"You guys look like you need some help," the girl said, stepping closer, her voice a soft tremor in the grim air.
Alec narrowed his eyes, suspicion etching his features. "What are you doing here? Isn't this gang territory? You don't look like one of them."
"Don't worry about that," she replied casually, but a haunted flicker danced in her eyes. "But you guys need medical attention — like, now. The best I can do is freeze your burns. Oh, and I'm Crystal. Nice to meet you." A forced smile strained her lips.
Alec, Irene, Mira, and Owen exchanged uncertain looks, the silence thick with unspoken fears.
"Well," Owen whispered, his voice laced with doubt, "she said freeze, so I don't think she's a fire manipulator. She probably isn't with Phoenix."
Mira shot him a glare, her gaze sharp enough to cut steel. "Even if she's not with Phoenix, she's still a stranger."
Crystal raised a brow, a hint of darkness swirling within her gaze. "You know I can hear you guys, right?"
They all froze, awkwardly silent, the weight of their desperation pressing down on them.
"We'll take your offer," Alec said finally, a weary resignation in his voice. "Please — freeze the burns. Anything helps."
Mira looked at him like he'd lost his mind, a silent scream trapped in her throat, but just shrugged, the gesture heavy with a sense of impending doom. "Whatever."
"Just stay still. It won't hurt," Crystal said calmly, but her eyes betrayed a deep, lurking sorrow.
She extended both hands and closed her eyes. Frost began to form over their wounds, a chilling embrace against their ravaged flesh. A cold, numbing sensation replaced the burning pain, drawing visible relief across their faces, but their eyes remained haunted, shadowed by the horrors they had witnessed.
Then—drip.
Blood ran from Crystal's nose, a crimson tear staining her pale skin.
"Irene, you good?" Alec asked, his voice a low growl, checking on her.
Irene groaned, twisting in silent agony. "I was doing fine until that one guy redirected my attack. I didn't expect random Phoenix members to know Override. They took over my move instantly. So unfair."
"Well," Alec said, his voice grim, "Override can only be used by the most skilled manipulators. That proves they're trained."
Irene sighed, a sound filled with bitter acceptance. "Guess power isn't everything after all."
Mira chuckled, a hollow, mirthless sound. "That's what I've been trying to tell you for months. But nooo…"
Irene rolled her eyes, a flicker of defiance in her gaze.
Crystal interrupted, her voice strained. "So… do you guys want to come with me? I know a place. We've got healers — well, connections is a better word."
Owen eyed her suspiciously, his gaze piercing. "Who's we? And where did you even come from?"
Crystal smiled, the expression not quite reaching her eyes. "I was just out exploring. Heard the fighting and found you guys. I can take you to my friends — they live in an apartment way outside gang territory. You'll be safe."
The group exchanged hesitant glances, then nodded, their movements jerky and uncoordinated.
"We'll go," they all said in unison, the words a bleak echo of hope.
They left the Dead Zone and headed toward a more active district in Vexen. Crystal flagged down a taxi, her movements quick and furtive.
"Thanks for dropping us off," Alec said, a hint of hope in his voice that sounded foreign and fragile. His eyes scanned the area, a desperate plea for safety lurking within them. "Isn't this, like… the richest part of Vexen?"
He stared at the towering buildings and flashing billboards, a sense of unease settling over him.
"I think so," Mira said, looking around in awe, her voice barely a whisper.
"Yup!" Crystal beamed, but the smile didn't quite mask the haunted look in her eyes. "My friends have solid jobs. One's an enhancement-type — works in the medical field. The other one's like me: ice manipulation. He builds structures for the rich. Pays really well."
They followed her through a sleek, modern complex, visibly impressed, their awe tinged with a growing sense of dread.
"Also," Crystal added, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, "you guys tried to go after Phoenix, right? Next time, you won't be alone. My friends are against them too. They hate how Phoenix abuses their powers and influence."
As they talked, a man stepped in front of them — wearing a ragged white robe and wild eyes, his presence an ominous omen in this oasis of wealth.
