The broken streets of Novaria stretched out behind them like a battlefield, but they'd survived. Angelo leaned heavily against a chunk of fallen wall, his breaths coming in short gasps while Joe stood nearby, looking almost as battered.

"Alright, that's it." Joe stepped forward, his usual rockstar swagger replaced by determination. "Hospital time, tough guy." Before Angelo could protest, Joe had already hooked an arm under his shoulder.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Angelo tried to squirm away as Joe practically dragged him forward. "Would you just – that's my bad side!"

Red materialized nearby, his gray-tinted duplicate of Angelo's form practically vibrating with amusement. "Don't worry about Mr. Heroic here – we'll make sure his stubborn butt gets medical attention!"

Blue appeared on Angelo's other side, his scholarly presence a stark contrast to Red's chaos. "You're welcome to accompany us, if you'd prefer not to walk." His cultured tones carried gentle suggestion.

Joe froze mid-step, suddenly realizing who – or what – Red and Blue really were. He dropped Angelo like a sack of potatoes.

"Seriously?!" Angelo groaned from the ground.

"Well why didn't you say something earlier?" Joe demanded, his own exhaustion finally showing through his cool facade. "Here I am breaking my back trying to help, when you've got these two who can't even get tired!"

"Perhaps," Blue adjusted his posture with precise dignity, "if you had paused to ask instead of immediately manhandling him..."

Joe could only stare, mouth working silently as Red's cackling laughter filled the air. "Oh man, your face! Priceless!"

Their flight to the hospital passed in a blur of red and blue energy and careful aerial maneuvering. When they finally touched down outside Basel Hospital's entrance, Red and Blue gently lowered their passengers before Blue moved to support Angelo again.

"You good from here, rock boy?" Red asked, something unusually serious creeping into his voice.

Joe rolled his shoulders, wincing slightly. "Yeah, I'll manage. Why? Got somewhere to be?"

The change that came over Red was startling – his usual manic energy vanishing like smoke in strong wind. "Need to check on someone. Make sure they're okay." Without another word, the crimson energy thruster on his back ignited and he shot skyward like a rocket.

"What was that about?" Joe watched Red disappear into the evening sky.

Angelo leaned heavily on Blue, fatigue evident in every line of his body. "Probably heading to check on Miriam. It's... complicated."

"Aren't you concerned as well?" Blue's mental voice carried gentle inquiry through their shared consciousness.

Angelo's internal response was heavy with emotion. "Of course I am. But Red can handle it. I just... I can't even think about what I'll do if something's happened to her."

The hospital's entrance led them into barely controlled chaos. Every hallway overflowed with the injured, their groans and cries creating a horrible symphony. People sat or lay wherever they could find space, turning corridors into makeshift waiting rooms.

"Well, shit." Joe took in the scene with growing dismay. "Getting treatment in this mess is gonna be..." He glanced meaningfully at the blood staining Angelo's clothes.

"It's fine," Angelo managed, though his face had gone several shades paler. "We just need to find somewhere to—"

"Angelo?!" A woman's voice cut through the noise. They turned to see a female officer pushing through the crowd, her face lighting with relief. "Thank goodness! We couldn't reach you - the chief's been going crazy with worry!"

"Vivian?" Angelo straightened slightly, recognition bringing a ghost of a smile to his face.

Her relief vanished as she got close enough to really see him – the cuts, the bruises, the way he could barely stand even with Blue's support. "Oh my god, look at you." Her whole demeanor shifted into something fierce and protective. She spun toward a passing nurse. "Nurse! These men need immediate attention – he's an officer, and this one's Triple A!"

The nurse barely broke stride. "Follow me. We've got a room for injured Aurons."

As they followed her through the crowded halls, Vivian called after them: "Don't worry – I'll let Ramirez know you're alive!"

The relative quiet of the Auron treatment room lasted exactly two seconds before someone's pained yelp shattered it. Angelo froze in the doorway, his tired eyes going wide as they landed on a familiar figure.

Sleeser sat on an examination table, his spiky yellowish-orange hair as wild as ever despite his battered state. He looked just as surprised to see Angelo. "What are you— OW!" He jerked as the nurse continued stitching his wounds. "Would you stop— OW! You're doing that on purpose!"

The nurse didn't even look up. "Now I am."

