The stale air of R22 was thicker than usual.
A heavy humidity clung to every surface—wet, metallic, and strangely warm. A thunderstorm was forming, not in the sky, but between people. And the cave, once a place of forced survival, now felt like the eye of a brewing storm.
---
Ryssa's Departure
Outside, Ryssa stood by the outer edge of the spacecraft. The engines were hissing with life, ready to lift off. Her comm-link buzzed again, for the fourth time in ten minutes.
> "Commander Ryssa. This is your final call. Report to dock 07 immediately."
But her eyes weren't on the sky—they were on Kael, seated a few meters away, arms resting loosely across his knees, his expression unreadable.
She didn't want to leave.
Not now. Not when things were this fragile.
Kael had been quiet ever since that last fight. Too quiet. His eyes followed every movement in the cave like a predator watching a nest of snakes.
Behind her, she could hear Tyren pacing again. The sound of boots slamming on metal echoed. The friction in the air was unbearable.
"I'm leaving," she said, softly.
Kael didn't reply.
"Will you be alright?"
He didn't move.
"Don't lose yourself again," she added.
This time, he looked up. Cold. Blank.
"I've got nothing left to lose," he muttered.
Ryssa inhaled sharply—but she didn't argue.
What could she even say?
---
Tension in the Cave
The spacecraft roared to life and vanished into the dense sky.
Silence returned, heavier than before.
Inside the cave, Roan was leaned back on a crate, chewing on dried ration packs like gum. Dante was playing with a data pad, running simulations that meant nothing. Not a single word was said between them and the others.
Not because of formality—because no one wanted to speak. Not after what had happened.
The last Kaiju attack had nearly cost Kael his life. And now, he was holding onto Ravager like a man clinging to the only anchor in a world that kept trying to drown him.
Meanwhile, Tyren was getting more and more volatile.
His movements had become sharp. His shoulders were constantly tense. And he hadn't said a kind word in days.
At one point, when Misha tried to ask him something about the power grid, he nearly snapped her head off with a glare.
Now, he was pacing again. Every few seconds, he muttered under his breath.
"…useless… they shouldn't be here… cowards in suits…"
Ziya, ever the peacekeeper, stepped forward.
"Tyren, they're trying. We all are."
He turned, slowly.
His eyes locked with hers, dead cold.
"Trying won't save us when the next Kaiju bites your neck off."
Ziya's voice caught in her throat.
Everyone went quiet.
The tension wasn't just between enemies now—it was bleeding between allies.
---
Kael's World
Kael sat at the far end of the cave, surrounded by tools and mech parts.
He had spent the last few hours removing burned-out circuits from Ravager and polishing each remaining part like it was sacred.
His fingers were cut, stained with black grease and dried blood, but he didn't care.
Because Ravager hadn't abandoned him.
When everything else—friends, family, squad, command—had tossed him aside, this machine stood tall.
His hands trembled as he adjusted a servo line.
> "Just a little longer, old friend," he whispered to the metal. "We'll fly again."
---
Ryssa in Orbit
Meanwhile, Ryssa sat aboard the returning battleship, unable to get the sound of Kael's voice out of her head.
> "I've got nothing left to lose."
His tone—cold, hollow, final—played again and again.
And though she sat amongst officers, engineers, and analysts, she had never felt more isolated. Their talk of data and Kaiju patterns was just static to her.
She looked down at her tablet. Her thumb hovered over Kael's comm channel.
She didn't press it.
---
The Slow Burn
Back on R22, the storm outside began to shift. The winds picked up. Thunder rolled in the distance.
Inside, Tyren stopped pacing. He was staring out into the dark now.
Kael stood up too. No one had said anything for hours, but something felt… off.
Dante broke the silence with a snort. "This place is cursed. I'm telling you—there's no point staying here."
Tyren slowly turned toward him.
"You got something to say, pretty boy?"
Roan looked up, sensing the edge in Tyren's voice. "Maybe if your friend wasn't dragging us back into death zones every damn day—"
That was it.
Tyren lunged.
His fist crashed into Roan's face so hard the boy spun backward and slammed into the cave wall.
Everyone jumped.
Dante stood up, shocked, but didn't move.
Kael didn't say a word. He watched—eyes flickering with something ancient. Something... dangerous.
Ziya tried to intervene again. "Tyren, stop! This isn't—"
"Shut up!" he growled.
He looked at Roan, who was groaning on the ground. "If it were up to me, I'd throw both of you out into the fog. See how long your courage lasts without a cave to hide in."
Misha stood in front of Roan. "They're not fighters, Tyren! That's not fair."
Tyren spat. "Fair? This planet isn't fair. Kael nearly died because they froze during a Kaiju ambush!"
Kael finally spoke.
His voice was quiet. Controlled.
"Let them leave."
Everyone turned.
"I don't care anymore. If they want to survive, they'll find their own way."
Tyren exhaled, shaking with barely contained fury.