Volume 1 – Chapter 7: Bonds and Fractures
The city glittered below, neon lights flickering like scattered stars. Bill leaned against the railing, the glow of his emerald eyes softened by the night breeze.
Bill:"Feels like the city's breathing slower these days. Like it's waiting for something bad."
Aria joined him, her black hair swaying. Her amber eyes carried quiet concern.
Aria:"It's not just the city, Bill. It's us. You've been carrying the weight of LifeTech, the Hyperforce, and… Tim."
Bill chuckled lightly, masking the gravity. "Guess that's what happens when you're a genius with muscles. No one else can keep up."
Aria smiled faintly. "You always joke, even when the world's crumbling."
Bill tilted his head, emerald eyes locking on hers. "Someone has to. Otherwise, it all gets too heavy."
For a moment, silence wrapped around them. Aria's voice softened.
Aria:"Bill… when we were kids, you dove into the river to save Tim. You almost drowned. Do you know what I saw that day?"
Bill raised an eyebrow. "That I can't swim as well as I thought?"
She laughed, but her eyes shimmered. "No. I saw someone who never hesitates to risk himself for others. That's when I…" She stopped, voice trembling. "…That's when I knew I loved you."
Bill froze, his smirk fading into something deeper. His voice, for once, carried no mask.
Bill:"…Aria. I've always known. Every time I looked into those eyes, I felt it. I just—didn't want to risk what we had."
Aria's breath caught as Bill reached out, brushing a strand of hair from her face.
Bill:"But I'm done holding back."
Their lips met under the starlit sky, a quiet promise amidst chaos.
Unbeknownst to them, Tim stood in the shadows of the rooftop stairwell. His fists clenched, blue hair falling over his eyes.
Kwidhonda's voice slithered inside him.
"See? The two of them… they never needed you. She never needed you. You're just the leftover piece."
Tim's jaw tightened, veins of shadow flickering briefly across his arm before fading. He muttered under his breath.
Tim:"…Shut up."
But the whisper only grew stronger.
"You can shut me out, but you can't shut out the truth."
The next day, the trio sparred inside a Hyperforce training chamber. Holographic drones swarmed them. Bill directed, Aria executed flawlessly, and Tim struck with raw power.
But Bill noticed something. Tim's attacks were reckless—too forceful. One strike shattered a drone and cracked the simulation wall.
Bill:"Tim! Pull it back. You're not fighting an army—you're destroying the room."
Tim growled: "Maybe that's what we need. To stop holding back."
Aria frowned, stepping between them. "Tim, what's wrong with you?"
For a second, his blue eyes flickered black. He caught himself, shaking his head. "…Nothing. I'm fine."
Bill exchanged a knowing glance with Aria. They didn't press—but the seed of doubt had already been planted.
Later, in his quarters, Tim sat alone, staring at his reflection. His hands trembled as the voice whispered louder.
"She chose him. She always will. But you can still be more than second. Let me in. Let me show you power beyond theirs."
Tim slammed his fist into the mirror, shards falling like broken stars. His reflection twisted for a heartbeat into Kwidhonda's sneering face.
Tim: (whispering) "…No. I won't break. I won't."
But deep down, he knew—he already was.