Zane sat up.
Then—like nothing had happened—he yawned.
Arms stretched over his head, back cracking lazily, eyes half-lidded. He looked like someone who had just woken from an afternoon nap, not the epicenter of whatever cosmic nonsense had nearly swallowed the room.
"Man," he muttered, rubbing his eyes. "Best sleep I've had in days."
Asher snapped.
He stepped forward so fast space rippled under his feet, jaw tight, eyes blazing. "No. Nope. Absolutely not."
Zane glanced at him, unimpressed.
"You owe us an explanation," Asher said sharply. "You don't just—do that—" he gestured wildly at the room, "—and then stretch like it's normal!"
Zane didn't answer.
Instead, he looked past Asher.
Straight at Luna.
Then a system message appeared
*Corruption Found*
She was standing stiffly near the wall, pale, hands clenched, eyes unfocused—like she was there but not really inside herself.
Zane walked forward.
Asher reached out. "Zane—don't—"
Too late.
Zane took Luna's hand.
The moment their skin touched—
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
Corruption Eliminated
The air snapped.
Luna's body went limp.
She collapsed instantly, eyes rolling shut as if someone had pulled her strings.
"LUNA!" Asher shouted.
He caught her before she hit the floor, panic flaring across his face. "Zane, what the hell did you just do?!"
Zane exhaled slowly.
"What?" he said flatly. "I'm helping her."
"Helping her?!" Celeste shouted. "She just fainted!"
Zane finally turned back to them, eyes sharp now—no laziness left.
"She tried to fight something she shouldn't have," he said. His voice was calm, but there was weight behind it. "Light magic. That symbol. Whatever reached out through me—she brushed it."
Asher stiffened.
"If I'd left her like that," Zane continued, "in a few months… maybe a year… she wouldn't be Luna anymore."
Silence.
"She would've hollowed out," he said quietly. "Mindless. Empty. A cosmic shell walking around pretending to be human."
Luna lay still in Asher's arms, breathing softly.
Zane looked away.
"So don't try to act tough, okay?" he said, tone almost tired. "I do my things for reasons."
Then he waved a hand dismissively.
"Put her on the bed. She'll wake up fine."
Asher hesitated—but obeyed.
The moment Luna was settled, Zane was already walking toward the door.
"I've gotta find Mira."
Celeste turned sharply. "Zane, wait—!"
He didn't.
The door shut behind him.
The corridor outside was dim.
Zane's eyes flickered—
Shadow Vision: Active
The world drained into grayscale again, but this time something else stood out.
A red trail.
Thin. Fractured. Pulsing faintly like a dying ember.
"…There you are," Zane murmured.
He followed it.
Up the stairs.
Past locked doors.
Out onto the cavern roof, where the city's artificial glow bled into the night sky like a false sunset.
And there—
Mira stood alone.
Wind tugged at her hair, the red-tipped ends catching the light. She wore a hoodie of her own, dark and fitted, hood pulled low over her eyes.
She didn't turn around.
Zane stopped a few steps behind her.
"…You're not very good at running," he said lightly.
Mira's shoulders tensed.
"So you saw it," she replied.
The red trail shimmered between them—fading, unstable.
"Yeah," Zane said. "Unfortunately."
Silence stretched.
Then Mira spoke, her voice low.
"The thing inside me… it woke up."
Zane's gaze sharpened.
"…Yeah," he said again. "I noticed."
The wind howled softly across the roof.