"You there!" he shouted, his voice cracking with fervor. "Come to church! The god who gave us these abilities must be worshipped! These powers are divine gifts, an extraordinary trait! We must praise them!"
They all stared in disbelief, the encounter a jarring intrusion into their desperate flight.
Alec frowned, confusion battling with the ever-present fear. "I believe a god created the world… but if these powers are divine gifts, why do they strain our bodies? Clearly, a different god gave them to us."
"Yeah," Owen added, his voice laced with venom. "Calling them gifts feels like a stretch. You sound insane."
The man's eyes widened, a fanatical gleam igniting within them. "You dare speak blasphemy? I could have you killed for that! These powers are gifts! You know the rules — and what you said breaks them!"
Owen stepped in front of the group, irritation warring with a primal fear. "Let's just keep walking."
Everyone silently agreed and moved on, the man's insane rant echoing in their minds, a chilling reminder of the darkness that lurked beneath the surface of their world.
Finally, they reached the apartment building, a sanctuary amidst the chaos.
"This is it," Crystal said, lowering her voice. "There's a code."
She knocked four times on the door of Apartment 400, the sound sharp in the sterile hallway. "It's me — Crystal."
The door creaked open, revealing a dimly lit interior that offered a sliver of hope.
"Sup, Joel," Crystal greeted, her voice laced with weary affection.
Joel looked at the group warily, his gaze assessing, calculating. "Crystal, what are you doing with these people?"
"They tried to take on Phoenix and got hurt," she explained, her voice tired.
Joel sighed, the sound heavy with resignation. "Come in."
Inside, Alec stepped forward, curious and cautious. "So, what's your name?"
"Joel," he said flatly, his eyes hard and unyielding. "And you?"
"Alec."
Crystal motioned them deeper into the apartment. The space was surprisingly cozy — clean, modern, and filled with soft lighting and plants in every corner, a stark contrast to the brutal world outside. Not the kind of place you'd expect two people with combat-grade powers to live in, a space that felt like a fragile illusion of peace.
"Where's Hiro? The best I could do was freeze their wounds," Crystal said, grabbing a napkin to wipe the blood from her nose, her movements jerky and strained.
"Kitchen," Joel answered, already eyeing the burn on Irene's shoulder, a flicker of concern crossing his stoic features. "You'll want Hiro. He's better with patching people up than fighting."
"On it," Crystal said, running down the hall, disappearing into the shadows.
Joel crossed his arms, still skeptical, his dark brown eyes sharp, unreadable, and filled with a deep, unshakeable sadness. "You sure you weren't followed? Phoenix's members are everywhere lately."
"No one followed us," Alec replied, studying him, trying to decipher the secrets hidden behind his guarded expression. "Thanks for letting us in."
Joel gave a slight nod but didn't relax, his vigilance unwavering. "You're lucky Crystal found you. This part of the city doesn't tolerate chaos — that includes gang violence. We stay under the radar."
Footsteps echoed down the hall, breaking the tense silence.
Hiro entered — a tall man with pale skin and tired eyes, his aura one of profound fatigue. "I'm Hiro," he said with a polite smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Looks like you've had a day."
"We tried to fight Phoenix," Owen admitted, his voice heavy with regret.
Hiro raised a brow, then sighed, a sound filled with weary resignation. "That was dumb."
Crystal reappeared beside him, her presence a strange mix of hope and despair. "They didn't stand a chance. Phoenix had Override users."
Hiro shook his head, his gaze distant and haunted. "That's what happens when amateurs mess with war machines."
His tone was blunt, but honest, devoid of any false comfort. He knelt beside Irene, pressing his hand to her shoulder. Her pain melted away almost instantly, replaced by a chilling wave of cold.
Moments later, blood dripped from his nose, a dark omen in the dimly lit room.
Hiro leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his face etched with exhaustion. "You all need to understand something. Fighting Phoenix directly is suicide. The four of us — Hiro, Crystal, and a few others — we've been working behind the scenes to fix this mess."
"Fix it?" Mira asked, her voice filled with disbelief. "How? The gangs are the problem. It's not.
the powers themselves."
