Night City

"Damn this traffic!" Kiki groaned, slumping her forehead against the steering wheel.

Kaia crossed her arms, staring out the window with a sigh. "What is with this chaos? It's like everyone in Syzygy decided to drive at the same time."

Kiaan, who was chilling in the front seat and flipping through some files, glanced up. "Syzygy's always this bad. That's why we've gotta be extra cautious when we're working here."

He shifted in his seat and casually smacked Yona, who was lounging next to Kaia, on the head with a rolled-up file. "Hey. What are you doing here?"

Yona winced, rubbing her head. "Ouch. What's your problem?"

"I'm your senior, remember? And you're not exactly trained for this kind of mission. So do us all a favor and get lost."

Kaia raised an eyebrow at Kiaan. Senior? She scoffed inwardly. That's not how he acted when I first met him.

Yona straightened, clearly unimpressed. "I don't answer to you, buddy."

"Oh? But the one you need to follow orders of repeatedly poach you but you didn't listen—"

"Then why don't you go instead of me, huh?" Yona interrupted, crossing her arms. "If you care so much about Kyros not able to handle it alone."

Kiaan gritted his teeth, shooting Yona a death glare. "I've had enough of that Halcyon realm and those idiotic tentacle jokes, thanks."

Kaia groaned, rubbing her temples. "Enough with the glaring contest. You two are like cats and dogs. Seriously." She kicked the back of Kiki's seat. "Can you drive any faster? We're gonna be late!"

Kiki snapped back, her voice shaky. "Why am I getting blamed for this? I'm not the one who decided to get stuck in traffic!"

***

Sourav turned slowly, his hands clasped behind his back like a professor giving a lecture. "Chameleon?" He raised an eyebrow as Kyros stormed in, clearly frustrated.

Kyros didn't even acknowledge him, marching straight past Sourav and stopping in front of the Cosmic Hollow. He glared at it, his body practically vibrating with frustration.

"You're not seriously thinking of going head-to-head with the Hollow, are you?" Sourav asked, his tone teasing.

"No… I…" Kyros started, his voice shaky as his body trembled.

Sourav gave an exaggerated sigh, holding his head with his hand. "Please don't tell me you're about to start crying—"

"I'M NOT CRYING!" Kyros shouted, spinning around to glare at him. But, yeah, the tears were kind of giving him away. His hands were clenched into tight fists.

Sourav tried to hide his amusement, but a small grin slipped through. "You're not crying that much, are you? Seriously, handle your emotions, will ya? I'm not here for the emotional support."

Kyros felt his frustration grow. Man, this guy is cold. "Aren't you even a little curious why I'm upset?" he grumbled.

Sourav glanced at him, unimpressed. "Why would I be? You'll be fine. Just go do your thing."

Before Kyros could say anything, the Hollow spoke in a calm, steady voice. "Is something the matter, Chameleon?"

Kyros snapped. "Don't talk to me! You're the reason I'm like this!" He pointed accusingly at the Hollow. "Yona told me everything! You answer all of Kaia's questions, but when I ask something—nothing."

The Hollow made a sound somewhere between a grunt and a sigh. "So that's what this is about? Fine. I'll answer your questions, since it's obvious you won't leave without them." There was a cold edge to its voice now, something that sent a shiver down Kyros' spine. "But it's a little embarrassing to see a grown man cry over this."

"I'm NOT crying that much!" Kyros huffed, glaring at them both. "You two are exaggerating!"

Sourav leaned back, looking thoughtful. "So, people who don't let things go easily are your weak spot?"

The Hollow's voice dropped lower, almost amused. "Seems so. Stubborn people can be really… taxing." Sourav's interest sparked. That tone was new. "Go ahead, Chameleon. Ask your questions."

Kyros pointed an accusing finger at the Hollow. "First off, if you're gonna call me Chameleon, why don't you call me a Splinter, too?"

The Hollow didn't hesitate. "The answer won't be what you want to hear. Do you still want to know?"

Kyros clenched his fists, feeling the anger bubble up again. "Just tell me already!"

The Hollow's gaze grew serious, its voice quieter. "Because your soul is incomplete."

Kyros froze, "What…?"

***

[Syzygy; South city]

"Wait…" Kaia said, stepping out of the car with the others. "Wasn't it day a second ago? How did it get dark so fast?"

Yona tossed an arm around her shoulder, grinning. "It's still day, but here? It's always night."

"Seriously?" Kaia raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"

Yona shrugged. "This city's been stuck in permanent night. All thanks to one of the original 9 sorcerers' little prank."

Kiaan, who had been standing nearby, crossed his arms. "The magic's been here longer than the sorcerer ever was."

Kaia smirked, her tone dripping with mockery. "Sounds like someone's mistake turned into an eternal party trick."

Yona shot her a disgusted look. "Really? You're grinning over someone else's mess?"

Kaia shrugged. "Better than crying about it."

"Which sorcerer did this?" she asked, genuinely curious.

Kiaan sighed, rubbing his temples. "We don't know exactly, but it was the sorcerer who loved snakes."

Kaia blinked. "Wait, so... what about the current snake splinter?"

"There were some before, but none right now."

Before anyone could say more, a loud scream echoed in the distance, followed by a commotion.

"Uh... what's going on over there?" Kaia jolted at the sudden noise.

"Probably just some poor human who wandered in here by mistake," Yona said, holding her head like she'd just had a headache.

Kaia narrowed her eyes. "Hmm, I'm not so sure about your theory."

Yona grinned, poking her in the side. "I'm definitely right. Wanna bet?"

"Sure," Kaia said, a smirk tugging at her lips. "I'm in."