I lean against the railing of a nearby building rooftop, outside the tower, taking a long drag from my cigarette while Kat leans beside me, checking her bowstring. The quiet hum of Smith Tower fills the space behind us, but all I can focus on is the city sprawling out below us like a tangled web of light and shadow. It's always moving, always alive. And lately, it's been calling us louder than ever.

Kat smirks at me as she tests the tension on her bow. "You know," she says, "for a guy who just carried a drunken superhero halfway across the city, you seem oddly composed. Should I be impressed?"

I blow out a thin stream of smoke, shrugging. "You should always be impressed."

"Sure," she says, rolling her eyes. "That grilled cheese in the void must be keeping you strong."

I grin despite myself. The void storage thing still feels surreal, like a party trick I haven't fully figured out yet. But it's practical, even if Kat seems to enjoy mocking me for it. "Jealous? You should be. Not everyone can have pocket dimensions for snacks."

Her laugh is low but genuine, and it pulls me out of my own head for a second. Kat's like that-sharp, quick, always ready with a jab but somehow grounding in her own way.

She shoulders her quiver, glancing at me. "You ready to hit the streets, or do you need a minute to reheat that sandwich?"

"Please," I say, flicking the cigarette away and watching the ember trail vanish into the night. "Let's just go before you start accusing me of hoarding ramen too."

The wind's brisk as we step forward, and I pull my hood up against it. Kat's already scanning the rooftops, her sharp eyes catching every shift in the shadows. I can feel the weight of the void around me, almost pulsing with energy.

"You've been quiet," I say after a while, our footsteps soft against the concrete. "Something on your mind?"

She hesitates, and that alone makes me pay attention. Kat doesn't usually hesitate.

"It's nothing," she finally says, but the edge in her voice says otherwise.

I tilt my head, waiting.

She exhales sharply. "Fine. You remember M.V., right?"

I nod. The name is enough to stir something in the back of my mind-a figure slipping through shadows, a constant thorn in Smith Inc.'s side. "Mathias right?What about him?"

"He's been gone. Three years, no sign of him. And Smith Inc.'s shipments have been running smooth ever since."

"Sounds like a win," I say, though I know it's not that simple.

Kat shakes her head. "It's weird, Keegan. He didn't just stop. People like him don't stop. He's either dead, retired, or plotting something big. None of those options sit right with me."

I don't reply immediately. Her words hang in the air as we move through the quiet streets, her unease rubbing off on me.

Eventually, I glance at her. "You think we'll cross paths with him tonight?"

"No, he's gone hella dark," she says firmly. "But he's on my radar."

"Starting to sound like my dad, that guy has left no trail." I reply.

"Still no dirt on him? Damn." She says.

I shrug. "Not a thing, fuck it I guess."

We slip into an alley, the city's heartbeat louder here. I let the void ripple around me, drawing the energy closer, while Kat pulls an arrow from her quiver. Her hair waving in the wind. If only she and I were on the same page.

"Ready to keep the streets safe?" she asks, her grin a mix of mischief and determination.

I nod, the weight of her earlier words lingering. "Always."

And just like that, we vanish into the shadows, two figures hunting the night, each with our own ghosts.

-

Bridge Lab, Indianapolis Outskirts

---Dylan---

The lab hums with a soft mechanical rhythm, the air cool and sharp with the scent of metal and ozone. I sit cross-legged on one of the stools near the workbench, absently rolling a small Madium tool between my fingers. Kylen's in the zone, muttering to himself as he adjusts the energy output on the portal prototype. The thing looks like something out of a sci-fi movie-shimmering white arcs forming a rough oval, power conduits snaking across the floor, and that faint, eerie glow that always makes my hair stand on end.

Keegan's slouched against the wall, flipping through his phone with one hand and holding a bag of chips with the other. Every now and then, he tosses a piece into his mouth, crunching loudly enough to earn a side-eye from Kylen.

