A year had passed since the pair first arrived on Kushi's Islands.
Myles strained against the crushing force pressing down upon him.
Every muscle in his body trembled.
His feet were planted firmly upon an odd-looking section of land that stood out from the surrounding terrain. The ground beneath him was smooth, though not perfectly level in a way that felt almost unnatural. It possessed a faint lustre, as though polished by centuries of wind and sunlight. Similar patches dotted the island plain in every direction, identical in shape and size.
From high above, the island would likely resemble an elaborate painting.
A sea of red and grey circles scattered across vibrant fields.
At least, that was how Myles imagined it.
The grass surrounding him swayed lazily beneath the afternoon breeze. Each blade possessed a subtle orange tint that caught the sunlight beautifully. Golden rays brushed across their surfaces, causing entire fields to shimmer like waves rolling across a fiery ocean.
The scenery was breathtaking.
It suited Kushi perfectly.
Everything about the islands carried the same effortless grace she did.
Not far away, Kushi sat comfortably upon the broad branch of a remarkably sturdy tree.
Even by the islands' standards, the thing was enormous. Its thick roots vanished deep into the earth, while its sprawling canopy cast cool shadows across the plain below.
She watched him from her perch.
A gentle smile rested upon her face.
The same smile she often wore whenever he was suffering through one of her training sessions.
Resting her chin on her palm, she studied him quietly. Her smile widened slightly.
"You are scary."
Myles turned toward her, confusion flashing across his face. The moment his concentration slipped, his body staggered beneath the crushing force.
"What do you mean?" he asked through gritted teeth.
Something shifted behind her smile.
An emotion he couldn't quite identify.
"Yeah," she murmured to herself. "Scary."
For a moment, she simply watched him.
Then she sighed.
"It only took you a year to move on to the next island. That's impressive, but that's not what I'm talking about."
Before Myles could respond, she pushed herself from the branch.
Her descent was effortless.
She landed lightly on the grass just beyond the edge of the strange patch of land and stepped toward him.
The pressure vanished the instant she grabbed his arm and pulled him free.
Myles nearly collapsed as relief flooded through his body.
"Enough," Kushi said. "Any longer and you might actually break something."
She released him and looked away.
For the first time since speaking, her smile faded.
Her shoulders lowered slightly as she let out another quiet sigh.
Then she turned and began to walk away.
Myles frowned.
"Wait," he called after her.
Kushi stopped.
Slowly, she turned back to face him and lowered her gaze until it met his.
For a heartbeat, neither of them spoke.
Then, in a voice barely above a whisper, she said, "Please... stop it. I beg you."
Her eye twitched almost imperceptibly.
At the same time, her hand drifted to her chest, pressing lightly against it as though trying to soothe an ache she could not explain.
Myles stared.
Surprise washed over him.
Ever since confessing his feelings, he had tried more than once to speak with her about them, to understand what lay behind her constant refusal to engage. Every attempt had ended the same way. Gentle deflection. Quiet pushback. That same unwavering smile that concealed everything.
Yet now, if only for an instant, the mask had slipped.
He had seen pain.
Real pain.
The sight unsettled him more than any injury she could have suffered.
Why would she willingly carry something that hurt her so deeply? Why insist on burying it beneath kindness and composure?
Or perhaps there was something else.
Something she refused to tell him.
Before he could find the words to ask, Kushi turned away once more and resumed walking.
Myles remained where he was, watching her retreating figure until the distance between them grew uncomfortable.
Only then did he quietly follow.
********
By the time he returned to the lodge, Kushi was already preparing a meal.
It was not because he could not cook for himself.
Nor because she believed it was her responsibility.
She enjoyed it.
The first time he had protested, insisting that he could make his own food, she had merely smiled and replied,
"I enjoy cooking for myself and those important to me."
The words had caught him completely off guard.
She had started cooking for him from the very first day they arrived on the islands, despite every objection he raised.
Now it had become routine.
A quiet ritual that neither of them questioned.
As vegetables met the pan and unfamiliar aromas began to fill the lodge, Myles wandered into what he assumed was the living room and lowered himself onto something resembling a couch.
