“I am never letting you out of my goddamn sight again!” shouted his aunt for the hundredth time.

John winced but said nothing, preferring to let her get it out of her system. The return to Qorluna had been uneventful enough. They had contacted the Nexus prior to boarding, and a group was waiting for them at the terminal. Sarah seemed nervous, not saying much, but cooperating as John and Crystal explained the situation. The revelation that she’d been employed by Micah to use her powers to uncover Atlans’ secrets had stirred up excitement. But as soon as they landed, that excitement faded into the cold, businesslike tension of the Nexus of Balance headquarters.

Tarik, Aurora, and Elizabeth had descended on him almost immediately, bearing down with questions about the violence that had unfolded.

“Too bad you didn’t bury yourself down there,” Tarik muttered under his breath, and tempers flared.

“This Richard—who was he?” Elizabeth asked, cutting off Tarik’s comment with a look.

John rubbed the back of his neck, his frustration bubbling beneath the surface. “Someone I met at an arms convention over in Riverbend. Said he’d done time in the military, heard about me getting kicked out. He sent me odd jobs now and then. Nothing major at first.”

“He was manipulating you. Recruiting you,” grumbled Tarik, arms crossed over his chest.

“Yeah, no shit!” John’s voice rose, the sarcasm burning on his tongue. His cheeks flushed, heat simmering just beneath his skin as his emotions threatened to boil over. Days later, and the rage hadn’t settled.

“What about Micah?” Elizabeth asked. “You said this was his expedition. Why did he come after you?”

John rounded on her, his temper finally snapping. “Apparently, it’s all about my dad again! Everywhere I go, I keep hearing his name, but I haven’t seen the bastard since I was ten! What the hell did he do that I’m still cleaning up his mess?!”

A quiet whisper slipped into the room, halting the rising tension. “Your father… he’s a monster.”

John turned to Aurora, her words hanging in the air like an accusation. He sighed heavily. “Unless you’re actually going to explain, that doesn’t tell me anything.”

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Silence. The weight of it crushed the room, thick and suffocating. No one seemed willing to speak, and it only made John’s frustration fester deeper. The more he asked, the fewer answers he seemed to get.

Tarik took a step forward, jabbing a finger in John’s direction. “You aren’t leaving this city again. You hear me?”

John stared back, unafraid. His aunt stood between them, but the heat rolling off him was unmistakable. If he wanted to, he could reduce Tarik to ash with a single thought. The problem was, he wasn’t sure he could control it. After the docks… after the fire… He tried not to think about what could’ve happened if he’d lost control completely.

“Maybe just the city,” John muttered, half to himself. Before Tarik could shout another retort, John turned to Aurora, his eyes hardening with resolve. “I need help. I think it’s time I tried going to the Delko clan again.”

“You aren’t going anywhere!” Tarik’s voice thundered, but Elizabeth cut him off.

“I think it’s actually a great idea,” she said calmly, her tone resolute.

Aurora nodded in agreement. “Our people can keep a better eye on him than the Nexus. He doesn’t need a cell. He needs training. Room to understand himself.”

Tarik grumbled something unintelligible, clearly outmatched by the unusual alliance between Elizabeth and Aurora. He turned away, his frustration clear as he gestured to Crystal and Sarah. “Talk to Burt,” he said to Crystal. “He’ll make sure Sarah gets set up with a living space and whatever she needs.”

“Mam,” he said to Sarah, giving her a respectful nod before quickly storming out of the room.

Sarah raised an eyebrow. “My own living space? Is that in here?” Her voice carried a hint of nervous humor.

Crystal chuckled softly. “No, we’ll set you up in an apartment nearby. It’ll be safer for us to keep an eye on you. Micah’s not done, and we’d rather be prepared.”

Elizabeth and Aurora both gave Sarah encouraging smiles, which she returned, albeit a bit uncertainly. John watched them, his mind elsewhere as he rocked back slightly, then pushed himself forward and stood up.

“I’m going home,” he declared, his voice quieter than before.

“My home?” his aunt pointedly reminded him.

John rolled his eyes. “Yes, Aunt Liz. Your home.”

He turned to Sarah, offering a small, reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. It’ll all be okay now. They’re a bit stiff, but these people are the good guys. You’ll be fine.”

Sarah nodded, though doubt still flickered in her eyes. Crystal moved to her side, offering comfort as they left the room together.

As the door shut behind them, John stood still for a moment, the weight of everything pressing on him. He was tired—tired of running, tired of fighting, tired of never getting the answers he needed. But if there was one thing he was certain of now, it was that he couldn’t keep doing this alone.

Aurora stepped up beside him, her expression unreadable. “You’re not alone in this, John. You never have been.”

John exhaled slowly, nodding. “Yeah, I’m starting to figure that out.”

Aurora placed a hand on his shoulder, her touch light but grounding. “Tomorrow, we’ll leave for the Delko clan. You’ll find the answers there. If nothing more, well find some support in whatever you need to try”

He gave her a tired smile. “Let’s hope so.”