Kaelen stood in the shadows of a collapsed building, observing the city he'd left twelve years ago. The smog was thicker now. The buildings more decrepit. But there was something else—something that made his skin crawl.
*Control.*
Security checkpoints everywhere. Automated turrets on every corner. Drones patrolling in organized patterns. Enforcement officers—human and robotic—moving in squads.
The breach he'd used a thousand times was sealed. Reinforced with new metal plating and guarded by a full security station.
*They've tightened their grip,* Kaelen thought. *Magnus has consolidated power.*
*"Twelve years is a long time,"* Crust observed. *"Enough time for a tyrant to cement his rule. Enough time for hope to die."*
"Then I'll just have to bring it back."
Kaelen activated Divine Sense, pushing it outward. His range had grown exponentially over the years—he could now sense everything within a five-kilometer radius with perfect clarity.
The lower city was a maze of life signs. Thousands of people, all packed together in misery. But he was looking for specific signatures.
*There.*
Two familiar presences. Stronger than before, but unmistakable.
Ryker and Lira.
And they were... together? In the same building. Not Ryker's old apartment—somewhere else.
*A different home,* Kaelen realized. *They moved.*
He also noticed something else. The overall population felt... diminished. Fewer people than he remembered. Either they'd died, or they'd left.
Neither option was good.
Kaelen pulled his hood lower and began moving through the shadows. Twelve years of training with Arcturus had taught him how to move like a ghost. Even with all the surveillance, he slipped through the city undetected.
---
**Twenty minutes later, he stood outside a building that looked slightly better than the others.**
Not luxurious. But maintained. Repaired. Someone had clearly put effort into keeping it livable.
Kaelen's Divine Sense confirmed it—Ryker, Lira, and three others inside. Mira, Dane, and... someone else. Someone young.
*A child?*
He climbed the exterior wall silently, finding an open window on the third floor. He slipped inside—
And froze.
The apartment was small but clean. Actual furniture. Functioning lights. Food in the kitchen.
*They used the money I left them,* he realized. *Made a real home.*
"Don't move."
A blade pressed against Kaelen's throat.
He recognized the voice immediately.
"Hello, Lira."
There was a pause. The blade didn't move.
"...Kaelen?"
"Yeah. It's me."
The blade withdrew. Kaelen turned slowly.
Lira stared at him, eyes wide. She'd changed—seventeen or eighteen now, taller, her face harder. She wore practical clothes and carried a well-maintained knife.
But her eyes were the same. Sharp. Calculating. Survivor's eyes.
"You're..." She looked him up and down, taking in his height, his build, the way he moved. "You're different."
"Twelve years will do that."
"You're *really* back?" Her voice cracked slightly. "You actually came back?"
"I promised I would."
For a moment, she just stared. Then she dropped her knife and threw her arms around him.
"You idiot," she whispered, her voice thick. "We thought... we weren't sure..."
"I'm sorry. I had to—"
"Lira?" Another voice called from the next room. "Who are you talking to?"
Ryker appeared in the doorway. He'd changed too—taller, broader, with the build of someone who worked hard every day. His face was scarred, weathered. But his eyes...
His eyes widened in recognition.
"No way."
"Hey, Ryker."
For three seconds, Ryker just stood there, frozen.
Then he crossed the room in two strides and grabbed Kaelen in a crushing hug.
"You bastard!" He was laughing and crying at the same time. "Twelve years! *Twelve years* and you just show up at the window like some kind of ghost!"
"I did say I'd come back."
"Yeah, but—" Ryker pulled back, looking at him properly. "Look at you. You're... gods, you're completely different. You were a kid when you left. Now you're..."
"Seventeen. Same as you guys."
"But you look like you've lived three lifetimes."
*Four, technically,* Kaelen thought. *If you count the first one.*
Mira appeared next, drawn by the commotion. She took one look at Kaelen and her hand flew to her mouth.
"Kaelen? Is that really you?"
"Hi, Mira. Sorry for dropping in unannounced."
She pulled him into a hug too, and Kaelen felt something in his chest tighten. He'd forgotten what family felt like.
