The transport lifted off as the sun rose behind the facility.
Arin sat by the window, watching the grey walls shrink below him. A single light in Lina's room stayed on long after the building faded into the distance. He touched the crystal at his neck. Warm. Steady.
"She's going to be fine," Hana said from across the cabin.
"I know."
"Then why do you look like you left something behind?"
He didn't answer.
Ren sat at the front, his katana across his lap, his eyes closed. Maya checked her kit for the fifth time. Dmitri stared out the window, his metal arms catching the morning light.
The transport flew north.
The Crucible appeared on the horizon after a few hours.
Floating platforms. Purple crystal. Silver spires. The same impossible city hanging in the sky. Arin had been gone for weeks. It felt like years.
The transport docked. The ramp lowered.
Students moved through the corridors around them, some glancing, some staring. Whispers followed.
"That's them. The ones who went on the mission."
"I heard they fought the Hand."
"The lower city boy brought back a researcher."
Arin ignored them. He walked toward the dormitory wing, his squad beside him.
They turned a corner and almost walked into her.
She was sitting on a bench near the meditation gardens, her hands folded in her lap, her eyes closed. Her lips moved silently, forming words no one could hear.
The praying girl.
Anjali.
She opened her eyes when she heard their footsteps. Her gaze moved over them—Ren, Hana, Maya, Dmitri—and stopped on Arin.
"You're back."
Her voice was soft, almost surprised.
"We're back," Arin said.
She stood slowly. Her face was thinner than he remembered. There were shadows under her eyes.
"I prayed for you," she said. "Every day. For all of you."
Hana stepped forward. "That's… really kind."
Anjali shook her head. "It's not kindness. It's fear." She looked at Arin. "I was afraid you wouldn't come back. I was afraid Lina wouldn't come back." She paused. "Is she…?"
"She's alive," Arin said. "She's not awake yet. But she's alive."
Anjali nodded slowly. Her hands clasped together.
"Then I'll keep praying."
They walked to the briefing room together.
Anjali followed, quiet, staying a few steps behind. She didn't ask to come. She just came.
Voss was waiting inside. The room was the same as always—white walls, long table, chairs that weren't comfortable. A map of the arena was projected on the wall.
"Sit."
They sat.
Voss's eyes moved over them, pausing on Anjali.
"You're not part of this squad."
"I know," Anjali said. "But I want to help."
Voss studied her for a moment. Then she nodded.
"Then listen."
She outlined the trials.
"Team battles. First-year squads only. Each squad fights multiple rounds. The top four advance to the final bracket." She pointed at the map. "Your first match is tomorrow morning. You'll be facing a squad from the American Aegis."
Maya's voice was quiet. "Do we know anything about them?"
"They're strong. Well-trained. They've been preparing for weeks." Voss looked at Arin. "They know you've been away. They'll see you as weak."
"Let them," Arin said.
Voss almost smiled.
"That's the right attitude."
After the briefing, Arin walked to his quarters.
The room was the same. Small bed. Small desk. A window that looked out at the sky. His jacket—the torn one—was still folded on the chair. He hadn't worn it since the arena. He wasn't sure he ever would.
He sat on the edge of the bed and touched the crystal at his neck.
"I'm back at the Crucible," he said quietly. "There's a test tomorrow. I have to fight."
The crystal was warm.
"I'll come back. I always come back."
He lay down and closed his eyes.
The common room was crowded that evening.
Students from every nation filled the space, talking, laughing, eating. The noise was overwhelming after weeks of silence.
Arin sat at a table in the corner with his squad. Anjali was with them, quiet, her hands wrapped around a cup of tea.
Hana looked around. "Everyone's watching us."
"Let them," Ren said.
Maya picked at her food. "What if we lose?"
"We won't," Dmitri said.
Hana raised an eyebrow. "That confident?"
Dmitri looked at Arin. "He's not here to lose."
No one argued.
That night, Arin stood at the window of his quarters, looking out at the sky.
The Shard-Cities glowed in the distance. Somewhere below, Lina was sleeping. Somewhere beyond, his mother was waiting.
He touched the crystal at his neck.
"Tomorrow, we fight."
The crystal was warm.
He turned and walked to his bed.