The entire academy had suddenly beco rowdy—but not in the way of celebration or excitent. No, the noise and movent were restricted to just one room: the Portal Room.
This was the gateway to their respective planets, the only place that now mattered.
Students filled the chamber, many limping or clutching parts of their bodies. Although each had been treated to the point of being able to walk, their spirits were far from healed. This was only a temporary farewell—their departure wasn’t permanent. They would all return. At least, that’s what they were told.
Till further notice.
Kairos’s group stood out from the rest. They weren’t speaking, nor were they standing together. Carlos was sowhere off in the distance, and the others were scattered, broken in spirit. Pain and exhaustion hung heavy in their eyes like a storm cloud refusing to pass.
The loss still clung to them like a second skin.
And yet, in the sea of students and subdued chaos, only one person remained close to Kairos—Darnell.
Darnell stood still, hands tucked into his pockets. Unlike the others, he didn’t bother preparing anything. But there was no need to pack. None of them did. The academy had made it clear—they would return soon, so there was no need to carry anything personal. For now, this was just a detour.
Darnell’s gaze slowly lifted to Kairos.
Then dropped.
Then rose again.
It was clear he was wrestling with sothing inside. His lips parted, closed, then parted once more—until finally, he found the words.
"Kairos... can I co with you— I an... can I go to your ho with you? I don’t really have anywhere to go."
The words hit Kairos like a slap.
Darnell? Go ho with him? The idea sounded ridiculous. It nearly pulled a scoff from his throat.
He wanted to shake his head imdiately. He wanted to say no, deny the request outright.
But his voice caught.
Ravin.
That na echoed inside his mind. The mory. The pain. The confusion. Lina had later explained Darnell’s strange connection with Ravin... a history Kairos didn’t yet understand. A history he needed to understand.
If Darnell stayed close, maybe—just maybe—he’d reveal sothing. So clue. So truth.
Kairos exhaled deeply. His chest tightened as guilt and responsibility settled like weights on his shoulders.
He felt responsible.
He had failed to protect the girl.
And though no one had directly blad him, he blad himself. A part of him wanted to fill that void, to make up for what had been lost. Maybe having Darnell around... maybe it would help.
After what felt like an eternity of internal struggle, he finally replied.
"Sure, you can co with if you want. But rember—there won’t be any luxury. And you’ll take things as they are."
Darnell’s face lit up, a wrinkled smile stretching across his bruised and tired expression. There was no hesitation in his nod. These were conditions he could live with—eagerly.
A quiet hope stirred in him. He couldn’t help but wonder...
What would Kairos’s ho look like?
Before the thought could settle, an official stepped forward. A tall man dressed in a sleek, fitted robe with strange lines of light etched across his sleeves. His voice bood with authority, silencing the room.
"This will be your way ho," he began. "These portals are programd to take you to any destination... all you need to do is speak the na clearly. The programrs listening will handle the rest. But one rule—wait for the ding before stepping in. Without it, the destination might be wrong."
With that, he raised his hand and gave access to the portals.
All around the room, students stepped forward one by one. They approached the shimring blue ovals, stated their locations aloud, and each ti, a soft ding would echo before they disappeared.
The number of people gradually thinned.
Groups beca clusters. Clusters beca pairs. And soon, even those were gone.
Kairos and Darnell waited. They didn’t rush. There was no urgency in their steps.
Kairos scanned the room, searching for the others. Where they once stood—now empty. He looked again, turning his head left, then right.
Gone.
They must have used one of the other portals scattered around the large room. Probably left with the first wave.
He sighed quietly, then turned to Darnell and gave him a nod. It was ti.
Together, they made their way to the nearest portal. As they approached, Kairos stepped forward, took a breath, and then uttered a na—foreign, twisted, sharp on the ears.
Darnell blinked, unable to even recognize what language it was.
A ding followed.
Kairos swallowed hard. His hands clenched into fists as a weight fell onto his shoulders, the past pressing down like an avalanche. His face darkened, not with anger—but with history.
He took one last look at the world behind him, then spoke in a low, haunted voice.
"Welco to my cursed ho."
And with that, both boys stepped forward—disappearing into the portal’s light.
---
anwhile...
A wave of blinding white energy shimred and pulsed before revealing a new location.
Carlos erged, stepping through the portal at the far end. His posture was stiff, his shoulders drawn tight, and his gaze darker than it had ever been.
There was no relief on his face. No warmth.
He looked like a man walking into hell.
And why wouldn’t he?
Because what greeted him on the other side was no hocoming.
n clad in dark armor stood silently in formation. Their dieval-style weapons glinted beneath flickering torches that lined the walls, giving the entire chamber a gothic, ancient feel. But Carlos wasn’t fooled.
He knew these n.
He knew what they were capable of.
He extended his wrists without hesitation. One of the knights stepped forward and locked thick tal cuffs around them—no resistance needed.
A deep voice echoed from the shadows.
"I heard you failed your mission... You know the punishnt for that, brother?"
Carlos’s expression cracked.
But it didn’t fall into sha.
No.
It fell into fear.
For the first ti in a long while, Carlos didn’t look like the composed soldier or the skilled elite he was.
He looked like a child again.
Trapped.
Alone.
And awaiting cruel judgnt.
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