"That's far from the truth," Hiro said plainly, his eyes reflecting a deep, unspoken horror. "We've been doing research on the entity — or god — that gave us powers, and the powers' effect on the world itself. Joel and I don't have much time left. We're going to die soon."
The room went silent, the air growing heavy with dread.
Alec blinked, struggling to grasp the gravity of the revelation. "I've always thought that these powers were a problem… but if it's a god that gave us powers, wouldn't we have to face a god? And if you're dying… why do this?"
Joel stepped forward, his voice calm but firm, masking the desperation beneath. "We were never meant to carry power like this. You've seen what it does to people — corrupts them, changes them. And if not that… it kills them, at the very least she wants good things to happen."
Crystal nodded, her eyes filled with a sorrow that seemed to stretch back centuries. "We're tired of seeing people destroyed by something that they depend on. It's not. It's killing people — and being abused."
"But…" Irene hesitated, her voice barely audible. "That's impossible. Powers are in our DNA, aren't they? And like Alec said — how do you even go against a god?"
Hiro looked up, his gaze fixed on something beyond the confines of the room. "We'll find a way, and it coming from a god is just a religious belief. Communities should have information. Records. Something."
Joel added, his voice laced with a desperate hope. "We're not saying we can fix it yet. But we're looking — research, old-world archives, artifacts. We believe there's a way to remove powers from the world. Until then, we heal who we can. We protect who we can."
"And we never use our abilities to dominate," Crystal said, her voice a soft, haunting melody. "Only to defend. Only for peace."
Alec took it all in slowly, his mind reeling from the revelations. "You really think it's possible to… banish powers given by a god? That's the only explanation for them, right?"
"Maybe not today," Hiro admitted, his voice laced with a grim determination. "But someone has to try. And we will. For peace. For love. For the people who never asked to be born with this curse."
Mira looked around, then at Alec, her eyes reflecting a newfound sense of purpose. "Well… that's a bigger goal than I expected tonight. But I can't say I'm in. My goal for Phoenix has always been. They caused the death of my parents."
Joel smiled, a genuine expression of hope flickering across his face. "Get some rest. Tomorrow, if you're serious about ending this curse, we'll talk. But know this: you're not alone anymore."
"Hey, I already said that!" Crystal shouted, her attempt at levity falling flat against the heavy atmosphere.
Everyone laughed except Mira. The sound echoes strangely in the small apartment. For the first time in a long time, none of them felt like they were fighting alone, but a sense of foreboding lingered, a chilling premonition of the darkness yet to come.
"I have a friend — Jessica — who lives in this part of Vexen. Could I be pardoned and visit her? You know since we're close to her location" Mira asked, her voice hesitant.
"Tomorrow," Joel said, excitement flickering in his tone, quickly masked by a somber expression. "I think you guys need training first — to learn what your curses can really do, even if it hurts. If you truly want to stand a chance against Phoenix, we won't be going to them just to be destroyed, Crystal told us everything."
The room stayed quiet after Joel finished speaking.
Too quiet.
Mira felt it crawling under her skin—the stillness people mistook for agreement.
She broke it.
"So that's it?" she said flatly. "We just… stop?"
Joel blinked. "That's not what I—"
"No," Mira cut in, turning away from him and toward the others. "I'm talking to them."
Owen shifted uncomfortably. "Mira, come on. They helped us. They healed us. That has to count for something."
"For what?" Her voice sharpened. "For making us feel better while Phoenix keeps breathing?"
Irene frowned. "They're not saying we stop going after Phoenix. They're saying we find a new goal, new angle."
"And do what instead?" Mira snapped. "Research? Archives? Sit around hoping some record tells us how to fix the universe?"
Alec stepped in carefully. "Mira, listen—"
"No." She turned on him, eyes blazing. "You don't get to soften this. Not after what happened."
Alec held his ground. "I'm not trying to erase what you went through. I'm saying focusing on the same thing for too long, is not good. It nearly got us killed, let's try something new."
