Ayelen sprinted through the vibrant streets of Luminara, her breath coming in ragged bursts, swallowed by the crimson glow of the setting sun. The city's towering skyscrapers cast fiery reflections, while glossy platforms shifted beneath a ceaseless tide of people and vehicles. Drones buzzed overhead, their tiny lights pulsing in sync with the city’s growing luminance. The distant sirens and the occasional robotic passerby punctuated the sound of urban life.

Her heart pounded in her chest, each beat echoing the turmoil within. The weight of her emotions seemed to anchor her as her mind flickered between the present and the recent past.

“Ms. Sutterfeld?” The voice on the phone was grave. “We have distressing news about your brother, Cedric. He’s in critical condition at the military hospital. We need you to come immediately. A vehicle with two of our officers will pick you up at your residence. I expect you to confirm the known address, just to be sure.”

The words blurred as she processed them, each syllable sinking in weight. The call had come while she was at her desk, surrounded by the sterile white walls of her office. Her hands trembled, grappling with the stark reality that Cedric, the brother she loved and hated at once, was fighting for his life.

“What happened to him?” she had managed to reply, her voice cracking.

Her plane crashed, they said.

The way they said it looped in her head, over and over like a broken symphony.

Navigating the labyrinthine streets of Luminara, her legs burned with exhaustion. Neon signs flickered above, casting an eerie glow on the throngs of pedestrians. Security checkpoints with vigilant guards were barely noticeable in her frantic state. The city felt like a dream, one she wished to escape from.

She remembered their last encounter five years ago. Cedric had enlisted a decade earlier. He had come to visit her five years ago, a brief reunion marked by their strained relationship. His decision to join the military had taken her by surprise, spurred by her offhand remark about his only place being in the army. What she thought was a harsh joke had become his reality. Their parting, marked by her sarcasm and his stoic acceptance, had left a bitter aftertaste that now mingled with regret.

“You think you’re so special. The army’s perfect for you. It’ll make you man up.”

Her mocking words now felt like an unbearable weight. The consequences of her cruelty were manifesting in ways she had never imagined.

Upon reaching her apartment, Ayelen paused at the foot of the building, the weight of the news threatening to crush her. For a moment, the world slowed down. She fumbled in her pocket, pulling out a metallic vape pen—one of the few remnants of her private life. As the vapor curled through the air, she inhaled deeply, feeling the faint, artificial warmth fill her lungs. It didn’t calm her, not really, but it gave her something to hold onto—a fleeting moment of control before plunging back into the chaos.

Her brief moment of reprieve vanished as the shadow of a military vehicle emerged from the orange haze of sunset. Her heart sank further as she saw her mother, crumpled on the floor in a desperate heap. Once a vibrant figure, her mother had become a mere shell after their father disappeared. Seeing her now, vulnerable and broken, was both surreal and heartbreaking.

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The military vehicle was a stark reminder of Cedric’s dire condition. As Ayelen approached, her emotions swirled—anger, pain, and fear colliding. The sight of the vehicle contrasted sharply with the memories of Cedric’s youthful determination and her past indifference. Just now, the idea of her brother falling apart, the remembrance of how fragile life still is had come to her. Ayelen regretted the words that once seemed so unimportant. She realized how foolish she had been.

Was this a curse? Was this karma, punishing her through Cedric?

Ayelen stopped at her home’s threshold, the setting sun casting long shadows that seemed to stretch into her soul. As she prepared to enter, the vehicle door opened, revealing a tall, robust woman with striking red hair and a grave expression.

“Ms. Sutterfeld!” The woman’s voice cut through the tension. “I’m Lieutenant Eileen Harris. I assume you’ve been informed about Major Sutterfeld’s condition.”

“I have…” Ayelen replied almost in a whisper.

“I’m very sorry… You’ve been granted temporary access to our facilities to be by your brother’s side. Your mother mentioned you were the one he would want to see.”

The soldier's golden eyes seemed watery, as if they had spent hours spilling tears, and her voice trembled with every word. Ayelen thought this person must’ve been close to Cedric; otherwise, she wouldn’t seem so affected.

“I’ll grab my things and go. Wait for me,” Ayelen replied coldly, barely letting the woman speak and managing to mask her grief with a veneer of detachment. She almost envied the lieutenant and her honest facial expression. It was hard for Ayelen to be seen in such a condition...to let her true feelings show like that.

The officer nodded and returned to the vehicle. Ayelen hurried inside, ignoring her mother’s frozen form. She packed a bag with essential tech devices, leaving clothing behind. It was in her nature and instincts to always carry her devices. To her, her sleek and compact computer was like a gun to a soldier. She just couldn’t go anywhere without it. Nervously, she rejoined the military vehicle.

Inside, silence reigned. The driver, a tall, muscular man with a bionic eye and forearm, and the female officer sat in tense quiet. The officer eventually broke the silence.

“Major Sutterfeld’s condition is critical,” she said softly, her voice still shaky. “If not for the plane’s security systems…”

“Shut up, Eileen!” the driver snapped. “Major Sutterfeld wouldn’t die like this.”

“I’m sorry. You’re right. But being in a coma without much hope of recovery is just as if he was...I wonder what happened. They said it wasn’t a malfunction in the new plane.”

“They would never admit a thing like that. But I also have to think that if they asked him personally to test the project, they were sure it would work. They could never let Major Sutterfeld run into a stupid danger like a beta plane.”

Ayelen listened, surprised at Cedric’s importance. She had been so unaware of how much her little brother had grown up over the past decade while being in the army. The gap between them seemed to widen; he was always ahead, while she felt like a mere spectator in her own life. Despite her talents, she felt unremarkable next to him.

“What really happened to Cedric?” she asked, her voice trembling with pain.

“We don’t know for sure,” Eileen replied. “He was piloting a new aircraft. We heard the alarm during training. By the time I arrived, he was already on an ambulance, so I couldn’t see his condition. All I know is he’s unconscious, and doctors won’t give us much info about it, but I heard it’s very unlikely for him to wake up.”

Overwhelmed, Ayelen felt her body overheating. The symbol on her forearm, a shared mark with Cedric, began to glow a strange yellow. As her eyelids grew heavy, the world around her faded. She collapsed into unconsciousness in the backseat.