Aftermath

The Defender drifted through the endless black of space, its engines barely a whisper against the cosmic silence. Inside, however, the weight of grief was deafening.

In the dim glow of the medical bay, Aika sat curled up on one of the narrow beds, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees. Her small frame trembled, eyes swollen from hours of silent tears. She barely blinked, barely moved. It was as if doing so would shatter the fragile barrier holding back the anguish inside her.

Nearby, Kai leaned against the cold steel wall, his arms crossed, though the tension in his posture betrayed his unraveling composure. His jaw tightened, breath uneven. After what felt like an eternity of suffocating silence, he finally spoke, his voice barely more than a whisper.

"This can't be real..." The words tasted bitter, hollow. "It can't be real. It's just... a nightmare. We'll wake up. We'll all wake up."

No one responded. The lie was too obvious.

The soft scuff of boots broke the silence.

Arnik stepped forward cautiously, his gaze heavy with exhaustion. He reached out, placing a hand on Aika's shoulder—gentle, but firm.

"Aika..." His voice was low, steady, as though willing his own strength into her. "I know it's bad, but we have to—"

"Positive?"

Aika's voice was sharp, brittle. Her head snapped up, tear-streaked eyes locking onto Arnik with a raw, burning anguish.

"Did you see what happened?!"

Her voice cracked as fresh tears spilled down her face.

"People died, Arnik. Families—innocent people. My mom!"

Arnik flinched, the words hitting harder than any strike. Kai lowered his hand from his face, his breath catching in his throat. The room felt smaller, suffocating under the weight of her grief.

Aika's shoulders trembled as she hugged herself tighter. "I don't even know if my family made it out. Mom… Dad… my little brothers. I hope they're alright, but..." She swallowed hard, the words catching in her throat.

"I don't know."

The weight of uncertainty settled over the room like a suffocating fog.

Across from her, Rose clenched her fists at her sides, her tail limp, ears pressed flat against her head. She lowered her gaze, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I hope they're somewhere safe."

Aika looked at her through blurred vision, something in her breaking further at the quiet, painful admission.

"I just..." Rose's voice cracked, her hands trembling.

Aika sniffled, nodding faintly as she choked out a whisper. "Me too..."

Arnik let out a slow breath, his hand slipping from Aika's shoulder as he sank to one knee in front of her. His voice was softer now, stripped of its usual conviction.

"I don't know how we win this. I don't even know where we start. But if we lose hope now... we've already lost." His gaze held hers, unwavering. "And you..."

He hesitated, forcing the words through the weight of his own grief.

"You're stronger than this, Aika. We all are."

For a moment, Aika just stared at him, her expression unreadable. Then, a sob tore through her, her body shaking as she buried her face in her hands.

Arnik didn't hesitate. This time, he pulled her into a steady embrace, holding her together as she crumbled. Her fingers gripped the fabric of his jacket as her sobs wracked her small frame.

The pounding on the door grew louder, a sharp interruption to the fragile moment.

"Open this damn door already!" Rose's voice was raw with frustration.

Inside, Kai's patience snapped.

"STOP that, Rose! You're just making useless noise!"

The pounding ceased. A tense silence followed.

Then, Rose's muffled voice shot back, sharp with venom.

"It's better than sitting on your ass acting like this is normal!"

Kai turned, his glasses catching the dim light as he pushed off the wall, his calm facade shattering. He strode toward the door in quick, purposeful steps.

"You think I haven't lost anything either?!" His voice was sharp, cutting. "Huh?! How selfish can you be?"

Rose opened her mouth to retort, but Kai wasn't done.

"I lost just as much as you! I'm just not panicking!"

His voice rang through the small room, the words laced with barely-contained emotion. He exhaled sharply and pointed to the bed where Aika sat curled up, trembling.

"Look at Aika!" His voice softened, but his glare remained. "She needs her best friend right now." He took a breath, steadying himself. "That's something me and Arnik can't do. So stop yelling at me and go to her!"

Rose froze.

Her hands clenched, shaking at her sides. Her breath hitched as Kai's words struck deeper than she wanted to admit.

Her legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the floor, covering her face as tears spilled over.

Kai's glare softened as he watched her crumble. The sharp edges of his frustration dulled into something steadier. He crouched beside her, his voice quieter now.

"Be strong," he murmured, hesitating for only a moment before placing a hand on her shoulder. "For Aika's sake."

Rose peeked at Aika through her fingers.

Aika remained curled up on the bed, her body trembling, lost in grief.

Guilt sank into Rose like a knife. Her voice was barely a whisper.

"I'm sorry... I was being selfish."

Kai nodded, his voice even. "You're not alone in this, Rose. We've all lost something. But Aika needs you."