"And removing powers won't?" Mira laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Tell me, Alec—how does getting rid of this" —she flexed her fingers, faint sparks twitching involuntarily— "bring my parents back? And beinging focused on phoenix is the only think worth being focused on to me."
No one answered.
The silence hurt worse than any shout.
Owen rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean… maybe not directly. But if powers are the root—"
"—then what?" Mira interrupted. "Phoenix disappears? Problems will vanish? People suddenly stop hurting each other?"
Irene crossed her arms. "You're acting like this is all or nothing."
"It is for me."
Her voice dropped, steadier now. Dangerous.
"I didn't survive all this to chase some bullshit," Mira said. "I survived to make sure Ember pays."
Joel opened his mouth, but Alec raised a hand, stopping him.
"This isn't about you guys," Alec said quietly to Crystal and Hiro. "Not yet."
He looked back at Mira.
"You think we're asking you to let go," he continued. "But we're asking you to live long enough to do anything at all, going after phoenix is unhealthy and you know it."
Mira scoffed. "Living without purpose isn't living."
Owen flinched. "That's not fair."
"Isn't it?" She turned to him. "You joke, you burn things, you pretend it's all fine—but you know Phoenix doesn't stop. They recruit. They drug people. They ruin lives. And we're supposed to what—outgrow that?"
Owen's jaw tightened. "I'm not pretending it's fine."
"Then stop acting like peace fixes anything."
Irene finally spoke, her tone sharper than usual. "You're not the only one who lost something."
Mira paused.
Irene met her gaze head-on. "You think I don't get it? You think I don't wake up angry every day?"
"Then why are you siding with them?" Mira demanded.
"I'm not siding with anyone," Irene shot back. "I'm tired of watching us tear ourselves apart because you refuse to accept that revenge isn't a plan that we should be sticking with."
That landed hard.
Alec exhaled slowly. "Mira… what happens after Ember?"
She didn't answer.
"What happens when she's gone?" he pressed. "Does the city heal? Do gangs vanish? Do powers stop hurting people?"
Her fists clenched.
"I don't care," she said quietly. "She dies. That's enough."
Owen shook his head. "That's not enough for us."
Mira turned away, jaw tight, fighting the tremor in her hands.
Crystal spoke softly from the side. "Peace doesn't mean forgetting."
Mira laughed again, sharper this time. "Peace means compromise. And I'm done compromising."
She looked at each of them—really looked.
"I won't stop you," she said. "If you want to chase some impossible cure, go ahead. Train. Research. Heal strangers."
Her eyes settled on Alec last.
"But don't ask me to believe that getting rid of these powers will give me closure."
The words hung heavy in the air.
Alec stepped closer. "We're not asking you to forget your parents."
"Then stop asking me to move on."
Silence.
Not peaceful.
Not loving.
Just raw.
Joel finally spoke, carefully. "No one here is forcing a choice. Not today or the next day."
Mira nodded once. "Good."
She turned toward the window, looking out at the glowing city beyond the glass.
"Because whether you like it or not," she said quietly, "Phoenix is still out there."
Purple flickered faintly around her fingers—uncontrolled, emotional.
"And I'm not done with them."
No one argued after that.
Not because they agreed—
But because they all knew she meant it.
The tension in the room didn't fade, even as the initial argument cooled. Mira kept her gaze on the city lights, the faint flicker of purple around her fingers betraying the storm inside her.
Alec stepped closer cautiously, his voice low. "Mira… are you saying you'll leave?"
She shook her head slowly. "No. Not yet..." Her eyes flicked to Crystal, Joel, and Hiro. "Not because I think getting rid of these powers will fix anything, or because I suddenly believe in your speech."
Owen exhaled, relief and disbelief mingling in one heavy sigh. "Not yet?"
Mira's lips pressed into a thin line. "For now. I'll stay because I'm not completely insane. And because even if I don't trust it… even if I don't trust any of you… I can't survive alone, i need my team to help me attack."
Irene let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "So… we're sticking together, at least for the time being."
Joel nodded slowly, a small, approving smile tugging at his lips. "Good. That's all we ask right now. No promises beyond today. No rush to understand it all."
