The Kaels had barely begun to breathe again when Leon noticed the gap in the moment.
Valeria was not there.
The realization settled quietly, like a stone dropping into deep water. Leon's gaze swept the ruined ground, the scorched earth, the scattered survivors of Unit Alpha. Nothing. No familiar presence. No echo of her aura.
'That's right,' he thought. 'I didn't sense her when I scanned the planet.'
Before the question could leave his lips, the air itself split apart.
A blinding light erupted nearby, forcing several members of Unit Alpha to stagger back. Weapons were raised on instinct. Luke halted mid step, whatever he had been about to ask dying in his throat as he brought his guard up. The marshals tensed. Everyone did.
Everyone except Leon.
He stayed where he was, shoulders loose, eyes steady. He already knew who it was.
The light faded, revealing a man who looked like he had been dragged through despair and left there to rot.
