Micheal Solace sits alone in his kitchen, staring at his phone. He had read and reread the message his daughter had sent him dozens of times, and each time, he wished he had stopped her. He should never have let her go into an incursion zone, those demonic places from which the volcora hail. She had said it would be safe, that she had a team of experienced sentinels to protect her. Yet, as the clock ticked to midnight, then 1:00 AM, then 2:00 AM, he couldn’t help but feel as if it wasn’t enough.
Micheal had faith in his daughter — more than she likely knew. She was smart, she was brave, and she was kind. Ultimately, she was everything he could have ever wanted and more. For so long, his entire life had revolved around that little girl. Getting her to archery practice, making sure she had enough to eat, and bandaging her scrapped knees. It had been hard for him to realize that she was old enough to make her own decisions now. Decisions like this one. No matter how much it hurt, no matter how hard it was to sit by his phone and pray to every god he thought might listen, he would never take away her freedom. He would just be there for her when she needed him. He prayed that, tonight, she would need him at least one more time.
It was 4:26 AM when Micheal’s phone finally did ring. He hadn’t even bothered trying to sleep, just trying to distract himself with old games while he waited for a call. He had tried watching his favorite cop shows as well, but they just reminded him of the times Serena watched them with him. Micheal hoped more than anything that, when his phone did ring, it would be her on the other end. He had sent her dozens of messages asking her to call him as soon as she saw them. The fact that she hadn’t yet cemented in his heart that something was wrong.
To Micheal’s horror, it wasn’t Serena’s smiling face that had appeared on his buzzing phone screen. It was an unknown caller.
It’s okay, he tries to reassure himself; I’m sure she just lost her phone in the incursion zone. That’s why she’s taken so long to get back to me. Nodding to himself, Micheal picks up the phone and answers it.
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“Hello?” he asks, desperate to hear any news of Serena, ideally from Serena herself.
“Is this Micheal Solace?” asks the voice of a woman he doesn’t recognize.
Fear stabs into Micheal’s heart at the sound of her words. She sounds too formal, her tone slightly sad. He had imagined what a call telling him his daughter had died would sound like, and this is exactly how it always starts.
“Y-Yes,” Micheal manages, his voice trembling. “This is he.”
The woman on the other end wastes no time. “My name is General Karma Novak, the general in charge of the Shinara branch of the Global Defense Force,” she says, her tone professional and holding a definite note of deep sadness. “I don’t mince words, Mr. Solace, so I’ll get right to it. I’m calling to inform you that your daughter Serena sustained grievous injuries in the incursion zone she was sent to with her mentor. She risked her life to stop the volcora in the space from overrunning the Shinara slums and was badly hurt in the process.”
General Novak pauses, and Micheal’s heart feels like it might burst from stress. “Your daughter is in the intensive care unit of the local GDF Headquarters, being seen to by other blue sentinels. As of now, we aren’t sure if she will survive the night. I would like to formally invite you to come to GDF Headquarters at your earliest convenience. You deserve the chance to see her before she passes.” With a deep breath, General Novak finishes her preplanned speech, “Just know, sir, if your daughter does pass tonight, she will do so as a hero of Shinara. I’m so sorry, Mr. Solace.”
“I-I…” Micheal can’t come up with anything to say; his heart feels as if it had been split in two. Tears leak from his eyes, blurring his vision. He hadn’t cried in… he didn’t know how long. Since his wife died, at least. He got the feeling that it might become much more common in the near future.
“Mr. Solace, I welcome you to come to GDF Headquaters as soon as you are able. I’m afraid, however, that I must hang up now. This is not the only call I’m going to be making tonight,” General Novak says, and, with a click, the call disconnects.
Micheal stares at his phone for a long moment, hardly able to comprehend what just happened. Then, he pockets his phone, grabs his tram card, and leaves. Serena needed him, and he would always be there.