Mira finally looked back at Alec, her gaze still hard but slightly softer. "Yeah whatever. But don't get any ideas—I'm still going to do what I came here to do. Ember isn't done. And neither am I."
Alec nodded, swallowing the tension in his throat. "We wouldn't expect anything less."
Crystal stepped forward, brushing a hand lightly along Mira's arm. "Then we start tomorrow. Training, understanding your abilities… figuring out what you're capable of."
Mira gave a curt nod, a flicker of defiance still burning in her eyes. "Sounds nice."
Hiro leaned back against the wall, arms crossed, watching the group with tired but careful eyes. "Survive first. Everything else can come later. That's all anyone's asking."
The room fell into a tentative quiet, the kind that comes when compromise is made but not completely trusted. Mira turned back to the window, letting the city glow wash over her.
Purple sparks still flickered around her fingers, but she let them dissipate. For the first time in a long while, she felt… not alone.
But she also knew one thing: staying didn't mean forgiving.
And Ember was still out there.
The room didn't relax after Mira's decision.
If anything, the air felt tighter.
Owen glanced between Hiro, Joel, and Crystal, his expression sharpening. "Okay… I have a question."
Joel's eyes lifted. "Go on."
Owen crossed his arms. "Why tell us all this?"
Crystal blinked. "All what?"
"Your plan. The research. The whole 'we're trying to remove powers from the world' thing." Owen's jaw tightened. "You just met us. We tried to fight Phoenix and almost lost. That doesn't exactly scream trustworthy."
Irene nodded slowly. "He's right. Information like that? That's not small. If the government found out you're trying to… undo everything, they wouldn't just threaten you. They'd erase you, they do that to people just for talking down on these powers."
Hiro didn't flinch.
"That's a risk we're aware of," he said calmly.
"But why share it with us?" Irene pressed. "We could be reckless. We could talk. We could get captured."
Joel studied them carefully. "You think we haven't thought of that?"
Mira stayed silent near the window, listening.
Owen shook his head. "No, I think you have. That's why it's weird. You're careful. You live in the richest district of Vexen, under the radar. You clearly know how to stay hidden."
He gestured vaguely around the apartment. "This place? Clean. Secure. No gang markings, no surveillance blind spots. You've built a life that doesn't attract attention."
Crystal's smile faded slightly. "We don't hide because we're cowards."
"I didn't say that," Owen replied quickly. "I'm saying you survive by being smart. So why risk that for four idiots who charged Phoenix head-on?"
The word hung there.
Idiots.
Hiro let out a slow breath and pushed off the wall.
"Because you're not idiots."
Irene arched a brow. "We attacked one of the most organized power syndicates in the city without backup."
"That's not stupidity," Hiro said. "That's desperation."
Silence.
Joel stepped forward, voice steady. "We told you because you were already on that path."
Alec frowned slightly. "What path?"
"The same one we were on," Crystal answered quietly.
She moved closer to them, hands clasped loosely. "Anger. Loss. The belief that if we just hit hard enough, the world would bend back into place."
Her gaze drifted for a second—like she was seeing something that wasn't there anymore.
"It doesn't," she said softly.
Irene's suspicion didn't fully fade. "That still doesn't explain why us."
Joel answered this time. "Because Phoenix is growing and might get in our way."
That changed the tone.
"They're recruiting younger," he continued. "Training harder. Teaching techniques like Override to people who will cause trouble."
Alec stiffened.
Hiro nodded. "You ran into something you weren't prepared for. That means they're accelerating."
Owen frowned. "So we're… what? A warning sign?"
"In a way," Joel admitted. "You proved two things today. One: Phoenix is getting bolder. Two: people are getting brave—or angry—enough to challenge them."
Crystal's voice softened. "We can't do this alone. And we don't want to keep watching people die because no one shared what they knew."
Irene folded her arms tighter. "So we're recruits."
"No," Hiro said firmly. "Your choices."
That made her pause.
"We're dying slowly," he continued bluntly. "Our abilities are tearing at our bodies faster than they should. We don't have the luxury of being secretive forever, we already said this."