"Well, look who's causing trouble," Joe settled into a chair across the room, trying to hide his own winces. "Alright nurse, let's see some of that healing magic!"

As the nurse began treating Joe's wounds, Sleeser's eyes widened with recognition. "Wait a minute, aren't you—"

"Joe Blackstorm? The one and only." Joe's face lit up with the particular joy of being recognized, something Angelo had never given him.

"Hold on." Angelo looked between them, confusion clear on his bruised face. "You actually know who he is?"

"Of course he does!" Joe sprawled back dramatically, despite the nurse's attempts to work. "You're literally the only person living under a rock."

Red's voice echoed through their shared consciousness, carrying smug amusement: "Don't let him get to you, Angie. He's just annoyed you didn't know him before. You should've felt how excited he got when Sleeser recognized him – like a puppy with a new toy!"

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A knowing smirk spread across Angelo's face at Red's insight.

"What's that look for?" Joe demanded, sitting up straighter.

"Oh, nothing at all."

"No, seriously – what?"

Sleeser cleared his throat, drawing their attention back. His usual playful demeanor had hardened into something more serious. "We were all caught off guard by the Sundering Flames' attack."

"Not surprising." Angelo's voice carried years of bitterness. "This festival is cursed."

Joe studied Angelo with new interest, but Sleeser's expression showed deeper understanding. The room felt heavier as Blue materialized, his scholarly presence a stark contrast to the tension.

"The timing was clearly deliberate," Blue began, his analytical tone making Angelo's skin crawl. "The Sundering Flames aim to transform our celebration into mourning. Though perhaps there's more – in Infernia they call this date 'The Sundering.' Their first step toward reunification might be destroying our day of—"

"Get to the point." Angelo's patience had finally snapped.

Blue's perfect posture stiffened with annoyance. "Very well. If we accept your premise about the festival being cursed, then we're giving them exactly what they want. The moment we abandon this date, they win."

Joe's eyes flashed suddenly while Angelo just scoffed, having no real argument against Blue's logic. He changed the subject instead: "So where are Force and Axel?"

Guilt etched deep lines in Sleeser's face. "Their injuries were... more severe than mine."

"Those damn terrorists..." Angelo's hands clenched into fists as memories of past destruction flooded back. Suddenly he stood, making Sleeser jump. "That's it! I'm following your path – I'm joining the army!"

The words seemed to physically strike Sleeser. He went completely still before his expression settled into something Angelo had never seen before – absolute, unmovable certainty. "No."

Even Blue looked surprised, though for very different reasons than Angelo's shock. "What do you mean, 'no'?" Angelo's voice carried dangerous edge.

"I mean exactly that." Sleeser's tone left no room for argument. "You're not joining the army."

"In case you've forgotten, I'm eighteen – an adult." Cold fury made Angelo's words sharp as knives. "I don't need your permission."

"You already have enough blood on your hands. We both do." Sleeser's gaze never wavered. "I'll carry that burden – for both of us."

"Like hell I'm going to sit aside while those terrorists escape!" Angelo's voice shifted, mixing with the darker tones he used as the Angel of Death. "I will pass judgment on those cursed Infernians!"

"You might not know this," Sleeser's voice dropped lower, "but I have significant influence in the military. I'm only saying this once – I will do everything in my power to stop you from joining. One word from me, and they won't even look at your application."

"Red!" Angelo's mental cry carried desperate urgency. "Is he lying?!"

Red's distant response came as he flew over the city's devastation: "What? Oh – no, he's dead serious."

Angelo grinded his teeth, "Why?" Betrayal colored every word as Angelo stared at his mentor. "Why are you being so difficult?!"

"Because I've already failed you twice." The admission seemed to age Sleeser by years. "Once when I let you run from that shelter, and again when I taught you that... stupid line."

Angelo could only stare, shock written across his features.

"I won't fail a third time." Steel filled Sleeser's voice. "I won't let you fall into darkness – not if I can prevent it."

"Blue!" Angelo turned to his analytical aspect like a drowning man reaching for a lifeline. "Tell him he's wrong! Tell him... tell him anything!"

Blue's scholarly composure never cracked. "I must decline. This is between you and your mentor."

Angelo's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water as he looked between the others – Blue with his distant professor's stare, Joe lost in his own thoughts, and Sleeser's eyes burning with unshakeable determination.

