Kaius stepped off the hover bus, his boots making a soft thud against the worn pavement. The market district buzzed with activity—vendors calling out their deals, the low hum of hovercrafts passing overhead, and the faint chatter of people moving through the streets. It was a normal day, but Kaius's mind wasn't on the noise around him. It was elsewhere—on the equations he'd been working on with his dad the night before and the potential of their dream pill.
For a moment, he allowed himself to get lost in thought, imagining what life would be like if they ever actually created the pill. How it could change lives, how it could give people control over their dreams—how it could change everything.
He was still wrapped up in his thoughts when he saw her.
White hair. Slim build. Sharp posture.
His heart skipped a beat, his breath catching in his throat. Sura? The sight of her, just ahead of him, walking casually down the street, felt like a punch to the gut. It had been months since he'd seen her, since they had cut ties with the Gravewalkers and taken the money. He hadn't thought about her much—hadn't let himself think about her—but there she was, in the flesh.
"Sura!" Kaius called out, his voice louder than he intended. Heads turned, but the white-haired figure didn't stop.
She kept walking.
Kaius jogged after her, weaving through the crowd, his pulse quickening. But as he got closer, something felt… off. The figure didn't move with the same grace that Sura had, didn't carry the same sharpness in her step.
And when the woman finally turned around, Kaius's heart sank.
She wasn't Sura.
Not even close.
The woman was older—probably in her fifties, with a weathered face and deep lines around her eyes. Her white hair, messy and streaked with hints of red dye, had fooled him from behind. She frowned at him, clearly irritated.
"Can I help you with something?" she snapped, her voice as harsh as her appearance.
Kaius felt heat rush to his face, embarrassment mixing with disappointment.
"I… I thought you were someone else," he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. The woman gave him an incredulous look before muttering something under her breath and walking away.
Kaius stood there for a moment, frozen in place, feeling the eyes of passersby on him. He sighed, his thoughts swirling in confusion. Of course, it wasn't her. But the encounter had rattled something loose in his mind—a reminder of everything that had happened, of everything he had tried to push aside. The memory of the Gravewalkers, the danger they had been in, the tension that had once gripped his life.
As much as he tried to move past it, Sura and the world she came from had left a mark on him. A part of him still wanted to be part of something bigger, to fight the Sky District, to change the world. But the other part—the more cautious part—didn't want to put his dad in danger again. He didn't want to go back to living in fear.
With a deep breath, Kaius shook the thoughts from his mind and continued toward the store. He had come here to buy food, after all, his dad was probably waiting for him to get back. The buzz of the market district began to fade into the background as he walked, but something on the ground caught his eye.
A small, metallic chip, half-buried in the dirt near a pile of discarded garbage. It was ripped, torn from its place, the jagged edges suggesting it had been forcefully removed. Kaius stopped, staring at it for a moment.
He hesitated, the pragmatic part of him telling him to keep walking, to leave it alone. But something else tugged at him—a curiosity he couldn't quite shake.
Maybe I should pick it up, he thought. It didn't look like much, but maybe there was something to it, something important. Or maybe it was just junk, another piece of tech discarded like so much else in the slums.
Kaius sighed, crouching down to examine the chip more closely. He picked it up, turning it over in his hands. It was small, with unfamiliar markings etched into the surface. A chip like this didn't belong in a place like this. The thought gnawed at him as he pocketed it, resolving to inspect it further later.
Probably just nothing, he thought as he stood up and continued toward the store.
20 minutes later
Kaius exited the market with a bag full of food slung over his shoulder. Fresh bread, a few pieces of protein-enhanced produce, and some basic ingredients to make lunch with his dad. He was already planning out their meal in his head as he walked back toward the bus stop.
The sun was lower in the sky now, casting long shadows across the street. Kaius stood waiting for the hover bus, idly browsing the internet in his head, when something caught his attention.
A figure, hidden in the shadows between a row of hover cars, just across the street. Kaius squinted, his heart skipping a beat. For a second, he thought he was imagining it—a trick of the light.
But no.
The figure moved, stepping out just enough for him to catch a glimpse of white hair. The posture. The subtle gleam of a cybernetic arm.
It was Sura.
No… it couldn't be. Kaius's pulse quickened. He glanced around, wondering if he was losing his mind. But then, as if sensing his thoughts, the figure stepped closer, standing beneath a flickering streetlight, her face now fully visible.
It was her. Sura.
Kaius's breath hitched in his throat. I must be dreaming. It didn't make sense. She couldn't be here—not now, not after months of silence.
Before he could process it, a voice spoke beside him.
"You sigh too much, you know that?"
Kaius's head snapped to the side, and there she was—Sura, standing right next to him, her sharp, calculative eyes fixed on him, a half-smirk on her lips.
He hadn't even noticed her approach.
"I—uh—what are you doing here?" Kaius stammered, still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that she was standing in front of him.
Was this real?
Sura crossed her arms, leaning casually against the bus stop.
"Oh, nothing much," she said, her tone playful. "I saw you and thought I'd pay a visit."
Kaius raised an eyebrow, skepticism flooding his mind.
"Come on, cut the crap. People like you don't just 'pay a visit.' What do you want?"
Sura's smirk widened. "Look at you, all grown up," she teased, her voice light, but with an edge of something else.
"Months ago, you wouldn't have had the guts to talk to me like that."
Kaius didn't respond, but the tension in his chest tightened. She was right, in a way. He wasn't the same person he had been when they first met. He had changed—hardened, maybe. And he wasn't going to fall for any of her games.
"Alright," Sura sighed, her expression shifting into something more serious.
"You're right. I'm not here for a casual chat. I'm here to warn you."
"Warn me?" Kaius frowned, his skepticism deepening.
"Warn me about what? My dad and I have been living a normal life for months. We're not in danger."
Sura's brow furrowed slightly. "Your dad? What do you mean by 'we'?"
Kaius huffed, waving a hand dismissively.
"Me and my dad—we're fine. We're just doing our thing. No danger, no problems. Just a normal life."
Sura's eyes narrowed slightly. "That's what you think," she said quietly, a note of tension creeping into her voice.
"But you're wrong, Kaius. They're coming. You need to be ready."
Kaius felt his stomach knot, but he forced himself to stay calm.
"We're fine, Sura. Whatever you think is happening… it's not."
Without another word, Sura's expression hardened, and she turned to leave, her figure disappearing into the shadows of the alleyway.
Kaius stood there, watching her go, his mind racing. What the hell was that about?
He shook his head, a mix of frustration and confusion swirling in his thoughts.
We've been fine. We're safe. We're not in danger.
Right?