A faint streak of red appeared beneath his nose again. He wiped it away without comment.
Joel didn't look at him.
"We told you," Joel said evenly, "because if something happens to us, the knowledge we learn together shouldn't die with just us."
The weight of that landed heavily.
Owen's expression shifted—less defensive now, more conflicted. "So this is… insurance?"
"It's hope," Crystal corrected gently. "You're strong. Not just in ability—" she glanced at Mira "—but in will. We saw that in the Dead Zone."
Mira finally spoke, without turning around. "You saw recklessness."
Hiro shook his head. "No. We saw people who haven't given up."
Silence stretched again.
Irene looked between her friends, then back at Joel. "And if we decide this isn't for us?"
"Then you walk out," Joel said simply. "No threats. No pressure."
Owen studied him carefully, searching for a crack.
There wasn't one.
"You're either very honest," Owen muttered, "or very confident."
Joel allowed the faintest hint of a smirk. "Both."
That earned the smallest huff of reluctant amusement from Irene.
Mira finally turned from the window.
"For what it's worth," she said coolly, "if this is manipulation, it's a bad strategy. I don't follow people that easily."
Crystal met her gaze calmly. "Good. We don't want followers."
Alec looked around the room—at the plants, the soft lights, the tired faces of people who had clearly been carrying something heavy for a long time.
"So you told us," he said slowly, "because you two are running out of time."
Hiro nodded once.
"And because," Crystal added, "if we're wrong about being able to remove the powers… if we're wrong about everything… then at least someone else will keep asking the question."
The apartment fell quiet again.
Not tense this time.
Just thoughtful.
Owen finally dropped his arms. "Alright," he said. "That's… less sketchy than I expected."
Irene gave him a sideways look. "You expected a secret cult?"
"Given the church guy downstairs?" Owen shrugged. "Yeah."
That pulled a small laugh from Alec.
Even Mira's expression softened—just slightly.
Joel stepped back. "Get some rest. Tomorrow, we start training. Not to fight Phoenix head-on."
"We're not done, not just yet," he said slowly, eyes narrowing. "Something still doesn't add up."
Crystal glanced at him. "What?"
"I've noticed you say you're working to 'fix the mess.' You say Phoenix is dangerous. But you don't talk like people who are planning a fight, or angry about Phoenix in the slightest."
Hiro didn't respond.
Irene stepped in, sharper. "Yeah. You're calm. Too calm. If Phoenix is as bad as you're implying, why aren't you… angry when talking about it like Mira?"
That question hung heavier than the rest.
Joel's gaze flicked briefly to Hiro.
Hiro sighed.
"We don't care about Phoenix," he said plainly.
The words hit the room like a dropped glass.
Alec blinked. "What?"
Crystal didn't interrupt this time.
Joel spoke next, voice level. "Phoenix is a symptom. Not the disease."
"But you just said—" Owen started.
"We said what you needed to hear, cause you all know Mira would love that and she'd join us and you'd follow her," Joel corrected gently.
Mira's eyes tightened.
Hiro stepped forward, exhaustion etched deep into his face. "You came in bleeding, furious, talking about Phoenix. Your whole focus is on Phoenix. If we'd said, 'We don't care about that,' you wouldn't have listened to another word."
Irene's jaw tightened. "So you tried to manipulate us."
"No," Crystal said quietly. "We would never."
Alec looked between them. "Then what is this really about? You're confusing all of us."
Hiro didn't hesitate.
"We're dying, at least Joel and I, we've already said this."
No drama. No grand speech. Just a fact.
"You've seen what the weight of our powers does to us" he continued. "Our abilities are deteriorating us. Our years are up."
Joel's voice softened slightly. "And we don't have much time left, so we might never will."
The room shifted.
This wasn't ideology anymore.
It was mortality.
Owen swallowed. "So this whole… remove powers from the world thing—"
"—isn't about beating Phoenix," Joel finished and glanced at Mira. "It's about leaving something good behind."
Crystal looked at Mira now.
Not Alec. Not Owen.
Mira.
