"Yo, Ginto," I greeted as I hopped off the hoverboard. Eve followed close behind.
Ginto's face was unreadable. He scanned us from head to toe before asking flatly, "What are you doing here?"
"We're worried about you," Eve said.
"I'm fine. You can leave now," he replied, his voice edged with irritation.
"Your family just got killed. There's no way you're fine!"
"Just go away!"
Silence fell. Eve and I froze, exchanging uncertain glances. Neither of us knew how to move forward.
I studied Ginto quietly. He sat there alone, face tense with restrained anger. After a few seconds, I stepped toward him.
"I told you to go away," he snapped, eyes sharp.
I didn't respond. I just sat beside him.
He glared at for a mont longer before sighing. "Do whatever you want."
Eve hesitated. She wanted to follow but was afraid he'd lash out. Still, she gathered herself, deciding the worst that could happen was him walking off. She ca forward and sat on his other side.
The three of us sat in silence, the sound of the river rushing past.
"My sister... she dread of making the surface livable again. So people could live under the open sky, under the scorching sun." His voice was low, fragile.
"She always had these wild ideas. Always talking about what she wanted to create, but never actually doing it. I thought it was just more of the sa."
He paused. "I asked her once if she wanted to wipe out the shadows."
"She said, 'That's your job,' and went right back to rambling about her project."
"I didn't believe her. But she did it. She actually completed it." His voice cracked. Tears stread down his face as he wiped them away and pointed to a tree nearby.
"That tree—she genetically modified it. Made it able to survive in any environnt." He said the words with pride, then added quietly, "If only she'd lived a little longer."
A beat of silence passed before his tone turned dark.
"They killed her in cold blood. I'll never forgive them. I swore they'd suffer a fate worse than death." His face twisted with hatred.
I stayed quiet until he finished.
"I'm not going to tell you revenge is bad or try to stop you. As long as you don't hurt innocent people, I'll help." I placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm against it," Eve said firmly. "Revenge only brings more pain. If you go down that path, just be sure it's truly what you want." She glanced at , disappointnt flickering in her eyes.
I shrugged. I didn't think I was in the wrong. Everyone has the right to make their own choices—and Ginto had every reason to want justice.
He fell silent, lost in thought. But our presence—our concern—chipped away at the weight pressing on him.
"Thanks," he said suddenly, voice soft.
We paused, then said together, "You're welco."
His face relaxed a little.
"So," I asked, "what are you going to do next?"
"I don't know," Ginto admitted. "I was angry. Still am. About my sister, my dog... I wanted to storm Fec's office and kill him."
"Did you?" I asked.
"I wanted to. But not yet. I need a plan. Zeppelin's not just so thug—he's an Honor. A strategist. He has the power to ruin lives like a god."
"Zeppelin is the CEO of Synth and definitely deserves to die. But why do you think he's behind your sister's death?" I asked casually.
Before answering, Ginto looked at us seriously. "Are you sure you want to get involved?"
"I'm already on their watchlist," I said with a shrug, then glanced at Eve.
She looked conflicted.
"You don't have to force yourself," I told her.
She hesitated. "Yeah... I think I'll pass." She turned and walked away.
Ginto and I exchanged a knowing look. Neither of us was surprised.
"I found sothing in Vie's house," Ginto said, flicking his hand to reveal a small red chip.
"What is it?" I asked, carefully taking it.
"Not safe to talk here. I doubt they've left unsupervised," he muttered, eyes scanning our surroundings.
I frowned, instinctively raising my guard. No one was visible, and my power didn't pick up anything. Whoever was watching, they were good.
"Is it safe showing this?" I asked.
"Of course not. Now that you've seen it, Zeppelin's eyes will be on you too," Ginto replied.
I smirked at the chip. "Then I hope he's enjoying the show."
I handed it back and looked toward Eve, signaling we were done. She returned.
"Everything alright now?" she asked, eyes flicking between us.
"Yeah. Thanks for coming all this way," Ginto said with a rare, warm smile.
"No worries. I wouldn't have been able to focus on the mission otherwise," she replied, arms crossed.
Before we could say more, she added, "Whatever you're planning—promise you'll make it out alive."
We blinked, caught off guard, then smiled.
"We'll win this. Dying's not on the plan," I said.
Her expression softened into a smile. "Yeah. Let's get back."
I took a puff from the vape and conjured the hoverboard. She climbed on, waiting.
"Ginto, I t soone interesting. We could use his help."
"Alright. I'll et him after I handle sothing."
I handed him a slip of paper with an address. "Go to this hotel when you're ready."
He pocketed it.
I gave him a wave, then flew off into the distance.
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