Dane emerged last, his prosthetic arm hanging at his side. He looked older, more tired. But he smiled when he saw Kaelen.
"Welcome home, son."
---
**They sat around a table—an actual table, with actual chairs.**
Kaelen noticed the small touches everywhere. Pictures on the walls. A child's toy in the corner. A sense of *home* that the old apartment had never quite achieved.
"You did well with the money," Kaelen said.
Ryker nodded. "We pooled it with what Dad and I saved from working. Bought this place three years ago. It's not much, but..." He gestured around. "It's ours."
"It's perfect."
"So." Lira leaned forward, her eyes intense. "Where have you been? What happened? Ryker said you went to train with some ancient general, but—"
"It's true. I spent twelve years in a pocket dimension. Training. Learning to fight. To survive. To lead." Kaelen met her gaze. "I'm not the same person who left."
"We can see that." Ryker studied him. "You move different. Talk different. Even the way you *sit* is different. You're like... I don't know. Like a soldier."
"I am a soldier. Among other things."
"How strong are you now?" Lira asked bluntly. "Level?"
"Nineteen. But my stats are..." Kaelen paused, trying to figure out how to explain. "The training didn't give me levels. It gave me skill. Technique. Discipline. My base stats are around seven thousand total."
Ryker's jaw dropped. "Seven *thousand*? That's... that's higher than most Level 40s!"
"That was the point. Quality over quantity."
"And you're *nineteen*?" Lira shook her head. "Gods. What are you going to be like at Level 100?"
*Unstoppable,* Kaelen thought. *Or dead. One of the two.*
"What about you?" he asked, changing the subject. "Levels? What have you been doing?"
Ryker and Lira exchanged glances.
"We've been hunting," Ryker said. "Carefully. Not deep in the wasteland—we're not suicidal. But enough to survive. Enough to get stronger."
"I'm Level 12," Lira said. "Ryker's Level 15."
Kaelen nodded. That was respectable for people without systems, training purely on combat experience.
"And the city?" he asked. "What's changed?"
Ryker's expression darkened. "Everything. About eight years ago, Magnus cracked down hard. New security everywhere. More enforcement. More control. People started disappearing—anyone who spoke out, anyone who caused trouble. The Undercroft is a prison now. We're allowed to exist as long as we stay in line and don't make noise."
"Population?"
"Down by a third," Mira said quietly. "Some left. Most died. Disease. Starvation. 'Accidents.'"
Kaelen's fists clenched. *Magnus. All of this is Magnus.*
"There's more," Ryker continued. "About five years ago, they closed off most access to the wasteland. Only licensed hunters are allowed out now. You need permits. They track everyone who leaves and enters. It's—"
"A cage," Kaelen finished. "They've turned the whole lower city into a cage."
"Yeah."
Silence fell over the table.
Finally, Lira spoke. "So what are you going to do? You came back for a reason, right? You didn't spend twelve years training just to hide in the shadows."
Kaelen looked at each of them. His family. His people.
"I'm going to tear it all down," he said quietly. "The upper city. The security state. Magnus's regime. All of it. I'm going to burn it to the ground and build something better from the ashes."
"That's suicide," Ryker said. But he was smiling. "I'm in."
"Me too," Lira added immediately.
"Count us in as well," Dane said, Mira nodding beside him.
Kaelen felt his throat tighten. "You don't have to—"
"Yes, we do," Ryker interrupted. "You're family. And family fights together."
*"Sentiment,"* Crust observed. *"But useful sentiment. You'll need allies for what's coming."*
Kaelen nodded slowly. "Okay. But first... I need to know something." He looked at Ryker. "Did Aria ever come back? After I left?"
Ryker's expression shifted. Sadness. Regret.
"Yeah. She came. Once."
Kaelen's heart hammered. "When?"
"About a week after you entered the Commander's realm. She showed up in her flying car. Looked... bad. Beat up. Like her father had gotten to her again." Ryker's voice was heavy. "She asked where you were. I told her what you said—that you'd gone to train, that you'd be back in twelve years."
