-----
(FLASHBACK)
-----
Diana gasped as the memory surged back without warning, a sharp, invasive, refusing to leave her mind.
The cloaked figure.
The battlefield had been chaos incarnate. She had been pressed flat against shattered concrete and twisted rebar, the jagged edges biting into her side as she forced herself not to move. The dust clung to her skin, worked its way into her mouth and eyes. Her palms ground into the rubble as she fought the instinct to run.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
Explosions thundered around her, each one punching through the street and sending tremors up her bones. Oblivion stood at the center of it all, his presence warping the space around him as he unleashed energy blasts in every direction. Bodies were caught mid-motion, some trying to flee, some already fallen— and were torn apart on impact. Limbs scattered like broken mannequins. Torsos collapsed into red mist.
Beside him, the second cloaked man moved with cold precision, turning methodically and erasing anything that even resembled movement. Survivors. Corpses. It didn't matter.
Without any hesitation and no mercy.
Shockwaves ripped outward, howling through the street. Their cloaks snapped violently in the wind, fabric billowing as the force lifted their hoods just enough.
And then.
She saw it.
A sliver of a face beneath the hood.
Her pulse spiked so hard it stole her breath. The world narrowed, sound dulling as her focus locked onto that single detail. Her fingers curled into the dirt, nails scraping stone.
"No…" The word barely left her lips. Her free hand pressed against her chest, as if she could physically restrain her heart.
"That's not possible."
Her thoughts collided, spiraling out of control.
"How… how is he still alive?"
Her strength faltered. She leaned back against the fractured wall with a dull thud, shoulders sagging as if the weight of the realization had struck her all at once.
"He's supposed to be dead." Her jaw trembled despite her effort to keep it steady. "Moon-Light is dead. He—"
Another explosion detonated nearby, drowning out her words. Debris rained down, forcing her to shield her head. She clenched her sleeve in a white-knuckled grip, grounding herself against the roar.
"How can Oblivion be Moon-Light…?"
Her ears rang. The world seemed distant, reduced to the crackle of flames and her own uneven breathing as she struggled to process what she had seen.
Later.
After they vanished.
After the echoes of destruction faded into a scorched, unnatural silence.
Diana broke from cover. Her boots slid on blood-slick pavement as she ran, nearly losing her footing more than once. She dropped to her knees beside Ben's body, the impact jarring her bones. Her hands fumbled at her side, fingers shaking as she searched for the teleportation gem in her pocket. Dust, sweat, and blood smeared across her skin as she activated it.
Golden light swallowed them.
She reappeared inside their home with a violent lurch, her knees buckling under Ben's weight. She barely managed to keep them upright. Her legs shook as she dragged him toward the bed, every step heavy, uncoordinated. When she finally lowered him onto the mattress, her movements slowed, becoming deliberate and careful— as if gentleness could undo what had already happened.
She adjusted his arms. Straightened his posture.
"You can rest now…" Her voice was soft, brittle at the edges. "Honey… I'm gonna miss you so much."
Her fingertips brushed his cheek and lingered there.
His skin was too cold.
The realization hit her fully then. Her stance faltered, knees unsteady as a broken sound slipped from her throat. She covered her mouth with her palm, muffling it, her shoulders folding inward as she leaned against the bedframe to keep from collapsing.
The room stayed silent.
After a long, heavy moment, she forced herself upright. She wiped her cheeks with the back of her sleeve, the motion rough and impatient, as if anger might keep the grief at bay. Her gaze shifted toward the hallway.
Towards Alan's room.
She stepped at the edge of the door inside.
He lay unconscious on the bed, chest rising and falling in a steady, reassuring rhythm.
Her shoulders loosened slightly at the sight.
Ben's voice surfaced in her memory, calm and measured, from a conversation long before the world broke.
"You know our kids… they aren't like other humans. Their bodies can't handle their hybrid strength yet. That's why the seal must stay on as long as possible. When the time comes… we'll tell them the truth together."
Diana folded her arms across her midsection, gripping herself tightly.
"Ben…" she murmured, eyes dropping to the floor. "It's happening too soon."
She took a breath and lifted her chin.
"They're not ready. And… (sigh) I'm not ready either… not yet at leasf."
She raised both hands and slapped her cheeks— SMACK. SMACK. Her head snapped slightly with each impact. She rolled her shoulders back, straightened her spine, and steadied her stance.
Focus.
(END FLASHBACK)
The room snapped back into focus.
Alan was standing now, shoulders squared but tense, fists clenched hard at his sides. His knuckles had gone pale, tendons standing out beneath his skin. The grief was still there— heavy, unmistakable but something sharper pressed beneath it now. Resolve. Anger. Purpose.
Diana stepped forward without saying a word and wrapped her arms around him again. This time, he didn't stiffen or pull away. His body leaned into hers, just slightly, as if allowing himself that much support was all he could manage.
They stayed like that for a long moment. The house was quiet around them.
When Diana finally spoke, her voice was low, measured, carefully controlled.
"Fine," she said softly. "I'll tell you."
She loosened her grip but didn't fully let go, one hand still resting between one of his shoulder.
"When I went to retrieve your father's body… I saw one of the villains' faces." She paused, her gaze drifting past him as if the memory was unfolding again right in front of her. "It was Oblivion. He was with another cloaked man."
Her fingers pressed faintly into the fabric of Alan's shirt.
"But I know who Oblivion actually is," she continued, her tone tightening. "I saw his face beneath the hood. I thought he died five years ago."
Alan slowly crossed his arms, his jaw setting as his eyes stayed fixed on her. He didn't interrupt. He didn't rush her.
Diana swallowed, her breath uneven for just a moment before she forced it steady.
"It was my comrade," she said quietly. "Moon-Light. I don't know how. I don't know why. But there's no mistaking it." Her hand lifted, fingers curling as if grasping for answers that weren't there. "Maybe he's being controlled… or manipulated somehow. I don't know. I just—" Her voice tightened. "How can he kill people he swore to protect?"
Alan exhaled slowly through his nose.
"I see."
He stepped back, creating a small but deliberate distance. His shoulders rose and fell once as he turned toward the window. Outside, Ember City stretched endlessly—buildings, lights, memories layered over every street.
"After Dad's funeral…" he said, his voice steady but strained, "…I need time away. Time off. I'm going back to China."
Diana turned fully toward him.
"I'll continue school online from there," he went on. "I can't stay in Ember City any longer." His hand lifted slightly, gesturing toward the skyline beyond the glass. "If I stay here… he'll be everywhere I turn. The company. The streets. The news. He'll be all over everything. Everywhere I go."
His voice wavered at the edges, but his eyes didn't. They stayed firm, locked on his reflection in the window.
Diana nodded slowly. Her chest rose with a controlled breath as she stepped closer again. She lifted a hand and brushed it along his cheek, her touch warm and grounding.
"I'll support you," she said. "Whatever you need. To get through this, son."
Alan gave a small nod in return.
The silence that followed settled heavily—but it no longer crushed the air from the room. It simply existed.
Diana placed a hand on his shoulder, her grip gentle but certain.
"And… there's something else," she added. "I have a message from your father too. But—" She hesitated. "Now isn't the right time. Not while you're like this."
Alan turned slightly, his eyes narrowing as he looked back toward the window.
"A message?" he asked quietly.
She didn't answer right away.
Alan's journey had only just begun.
------