Damon and Thorpax walked toward the silhouettes of Thessa and Nyra. The air above the volcano was thick with the smell of cooling stone and spent energy.
Thorpax wiped sweat from his brow, his posture relaxing. "It's contained now. We just have to wait for the heat to bleed out and the rock to solidify."
The Queen stopped, her gaze fixed on the massive stone blocks. "Are you sure your earth will hold it, Thorpax?"
"Don't worry, Your Majesty. The lava can't burn through it. I made it quite dense."
Damon looked at the massive rectangular structures, then at Thorpax. "If you could have just created a single dome around the volcano, why were you struggling so much?"
Thorpax rubbed the back of his hair, a shy, masculine laugh escaping him. "I just wanted to test my speed. I made many weak layers on purpose so I'd have to replace them the moment they melted. I thought... I thought if I was just a bit faster, I could've beaten the Earth Brother."
Damon thought How greedy. He's already much faster than me.
The Queen let out a long, weary breath. "Well. I am glad everything is okay."
"Your Majesty," Thorpax's tone shifted, becoming more professional. "Did you get any information from Seraphine before she... before her passing?"
The Queen closed her eyes. The silence lasted a second too long. "Sadly, not."
Nyra looked at the ground, her shoulders dropping. "I'm sorry, Mom. If I hadn't killed her, we could have gotten information about Gamishi. I'm sorry."
Thessa reached out, her hand gentle as she cupped her daughter's face. She smiled, a soft, motherly expression. "It's okay, Nyra. In fact, I'm just as much to blame. I could have interrogated her properly, but... I spent most of my time lashing out instead."
The Queen leaned in, the cold marble of her expression softening as she kissed Nyra's forehead.
"Go and rest. Both of you."
She lingered for a moment, her gaze sweeping over her children. Both of them carried her eyes—those steady, beautiful sapphire fires that seemed to hold the weight of the sky.
"There is one more thing, my Queen."
Thorpax's voice was low, laced with a vibration of worry that hadn't been there before. The Queen turned, her posture instantly regaining its sharp, regal edge.
"What is it?"
"Well... when Bravira and I were fixing the planets and moons that were damaged during the battle, we ensured that every single one of our men's bodies were returned to their families." Thorpax paused, his brow furrowing. "However, when we further inspected the battlefield... Velmira's men were missing."
Damon stepped forward, confusion and curiosity bathing his expression. "What do you mean, missing?"
"Velmira had at least a hundred thousand men," Thorpax explained, his voice growing grimmer. "A force that we visibly saw on the field. To challenge Woewyn, she would have required even more. But the problem is... we can't even find the hundred thousand."
The Queen's eyes narrowed. "How many bodies did you find?"
"Approximately ten thousand." Thorpax looked at the scorched ground. "Is it possible the rest were destroyed during the casualties? Perhaps. I didn't think it was important to tell you before, but there's no harm in doing so now."
A silent pause followed.
The air grew heavy. They stood there, four figures framed by the cooling volcano, staring into each other's eyes as the math of the massacre failed to add up. Ninety thousand men had simply vanished into the void.
"We will sort this out tomorrow," the Queen said, though the steel in her voice suggested she was already running through the possibilities. "Neither of you should think too much of it tonight."
She turned and walked away with Thorpax, leaving the siblings in a silence that felt far more crowded than it had a moment ago.
"Let me escort you to the castle, My Queen." Thorpax offered and The Queen nodded.
Damon replayed Thorpax's words then decided not to wander too much.
He watched his mother and Thorpax walk away, heading back towards the castle grounds. The world felt quiet again. He slung an arm over Nyra's shoulder, pulling her into his side.
"Nyra, it's still kinda New Year's on Earth."
Nyra looked up at him, her brow furrowing. "So?"
"Well, there's this thing some people do on Earth. It's called a New Year's Resolution. You pick an activity or a change for that year, and sometimes, it has a permanent impact on who you are."
They began to walk slowly toward the castle.
"Oh," Nyra murmured. "So what's your New Year's Resolution?"
Damon touched his jaw, his eyes shifting to the left as he thought. "Hmm. I don't know. I said some people do it, not everyone. But I want you to consider something if you ever pick one."
"What is it? If it has something to do with returning that shard you gave me, the answer is no. It's been helping me perfect my moves."
Damon laughed, the sound light in the heavy night air. "No, no. Resolutions are long-term. I want you to consider... thinking before you act."
Nyra stopped, frowning deeply at him. "What?"
"Just listen. I'm not saying this to lecture you. Sometimes I don't even think before I act. But you, on the other hand..." He looked at her, a teasing glint in his eyes. "We can both be honest and agree that you operate entirely on instinct. Heehh?"
He ruffled her hair as she folded her arms, pouting and looking away. At first she just turned her gaze, now it was fixed on Ignivar. She looked at the great Volcano, really looked — and her expression shifted. For the first time, she really understood what she'd almost caused.
"It's just a consideration, Nyra. Okay?"
She snapped back and pouted for another moment, then let out a sigh. "Alright. I'll try my best."
