BROKEN HEART

The Bastion's main room remained thick with tension long after the cryptic message and Liora's recent test. The others threw themselves into decoding, strategizing, tearing apart the possibilities.

Liora, however, found herself retreating before she could even process why. Her pulse drummed against her ribs, a relentless rhythm that refused to settle.

She wasn't ready for this. Not yet.

The hallways remained quiet at this hour, lit only by flickering neon strips guiding her path. She wasn't even sure where she was going—just away.

"Where are you running off to?"

She stopped short. Flux stood a few paces ahead, leaning against the doorframe of an open side room. He wasn't looking at her, but rather down at the cigarette burning between his fingers, his other hand nestling inside his pocket.

"I'm not running," Liora muttered, crossing her arms. "Just...needed air."

Flux scoffed softly, swiftly tossing the cigarette butt outside an open window. "Yeah? You do look like you can't breathe."

She exhaled sharply through her nose. He always had a way of cutting through things without needing to raise his voice. A quiet blade, sharp and precise.

Flux pushed off the doorframe, closing the distance between them with easy, unhurried steps. His gaze flickered downward briefly. "You're still wearing it."

Even after knowing it's mine, he almost continued.

Liora blinked. "Wearing what—" And then she realized. The jacket. His jacket.

Her fingers twitched, suddenly conscious of the fabric draped over her shoulders. She had forgotten she still had it on. Instinct kicked in, and she moved to shrug it off. "Right, I should—"

Flux caught her wrist, stopping the motion. "Did I say I wanted it back?"

The touch was fleeting—there and gone in an instant—but it sent a strange current through her, something that left the air between them charged.

He tilted his head, an unreadable expression crossing his face before he huffed out a breath, smirking faintly. "At least wear it properly."

"You look...good with it." Before she could protest, he reached up, adjusting the way the collar sat around her neck, pulling the material into place like it was meant to be there.

The warmth of his fingers lingered even after he stepped back, hands slipping into his pockets as if nothing had happened at all.

Liora swallowed, throat dry. "I—"

"Get some rest," Flux said, nodding toward the end of the hallway. "Tomorrow's gonna be worse."

And just like that, he turned back toward the main room, leaving her standing there, jacket still on, heart pounding far too loudly in her chest.

Damn him.

Razor stood at the center of the main hall, his sharp gaze sweeping over the gathered members of The Clan. The recent attack had shaken them, and the weight of unspoken questions hung in the air.

"We're getting sloppy," Razor's voice was even, but the frustration beneath it was unmistakable. "The Ascended knew our position. They were waiting for us. That doesn't happen unless someone screws up."

Flux, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, scoffed. "You think we have a traitor?"

Cipher, skeptical, leaned forward from his perch on a battered console. "We can't ignore the possibility. If the Ascended have an informant, we need to find them before they dismantle us piece by piece."

Blaze slammed a fist against the metal railing. "Or we hit them first. Make them regret coming after us."

Nyx exhaled a slow breath. "We can't afford reckless moves. Not until we know what we're dealing with."

Shade, who had been listening silently, finally spoke. "I'll start looking into possible leaks. If we have a mole, we'll find them."

The discussion continued, but Liora found herself drowning in their voices. She knew she wasn't the source of the leak—at least, not directly.

But everything pointed back to her. The Ascended had come for her. The message was about her. No matter what she did, she was a liability.

An anomaly in their strong bond as The Clan.

She didn't know how long she had been sitting against the cool metal of the railings by the ledge. Her arms wrapped around her knees, trying to force her mind to settle.

A quiet set of footsteps stopped nearby.

"Huh? Liora?"

Liora glanced up to see Echo crouching in front of her, his usual teasing smirk missing in action. Nyx stood behind him, eyes carefully observing her.

She swallowed, trying to keep her voice steady. "Hi."

"You should be sleeping by now," Echo sighed dramatically. "Who made you cry?"

"I'm not—" Nyx caught her off guard when he softly wiped her cheek with his fingers. Tears? She quietly nudged his hand away, warm liquid staining the back of her palms.

"What happened?" Nyx asked, while Echo sat beside her.

Liora couldn't answer the question. What would she tell them anyway? That she'd overheard their conversation and it made her feel like shit?

She turned away, breaking the silence between them. "If I wasn't here, none of this would be happening."

Echo nudged her shoulder lightly. "Listen, it's not just on you. We don't know what's happening yet, but blaming yourself isn't helping."

"You're Clan now, whether you like it or not. We don't leave our own behind."

Liora felt something inside her tighten—relief, doubt, fear. A mixture of emotions she couldn't quite place.

For now, that would have to be enough.