The night stretched endlessly around them, wrapping Evan and Aidan in its cold embrace. They had found temporary refuge in an abandoned metro station beneath the city — a crumbling relic forgotten by time, its tunnels stretching like veins beneath the ruins.
Evan sat alone on the platform edge, his eyes distant, lost in a silent war against the memories clawing at the back of his mind.
He could still feel Gravemind lurking — faint, but ever-present — a reminder that even here, far from the Academy's reach, the battle wasn't truly over.
Behind him, Aidan was tinkering with a battered radio, trying to catch any news from the outside world. His stubborn optimism was almost alien to Evan — something fragile and painful to watch.
> "You know it won't work," Evan said quietly, without turning.
Aidan didn't stop fiddling.
> "Maybe not. But if we don't listen, we won't know what's happening out there."
Evan let out a humorless chuckle.
> "Ignorance might be safer."
> "Doesn't make it right," Aidan replied, adjusting the cracked dial again.
A sudden burst of static filled the silence, followed by faint, broken voices.
"... Academy... fallen... Enforcer units disbanded... new factions emerging... dangerous individuals on the loose..."
The voice crackled and died, but the message was clear enough.
The world was reshaping itself — violently, chaotically.
And in the void left by the Academy's fall, something worse would rise.
---
Evan stood, his movements sharp and deliberate.
> "Pack up. We move at dawn."
Aidan looked up, confused.
> "Where?"
Evan's expression hardened.
> "Solaris Reach."
Aidan blinked in shock. That name was spoken with reverence — a bastion of stability, ruled by ancient codes and impossible strength.
> "They won't just let us in," Aidan warned.
> "They'll let you in," Evan said grimly. "And where you go... I go."
Aidan hesitated, sensing the unspoken weight behind Evan's words.
Evan wasn't just trying to survive anymore. He was searching for something. Redemption? Forgiveness? Maybe just a reason not to lose himself completely.
---
Later that night, Aidan approached Evan quietly.
> "You know, you don't have to do this alone."
Evan glanced over, the edge of his telekinetic aura flickering almost imperceptibly.
> "I'm not the hero of this story, Aidan."
> "Maybe not," Aidan said softly. "But that doesn't mean you have to be the villain either."
For a long moment, Evan said nothing.
Then, quietly:
> "We'll see."
Above them, deep in the crumbling ceiling, Gravemind's laughter echoed — faint and mocking.
But for once, Evan didn't listen.
He had made his choice.
For now, there was still a sliver of light left.
And Evan intended to follow it — even if it led him straight into the fire.
---
End of Chapter 9