Damon didn't say anything else. He just walked with his little sister, the silence between them comfortable for the first time in hours.
After walking Nyra to her room, Damon reached his own. He didn't even take off his boots before dropping onto the bed, his body feeling like lead.
"You look tired," Daichi said. He was sitting on the table, his eyes tracing the blue of Damon's.
"Literally just got back from Earth and had all this Seraphine drama," Damon groaned into the pillow on his face. "Can you believe Nyra killed her? Threw her into the volcano."
Daichi shifted from the table, moving to the bed. He lay down, resting his head on Damon's chest. "Well, it's not so hard to believe, is it? I actually feel a bit tired too. I hunted while you were explaining the Seraphine stuff."
Damon felt a flicker of concern. He shifted slightly. "Are you hurt?"
"No. I just want to sleep. And—"
"Happy Birthday, Damon!!"
Natsuki's voice erupted from the Shard of Luminaris. She was in her room, holding the shard, her face bright and smiling.
Damon blinked, the fatigue momentarily forgotten. "Birthday?"
"Yes! It's the 10th over here already," Natsuki laughed. Her smile faded slightly as she looked at him. "Why do you look so stressed?"
Damon sat up with exaggerated energy, causing Daichi to shift. "I'll tell you if you let me come over. As a birthday gift."
Natsuki giggled. "Okay, okay. You can come over. But didn't you tell me opening portals uses a lot of energy?"
Damon didn't answer. He just stretched his hand out and stroked Daichi's fur. "Bye bye, Daichi. I'll be back like I never left."
"Bye," Daichi replied, his voice already thick with sleep.
Damon stepped through the portal. The transition was seamless. He landed softly on the balcony outside Natsuki's window, the faint shimmer of light fading behind him. The night air was cool, smelling of the city.
She was already waiting. She stepped onto the balcony, her eyes glowing with happiness. Damon felt weight lifting off him when he saw Natsuki's face. She reached for him, holding the small of his neck as she kissed him as if quietly longing.
"Happy Birthday, Damon."
Damon smiled. It was the first real smile he'd had all day. "Does this mean you don't tease me anymore, about turning eighteen before me?"
Natsuki laughed in his arms. "Welllll... I will turn nineteen before you, so I'll just tease you all over again."
"Of course you will."
"You looked tired a moment ago," she said, looking up at him. "Did seeing me give you energy?" She teased.
Damon ruffled the back of his hair, a bit nervous. "Well, seeing you definitely made me happy, but I'm still a bit tired."
"Well, I have a gift for you. Actually, I had many gifts, but tonight I'll give you two."
"Oh? What have you planned for me?"
Natsuki giggled and took his hand, pulling him into her room. She went to her drawer and brought out a bracelet made from a bra strap. And a basketball.
"I know you don't have basketballs on Eternum so here you go." She handed him the new ball in a box. "Remember the first day we confessed our feelings? And I said I would give you this when we met again?"
Damon looked at the bracelet in her palm, then at her face. The memories of that day on Earth felt like a lifetime ago. "Yeah. I do. Thank you, Natsuki."
"Let me put it on for you."
She slid it onto his left hand, balancing the other bracelet he already wore on his right. He reached out, cupping her cheek and pulling her into a kiss.
Ahem.
The sound of someone clearing their throat hit the room like a gunshot. They turned to the door, faces instantly flushing deep red.
Renji stood there.
"No, don't stop because of me," he said.
"Ahh—nothing—erm—I was just—" Damon's voice failed him.
Renji let out a slow breath. "No need to be so nervous, Damon. I know you've been seeing my daughter for a while now. I even forgot to thank you for spending Christmas with her. I just wanted to say... you don't always have to sneak in through her window."
He leaned against the doorframe. "Sure, you might enjoy the thrill of climbing, but if you want to see my daughter again, please take the front door so her mother and I are aware you're here."
Damon bowed his head quickly, his face burning bright red. "I'm sorry for disappointing you. From now on, I'll knock and take the front door. I'm sorry, sir!"
Renji laughed. Natsuki watched them, her own laughter nervous but relieved.
"It's fine, Damon. I've known you for what—eight years now? You've grown to be a good boy. Don't do anything stupid. And tell your father I said hi."
He stepped toward the hall, but stopped before closing the door. "Oh, and yes... Happy Birthday, Damon. The internship spot is still open at the company I work at, if you want it."
"Thank you, sir," Damon said. "I'll definitely be thinking about it."
Renji nodded with a faint smile and closed the door.
The room was silent for a minute, with one of Natsuki's hand on her other elbow.
Then Natsuki turned to Damon, and Damon looked back at her, still reeling. "Your father seemed pretty cool now that I think about it. Did I overreact?"
"Well... yeah. You did." They both laughed, the greatest tension of the day finally breaking.
"So," Natsuki asked, "what do you want to do?"
"Can I just stay with you? For a while."
"Sure."
They didn't say anything else. They just stood there, holding hands, smiles fixed on their faces. Their eyes said everything that needed to be said.