"Every farewell carries a promise — that the paths we take will one day meet again."
The first light of dawn spilled across the hangar, catching the sheen of armor and steel. The air buzzed with the quiet hum of transport engines and the smell of iron and dust.
Unit 3 stood together for what felt like the last time — Kaen, Lana, Jet, Po, Rayon, and Vexen — their uniforms crisp, their expressions unreadable.
Elyra waited a few steps away, her frost-blue eyes glinting in the morning glow. She was already suited up, briefing with Cael's assistant officers, preparing to lead her team east toward Central.
Vexen adjusted his coat collar and turned to his cadets. "Alright, listen up. Once we leave this hangar, we split. Unit 3 heads for Halvyr under my command. Captain Elyra will take Lana and Rayon to Central."
Jet crossed his arms. "Man, this feels weird. Splitting up right after the near-death thing? Poor writing, if you ask me."
Po rolled his eyes. "Maybe don't tempt fate before we even launch."
"Tempting fate is my middle name."
Lana smirked faintly. "I thought it was troublemaker."
"Same thing," Jet said, grinning.
Even Vexen chuckled under his breath. "You three are exhausting."
As the team began loading gear onto the transports, the atmosphere shifted — quieter, heavier.
Po gave Lana a quick half-hug. "Stay alive, okay? Don't let Elyra freeze you."
Lana snorted. "Please. She'd melt before I do."
Rayon approached Kaen next, extending his hand. "Don't get reckless out there. You've got that look again."
Kaen clasped it firmly. "I'll try. Watch her back."
Rayon nodded. "Always."
Jet, of course, was the last to speak. "Well, well, look at that — the emotional farewell lineup. Don't cry too hard, Flame Tyrant. I can't mop up lava."
Lana glared. "Jet—"
He backed up quickly, laughing. "Kidding! Totally kidding!"
Then, in an uncharacteristic moment of sincerity, Jet added quietly, "Bring it back safe, alright? All of you."
Lana softened just a little. "You too, idiot."
As everyone moved toward their transports, Kaen lingered. Lana did too.
They stood a few feet apart in the soft morning light — words fighting to form, yet neither daring to speak first.
Kaen finally broke the silence. "Guess this is goodbye… for now."
Lana folded her arms, trying to look unbothered. "Yeah, well. Don't get yourself killed again. I'm not reviving you twice."
Kaen smiled faintly. "You'll miss me."
Her cheeks flushed. "I will not!"
Jet shouted from across the hangar, "Yes, she will!"
Lana whipped around, "JET!"
Kaen chuckled softly — a sound that lingered even after he stepped onto the transport ramp.
For a brief moment, their eyes met — and for the first time since they'd met, neither looked away.
Then the ramp sealed, engines flared, and the two groups went their separate ways.
Unit 3's transport rose into the skies toward Halvyr.
Elyra's convoy rumbled out toward Central.
The rebellion was moving again.
Hours later, Elyra's convoy arrived at Fort Aetherion, a staging outpost near Central Base. Inside the operations hall, she and her two cadets found themselves surrounded by four captains — the finest the Ashes had to offer.
Each radiated power in their own way.
Captain Theron, tall and broad, stood like a wall of living oak. His calm, grounded presence filled the room. He was Nature, Purple Special Grade, and his power carried the weight of mountains. His gaze on Kaen's empty chair across the hall was sharp, disdainful.
"Cael's mistake was letting that boy live. Power like that can't be controlled. It'll consume him — and us."
Captain Rael, lean and calm, leaned against a column polishing his katana. He carried no resonance — none. Yet every scar and movement spoke of mastery.
"If he's strong, he's worth keeping," he said simply. "Strength is truth."
Captain Miren, bright-eyed and cheerful, adjusted her blue robes, her Water Special Grade aura flowing like light through glass. "You're both awful. The boy's adorable — and clearly blessed. The world needs more faces like that."
Elyra pinched the bridge of her nose. "Miren, please."
"Just saying!" she giggled. "Every war needs its poster child."
At the far corner of the table, Captain Zayne, lounging half-asleep in his chair, sighed deeply. His lightning crackled faintly across his fingertips — brilliant blue, calm and precise, showing mastery rather than volatility.
"Ugh. All this talking. What a dread."
Miren poked him with her staff. "Zayne, you say that about everything."
He yawned. "Because everything is."
The room straightened as Commander Cael entered. His presence alone silenced the air — blue flame resonance swirling faintly like a halo of fire.
"All of you," he said simply. "We move within the hour."
A hologram of Central Base flickered to life.
"Dr. Lyra Voss must reach Central alive. Her research concerns the Source itself. Protecting her is priority one. If she's captured, the Dominion will gain an advantage we can't afford."
Theron spoke first, jaw tight. "And the boy? Kaen?"
Cael's tone was cold and precise. "He's under Vexen's supervision. Focus on your own mission."
Rael sheathed his blade, nodding. "Understood."
Miren gave a cheerful salute. "We'll bring her home safely."
Zayne sighed. "Sure. Whatever."
Cael's eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn't comment. "Move out."
Far from the rebellion's steel halls, deep beneath a Dominion research spire, the screams of men echoed through sterile corridors.
A single operating table stood under harsh white light, surrounded by vials, cables, and the stench of iron and decay.
A Dominion scientist adjusted his gloves, injecting a glowing blue serum into the neck of a trembling prisoner. The man's veins lit up instantly — glowing, burning, tearing.
He screamed — eyes bursting blood, skin cracking open like paper.
The doctor watched, emotionless. "Interesting."
Moments later, the man's chest convulsed — his heart bursting through his ribs with a wet pop. His body went still.
The door hissed open.
A shadow filled the threshold — towering, armor dark crimson and black.
Commander Vorn.
His presence made the air itself heavy. His voice was low, gravel laced with authority.
"How's the testing?"
The scientist turned, unfazed, wiping blood from his hands. "Progressing, my lord. The resonance infusion trials are stabilizing. A breakthrough is imminent."
Vorn's lips curved into a cold, satisfied smile.
"Good."
He turned to leave, pausing only to glance at the pile of corpses lining the far wall. Soldiers moved in, dragging the latest body toward it.
Vorn spoke quietly, almost reverently.
"The Source cleanses. The Source purifies. The Source is all."
And with that, he stepped into the shadows — as the next scream began.
"For every hero who rises, a monster is born to balance the scales."