"We've seen what these abilities do to people," she said gently. "Not just gangs. Not just crime. Obsession. Isolation. Bodies breaking faster than normal."
Hiro leaned against the wall again, fatigue catching up to him. "We spent years fighting small battles. It doesn't change anything. Someone stronger always replaces whoever falls."
"So you gave up like losers," Mira said flatly.
"No," Joel replied. "We changed focus."
Silence stretched.
Irene folded her arms. "And what does that have to do with us?"
Crystal hesitated for the first time.
Then she answered honestly.
"You remind us of ourselves."
Mira's expression hardened instantly. "Don't even."
Crystal didn't look away. "You're burning yourself alive chasing one person. We've done that. Different targets. Same result."
Mira's hands sparked faintly.
"You don't know anything about me."
Hiro spoke softly. "We know grief when we see it."
That hit harder than anything else.
Owen looked unsettled. "So what? You felt bad for us?"
"For her," Joel said quietly.
The honesty in it made the room go still.
Alec glanced at Mira.
Crystal continued carefully. "When you said your parents died because of Phoenix… I saw it. That edge. That tunnel vision. We've seen where that road ends."
"And where's that?" Mira challenged.
"Alone," Hiro answered.
No hesitation.
No cruelty.
Just truth.
Joel crossed his arms loosely. "We talked about Phoenix because that's your language right now. Revenge. Opposition. An enemy you can point at."
"But that's not your mission," Irene said.
"No," Joel replied. "Our mission is simpler."
He looked around the apartment—the plants, the quiet, the fragile normalcy.
"We want to do something good before we go."
Owen's expression shifted from suspicion to something heavier. "So we're… what? Your last project?"
Crystal shook her head. "You're the people who walked in at the right time."
Alec spoke carefully. "You're not trying to recruit us to fight Phoenix."
"No," Hiro said. "If you want to fight Phoenix, that's your choice. We're not interested in them, but know this, we'll fight with you."
"Then what are you really offering?" Irene asked.
Joel answered.
"Training. Stability. Perspective. A bigger team. A chance to decide your future, something new."
"And the research part?" Alec pressed.
"That's ours," Hiro said. "If we find something about these powers—where they came from, why they're degrading us—we'll share it. Not to wage war. Just to understand."
Mira finally stepped away from the window.
"So this whole 'peace and love' thing," she said quietly, "isn't about saving the city."
Joel shook his head.
"It's about not leaving it worse."
The simplicity of that seemed to deflate some invisible tension in the room.
Owen rubbed his face. "You could've just said that."
Crystal gave a faint, tired smile. "Would you have stayed if we did?"
No one answered.
Because they all knew the truth.
Probably not, they'd knew mira would leave and would go with her.
Mira studied Joel and Hiro for a long moment.
"You're dying, right," she said.
"Yes," Hiro replied.
"And instead of going out fighting or doing something with meaning, you want to… fight with bunch of reckless teenagers, and spend your time looking for research."
Joel's lips twitched slightly. "When you put it that way, it sounds stupid."
"It is," Mira said.
But her voice wasn't as sharp now.
She looked down at her hands, at the faint pulse of power under her skin.
"You felt bad for me," she said quietly.
Crystal didn't deny it.
"Yes."
Silence.
Long.
Then Mira inhaled slowly.
"I don't need pity."
"It's not pity," Crystal replied gently. "It's recognition."
That hung in the air.
Finally, Mira nodded once.
"Thanks, I guess," she said. "I agree to work with you guys. For now. Not because I believe in removing powers."
She looked directly at Hiro.
"But because I believe in you guys, may actually achieve something, and mostly because my friends seem tired."
Hiro gave a faint, approving nod.
Joel relaxed slightly for the first time.
Owen exhaled. "So no secret anti-Phoenix rebellion for now?"
"No," Joel said.
Irene tilted her head. "And will you guys back us up like all the time?"
"with Phoenix sure?" Hiro replied. "We will just not all the time."
Alec looked around the room again.
This wasn't a revolution headquarters.
It was a place built by people who knew they didn't have long left.
And wanted that time to matter.