Even after a year, the architecture still fascinated him.
The polished wooden flooring extended throughout most of the building before ending abruptly at the boundaries of the sitting area. Beyond it, instead of rugs or woven mats, the floor gave way to living grass.
Its blades were pale with soft orange hues, warm beneath the touch and impossibly gentle, almost like a thick woven blanket crafted by nature itself.
It should not have worked indoors.
Yet somehow it did.
Much like everything else on Kushi's Islands.
Leaning back, Myles found his thoughts drifting once again to her strange behaviour.
To the tremor in her voice.
To the involuntary movement of her hand over her chest.
To the fleeting look of hurt that had pierced through her ever-present smile.
He had spent the better part of a year learning how to read Kushi.
He could tell when she was amused, when she was worried, and when she was pretending not to be either.
Kushi's voice pulled him from his thoughts so abruptly that he jumped.
For the briefest moment, he could have sworn he caught the hint of a sly smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.
It vanished almost as soon as it appeared, replaced by her usual gentle smile.
Without saying a word, she carefully set a tray down upon the soft grass and gestured towards it with nothing more than a glance, inviting him to join her.
Myles walked over and sat opposite her.
Together they shared their meal upon the grass in what he had come to think of as the living room.
At least, that was the closest comparison his old life could provide.
Perhaps it was not a living room at all.
Perhaps the people of this planet had an entirely different concept for such spaces.
The thought crossed his mind for only a moment before he dismissed it.
There was little point asking.
Whatever the room was called, it served its purpose.
The two of them ate in silence.
Not the strained silence of unresolved conflict, nor the uncomfortable quiet of strangers with nothing to say.
It was warm.
Comfortable.
The sort of silence built over shared routines and mutual understanding.
By the time the meal was finished, neither felt compelled to break it.
Myles gathered the empty dishes onto the tray and rose to wash them.
As expected, he headed towards the kitchen.
Unexpectedly, Kushi followed.
She said nothing.
Simply walked a step behind him.
That alone was enough to make him uneasy.
Normally she would remain where she was, waiting patiently for him to return before discussing the day's training and his progress.
Today was different.
The quiet felt heavier.
As though something unspoken lingered between them.
Aboard a ship slightly smaller than Sebbeh's, though considerably more elegant in its construction, Lia stood facing Terrene.
The polished interior reflected soft light across its walls, giving the vessel an almost serene atmosphere.
"He surely won't like this, will he?" Lia asked as she adjusted the fit of her gauntlets.
Terrene remained silent.
Nearby, Kaelen smiled faintly before opening her eyes.
Her irises and pupils were a seamless monochrome purple, tiny yellow stars scattered across them like fragments of a distant night sky.
She spread her arms to their fullest extent, palms open.
"No," she answered calmly. "He wouldn't."
Lia let out a quiet chuckle, touched with both amusement and resignation.
Closing her eyes, she focused upon the band resting on the ring finger of her left hand.
Her union band with Myles.
Its presence alone seemed enough to steady her resolve.
The chamber doors burst open.
"Lia, no! Stop!"
Thia rushed inside without hesitation.
Cerve materialised at her side almost instantly, poised to knock her unconscious if necessary.
Before either could move another step, brilliant purple light erupted around the ship.
The glow expanded until it engulfed the entire vessel.
Moments later, it appeared just outside Cradle.
When the radiance finally faded, confusion settled over those left behind.
Thia blinked.
Cerve looked around.
Then the two exchanged puzzled glances.
Terrene and Lia were gone.
Without warning, another figure appeared precisely where Terrene had been standing.
"Hamana?" Cerve muttered.
The woman immediately shouted,
"Allyser!"
Instinctively, Cerve stepped in front of Thia, lowering his centre of gravity into a defensive stance.
Within moments, the rest of his children arrived, drawn by the disturbance.
Their eyes darted around the chamber before settling upon the unfamiliar scene.
Almost in perfect unison, they spoke.
"What happened?"
"Who are you?"
Directed at their father and Hamana, respectively.