The city felt different now.
Quieter.
Not because it was calm.
Because it was waiting.
Military vehicles lined certain streets. News vans parked on corners like vultures. Helicopters circled at a safe distance.
The world had named them.
Threats.
Cypriana hovered beside Andrew on the roof of the abandoned high-rise, wind cutting across her face.
She hadn't slept.
Andrew hadn't either.
He didn't seem tired.
He seemed sharpened.
Below them, two figures stepped into the open street.
Cypriana's breath caught.
Matt.
Steve.
No police.
No backup.
Just them.
Andrew saw them too.
His jaw tightened slightly.
"They're brave," he said quietly.
Cypriana's heart pounded.
"They're stupid."
Andrew glanced at her.
"They think you'll come back."
Her chest tightened painfully.
"They don't understand."
Andrew's voice was flat.
"They understand more than you think."
Matt stepped forward into the center of the empty street.
He didn't shout.
He just looked up.
Right at her.
Right at Andrew.
"Come down."
The words weren't aggressive.
They were exhausted.
Andrew didn't move.
Cypriana swallowed.
"Andrew…"
He didn't look at her.
"They shouldn't be here."
Steve stepped forward beside Matt.
He looked smaller somehow.
Not weaker.
Just… human.
His voice cracked slightly.
"Dude."
Andrew's gaze flickered down to him.
Steve swallowed hard.
"We need to talk."
Andrew laughed softly.
"Talk."
The word sounded foreign in his mouth.
Matt's eyes never left Cypriana.
"Cypri."
Her heart twisted violently.
Andrew felt the shift in her body.
His voice dropped.
"You don't owe them anything."
Cypriana whispered—
"I know."
Matt called up again.
"We're not here to fight."
Andrew's eyes narrowed.
"You should be."
Steve lifted his hands slowly.
"No weapons. No cops. Just us."
A beat.
"Like before."
That hit harder than anything.
Before.
The party.
The hole.
Legos floating in Matt's room.
Cypriana's throat tightened.
Andrew looked down at them like he was studying ghosts.
"We're not that anymore."
Matt's voice cracked.
"We could be."
Andrew's eyes darkened instantly.
"No."
The word carried finality.
Cypriana closed her eyes briefly.
Matt stepped closer.
"You killed someone."
Silence fell like a blade.
Andrew didn't flinch.
"He aimed at her."
Matt's jaw tightened.
"That doesn't make it right."
Andrew's voice sharpened.
"It makes it necessary."
Steve stepped in quickly.
"Andrew, listen. We're not saying you didn't have a reason. We're saying you crossed a line."
Andrew tilted his head slightly.
"Lines are drawn by people who feel safe."
Cypriana's heart pounded.
Matt's voice softened.
"You're not safe."
Andrew's gaze snapped to him.
"Neither are you."
Matt didn't look away.
"That's not the point."
Andrew's power flickered subtly in the air.
Metal street signs trembled faintly.
Cypriana felt it immediately.
"Andrew…"
His jaw tightened.
"They sent drones. They fired missiles. They shot at her."
Matt's voice rose.
"So now you declare war on the world?!"
Andrew's eyes burned.
"They started it."
Matt shouted—
"You escalated it!"
The word hung there.
Andrew went still.
Cypriana's breathing quickened.
Steve's voice was softer now.
"We were supposed to be better."
Andrew looked down at him.
"For who?"
"For us!" Steve's voice broke. "For each other!"
Andrew's expression shifted.
Just slightly.
A crack.
Steve stepped forward another inch.
"We were friends."
Andrew's voice dropped.
"You left."
Steve flinched.
"We didn't leave."
Andrew's eyes flickered toward Cypriana.
"She did."
Cypriana froze.
Matt's voice was sharp.
"She chose not to let you destroy the city."
Andrew's jaw clenched.
"She chose me."
Silence.
Cypriana's chest rose and fell.
Matt looked at her.
"Did you?"
Andrew turned to her slowly.
His gaze wasn't angry.
It was searching.
Waiting.
Cypriana felt like the world had narrowed to one thin wire between them.
She whispered—
"I chose to stop you from losing control."
Andrew's expression hardened.
"That's not what I asked."
Matt stepped forward.
"See? This is what he does. He twists it."
Andrew's voice went cold.
"I don't twist anything."
Steve's eyes flickered between them.
"You're twisting her."
The air thickened instantly.
Andrew's power pulsed.
Cypriana felt it spike.
"Andrew, stop—"
He ignored her.
Matt's voice stayed steady.
"She's not your shield."
Andrew's eyes flashed.
"She's not yours either."
Matt's voice broke.
"She doesn't belong to anyone!"
Andrew's breathing grew uneven.
"She's the only one who stayed."
Cypriana whispered—
"I stayed because I was afraid of what would happen if I didn't."
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
Andrew froze.
The street below went silent.
Matt looked at her.
Andrew's voice was barely there.
"…Afraid."
Cypriana swallowed hard.
"I didn't want people to die."
Andrew stared at her like she'd struck him.
"So you stayed to control me."
The truth hovered between them.
Ugly.
Raw.
Steve whispered—
"Andrew…"
Andrew's jaw tightened.
"You think I don't see it?"
His eyes flickered down to Matt.
"She still looks at you."
Matt's breath hitched.
Cypriana's heart slammed painfully.
Andrew's voice dropped.
"You think I don't feel it?"
The air around him vibrated dangerously.
Streetlights flickered.
Matt stepped forward urgently.
"Andrew, don't."
Andrew's eyes locked on Cypriana.
"For once… just say it."
Her breath shook.
"Say what?"
"That you're here because you want me."
The world held its breath.
Matt's voice was raw.
"Cypri—"
Andrew snapped—
"Not you."
Silence.
Cypriana's hands trembled at her sides.
She looked at Andrew.
The boy who broke for her.
The boy who killed for her.
The boy who would burn the world if she asked.
And she whispered—
"I don't want this."
Andrew's face went pale.
"You don't want me?"
Her voice cracked.
"I don't want war."
Andrew's power surged violently.
Concrete cracked beneath Matt's feet.
Steve stumbled back.
Andrew's voice broke into something feral.
"They left you to be torn apart."
Cypriana shouted—
"They didn't!"
Andrew roared—
"They would have!"
Matt yelled—
"No!"
Andrew's eyes were wild now.
The air screamed.
Metal cars along the street began to rise.
Cypriana felt it slipping.
Again.
She screamed—
"ANDREW STOP!"
For one split second—
He hesitated.
Because she said his name.
Because it was her voice.
The cars hovered dangerously.
The world balanced on a knife.
And that's when—
The low hum returned.
Different this time.
Heavier.
Deeper.
Andrew's head snapped toward the sky.
Cypriana's stomach dropped.
Because she knew that sound.
The military wasn't waiting anymore.
They were watching.
And now—
They were ready.