Rose wiped at her tears hastily, nodding. "I get it." Her voice was hoarse. "You're right... I just—"

Kai shifted closer, hesitant. "It's okay to break down sometimes. Just... don't push everyone else away while you're doing it."

He hesitated again before moving to offer a hug—an awkward, clumsy motion.

Rose stared at him, then slapped his hand away.

"Don't touch me, you four-eyed perv."

Kai blinked, stunned. His face turned red. "I was trying to be nice!" He shot to his feet, crossing his arms. "Gosh, you can be such a pain in the ass!"

Rose chuckled despite herself, her shoulders shaking with lingering tears. "And you're terrible at being nice."

Kai huffed, adjusting his glasses. "Well, excuse me for trying."

Arnik sighed from across the room. "You two are unbelievable."

Rose ignored them. She darted toward Aika, shoving Arnik aside.

Caught off guard, Arnik stumbled, hitting his head against the wall.

"Ouch!" He groaned, rubbing the sore spot. "You could've said excuse me!"

Rose barely heard him. She wrapped her arms around Aika, holding her tightly.

"I'm so sorry, Aika," she whispered. "We'll get through this together. I promise."

Aika stiffened, surprised, before melting into Rose's embrace. Her fingers clutched at Rose's shirt as she buried her face against her, sobs muffled by her friend's shoulder.

Kai exhaled, leaning against the wall again. "At least she's finally doing something productive."

Arnik rubbed his head. "Yeah, after giving me a concussion."

But his voice lacked any real anger.

For the first time since they boarded the Defender, the suffocating weight of loss eased—just slightly.

And in the quiet that followed, their grief didn't feel quite as lonely.

The med bay door hissed open.

The brief moment of fragile peace shattered as the presence in the doorway swallowed the room whole.

Andrew Handerfall stepped in. His imposing frame was bathed in the cold artificial glow of the ship's lights, his presence filling the space with an unspoken weight. His uniform was crisp, his movements precise, his expression unreadable.

Arnik's body went rigid the moment their eyes met.

His fists clenched at his sides, trembling, but his gaze never wavered.

Andrew's sharp eyes scanned the room before settling on his son. "You all survived," he noted, his tone carefully neutral.

Arnik took a step forward, his voice cutting through the tension like a blade.

"Yeah. We survived." His shoulders were taut, his expression unreadable, but his words carried the weight of everything they had lost. "Now start talking. What the hell just happened?"

Andrew didn't react at first. His gaze was as steady as stone.

"Our Sovereign was a demon," he said simply.

The words hit like a hammer.

Arnik's breath hitched. His hands curled into fists, nails digging into his palms.

"Correct," Andrew repeated, voice flat. "There is much I need to explain to you." He gestured toward the corridor. "Follow me, Arnik."

Arnik didn't move.

His fists shook at his sides. His voice rose, anger bleeding through every syllable.

"NO."

The sharpness of his tone echoed off the steel walls.

Andrew raised a brow but remained silent, waiting.

"Why am I so important?" Arnik demanded. His voice wavered, but his stance did not. "Why did you send me away? Why did you lie about my death? Why the hell did you abandon me?"

Andrew held his gaze, his expression unwavering. "Like I said," he answered evenly, "there's a lot to explain."

The tension between them was suffocating.

Arnik took another step forward, his voice dropping to a quiet but unyielding demand.

"I need to know something first."

His chest rose and fell sharply, anger barely contained beneath the surface.

"Where is Markus?"

Andrew's lips pressed into a thin line. His posture shifted slightly—only someone who knew him would notice the hesitation in his movements.

"He's alive," Andrew said finally.

Arnik's jaw clenched. "But not well."

Andrew walked over to a terminal and pressed a few buttons.

The screen flickered to life.

A cold, sterile containment chamber filled the display.

Arnik's breath caught in his throat.

Markus was strapped to a medical bed, thick reinforced restraints locking his arms and legs in place. His body thrashed violently, medical personnel scrambling around him, their voices sharp and frantic. Blood streaked his face, smeared like war paint. His golden eyes—once filled with determination—now glowed with raw, unfiltered rage.

"I'LL KILL YOU!"

His scream was ragged, his throat raw from the force of it. His body jerked against the restraints, the straps groaning under the pressure.

"I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU!"

The sound of his voice made the air in the room heavy.

Aika gasped, pressing a trembling hand over her mouth. Kai's knuckles turned white as he gripped the edge of the medical table. Rose took a step back, eyes wide, tail stiff with alarm.

Arnik felt something cold curl around his spine.

This wasn't Markus.

At least… not the Markus they knew.

Something had snapped.

And whatever had broken inside of him…

It wasn't coming back easily.