"And?"
"She just... stood there. Didn't say anything. Didn't cry. Just stared at the spot where you used to wait for her at noon. Then she got back in her car and left." Ryker met Kaelen's eyes. "I haven't seen her since. None of us have."
Kaelen felt like someone had punched him in the chest.
*She came looking. And I was already gone.*
*"Twelve years is a long time, little god,"* Crust said gently. *"She may have moved on. Married. Had a life. Don't get your hopes up."*
"I have to know," Kaelen said. "I have to see if she's okay."
"How are you going to find her?" Lira asked. "The upper city is massive. And if her father's as connected as you said—"
"I'll find her." Kaelen stood. "My Divine Sense can cover the entire upper city now. If she's there, I'll locate her."
"Tonight?" Ryker asked.
"Tonight."
"Then get some rest first. You look exhausted." Mira pointed to the small couch. "Sleep for a few hours. Then go find your girl."
Kaelen wanted to argue. But the truth was, he *was* tired. The journey back, the emotional reunion, the weight of everything he'd learned—it was all catching up to him.
"A few hours," he agreed. "Then I go."
---
**He didn't sleep.**
He lay on the couch, staring at the ceiling, his mind racing.
*Aria.*
*Did she wait? Did she move on? Is she even alive?*
*What if her father killed her?*
*What if she hates me for leaving?*
*"Stop spiraling,"* Crust said. *"You'll know soon enough. Just breathe."*
Kaelen took a deep breath. Centered himself. Found the calm he'd learned under the waterfall.
*Patience. Control. Then action.*
The hours crawled by.
Finally, when the city outside had gone quiet—as quiet as The Undercroft ever got—Kaelen rose.
Ryker was sitting by the window, keeping watch.
"Couldn't sleep either?" Kaelen asked.
"Nope. Too wired." Ryker looked at him. "You're going now?"
"Yeah."
"Be careful. Upper city security is no joke."
"I will."
Kaelen moved to the window and paused. "Ryker? Thank you. For everything. For staying. For keeping the family together."
"That's what brothers do."
Kaelen smiled. Then he dropped out the window and vanished into the night.
---
**Reaching the upper city was easier than he'd expected.**
The security was tight, yes. But it was designed to stop normal people. People without twelve years of master-level training.
Kaelen moved like smoke. Like shadow. He bypassed checkpoints, slipped past drones, avoided patrol routes with casual ease.
Within thirty minutes, he was standing on a rooftop in Avalon Prime.
The upper city was exactly as he remembered. Clean. Pristine. Beautiful. The air smelled like flowers instead of smoke. The buildings gleamed under artificial lighting.
It made him sick.
*All of this luxury. Built on the suffering of the people below.*
He activated Divine Sense and pushed it to maximum range.
Five kilometers. Ten. Fifteen.
He swept across the entire upper city, sensing every life sign, every presence, every—
*There.*
His breath caught.
He found her.
Alive. Healthy. Sleeping.
*Aria.*
She was in the Central District. One of the highest towers. Exactly where Ryker had said her family lived.
Kaelen's heart pounded as he began moving, leaping from rooftop to rooftop with enhanced agility.
*Please be okay. Please don't hate me. Please—*
He reached her building—a gleaming spire of white stone and crystal. Climbed the exterior with practiced ease. Found her window.
And looked inside.
---
**She was sleeping.**
The room was large, luxurious. Silk sheets. Expensive furniture. Everything a rich girl could want.
But Aria herself...
Kaelen's chest tightened.
She'd grown up. Seventeen or eighteen now, her dark hair spread across the pillow, her face peaceful in sleep. She was beautiful—more beautiful than he remembered.
But he could see the signs.
Faint scars on her arms. A healed burn mark on her shoulder. The way she slept—tense, even in rest, as if expecting danger.
*Her father.*
Kaelen's hands clenched. *He kept hurting her. For twelve years.*
He almost left then. Almost decided to come back tomorrow, to give her space.
But he couldn't.
He'd waited twelve years. He needed to see her. Needed to know.