"So what am I supposed to do then?!" Frustration made Angelo's voice crack. "Just go back to the police like nothing happened?!"

Sleeser crossed his arms, unmoved. "Do whatever you want – except join the army. That's not happening."

"There are still those leads about our parents' case to follow," Blue offered gently, trying to ease the tension.

Both Sleeser and Angelo whipped around to stare at Blue, though shock colored their faces for very different reasons.

"Ooooh, that cat's sprinting out of the bag now!" Red's gleeful voice echoed through their shared mind.

"Your parents' case?" Sleeser leaned forward, wincing as his injuries protested. "What's this about?"

Angelo squeezed his eyes shut, sighing deeply before opening them with forced calm. "I found out recently that my parents' deaths weren't accidents." The words seemed to physically pain him. "We went back to Ashford to investigate and—" His eyes suddenly went wide. "Oh shit – Neiva!"

"Crap," Red's mental voice carried genuine concern while even Blue's scholarly composure cracked with worry.

"Who's Neiva?" Sleeser's eyebrows drew together with interest.

Angelo pinched the bridge of his nose like he was fighting off a headache. "Long story short – she helped us find some leads. We need to go get her as soon as possible."

"Heal first, rescue later," Sleeser's firm tone brought them back to the topic. "What did you discover?"

Annoyance flashed across Angelo's face, but he continued: "An Infernian construction company built my parents' house before they moved in. Then a few years ago, someone mysteriously claimed ownership just to give it up right after – all signed off by some bigshot in a Lumecent office."

Sleeser's face grew distant with thought.

"See? Blue's right!" False triumph filled Angelo's voice. "If I can't join the army, I'll chase these leads instead!"

"Sorry, but those roads are blocked too." Sleeser's quiet words hit like hammers.

"You can't possibly—" Angelo started, but Sleeser raised a hand.

"We're probably heading to war with Infernia – you wouldn't survive five minutes investigating one of their companies." His voice carried the weight of experience. "And Lumecent's in ruins. It'll take months, maybe a year before they're back to normal." Memories of Sigma's Theory of Power still fresh in Sleeser's mind.

Angelo's shoulders slumped as if someone had cut his strings. "But... but..."

Blue placed a gentle hand on Angelo's shoulder. "We must be patient."

Without another word, Angelo pushed himself up and walked out. To everyone's surprise, it was Joe who went after him.

"Yo Angel, hold up!" Joe's voice echoed down the hall.

"What do you want?" Angelo stopped but didn't turn.

"Got something big brewing – got the idea from your blue friend actually." The excitement in Joe's voice made Angelo turn, eyebrow raised. "Everyone's down because of this Sundering business, right? So I'm pulling some strings – gonna throw a free concert, open to all Luminians!"

Angelo's flat stare could have withered plants. "Great." He started to leave, but Joe's hand caught his shoulder.

"You're not getting it, my gloomy little friend." All of Joe's usual rockstar attitude fell away, leaving something surprisingly genuine. "Right now, everyone needs something to lift their spirits. Things will work out — you just need to believe they will, so, don't give up, okay? I believe in you. You got this!"

Joe shrugged his jacket back on and turned to leave, offering a casual wave.

"Damn it," Angelo muttered, staring at the floor. "Why'd you have to say it like that..."

"Oh right!" Joe called back without turning. "You're my VIP guest at the concert – no excuses! Later!"

A deep sigh escaped Angelo. "Fine, fine... I'll stop giving up. Sorry, Bill – I almost forgot." With heavy steps, he headed back to get his wounds treated, Bill's memory giving him strength he didn't know he had left.

Angelo stepped back into the treatment room, but his body went rigid as Red's consciousness suddenly exploded through their shared link. Through Red's eyes, he saw the Dealer residence come into view – and his heart stopped.

Shattered glass glittered on the lawn like fallen stars. The front windows gaped empty, their broken edges jagged like teeth. Curtains that Mrs. Dealer had hung with such care now fluttered through the empty frames like frightened ghosts.

Red's panic hit Angelo like a physical blow as his duplicate burst through the front door – crimson aura blazing. "MRS. DEALER!" Red's desperate cry echoed through both the empty house and their shared mind, making Angelo's knees buckle.