Kairo stood still, eyes locked on the Chronocore floating before his wrist.
The numbers were still flashing, as if the universe itself needed a few extra seconds to process what had just happened.
Level 20.
An absurd amount for a novice; an impossible aberration."This..." he whispered. "This shouldn't be happening."
Beside him, Chack kept staring as if witnessing a god made flesh."Are you sure you don't remember anything?" he asked, his voice still trembling.
Kairo slowly shook his head. His body felt lighter, yet stronger—like every muscle, every fiber, every cell had been rebuilt with a higher purpose.
Xavier, now on his feet, approached slowly, observing him from head to toe."Your aura… has changed," he said, frowning. "You're not the same as before."
Kairo looked away.He knew.And he couldn't say it.
The price of power was silence.
"What matters is that we're alive," he said, cutting the topic short. "And that thing is gone."
"Yeah…" Chack muttered, glancing around cautiously. "But for how long?"
Xavier narrowed his eyes, scanning the area. Graviton's sky remained just as gray and lifeless, but the air… was different now. Lighter. As if some invisible pressure had lifted."Whatever it was, we can't stay here."
Kairo and Chack nodded in unison."I don't even know how either of you are still alive…" Chack said, a mix of disbelief and relief in his voice. "But I'm glad you're here."
Xavier turned to them, his brow still furrowed."What we need to do now is contact Sasha's team and return to Zarion. Once we're there, we'll report everything to the President. He'll know what to do. What we can't afford is to stay here and die."
"I think we all agree on that," Kairo added firmly. "We should take Darek's body with us.""Yes. Carry him together," Xavier nodded. "But if we're attacked, drop him without hesitation. I'll try to reach Sasha's team."
Kairo and Chack carried Darek's lifeless body, moving cautiously across the silent terrain, alert to any potential threats. Meanwhile, Xavier successfully contacted the other group and informed them of the situation. They agreed to meet at the transport platform to return as soon as possible.
"So?" Chack asked, breaking the silence. "Did they find anything—or anyone—at the base?"
Xavier shook his head slightly, his expression grim."Negative. The place was completely still. No signs of battle, no tracks, no bodies… absolutely nothing. We can be sure everything happened where we found Darek. If the other heroes fought that shadow, their bodies must be nearby. But honestly… I doubt any of them survived."
The group reached the platform without incident. As they arrived, they were greeted by the other team, who had been anxiously waiting. Sasha was the first to approach, her eyes reflecting a mix of disbelief and relief."You all look perfectly fine. I'm really glad," she said, glancing at Xavier. "I see you brought the body…""Yes," Xavier replied with a grave look. "We were lucky that thing vanished. Honestly, Kairo was dead—as I told you in the call—and I was barely hanging on. But then… suddenly, we were fine. No wounds. And the shadow was gone."
Sasha frowned, clearly unsettled."You didn't see anything strange, Chack?""Nothing," Chack replied seriously. "I was with Xavier. I saw that thing pierce through Kairo, and I saw Xavier bleeding out… I couldn't do anything. And then… the shadow vanished, and they were fine. As if nothing had happened. It was… like the universe rewound time just to save them."
Sasha remained silent for a few seconds, still trying to process what had happened. Finally, she muttered:"That wasn't luck… it was something else."
Kairo swallowed hard, uncomfortable under Sasha's gaze. There was something in her eyes… as if she knew more than she let on. As if she sensed a secret he couldn't share.
The price of power was silence.
"Whatever it was, we'll have time to talk about it later," Xavier interjected, breaking the tension. "Right now, the priority is to leave. We shouldn't stay here a second longer. This place… gives me a bad feeling."
Without waiting for a response, he stepped onto the teleportation platform and looked back at the others with barely contained urgency.