Claire stands in front of one of the massive monitor screens, her hands moving with practiced precision over the keyboard. She's pulling up data from the satellite system, her brow furrowed just enough to tell me something's caught her attention.

"Hmm," she murmurs, tilting her head slightly.

I sit up. "That's either a good 'hmm' or a bad one. Should I be worried?"

Claire doesn't answer right away, which automatically puts me on edge. She taps a few more keys and leans closer to the screen. "Looks like there's a solar storm brewing. And... an asteroid storm, too."

Kylen glances up from the portal, wiping his hands on a rag. "Asteroids? That's normal. Happens all the time."

"This isn't normal," Claire says, pointing to the data. "Look at the trajectory. They're clustered, and the energy levels from the solar storm are unusually high. If it shifts even slightly, it could-"

"Relax," Kylen interrupts, waving a hand. "The odds of anything actually reaching us are astronomically low. And even if something does make it through the atmosphere, it's not like we're defenseless." He gestures vaguely at the portal, as if to say, We've got bigger things to worry about.

"Uh-huh," Claire replies, her tone dripping with skepticism. "You realize that's the same energy that could fry half our systems, right?"

Kylen shrugs. "I'll tweak the shields if it makes you feel better."

I can't help but grin. "So, for once, we can confirm this isn't my fault? This just happens to be a natural occurrence, not being aided by my incredibly handsome ability to control astral bodies."

Claire gives me a look, but her lips twitch like she's holding back a smile. "For now, yeah. But don't tempt fate, Dylan."

"Noted." I lean back, propping my feet on the nearest surface-probably something important, judging by the glare Kylen shoots me. "So, is this the part where we panic, or is it the part where I do nothing and let the geniuses figure it out?"

Keegan snorts. "You mean the latter. Always the latter."

"Hey, I'm moral support," I say, tossing the tool in the air and catching it. "The best moral support money can't buy. Besides, you never know when they are going to need my gravity powers or your void weirdness to fix or test something."

Kylen rolls his eyes and goes back to his adjustments. Claire keeps typing, her expression still skeptical but not as tense. Keegan munches on his chips like nothing's wrong. And me? I just sit back and try not to think about how anything involving the words "solar storm" and "asteroid storm" probably means we're due for trouble.

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

That's how it always starts.

The tension in the room is low, but I can't stop my knee from bouncing. I'm waiting-for what exactly, I'm not sure. Maybe just for something to feel less... heavy.

The door to the lab opens, and Hail strides in. His silver hair looks as untamed as ever, and the white mask covering his face doesn't make him any easier to read. He scans the room, his eyes lingering on each of us before they land on me.

"Dylan," he says, his voice steady but softer than I expect. "Come with me."

I blink, caught off guard. "Uh, sure."

He doesn't wait for a response. He's already turned, heading back toward the door.

Keegan smirks, raising an eyebrow at me. "Looks like you've been summoned."

Claire glances at me, her concern subtle but present. "Be careful."

I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat, and follow Hail out of the lab.

The sun is blinding as I step outside, the field in front of the Bridge Lab stretches wide under a clear sky. Hail is already there, standing in the middle of the grass, his back to me. He doesn't move as I approach, but I can feel the tension in the air.

"What's going on?" I ask, stopping a few steps behind him.

Hail turns slowly, his ice-blue eyes locking onto mine. "You've been holding back."

The words hit harder than I expect. "What are you talking about?"

"In battle. In training. You're not pushing yourself. You're afraid of what you might do if you lose control." His voice is calm, but there's no mistaking the challenge in it.

I frown, straightening. "That's not true."

Hail steps closer, his movements deliberate. "Then prove it."

Before I can say another word, his sword of ice materializes in his hand, the frost creeping across the ground at his feet. "Fight me," he says simply.

I hesitate. "What-now?"

"Yes," he says sharply. "Now."

I glance back at the lab, half-expecting someone to come rushing out and stop this, but no one does. When I turn back to Hail, he's already lunging at me, his blade flashing in the sunlight.

