexes will be... unpredictable for the next few hours."

I glared at her, lowering my arm slowly this time. "Unpredictable?" I growled. "A little heads up would’ve been nice."

She raised a brow, completely unfazed. "I was about to give you one."

"Yeah, well, too late." I swung my legs over the side of the bed, wincing as another wave of pain shot through me. My whole body felt heavy, like it wasn't quite mine anymore. I flexed my fingers, watching them tremble as they responded. Everything felt... off.

"I’m administering suppressants now," she said, pressing something cold against my neck. There was a soft hiss, and the fire in my muscles immediately dulled, the tension easing. "The pain will subside within minutes. The muscle spasms, too. But you'll need to take it easy for at least 48 hours. No sudden movements or strenuous activity."

I glanced over at her, frowning. "How long was I out?"

"Four hours."

Four hours. It felt like longer. Like I'd been gone for days. My head still buzzed with static, and my limbs tingled from the aftereffects of the Nexus integration. I reached up, touching my temple, half-expecting to feel wires or something foreign beneath my skin. But there was nothing..

"You’ll need to undergo regular monitoring over the next few days to ensure the Nexus is settling properly," Veshra continued, crossing her arms. "This isn't like a military-grade model. The administrative protocols integrated into your Nexus will take longer to stabilize."

I clenched my jaw. "I didn’t want this version," I muttered.

She met my eyes, unflinching. "You didn’t have a choice, Baron Draven."

I winched at the name. Before I could respond, the door slid open, and Jax stepped inside, his eyes scanning the room before locking onto me. "You’re awake," he said, relief flickering across his normally impassive face. "Good. We need to move."

"Move?" I echoed, my voice rough. "What’s the rush?"

“I would advise against that,” Veshra said as she stepped forward. “We would normally run a series of tests. Baron Draven needs longer to fully adjust.”

Jax ignored the Doctor as he continued to look at me. "You’ve been summoned." His tone was flat, but there was an edge to it. I knew that edge. He was not happy about the demand, but he would follow it out anyway. "Your family expects you at the estate. Immediately."

I groaned, running a hand through my hair. Of course, they did. The Nexus wasn't even fully integrated, and they were already pulling me back into their world. No chance to breathe. No time to figure out how this... thing inside me worked.

I stood up, the pain more bearable now but still present, a dull throb in the back of my mind. The suppressants were kicking in, but the strain from the procedure hadn’t left me entirely.

Veshra stepped in front of me. Her face betrayed her feelings just for the slightest second before the calm, neutral expression returned. “Please do not push yourself. Or you will be back here. Next time, though. The pain, it will be much worse.”

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I nodded at the Veshra.

"Get dressed," Jax said, stepping aside as I reached for the black uniform folded on the nearby chair. "You know your father doesn't like to be kept waiting."

"No kidding," I muttered under my breath, wincing as I tugged the shirt over my head. Every movement felt stiff, as if my body was still trying to remember how to work. But I pushed through it, biting back the pain.

As I finished dressing, Jax was already waiting by the door, his arms folded across his chest. "Ready?" he asked, his tone a little softer this time.

I nodded, pulling my jacket tight. "Let’s get this over with."

Zara rushed forward, her arms wrapping around me before I could react. I grunted, biting back a curse as pain radiated from where her grip tightened. Her hair brushed my face, smelling faintly of something sweet and familiar. I glanced over at Jax, but he just shook his head.

I sighed. “Zara. Not so hard, please. I’m still hurting.”

Zara jumped back like she had been zapped. “Oh my. I’m so sorry. I didn’t think. I just… I…” She stammered out, Looking at the floor as she twisted her hands back and forth. “I just couldn't stand hearing you scream like that.”

I looked at her for a long time before I started to speak. “You... you heard me?" My voice cracked, the words catching in my throat. I never wanted anyone to hear me scream, not again. Jax had told me a few times that I still screamed in my sleep, but this? This was different. Zara hearing me... it felt like a fracture in the walls I’d spent years building.

***

As we stepped out of the sterile confines of the medical hub, the transition hit me like a punch to the gut. My head swam, the cool air brushing against my skin, doing little to shake the lingering ache in my body. The foyer ahead was bustling, a maze of people moving in every direction, but as soon as Jax stepped forward, the crowd began to part. Whispers followed us like shadows.

I caught snippets. Murmurs of “It’s a Draven,” “the Nexus,” and “Rotten nobles.” It didn’t help that my legs felt like jelly, every step a reminder that my body was still adjusting, fighting to keep up with the flood of new sensations the Nexus had unleashed inside me.

Zara, walking close by, nudged my side playfully. “You’re like a celebrity,” she teased, her voice light in contrast to the tension knotting my chest. “Enjoying the attention?”

I shot her a look, half a smirk pulling at the corner of my mouth. “Yeah, it’s exactly what I wanted, you know. Public humiliation thanks to the family name.”

She grinned, unfazed. “Think of it this way. At least you haven’t done anything worthy of the attention. Like… Hmm… Oh, like urinating on yourself in public”

I winced. “Thanks... That was oddly specific.”

Zara looked away as I stared at her. I shook my head and tried to keep up with Jax.

Jax, as always, led the way through the crowd with an almost unnerving calm. His eyes stayed fixed ahead, scanning the perimeter like he was expecting trouble. The onlookers watched us, their hushed voices growing louder the further we walked. I hated it. The stares, the whispers. I could feel them like a physical weight, dragging me down, every step harder than the last.

By the time we made it outside, I was practically gasping for air. The bright sunlight hit me like a wall, and I squinted against it, pulling my jacket tighter around me. My head pounded, the strain of trying to keep myself together gnawing at the edges of my sanity.

“Jax,” I said through gritted teeth, “tell me we’re not walking all the way.”

He didn’t respond right away, but then I saw it. The sleek and black hovercraft hovering just off the ground at the platform's edge. Jax gave me a cheeky wink. “Private transport. We’ll be at the landing pad in a few minutes.”

Zara let out a low whistle. “Nice ride, Jax. You always travel in style?”

“Function over form,” he replied without missing a beat. “Come on. Let’s move.”

We climbed into the hovercraft, and as it lifted off, the hum of the engines was oddly soothing. The cityscape of the capital blurred past, and I sank back into the seat, trying to breathe through the aches that lingered in my muscles. The suppressants were working, but barely. It was like a dull roar in the background, always there, always reminding me that I wasn’t whole. Not yet.

Zara was practically bouncing in her seat, her excitement infectious as we neared the landing pad. Her eyes sparkled when the hovercraft touched down, and I knew why even before I saw it. Her ship, the Razorwing. The same rust bucket that had carried us here. Stood waiting.

She jumped out of the hovercraft as soon as the doors opened, her face lighting up like a kid seeing their favourite toy after months apart. “There she is!” she cried, running a hand over the patched-up hull like it was the most precious thing in the universe.

I could only shake my head. “You’re still excited about that thing?”

Zara shot me a playful glare, one hand on her hip. “Don’t insult my baby, Alex. She may not look like much, but she’s all I have.”

Jax raised an eyebrow but didn’t comment, waiting patiently as I dragged myself out of the hovercraft. The sight of Zara’s ship. Patched and worn as it was, it brought a strange sense of familiarity.

Zara practically skipped ahead, her giggles filling the air as she threw open the hatch and disappeared inside. “Come on, you two! You’ll see. We’ll be back in no time!”

I sighed, following her. The weight of everything still hung heavy on my shoulders, but as Zara’s laughter echoed through the ship for a moment, I let myself forget.

Just for a moment.