Ch 54: Decision Made

The morning air in Gron was crisp, carrying the scent of damp metal and distant fuel fumes. The city hummed with activity as workers filed into factories, merchants opened their stalls, and engineers debated over circuits and schematics in open workshops. Life moved on, but inside the small apartment Kael and Mira had been calling home, the atmosphere was heavy with unspoken thoughts.

Kael sat at the workbench, his fingers deftly maneuvering a screwdriver over a disassembled power regulator. He wasn't fixing anything in particular—just tinkering, keeping his hands busy to stave off the weight of the decision looming over him. Across the room, Mira leaned against the window frame, arms crossed, watching the street below.

For the first time in a long while, they had choices. That was the problem.

Mira inhaled deeply, then exhaled, as if bracing herself.

"I took the job," she said, breaking the silence.

Kael's hands stilled over the delicate circuitry. He glanced up at her. "Voss's convoy?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

Kael studied her expression, trying to gauge her certainty. Mira rarely hesitated when making a choice, but this time, there was something else beneath her usual resolve.

"Why?" he asked.

Mira didn't answer immediately. She pushed away from the window and sat on the edge of the small table in the center of the room, facing him.

"This city's fine. Comfortable, even," she admitted. "But it's not mine." Her voice was steady, but there was a distant edge to it. "I've spent weeks trying to fit in here. Watching people who have real lives, real plans—like they actually belong. I don't." She met his gaze. "I'm not wired for peace, Kael. And I can't pretend I am."

Kael nodded slowly. He had expected this. Mira wasn't the type to settle down easily, not yet.

She exhaled sharply, tapping her fingers against the table. "Fighting is what I know. It makes sense. And if I can at least choose who I fight for, that's enough for now."

Kael processed her words, turning them over in his head.

Then she asked, "And you? Lora's offer?"

Kael looked back at the regulator, running his thumb along the cold metal casing.

Lora, one of the more influential engineers in Gron's underground network, had given him a real opportunity—one that wasn't about survival or desperate necessity. It was work—work that challenged him, work that let him create. It wasn't just about modifying power sources for illegal operations anymore. It was a chance to understand Gron's energy systems, to contribute to something bigger than scavenging or improvising makeshift solutions to stay alive.

"I took it," Kael admitted, his voice quieter than before.

Mira nodded, as if she had already known the answer. "Figured."

A silence stretched between them. Not an awkward one, but a quiet acknowledgment of what this meant.

Kael leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. "So, what now?"

Mira smirked. "You don't need me babysitting you, and I don't need you slowing me down."

Kael huffed a laugh. "Please. I was the one keeping you alive."

Mira rolled her eyes. "Sure, keep telling yourself that."

Despite the teasing, there was something unspoken in the air—a weight neither of them wanted to address directly. They had been partners in survival for so long that it felt wrong to go their separate ways, even temporarily.

Another pause. Then Mira spoke again, her voice quieter this time.

"We're not splitting for good, right?"

Kael met her gaze, serious now. "No. Just... different paths. For now."

She seemed satisfied with that answer.

Mira pushed herself off the table and grabbed her gear, slinging the strap of her pack over her shoulder. "Voss's team leaves tomorrow morning." She hesitated for just a second before adding, "I'll see you before I go?"

Kael smirked. "Wouldn't miss it."

Mira gave him one last glance before heading to the door. She didn't say goodbye—neither of them did. It wasn't the end, just a shift.

Kael sat there for a long moment after she left, staring at the open components on his workbench.

Then he rolled up his sleeves, picked up his tools, and got to work.

For the first time in a long while, he wasn't just moving. He was building.