Another day started with the rays of sunlight passing through the floor to selling windows , the sound of the waves crashing against the shore. The mansion felt unusually quiet as the group prepared to head into the city. For the first time since the "Heart of the Void" had been neutralized, there were no battle plans to draw, no wards to reinforce, and no ancient grudges to settle. Chase stood in the foyer, checking his reflection—not for armor gaps, but to ensure he looked like a man capable of a normal Saturday.
"Smiling at himself in the mirror he said looking good chase, alright time to go walking out the down stairs bathroom he called out Everyone ready?" Chase called out.
Rixsa tumbled down the stairs, looking vibrant in her new emerald-green Ether-silk blouse and a pair of dark jeans. She looked less like a deadly scout and more like a high-end rebel. Vincent and Kaelen followed, the former dressed in a simple black sweater and the latter in a flowing, cream-colored dress that made her look like a piece of living porcelain.
"Alex is staying with Sienna today," Chase noted. "She wanted to learn how to make 'glitter cupcakes.' It's probably for the best; the city's energy can be a bit much for her halo right now."
They set of in chases car heading to town singing along side the radio
Their first stop was a high-end organic market in town. It was a strange sight: the Surgeon, the Commander, the Noblewoman, and the Scout navigating a crowded grocery store.
"Vincent, the potatoes are not tactical equipment. You don't need to check their weight for aerodynamic stability," Chase muttered as Vincent meticulously inspected a bag of potatoes.
"Texture is everything, Vance," Vincent replied, popping a chocolate-covered almond from a bulk bin—his new favorite human vice. "Kaelen, do we require more of the saffron? The scent in the kitchen was becoming faint."
Kaelen smiled, a genuine, soft expression that reached her eyes. She leaned against the cart, her hand brushing Vincent's arm. "We have plenty, my love. Let's focus on the fresh fish. Chase promised to grill tonight."
Watching them, Chase felt a tug of warmth. Despite a century of hunting and betrayal, the two of them were finding their rhythm again. He felt a sharp nudge in his side.
"Stop being sappy," Rixsa whispered, leaning into him. She reached up and adjusted his collar, her fingers lingering on his neck. "You're doing that thing where you look like a protective dad. Relax. We're just buying food."
Chase caught her hand, lacing his fingers with hers. "I'm just enjoying the view."
They continued to shop for groceries, occasionally having to stop Vincent from adding random bags of chocolate to the cart.
After dropping the groceries in the car, the group split up. They agreed to meet back in three hours—a small taste of freedom in the Sanctuary.
After separating, Chase and Rixsa walked and chatted for a while before stopping and entering an arcade. The neon lights and chaotic symphony of electronic beeps at the "Barcade" were a far cry from the trenches, but Rixsa was in her element. She moved through the rows of machines with predatory grace, her eyes lighting up at the sight of a vintage fighting game.
"You think your 'Warrior's Wake' helps you with frame data, Surgeon?" Rixsa challenged, pointing to the two-player cabinet. "Put your money where your mouth is."
Chase smirked, dropping a handful of tokens into the slot. "You're playing a dangerous game, scout. I spent years learning how humans entertain themselves. This is my territory."
For the next hour, they were a blur of motion. Rixsa played with a chaotic, aggressive style, her fingers dancing over the buttons. Chase was surgical, waiting for the perfect opening to counter-attack. When he finally landed a finishing blow, Rixsa let out a frustrated growl and shoved him playfully.
"Cheater! You used a gravity fold on the joystick!"
"I did not," Chase laughed, pulling her into his side. "You're just tilted."
Rixsa looked up at him, the neon pink and blue lights reflecting in her green eyes. She reached up, pulling his head down for a quick, breathless kiss that tasted of salt-and-vinegar chips and pure, unshielded affection. "I like this," she whispered. "No contracts. Just us."
Meanwhile, uptown at the Botanical Gardens, the world was silent and green. Vincent and Kaelen walked through the Victorian-style glass greenhouse, the humidity mimicking the tropical climates of their old world.
"These lilies," Kaelen whispered, stopping before a vibrant white bloom. "They aren't exactly like the ones in the Jade Province, but the scent is almost identical."
Vincent stood behind her, his arms wrapping around her waist. He rested his chin on her shoulder, breathing in the scent of the flowers and her perfume. "The world is different, Kaelen. But the way the light hits your hair... that hasn't changed at all."
Kaelen turned in his arms, her hands resting on his chest. "I was so afraid you would never look at me without seeing a traitor. I was so afraid I had lost the boy who used to sneak into the palace gardens just to bring me a single rose."
Vincent leaned down, pressing his forehead against hers. "The boy died in the fire, Kaelen. But the man who survived... he remembers why he fought in the first place. It wasn't for the Legion. It was for this. For you."
He kissed her then—a slow, tender reconnection that felt like a bridge being built over a hundred years of sorrow. In the quiet of the greenhouse, surrounded by ancient plants, the Commander and his Noblewoman were finally at peace.
When they met back at the car, the energy had shifted. The sharp edges of their past lives had been softened by a day of simple, human joy.
"So," Kaelen asked as they drove back toward the cliffside. "Who won the most tickets?"
"Rixsa almost got banned from the claw machine," Chase noted dryly.
"I didn't 'almost' get banned, I successfully liberated five stuffed dragons!" Rixsa argued, holding up a neon-purple plushie.
Vincent looked out the window, a small, content smile on his face. "The garden was... adequate. Kaelen found a new species of fern she wishes to plant by the pool."
Chase looked at his small, strange family in the rearview mirror. The "Surgeon" was gone, replaced by a man who had a freezer full of steaks, a house full of legends, and a girl who made his heart beat faster than any battlefield ever could.