Luma sat on the rooftop ledge above the training courtyard, her legs swinging slowly as she watched the sunset bathe the Obsidian Spire in gold. The air was cooler here, touched by the evening breeze. Beside her, Nico leaned back, hands tucked behind his head.
"You've been quiet today," she said, her voice almost lost in the wind.
Nico shrugged. "Just thinking. Everyone's talking about the Games like it's some epic stage. But what if it's not about who wins?"
Luma turned to him. "What else would it be about?"
He hesitated. "Maybe who's watching."
She didn't reply right away. Down below, Miles and Leo were sparring—Leo with his usual bouncy energy, and Miles with slow, measured movements, almost like a puzzle solving itself.
"You think we're ready?" she asked.
Nico gave a half-smile. "That depends. Ready for what?"
Leo groaned loudly as he hit the dirt, grinning. "Again!" he shouted, popping back up. "You fight like a machine, Miles."
Miles offered a small nod. "I just observe."
Luma's eyes narrowed.
She remembered when he first said that—during one of their first training sessions. It seemed like a simple comment then. But now, it felt… calculated. Practiced.
"You alright?" Nico asked, noticing her change in expression.
"Yeah," Luma said, shaking it off. "Just… trying to read the room."
Later that evening, the four of them gathered in the Spire's moonlit garden. It had become their unwritten tradition—a chance to breathe between training and lessons. The trees shimmered in the silver-blue light, and water trickled through a narrow stream that curved like a spiral through the stones.
"I didn't expect to make friends like this," Leo said suddenly, tossing a stone into the stream. "I mean, this place felt too big. Too serious. But you guys make it less lonely."
Nico laughed. "You're just saying that because we let you steal our bread rolls."
"It was one time!" Leo protested.
They all laughed, even Miles.
Luma leaned back against the cool stone and looked up at the stars. "I didn't think I'd belong anywhere. Not really. But… I'm glad I met you all."
Miles said nothing. His eyes were on the stars. "Sometimes," he said slowly, "belonging is just a matter of being in the right place at the right time."
His voice was even, almost too even.
Leo nodded, not noticing. "That's deep, man."
Luma glanced at Miles again, a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. But he just smiled—quiet, thoughtful, unthreatening.
For now.