The crew gathered in the common area. Talon leaned back in her chair, eyeing Kaito with eyes as sharp as daggers due to his examination.
Finn, who is now recovered from some of his injuries, his once snapped arm covered up in bandages, practically bounced around in his seat.
"I had no idea you could do that. The lightning, the speed, the destruction... it was insane!" He said to Kaito.
Kaito, sitting across from them, scratched the back of his head nervously.
"Uh, yeah… it just kind of… came to me, you know?" He chuckled, but his voice was slightly strained, like someone trying to hide something but doing a horrible job at it.
Kaeline, who was sitting near the table, narrowed her eyes ever so slightly. She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands as she spoke.
"Came to you, huh? That's convenient timing for such a new skill." She said slightly suspiciously
Kaito's smile faltered for a moment before he recovered his pathetic front.
"Yeah, it was weird. I guess the pressure of the fight pushed me into it. I didn't even know I could do that…"
Kaeline didn't say anything, but her eyes remained on him… watching him.
Before anyone could dive deeper into Kaito's mysterious new abilities, the door slid open with a loud whoosh. Jinx barreled in with her usual chaotic energy, both of her hands up in the air and holding a middle finger.
"You guys, what in the stars was with that chick? Liora, right? She was next-level freaky!" She said,
Kaito looked at her confused.
"Uhhhh Jinx… Why are you flipping everyone off?" He asked, genuinely confused.
Talon, with an annoyed look plastered on her face, spoke up.
"She's been doing that ever since your little macho man off with Myzen. Like seriously, what does that gesture even mean?" She asked, looking over to Kaito.
"I don't know what it means, but I dig it kid!!!" Jinx blurted out as she held up a middle finger right in front of his face.
All he could do was let out a genuine chuckle.
Rorik, who had been leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, joined in the conversation.
"Never seen anyone fight like that. To get stronger the more you hurt her, and that crazy laughter…" He trailed off, shaking his head.
"That woman wasn't right in the head."
Talon frowned, tapping her finger against the table.
"No normal crew sends someone like Liora to a tournament. She was enjoying herself too much. Those vacant slots got filled almost immediately, so whoever sent her had a different goal in mind. It wasn't just about winning."
Finn looked around at the others as a thought crossed his mind.
"Do you think it was Myzen's crew or someone higher up?"
The crew exchanged uneasy glances. As much as they wanted to ignore it… they felt it too. The sense that something far darker than a mere tournament was at play.
Jinx folded her arms and pouted.
"Well, whoever it was, they're seriously twisted. And sending someone like that… they've got an agenda, no doubt about it."
Before the conversation could continue further, a sudden beep interrupted them. The large holo-screen on the wall blinked to life with a flashing red Emergency Broadcast warning. Everyone in the room went silent as they all looked over to the screen as the image of a thalorian news anchor appeared, her expression grim.
"Breaking news from the city of Thalos. A massacre has occurred at a local orphanage, resulting in the tragic deaths of all residents, including about a dozen children…"
Kaito froze instantly as the image of the orphanage flashed on the screen.
"Authorities arrived on the scene early this morning, but were too late. Life saving measures were not deployed. The scene inside was described as 'gruesome and horrifying,' with no survivors."
The anchor's voice faded into a dull hum in Kaito's ears.
His fists clenched so hard his knuckles turned white and his body trembled uncontrollably.
"Authorities suspect foul play, and investigations are underway, but the motives behind this brutal attack remain unclear. More updates will be provided as the investigation continues."
The news continued to play, but Kaito wasn't listening anymore…
He couldn't hear anything at all.
Finn was the first to turn and speak to him.
"K–Kaito…?" He asked hesitantly, his voice shaky.
"Are you… okay?"
Kaito didn't respond.
Jinx tried to say something, hoping she had a better shot.
"Hey kid—"
But before she could try, Kaito shot up from his seat.
His eyes were wide and frantic. Even as he stood there, it was clear his body was trembling.
The rest of the crew went silent as they watched him.
His breaths were shallow and rapid.
"It's… my fault…" He whispered out, his voice cracking.
Elara stood up and moved toward him.
"Kaito, this isn't your fault." She said as she tried to reach for him… but he stepped away.
He shook his head violently, as if he was trying to wake up from a nightmare. But no matter how hard he shook, nothing changed…
"They… They died because of me…" He whimpered out, tears beginning to fall down his face.
Talon stepped forward immediately after hearing him say such a thing, her voice a lot softer than how she normally talked to him.
"Roo– I mean… Kaito, this is not on you. Whatever's happening… I–I don't…" But she couldn't find the words she wanted.
It didn't matter anyways, Kaito didn't hear her at all. He was too consumed by the guilt clawing at his mind. He turned away from the crew, beginning to walk out of the room.
Elara moved closer and gently gripped his arm.
"We'll figure this out, Kaito. For you, for Farro, and for the children… I promise you. But you can't fall apart now. This is what they want. They want to break you, but I… we won't allow that." She told him while staring at the tears rolling down his face.
For a moment, there was silence. The crew stood in shock, trying to process everything.
Of course that didn't last long though.
"So… what now?" Jinx asked softly.
Elara turned to her and spoke up.
"Now? We continue the tournament as is, we can't afford to let the fragment fall into someone else's hands. This may be our only chance. Once we do that, then we find out who did this… and we make sure they pay." She said firmly.
Kaito didn't respond at first. He nodded slightly before walking towards the room door. As the door hissed opened, he muttered something.
"Yeah… they will."
He walked out and the door hissed closed behind him. The crew all exchanged shocked, worried, and guilty looks.
As Kaito walked down the hall to his room, he left a trail of tear drops on the floor the entire way.
His breathing was erratic as he fought to keep himself from screaming and destroying everything around him. His heart felt like it was going to burst in his chest. His vision felt like it was closing in and opening up on its own over and over uncontrollably. His legs felt heavy with every step he took.
Nothing felt real anymore, like he was in a fucked up dream and all he needed to do was wake up… but he wasn't… And as much as he wished it wasn't true, this was his reality.
He finally made it to his room door. Before pressing the button to go in he muttered something under his breath.
"I swear… I'll make this right."
The orphanage.
The kids.
Farro.
Their deaths would not go unanswered and someone was going to pay…