Carefully, silently, he opened the window and slipped inside.
The room smelled like her—the same scent he remembered from their training days. Flowers and rain.
He approached the bed slowly, his footsteps silent.
And then, very gently, he reached out and touched her shoulder.
"Aria."
She woke instantly—combat reflexes honed by years of training.
Her hand shot out, grabbing a weapon from under her pillow—a small energy pistol—and aimed it at his face.
They froze.
Her eyes were wide, still foggy with sleep, finger on the trigger—
And then recognition hit.
"Kaelen?"
Her voice was a whisper. Uncertain. As if she couldn't quite believe what she was seeing.
"Hey," he said softly. "Sorry for waking you."
"You're..." She lowered the gun slowly, still staring. "You're real? You're actually here?"
"I'm here."
"But you were supposed to be gone for twelve years. Ryker said—" Her eyes widened further. "It's been twelve years."
"It has."
Aria's expression shifted rapidly. Shock. Confusion. Disbelief.
And then—
Anger.
She threw a pillow at his face.
"You idiot!" she hissed, keeping her voice low but furious. "Twelve years! Twelve years and you just... show up at my window?! In the middle of the night?! Like some kind of stalker?!"
Kaelen caught the pillow. "I know. I'm sorry. I just—"
"I came looking for you!" She threw another pillow. "A week after you left! I was beaten half to death by my father, and I dragged myself to The Undercroft to find you, and you were gone! Ryker said twelve years, and I thought... I thought..."
Her voice broke.
Tears streamed down her face.
"I thought you'd abandoned me. That I'd never see you again. That I'd be alone forever."
Kaelen felt like someone had punched him in the chest.
"Aria, I didn't—"
"I know you didn't." She wiped her eyes angrily. "Ryker explained. Training. Becoming stronger. I understand. But that doesn't change the fact that I was alone. For twelve years. My only friend—my only friend—just disappeared, and I had no one. No one, Kaelen."
Her voice cracked on the last word.
"I'm so sorry," Kaelen said quietly. "I wish I could have told you before I left. I wish—"
"Stop." She took a shaky breath. "Just... stop apologizing. You're here now. That's what matters."
She climbed out of bed, crossing the space between them slowly. For a moment, she just stood there, looking at him like she still couldn't believe he was real.
"You've changed so much," she said finally. "You're not the kid I knew. You're..."
"Older. Taller. Stronger." Kaelen tried to smile. "But still me."
"Are you?" She tilted her head. "Are you still the same person who trained with me? Who made me laugh? Who was the only one who treated me like a real person instead of a political tool?"
"I hope so."
Aria studied his face for a long moment.
Then, slowly, she smiled.
"Yeah. You are. I can see it in your eyes." She reached out and punched his arm—not hard, but enough to make her point. "You're still my friend. My idiot friend who disappears for twelve years but comes back anyway."
"I promised I would."
"I know. And you kept that promise." Her smile wobbled. "Thank you. For coming back. For not forgetting about me."
"I could never forget you."
"Good. Because I didn't forget you either." She wiped her eyes again, then gestured to the chairs by the window. "Come on. Sit. We have twelve years to catch up on, and I'm not wasting a single second."
They talked all night.
Sitting by the window, keeping their voices low, catching up on everything.
Aria told him about her life—the restrictions, the isolation, the training her father forced on her. The marriage proposals from upper city families that she'd rejected.
"He was furious every time I said no," she said. "Kept saying I was ruining his plans. That I was worthless. That I should be grateful anyone would want to marry a 'stain on the family name.'" She looked down at her hands. "After a while, I started wondering if he was right."
"He's not," Kaelen said firmly. "You're not worthless. You're strong. You survived twelve years in that cage without breaking. That takes incredible strength."
"I almost broke. So many times." She looked at him. "The only thing that kept me going was thinking about you. Wondering if you were okay. Hoping you'd come back like you promised. It was stupid, but..."
"It's not stupid."
"It felt stupid. Waiting for someone who might never return. But I didn't have anyone else." She smiled sadly. "You were my only friend, Kaelen. The only person who saw me as me. Not as a tool. Not as a bargaining chip. Just... Aria."
