The horizon was painted in hues of burnt orange and violet as the group moved cautiously through the Ethereal Expanse. Jagged ruins jutted from the ground like the ribs of some long-dead behemoth, offering brief moments of cover as the rebels and Kael navigated the treacherous terrain. The silence between them was thick with tension, broken only by the soft crunch of gravel underfoot and the occasional hum of distant voidstorms.
Cira, the rebel leader, cast a wary glance at Kael. Though his intervention had saved them, she had seen the look in his eyes during the fight with the Citadel enforcers—a cold, calculated detachment that unnerved her.
"We need to keep moving," she said, her voice clipped but steady. "The Citadel doesn't leave survivors."
Kael didn't respond, his focus on scanning the terrain ahead. Rho hovered close to him, its golden eyes pulsing faintly as it analyzed their surroundings.
"You're unusually quiet," Rho said, its voice low enough for only Kael to hear.
"Nothing to say," Kael muttered, his tone flat.
"That's unlike you. Allow me to guess: you're questioning the wisdom of this alliance."
Kael shot the construct a sidelong glare. "They're not my allies."
Rho's golden eyes flickered, a gesture Kael had come to recognize as its equivalent of a sigh. "Your actions suggest otherwise. You risked your life for them, after all."
Kael's grip tightened on his pack. He hadn't acted out of altruism—at least, that's what he kept telling himself. The Citadel's cruelty had stirred something in him, but he wasn't ready to confront what that meant.
The group stopped at the edge of a crumbled overpass, the remnants of some ancient road suspended precariously over a shallow ravine. Kael surveyed the area, noting potential escape routes and points of ambush.
"We'll make camp here for the night," Cira announced. Her gaze settled on Kael. "Unless you've got a better idea."
Kael shrugged. "Your call."
The rebels began unpacking what little gear they had, their movements efficient but weary. Kael stayed on the perimeter, his eyes scanning the horizon for any signs of pursuit. Rho hovered beside him, silent for once.
Cira approached him, arms crossed. "I've seen people like you before," she said, her voice low.
Kael raised an eyebrow. "That so?"
She nodded. "Drifters. Lone wolves. You think you're better off on your own, but that's just a story you tell yourself to keep the pain at bay."
Kael's jaw tightened. "You don't know anything about me."
"Maybe not. But I know what the Citadel does to people. If you're running from them, you've got more in common with us than you'd like to admit."
Kael didn't respond. He turned away, his gaze fixed on the ruins in the distance. Cira lingered for a moment before walking back to her group.
The night was cold, the air thick with the faint hum of mana currents. The rebels huddled around a small, shielded fire, its light barely visible through the makeshift barriers they had constructed. Kael sat apart from them, his back against a crumbling wall. Rho hovered nearby, its golden eyes dimmed.
"They're afraid of you," Rho said.
"Good," Kael replied without looking up.
Rho tilted its head. "Fear can be a double-edged sword. It may keep them in line, but it won't earn their trust."
Kael snorted. "Trust gets you killed."
"And yet, you've chosen to stay with them."
Kael didn't have an answer for that. He knew he should have walked away after saving them, but something had compelled him to stay. Perhaps it was curiosity about the map they carried, or perhaps it was something deeper—something he wasn't ready to acknowledge.
A faint noise in the distance broke his train of thought. Kael tensed, his hand moving to the hilt of his dagger. Rho's golden eyes flared, its sensors activating.
"Incoming," Rho said. "Four signatures. Citadel reconnaissance drones."
Kael cursed under his breath and moved toward the fire. "We've got company," he said, his voice sharp.
The rebels scrambled to their feet, their weapons at the ready. Cira's expression hardened as she gave orders to her group.
"We can't fight drones," one of the rebels said, panic in their voice. "They'll call for reinforcements."
Kael stepped forward. "Then we don't let them."
Cira hesitated, then nodded. "What's the plan?"
Kael glanced at Rho. The construct's eyes glowed brighter, its voice steady. "I can disable their communication protocols temporarily, but it will require proximity. You'll need to hold them off while I work."
Kael nodded. "Do it."
The drones appeared moments later, their sleek forms glinting in the moonlight. Kael moved like a shadow, his enhanced Resonance guiding his strikes. The first drone fell with a burst of sparks as his dagger found its core. The rebels fought beside him, their desperation lending them strength.
Rho hovered in the center of the fray, a low hum emanating from its core as it worked to disrupt the drones' systems.
"Almost there," it said, its voice calm despite the chaos.
A drone broke through the line, its weapon aimed directly at Rho. Kael threw himself in its path, his mana-enhanced strike shattering the drone's core. He landed hard, the impact jarring his shoulder, but he didn't falter.
"Done," Rho announced. The remaining drones faltered, their lights dimming as their systems shut down.
The group stood in the aftermath, their breaths ragged. Kael wiped blood from his blade and turned to Cira.
"We're not safe here," he said. "We need to move."
Cira nodded, her expression grim. "Agreed. Let's go."
As they moved out, Kael felt Rho's gaze on him. "You're investing more in this than I anticipated," it said quietly.
Kael didn't respond. He wasn't sure why he was doing this, why he was risking everything for a group of strangers. But as the shadows of the Citadel loomed larger in his mind, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was walking toward something he couldn't yet see—something that felt like destiny.