Instinct takes over. I throw up a gravity shield just in time to block the strike, the impact reverberating through my arms. Hail doesn't let up, his movements fluid and unrelenting as he presses the attack.

"Stop thinking," he snaps, his blade slamming against my defenses again. "React."

I grit my teeth, frustration building as I'm forced to give ground. "What's your problem?" I shout, deflecting another strike.

"You," he says bluntly, stepping back just far enough to assess me. "You've got power, Dylan. More than you realize. But you're too scared to use it."

"What, you want me to unleash the full power of my quirk on you or some shit?" I ask, fully knowing he won't understand the reference.

"Precisely." he states.

"Fuck it, your funeral drone." I growl, releasing a pulse of gravity energy that ripples through the air. Hail sidesteps it effortlessly, his blade slicing through the aftershock as if it's nothing.

The fight intensifies. I stop holding back, letting my instincts guide me as I unleash blasts of energy and counter his every move. The ground trembles beneath us, the air crackling with tension. For the first time, I feel like I'm not just reacting-I'm fighting.

Finally, Hail lowers his blade, frost dissipating into the air. He nods, a small, almost imperceptible gesture of approval.

"You're stronger than you think," he says, his voice steady but softer now. "But you'll never reach your full potential if you keep running from it."

I'm still catching my breath when I ask, "Why do you care?"

Hail hesitates, his gaze drifting to the horizon. "Because Eluna cared," he says quietly. "She believed in you. She sacrificed everything to keep you safe. And she'd want you to be ready for what's coming."

The mention of her name stops me cold. "You knew her," I say, the words catching in my throat. "My mother. I forgot about that."

Hail turns back to me, his expression unreadable behind the mask. "She raised me. She taught me what it means to fight for something bigger than yourself." He pauses, then reaches into his coat, pulling out a small, leather-bound journal. The edges are frayed, the cover worn with time.

"She left this for me," he says, holding it out. "It's yours now."

I take it carefully, my hands trembling as I trace the faded leather. The weight of it feels almost unbearable, like it carries more than just words.

Hail watches me for a moment before stepping back. "She'd be proud of you, Dylan. Don't waste that."

I look up, but he's already walking away, leaving me alone in the middle of the field with the journal-and a thousand questions I'm not sure I'm ready to face.

---Red---

The cool night air wraps around me as I lean against the railing of the roof, staring at the city below. The twinkling lights of Indianapolis look so distant, so small, like stars trapped beneath a glass dome. I clutch the journal in my hands, its pages scrawled with memories I've tried to make sense of.

I open it to the last page I wrote. Vermidia. Home. Domnik. All the things I can't shake, no matter how far I am from them. My hand hovers over the next blank line, but the words don't come. Instead, my thoughts spiral.

It's been three years, and yet Vermidia hasn't shown herself. Not a whisper, not a hint. Did I make the right choice staying here? What if she's out there, regrouping, plotting? A small voice in the back of my head tries to assure me, but I can't trust it. Not when Domnik's death still feels like a weight pressing on my chest.

Domnik. He trusted me, and I left him to die. I close my eyes, the imagined memory of his last moments flickering behind my eyelids like a bad dream. No matter how many times I tell myself there was no other choice, it doesn't make it easier.

The phone buzzes in my pocket, pulling me out of my thoughts. I fish it out, seeing Kylen's name on the screen.

"Yeah?" I answer, my voice rough.

"Red," Kylen says, and there's a trace of excitement in his usually calm tone. "Keegan and I did it. The portal prototype is stable. You need to come to the Bridge Lab."

I blink, letting the words sink in. "Wait, you're serious?"

"As serious as I can be," Kylen replies. "But if you want to see it, you'll need to leave now. And bring Alyse."

I glance at my journal one last time, then close it and slide it into my bag. "On my way."

