For the first time in hours, the stars looked normal again.
Kael let out a long breath, gripping the controls until the tension finally left his knuckles. The Dark Zone was behind them no more crushing silence, no more shadows drifting like ancient predators.
But the weight inside his chest didn't lift.
Lira unbuckled her harness slowly.
"Is it over?" she asked.
Kael checked the external scanners.
They crackled to life, glitching for a moment before stabilizing into readable data.
"Yes," he said.
"For now."
She leaned back in her seat, letting her voice settle into the quiet.
"You handled that like you've done it a hundred times."
"I survived it once," Kael corrected.
"Surviving and understanding are two different things."
Lira watched him carefully.
His voice was calm but strained, like he was forcing steadiness into every word.
"You're shaking," she whispered.
Kael paused.
He hadn't noticed the adrenaline still pumping through him made everything feel sharp, electric.
He unclenched his fists.
"It's just the aftershock. Nothing important."
"It is important," she said softly.
Kael ignored the comment and stood from the pilot's chair.
"Come on. The ship took damage. I need to check the hull integrity."
"I'm coming with you."
He should have refused.
He should have told her to rest, to stay put.
But he didn't.
He couldn't.
They walked together down the dim corridor, the hum of the engines flickering like a heartbeat trying to steady itself.
Lira brushed her fingers along the wall.
"It always feels colder after the Dark Zone," she murmured.
"That's because it drains energy."
Kael tapped a control panel.
"Physics bends and warps. Even heat behaves differently."
She raised a brow.
"You sound like someone who's studied it."
"I survived it," he repeated.
"That's all."
They reached the maintenance bay. Kael knelt beside the main conduit, checking the fusion lines for cracks.
Lira crouched beside him.
"Can I ask you something?"
"No."
She smiled faintly.
"I'm asking anyway."
Kael didn't look up.
"Of course you are."
"When you first entered the Dark Zone… before I met you… were you alone?"
Kael's hand froze on the metal casing.
He didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
The memory hit him fast the face of someone he hadn't thought about in years. A soldier he had fought beside. A man who trusted him. A man who screamed when the dark clouds swallowed him.
"Yes," Kael lied quietly.
Lira knew it was a lie.
He could feel her eyes on him.
But she didn't push.
Not this time.
He tightened the last bolt and stood.
"Conduit's stable," he said.
"Let's move."
They made their way back toward the central hall.
The lights flickered again, but this time only from power fluctuation not from anything living outside.
Lira walked beside him, her voice gentle.
"Kael… you don't have to pretend with me."
"I'm not pretending."
"You are."
She looked at him.
"You always act like nothing gets to you. But something did back there."
He didn't respond.
She continued.
"You say you don't feel things. That you're a weapon. But I saw your face when that creature touched the hull. And when I almost fell out of my harness."
Her voice softened.
"You looked terrified."
Kael's steps slowed.
"I wasn't afraid for myself," he said.
"I know."
"And that's the problem."
Lira turned toward him.
"What's wrong with caring about someone?"
Kael stopped walking.
The corridor was quiet around them too quiet, like the ship itself was listening.
"Because caring creates weakness," he said.
"And weakness gets people killed."
"Not always."
"It did for me."
Lira's breath caught.
He had never spoken about his past this directly.
Kael leaned against the wall, arms crossed, staring at the floor.
"There was someone," he said.
"A long time ago. A soldier. My partner."
Lira's heart sank.
"What happened to him?"
Kael didn't blink.
"He died because I hesitated. I tried to save him instead of following the mission protocol."
Lira moved closer.
"That's not your fault."
"It is."
His voice darkened.
"Nexus said it was. And they made sure I remembered it."
"How?"
Kael looked up, and something cold flickered behind his eyes.
"They rewired part of my neural system. Every time I hesitate now, I feel… pain. A reminder."
Lira felt her stomach twist.
"That's torture."
"It's programming."
"No, Kael. It's cruelty."
He pushed off the wall and started walking again.
"I don't want you to die because of my mistakes."
She followed him.
"And if I don't care whether it's a mistake?"
He stopped again this time more sharply.
"Lira."
She stepped in front of him, forcing him to face her.
"You keep pushing me away to protect me. But it hurts more when you pretend you don't feel anything."
Kael's jaw tightened.
"I don't pretend."
"You do."
Her voice trembled.
"And you're doing it right now."
Kael's breath was uneven.
The emotions he kept buried were rising again too fast, too close, too unavoidable.
He leaned in slightly, like he wanted to say something but didn't know how.
"Lira…"
His voice was low.
"You make it harder for me to stay in control."
Her eyes widened.
"Kael"
Before she could respond, the ship's alarm blared suddenly a piercing, violent sound.
Kael snapped to attention.
"Another attack?" Lira asked.
"No."
He checked the control panel on the wall.
"It's worse."
"Worse than the Dark Zone?"
Kael looked at her with a seriousness that chilled her.
"It's Nexus," he said.
"They found us."
The lights switched to red.
A message flashed on the screen:
INQUISITOR PROTOCOL ACTIVATED
BOARDING IN 60 SECONDS
Lira's breath shook.
"Kael… what do we do?"
He reached for his weapon, face sharpening into something fierce and deadly.
"We fight," he said.
"And this time, I won't hesitate."