A month had passed since the battle with Vasa and Roach. The city below hummed with the usual morning noise: distant horns, the occasional shout from streets far below, and the faint rumble of a train. From their house perched high on the hill, the sounds felt muted, almost fragile. Amari woke to sunlight slanting through the wide windows, dust motes dancing in the warm air. His hands twitched lightly, green energy humming faintly beneath his skin before fading like embers.
He padded down the stairs, the wood cool under his bare feet. The kitchen smelled of eggs and toast; his mother moved with her usual calm efficiency, flipping a pan while Daniel slid into a chair, still half-asleep. His father carried two plates, setting them before the table. Amari noticed the crease in his mother's brow when he asked, "Where's Grandpa?"
"He's still sleeping. Can you wake him?" she asked, her voice calm but carrying a subtle worry.
Amari nodded and walked up to Ruko's room. The door opened easily. Grandpa lay under the blankets, his face pale.
"Hey, Amari," Ruko said, his voice raspy.
"Grandpa, how are you?"
"Off… a little off," he admitted, coughing softly. "Feel… sick."
Amari nodded, trying to mask the worry. "I hope you feel better."
Ruko smiled faintly. "Thanks, sonny boy. I'll be down in a minute."
But when he did finally step into the kitchen, the smell of breakfast couldn't mask the sudden weakness. Ruko collapsed.
"Grandpa!" Daniel shouted. Panic snapped through the room. Amari, Daniel, and their father carefully carried him to the underground base. "Sam, help us!" Amari called.
Sam appeared instantly, scanning Ruko with his blue diagnostic light. "Healing chamber," he said quietly. "Secret. I hoped we'd never need it." A hidden door opened, revealing the softly glowing chamber. They laid Ruko inside.
Sam's hands moved over panels, reading internal scans. "He's been bleeding internally ever since the fight with Vasa and Roach. I'm…sorry. There's only about a day left."
Tears welled in Amari's mother's eyes. Daniel's fists clenched. Sam's voice softened, "We can't heal him. The damage is too severe."
Ruko rasped, looking at his grandchildren. "Amari… Daniel… take down the Dark Family when I'm gone. Crystal… Jack… you're not as strong as before, but the boys… they're ready. They can protect themselves."
"We promise, Grandpa," Daniel said, voice trembling.
"We won't let your death be for nothing," Amari added, his chest tight with determination.
Ruko's hand found Amari's, weak but warm. "Good… remember… they hide under shadows… kings in the dark…"
As the sun climbed higher, casting golden light across the city below, Amari stared at the ceiling, tasting the weight of the promise. The Dark Family would fall. They had no choice.