After ten grueling minutes of sustained healing, Carter's eyes finally flickered open. Where am I? he wondered, the world a blur of gray and shadow.
"You're back with us, brother," Ava said, her voice thick with relief.
"Finally," Ron added, though his tone was guarded.
As his vision cleared, Carter's gaze drifted between Ava, Ron, and DA. "What happened?"
"You were on the brink of death," Ron said bluntly. "Now, you're not."
A weak smile played on Carter's lips. "Yeah... that swordsman did something. I didn't understand a single word he was saying."
Suddenly, DA's phone vibrated. "Excuse me," he murmured, stepping away from the group to take the call in the shadows of the ruined base.
Ava turned back to Carter, her brow furrowed. "But brother, how is it that only you and Ron are wounded? What about him?" She gestured toward DA's retreating back.
"Well, he was there," Carter admitted, "but he was... occupied."
Ava looked at Ron, confused. "Occupied with what?"
"Eating ramen and listening to music," Carter replied.
Ron let out a short, dry laugh. Despite the absurdity, Carter could feel his strength returning with every passing second. He braced himself and sat up on his own. "This power... what is it? And how are you the one using it, Ava?"
Ava opened her mouth to explain, her expression distant. "I just did what they told me. Then, suddenly, I felt dizzy—this piercing headache hit me and my vision started to fade. But right before it went dark, I saw these strange message bo—"
"We don't know the full story yet," Ron interrupted, his voice firm. "My part was simply to channel my energy into Ava. DA joined in halfway through to stabilize the flow."
Ava nodded, her eyes lingering on Ron with a silent, searching look.
"What?" Ron asked.
Ava simply shook her head, dismissing the thought.
A minute later, Carter forced himself to stand. Ron finally pulled his hand away from Ava's back, but as she tried to stand with them, the world tilted. She swayed, her knees buckling.
Before she could hit the ground, a pair of strong arms caught her. She looked up and froze. It was Ron, but for a fleeting second, his pupils flashed a brilliant, predatory crimson.
Ava blinked, her heart hammering. What was that? Or is my mind just playing games? I'm exhausted. "We're leaving," Ron said, his eyes back to normal.
"I'm heading out, too," Carter added, surveying the wreckage of the base with a heavy sigh.
DA returned, sliding his phone into his pocket. "So, what's the move?"
"Go home. Rest," Ron commanded.
With a silent nod, Ron gripped Ava's shoulder, and they vanished, teleporting toward his house. Carter took to the skies, flying toward his own home, leaving DA standing alone in the debris.
DA stood in the silence, his mind drifting back to moments earlier.
Before the healing, a woman in a dark hoodie had been standing over Carter's unconscious body, a knife gripped in her hand. She had sensed DA's presence before he spoke.
"I was waiting for you," she had said, turning to face him.
DA recognized her instantly. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm looking for information," she replied with a sharp smile. "The whereabouts of Eleanor."
DA's expression remained a mask of calm. "I don't know."
The woman's smile widened, glinting with malice. "Okay." She turned to walk away, but DA called out to her back.
"Tell me..."
She stopped.
"How many of you are left alive?"
"Why do you care?" She said without looking at him.
DA shrugged, a cold smirk touching his lips. "Just killing time."
"Do you want to come back?" she asked. She tilted her head back toward him, her eyes mocking. "Sorry. We don't accept traitors."
In the present,
DA took a deep breath of the night air and smirked at the stars. "A traitor..." he whispered to himself. "I wonder who that would be."
Carter reached his house, collapsing into the arms of his worried mother.
Meanwhile, at Ron's house, the atmosphere was suffocating. Ron sat alone in the basement, staring at the book written by Dream. He strained, pouring his will into the cover, trying to force it open, but it remained stubbornly shut.
How can I go back? Ron thought, desperation clawing at his chest. I still have more time with Dream.
He looked at the family photo on the desk—Dream, Ines, and Ai smiling back at him. His hand drifted to his hair as a realization struck him, cold and sudden.
Wait. Did I...? He stared into the darkness of the basement. "I wonder what the future has in store for us."
Elsewhere, in a room draped in eternal shadow, the architects of the chaos gathered.
"Your men lost, Seventh Head," William said, his voice echoing off the walls.
The Seventh Head nodded slowly. "A loss, perhaps. But a calculated one."
"It was a victory in its own way," Rio added, stepping into the light. "Now Foster has the data. We know the full extent of our enemy's prowess."
William stood up, a dark grin spreading across his face. "Yeah. That's going to help quite a bit."
"So, you're going?" the Seventh Head asked.
William nodded, heading for the door. "Yeah. See you on the battlefield."