-

The drive to the Bridge Lab is quiet except for the hum of the car engine and the occasional flicker of streetlights overhead. Alyse is silent, waiting in anticipation, or maybe she's bothered by my absence in recent days. I grip the steering wheel tightly, my thoughts racing faster than the car. A working portal. A way back to Amerei. To answers. To home.

When I finally pull up outside the lab, my headlights wash over the sleek, metallic structure that looms in the night. The Bridge Lab is Kylen's masterpiece, a facility that blends Earth's technology with Amerei's magic. I step out of the car, my boots crunching on the gravel as Alyse and I approach the entrance.

Whatever Kylen has to show me, it feels like everything might finally start to make sense-or fall apart.

Alyse steps out of the car behind me, her arms wrapped around herself against the chill in the air. She catches up to me as I approach the Bridge Lab, her footsteps soft on the gravel.

"Do you really think it's working this time?" she asks, her voice quiet but steady.

I glance at her, trying to read her expression. There's hope in her eyes, but it's cautious-guarded, like she doesn't want to get her expectations up. I shrug, though my heart is racing. "Kylen wouldn't have called us here if it wasn't."

She nods but doesn't look entirely convinced.

The entrance slides open with a faint hiss, and the cool, sterile air of the lab rushes out to greet us. Inside, the lab feels alive-screens flicker with streams of data, and the faint hum of machinery fills the space. Kylen is standing near a console, his grey cloak draped over a nearby chair. He doesn't even look up as we enter, too focused on the glowing structure in the center of the room.

Keegan is off to the side, leaning against a counter with his arms crossed, looking like he's trying not to be impressed. "Took you two long enough," he says, smirking at us. "Missed all the fun."

"Did we?" I retort, walking further into the room. My eyes lock onto the device Kylen is working on-a large, circular frame made of Madium, glowing faintly with runes I don't recognize. Pulses of energy ripple through it like water, distorting the air around it. It's... mesmerizing. It hangs on the wall, filling the room of the now repaired glass box that I... destroyed.

Alyse's hand brushes against mine, and I glance at her. She's staring at the portal, her lips parted in awe. "It's beautiful," she whispers.

"It's stable," Kylen says, finally turning to face us. There's a rare flicker of pride in his expression as he gestures toward the portal. "We've tested it-low-level energy transfers, small objects. So far, everything works as it should."

I take a step closer, the faint hum of the portal growing louder. My chest tightens as I stare at it, the glow reflecting in my eyes. "You're saying this can get us to Amerei?"

Kylen nods. "If the calculations hold up, yes. But it's still a prototype. We need more testing before we try sending anyone through."

Keegan scoffs. "Typical Kylen. Build a door to another world, but won't let anyone open it."

Kylen glares at him. "I'd rather not disintegrate anyone in the process, thanks."

I barely hear their exchange. My mind is racing, flooded with images of Vermidia, Domnik, and the life I left behind. The portal feels like a lifeline-a chance to finally get some answers.

Alyse steps forward, her gaze flickering between Kylen and the portal. "If it works... what does that mean for us? For Earth?"

Kylen hesitates, his usual confidence faltering. "It means possibilities. Connections we've never had before. But also risks. If we can go there, they can come here."

That last part hits me harder than I expected. Vermidia. Could she follow us back? Could others?

Alyse must notice the tension in my jaw because she places a hand on my arm. "Red," she says softly, pulling me out of my thoughts. "This is a good thing."

I nod, though I'm not entirely sure I believe it. "We'll see."

Keegan straightens up, clapping his hands together. "So, when do we flip the switch and see if it's more than just a glorified light show?"

"Not tonight," Kylen says firmly. "I need more time to run diagnostics."

Alyse exhales softly, as though relieved. "Then we should get back. It's late."

"Yeah," I mutter, my eyes lingering on the portal one last time before turning to leave. "Let's go."

As we walk back to the car, Alyse stays close to my side. Neither of us says much, but I can feel her gaze on me, like she's trying to figure out what's going on in my head. Truth is, I'm not sure I know.

All I know is that everything is about to change.