In the silent void of deep space, the figure resembling Aelina still clutched Zephyr's hand with an unrelenting grip. The creature's glowing red eyes burned with a single intent: to destroy everything, including itself. Zephyr struggled to break free, but the imitation Aelina didn't move an inch.
"I won't let it end here," Zephyr muttered through heavy breaths. His strength was fading. Time was slipping away.
A sudden flare broke the darkness behind him, a burst of hyperspace light ripping open like a miniature star. Kirana shot out of it, propelled forward with impossible speed. She reached them in a single fluid motion, landing right in front of Zephyr and the impostor.
"Kirana?!" Zephyr gasped.
Kirana didn't waste a second. Her movements carried the same sharp precision Zephyr remembered from their earliest battles. She grabbed him, yanking him free from the creature's grasp.
"Hold your breath, Zephyr!" she shouted, voice sharp with command. Once he was clear, she spun and launched a powerful kick into the clone's torso. The impact hurled the fake Aelina deep into the void before its body erupted in a blinding explosion.
Zephyr stared at the blast, torn between relief and sorrow. The creature looked so much like Aelina, but he knew it wasn't her. Before he could say anything, Kirana pulled him close, embracing him tightly.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
He nodded, overwhelmed by her sudden appearance. "You came at the perfect moment. As always."
The moment didn't last. The remnants of the explosion faded, and the gravity of a nearby planet began tugging at their bodies. Kirana looked toward the world below, her expression tightening.
"We need to brace ourselves. Pull up your shielding and channel energy to your armor, or the atmosphere will burn us alive."
Zephyr followed her lead. A thin layer of blue light shimmered to life around him.
Heat surged as they plunged toward the planet. Kirana pressed her body against his to cut through the drag.
"Kirana," Zephyr whispered through the roar of wind inside his helmet. She looked up, exhausted yet unyielding. "I promise… whatever happens, I'll protect you. I won't let anyone hurt you again."
Kirana gave a faint smile. She knew how heavy such a promise was.
They hit the atmosphere like a comet. The planet below spread out in sweeping dunes of gold beneath the dim light of Lytherion.
The landing was brutal. They crashed into the desert floor, carving a small crater into the shifting sands. Their armor cracked, scorched, and partially melted under the extreme heat. Both lay sprawled on the ground, gasping.
Zephyr pulled off his helmet. "Are you hurt?"
Kirana exhaled shakily. "I'm alive. That's enough for now."
She checked her communicator. A flicker of relief crossed her face. "The signal's still here… just barely."
Zephyr scanned the barren horizon. Endless dunes, no life in sight.
"Where are we?"
"I don't know," Kirana replied. "But we need shelter before night."
Zephyr stood with difficulty, offering her a hand. "Then we walk. I'm not letting us die out here."
They moved through the wasteland, two small figures against an endless desert. The dunes shifted in the wind, silent witnesses to their determination.
Night fell, cold and sharp as a blade. In a narrow crevice between dunes, Kirana and Zephyr sat beside a small fire struggling to stay alive in the wind. The flame cast a flickering glow across their weary faces.
Kirana hugged her knees, staring into the fire. Zephyr watched her quietly.
"Zephyr," she whispered, her voice fragile. "I can't forget her face. I feel like… I failed."
Zephyr's chest tightened. "Kirana, you didn't fail. You did everything you could. None of this is your fault."
She shook her head, tears slipping down her cheeks. "I should've protected her. But instead… I lost her. And I don't even know if she's still alive."
Zephyr's voice softened but stayed firm. "You're a fighter. You've survived things most people would never walk away from. I know you're hurting, but you have to keep moving. Aelina would want that."
Kirana looked up, pain and gratitude mixing in her eyes. "Thank you, Zephyr. You've always been here for me. Even when I feel like I have nothing left."
He smiled gently. "I'm here because I care. And we're getting through this together."
Dawn broke over the desert, coloring the sand a soft amber. Kirana stood atop a small dune, scanning the area. Her device pulsed with a faint signal.
"There's something out there," she said. "A settlement, maybe. Fifty kilometers from here."
Zephyr sighed. "Fifty kilometers… that's rough. But it's our only chance."
They walked the entire day, through shimmering heat and choking dust. Their bodies ached, but the hope of reaching the settlement kept them going.
By sunset, the massive outline of a rusted metal gate rose from the sands.
A guard stood beside it, wearing heavy leather layered with metal plates, a cracked visor, and a modified heavy rifle. He eyed them with suspicion.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"Travelers," Kirana replied firmly. "We need a place to rest."
The guard studied them, then pressed a button. A small door opened with a rusty groan.
"Welcome to Rusty Town. Don't cause trouble."
Inside, the town buzzed with life. Shabby metal structures crowded tight streets. Humans in ragged clothes mingled with scaled reptilians and fishlike humanoids carrying water-filled helmets.
"This place…" Zephyr murmured. "It's more alive than I expected."
They walked through narrow alleys until they found a small tavern tucked into a corner. Kirana stepped in, greeted by an old man with a thick white beard polishing a metal cup.
"What do you need?" he asked.
"Water," Kirana answered.
He filled two metal glasses and handed them over. "Free. But only this once."
"Thank you," Zephyr said before drinking greedily.