Mira turned back toward the window one last time.
"Phoenix will pay, as soon as possible," she said quietly.
Outside the window, the sun starts slipping behind the towers of Vexen. The glass buildings catch the last light and throw it back in shards of gold and orange. Up here, the city doesn't look violent.
It looks expensive.
Clean.
Like nothing bad ever touches it.
I know better.
Crystal steps beside me quietly. "Sunsets look different up here," she says.
I don't answer right away.
The sky shifts slowly—orange fading into pink, pink into violet.
Almost my color.
"I don't trust peace," I say finally.
She doesn't argue. "You don't have to."
That's what I don't understand about her. She doesn't push. She just… waits.
Behind us, Owen drops onto the couch with a dramatic groan. "I'm exhausted. If anyone starts another deep conversation, I'm setting something on fire."
"You won't," Irene says flatly.
He sighs. "You're right. I'm too tired."
Alec is quieter than usual. He keeps glancing at Hiro like he's trying to memorize something.
Hiro wipes the last bit of blood from under his nose and rinses the sink. He looks steady, but not strong. There's a difference.
Joel dims the lights.
The apartment softens instantly. The bright edges disappear. Warm lamps take over. The plants in the corners cast long shadows against the walls.
It almost feels normal.
Almost.
"Sleeping arrangements," Joel says calmly.
Sleeping arrangements.
That sounds too safe for people like us.
Crystal moves around the room, pulling blankets from a closet, laying them out like this is something she's done a hundred times before. Maybe she has.
Owen claims a corner dramatically. "If I freeze to death because of you," he tells Crystal, "just know I blame you."
"I don't freeze people," she replies.
"You manipulate ice."
Irene rolls her eyes and settles against the opposite wall.
Alec sits down near her, stretching his legs out slowly like his body just realized how tired it is.
No one tells me where to go.
I stay by the window.
The sun is almost gone now. The last strip of light disappears behind the skyline, and the city switches to artificial glow. White lights. Blue lights. Giant billboards flickering. Traffic lines threading between buildings like veins.
Somewhere far off, natural lightning flickers in a storm cloud.
I stare at it.
It's weaker than mine.
The thought comes automatically.
I don't know if that makes me proud or afraid.
Behind me, the apartment quiets.
Fabric shifting.
Low murmurs.
Owen muttering something that sounds like, "Wake me if Phoenix attacks."
No one laughs.
Eventually, even that fades.
I turn from the window and sit down against the wall, pulling a blanket over my legs. The floor is solid. Stable.
Alec looks at me from across the room. "You good?"
"Yeah."
It's not a lie.
It's not fully true either.
"For now," I add.
He nods and closes his eyes.
One by one, their breathing slows.
Owen first.
Then Irene.
Then Alec.
Crystal's door closes softly down the hall.
Hiro coughs once, quiet but sharp. Then silence.
Joel stays awake longer than the others. I can feel it. He's not looking at anyone, just staring at nothing like he's measuring time.
Eventually, he slides down the wall and closes his eyes too.
I'm the last one awake.
I flex my fingers slightly.
A faint purple spark flickers across my knuckles, lighting the dark for half a second.
It doesn't surge.
It doesn't snap.
It listens.
Better.
Control feels different than revenge.
Less explosive.
More dangerous.
Phoenix is still out there.
Ember is still living, when she shouldn't be.
Nothing about that changed tonight.
But something else did.
I'm not alone in this room.
Not physically.
Not mentally.
That realization is uncomfortable.
I lower my hand and let the spark die.
The city hums outside the glass.
Alive.
Corrupt.
Unbothered.
"I'm not done," I whisper to the ceiling.
Not with Phoenix.
Not with this power.
Not with myself.
But staying here—
Training.
Learning control.
That doesn't mean giving up.
It means preparing.
I finally lie down, staring up at the faint outline of the ceiling in the dark.
For the first time in weeks, sleep doesn't feel like escape.
It feels like gathering strength.
My eyes close slowly.
Tomorrow, we train once again.
Tomorrow, we get powerful than ever.
And next time, we'll be ready.