Tokyo was burning behind them.
Smoke rose into the early morning sky as emergency sirens echoed through the city above.
The hidden underground vault beneath Shinjuku had collapsed, leaving behind nothing but shattered steel, broken Hunters, and too many unanswered questions.
Aarav stood beside the silver stealth aircraft in the underground hangar, staring at the damaged hull.
Their ride to Tokyo had survived.
Barely.
Its left wing still sparked faintly from drone fire.
The sleek silver surface was scratched and scorched, but the blue energy lines along its frame still pulsed with life.
Rohan folded his arms beside him.
"I just want to say… I miss trains."
Aarav gave him a tired look.
"You complained about trains every day in college."
"Yes, but trains never got shot at by robots from the future."
Fair point.
Behind them, Aelina stood near the aircraft's open ramp, running diagnostics through floating holographic screens.
Blue light reflected in her silver hair.
Even injured, she moved with quiet precision.
Nearby, Mira leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, looking like she had personally declared war on emotions.
Her violet eyes occasionally drifted toward Aarav before immediately pretending they had not.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Rohan noticed too.
Of course he did.
He leaned closer and whispered,
"Bro."
"No."
"You didn't even let me finish."
"I know exactly what you were going to say."
Rohan grinned.
"Still saying it in my heart."
Aarav ignored him for the sake of peace.
Aelina finally turned toward them.
"The aircraft is functional."
Rohan raised both hands like he had received divine blessings.
"Thank you, futuristic airport gods."
Mira pushed herself off the wall.
"We leave now."
Straight to the point.
As always.
Aarav looked at her.
"You're worried about Selene."
She met his gaze for a second.
Her usual cold expression shifted—just slightly.
"Selene is not like us."
Aelina joined them.
"She was created in an era where kindness became a weakness."
Mira nodded once.
"She trusts no one. She survives by destroying threats before they reach her."
Rohan blinked.
"So basically if we show up and say hello, she stabs us?"
Mira answered immediately.
"Yes."
"Fantastic."
Aarav crossed his arms.
"Then we don't approach her like strangers."
Both girls looked at him.
He continued.
"We approach her like people trying to save her."
Mira sighed.
"You say these things like the universe rewards optimism."
Aarav gave a small smile.
"Sometimes it does."
Mira looked away first.
Interesting again.
Very interesting.
Aelina cleared her throat.
There was the faintest trace of jealousy in her eyes.
Also interesting.
Very dangerous, but interesting.
The hangar lights flickered.
The aircraft's ramp lowered fully.
Time to move.
Before boarding, Aarav's phone vibrated for the first time in what felt like another lifetime.
He pulled it out.
Twenty-three missed calls.
Twelve messages.
Mostly from his mother.
And one from his older sister:
WHERE ARE YOU? MOM THINKS YOU'VE JOINED A CULT.
Aarav stared.
Honestly, that was not the worst explanation.
Rohan peeked over his shoulder and laughed.
"She's not entirely wrong."
Aelina tilted her head.
"What is a cult?"
"Please," Aarav said, "let's survive Europe first."
The flight to Berlin was quieter.
The aircraft moved through the clouds like a ghost, invisible to ordinary radar.
Tokyo disappeared behind them.
Ahead lay Europe.
War territory.
Rohan eventually fell asleep in the back seat, probably out of emotional exhaustion.
Aelina handled navigation while Mira stood near the side viewport, staring silently at the endless sky.
Aarav walked over.
"You haven't rested."
Without looking at him, she replied,
"I don't sleep easily."
He leaned against the wall beside her.
"Because of your future?"
A pause.
Then—
"Yes."
Her voice was softer than usual.
"In my century, survival meant staying awake. Trusting the wrong person meant death."
Aarav stayed quiet.
She continued.
"The people who created Selene's generation and mine believed emotions made us unstable."
Her reflection in the glass looked colder than her actual face.
"They were wrong."
Aarav looked at her.
"And now?"
This time she turned.
Violet eyes meeting his.
"Now I think emotions make us dangerous."
For one second, the silence between them felt heavier than the entire aircraft.
Then—
Aelina's voice came from the cockpit.
"Please stop having mysterious romantic conversations while I'm piloting."
Aarav nearly choked.
Mira actually looked offended.
Rohan, somehow awake from the back, shouted,
"I support this development!"
Aarav covered his face.
"This mission is doomed."
For the first time—
Mira laughed.
A small laugh.
Brief.
Almost disbelieving.
But real.
And for that single moment, she looked less like a queen of nanotech and more like a normal girl who had forgotten how to breathe.
Aarav noticed.
And so did she.
Which meant she immediately returned to emotional murder mode.
"Forget that happened."
"Too late," Rohan said.
"Permanently stored."
Hours later, Berlin appeared beneath them.
Gray skies.
Rain.
Old architecture mixed with modern glass towers.
The city looked beautiful from above.
And dangerous.
Aelina's hologram lit up.
The red signal pulsed violently.
SELENE-1000
LOCATION LOCKED
UNDERGROUND MILITARY VAULT — EAST BERLIN
Mira's expression hardened instantly.
"She's still fighting."
Rohan sat up straight.
"How can someone fight for this long?"
Mira answered flatly.
"She's Selene."
Which somehow explained nothing and everything.
The aircraft descended through the rain.
Lightning flashed across the clouds.
The atmosphere itself felt like a warning.
Aarav looked down at Berlin.
Somewhere beneath that city was a girl born from war.
A girl who trusted no one.
A girl who might kill him on sight.
Perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
As the aircraft prepared to land, Aelina spoke quietly.
"One warning."
Aarav looked at her.
"If Selene looks at you and calls you by your full name…"
She paused.
"Run."
Rohan slowly turned.
"…Why?"
Mira answered with complete seriousness.
"Because that means she has decided whether to protect you…"
A beat of silence.
"…or marry you after threatening your life."
Rohan stared.
Aarav stared.
Aelina stared.
Then Mira blinked.
"…That was a joke."
Silence.
Then Rohan whispered,
"She's evolving."
And somewhere below them, the War Queen waited.