"You still are. Just Aria."
She laughed—a small, genuine laugh. "Gods, I missed this. Talking to someone who actually listens."
"I missed it too."
Aria leaned back in her chair. "So. Tell me about your training. What was it like? Did you really spend twelve years just... fighting and learning?"
Kaelen told her—carefully editing out the worst parts. The waterfall meditation. The wound that wouldn't heal. The endless drills. But he shared the important things. The Commander. The techniques he'd mastered. The way he'd been broken down and rebuilt.
"That sounds brutal," Aria said.
"It was. But it made me strong. Strong enough to come back and actually make a difference."
"Make a difference how?"
Kaelen looked at her seriously. "I'm going to change this world, Aria. The system. Magnus. The way the upper city treats everyone below them. All of it. I'm going to tear it down and build something better."
Aria's eyes widened. "That's... that's insane. That's suicide."
"Maybe. But I have to try."
"Why?"
"Because I destroyed this world once before. And now I have a chance to fix it." He met her gaze. "I'm not asking you to help. I'm not asking you to risk yourself. But I wanted you to know. Because you deserve to know what I'm planning."
Aria was quiet for a long moment.
Then she smiled—a real smile, full of determination.
"You're an idiot. But you're my idiot. My friend." She leaned forward. "And if you're going to do something this insane, you're not doing it alone. I'm helping."
"Aria—"
"Don't argue. You left me alone for twelve years. I'm not letting you disappear into some suicide mission without me." She crossed her arms. "Besides, I've been training too. I'm not the scared girl you left behind. I can fight. And I'm bored of being locked up here like a decorative doll."
Kaelen couldn't help but smile. "You really want to help?"
"Absolutely. But first..." She hesitated. "Can we just... train together again? Like we used to? I miss that. Miss having someone to fight beside. Miss not being alone."
"Yeah. We can do that."Kaelen nodded. "Meet me in the wasteland tomorrow. Noon. Same place we used to go."
Aria's face lit up. "Really? Just like that?"
"Just like that. You're allowed in the wasteland now, right?"
"Yes. I'm an adult, and I have combat certification." She grinned. "My father can't stop me from going anymore."
"Then tomorrow at noon. I'll be waiting."
"I'll be there. I promise."
As dawn approached, Kaelen knew he had to leave.
Aria walked him to the window, reluctant to see him go but understanding the danger of him being found here.
"This is real, right?" she asked quietly. "You'll actually be there tomorrow? This isn't just... a dream?"
"It's real. I promise." Kaelen gave her a reassuring smile. "Get some rest. I'll see you in a few hours."
"Okay." She smiled back. "And Kaelen? Thank you. For coming back. For not forgetting. For still being my friend."
"Always."
He slipped out the window and into the pre-dawn darkness.
Behind him, Aria watched until he disappeared from sight.
Then she closed the window and leaned against it, her heart lighter than it had been in twelve years.
My friend came back.
I'm not alone anymore.
Kaelen returned to Ryker's apartment just as the sun rose.
His friend was waiting, having never gone to sleep.
"Well?" Ryker asked.
Kaelen couldn't help the smile that spread across his face.
"She's alive. She's okay. And we're meeting in the wasteland at noon."
"Already?"
"I've waited twelve years. She's waited twelve years. Neither of us wants to wait any longer."
Ryker grinned. "She really waited for you, huh?"
"Not for... it's not like that." Kaelen shook his head. "We're friends. She was alone, and I was the only real friend she ever had. She waited because she had no one else."
"Right. 'Just friends.'" Ryker's grin widened. "Sure."
"I'm serious."
"I believe you. For now." Ryker stood and stretched. "Get some sleep. You look like death. I'll wake you at eleven so you're not late."
Kaelen collapsed onto the couch, exhaustion finally catching up with him.
But even as he drifted off, his last thought was of Aria.
Not as anything romantic. Just... relief. Happiness.
My friend is alive and safe.
And tomorrow, we fight together again.