Chapter 149: A World of Possibilities

Malia stood in front of her office window, watching as the city bustled below her. The sounds of traffic, the hum of distant conversations, the faint echo of construction—these were the noises that had once felt so overwhelming, the backdrop to a life lived in constant motion. But now, as she looked down at the streets, the sounds seemed different. Less chaotic. More like the rhythm of a city on the brink of something new.

She had returned from their time away feeling a sense of clarity she hadn't realized she'd been missing. The vacation had been everything they'd hoped for—peaceful, restorative—but it had also been a catalyst. For both her and Nixus. They'd spent so much time focusing on the battles they'd fought, the people who had tried to tear them down. But now, for the first time in a long time, they were thinking beyond the past. They were thinking about the future. And the future, she realized, had infinite possibilities.