"That's not how you do it," a woman's voice said. Calm, firm. No frustration. Just certainty.
She stood with arms crossed, her training clothes marked with faint burns—proof of long days and longer nights. Her dark hair was pulled back, but loose strands framed her face, softening the intensity in her deep brown eyes. She didn't look angry. Just focused.
Ash clenched his fists. Fire danced at his fingertips, shaky and thin. It wouldn't listen. It never did. He stared at his hands, willing them to respond.
"Like this?" he asked, barely above a whisper. The flame cracked, then vanished.
She didn't speak.
He tried again. The fire sparked, then flickered out. His fingers curled tighter. His shoulders locked. His chest tightened.
"Kael keeps getting stronger, but I'm still stuck like this."
His voice cracked.
The fire answered him—wild, broken, mirroring the pressure inside. It sparked again, then died in silence.
Before the weight could drag him down, she stepped in. Her arms wrapped around him—not soft, not hesitant. Solid. Steady.
"You'll get there," she said into his ear. Her hand moved through his damp hair, brushing the frustration away. "Kael's different. Even Maxwell is still figuring things out. But you…" She leaned back, tilted his chin up. His eyes met hers.
"You're the son of 'Flame'—the strongest person in the world."
His breathing eased. He wiped his face with his sleeve, but doubt still sat behind his eyes.
She smiled. Not the kind that fades fast. The kind that knew.
"You have something no one else does."
He frowned. "What?"
She grinned wider. "Me, of course."
He blinked.
She turned, reached behind her, and brought out a sword. The blade caught the light, clear and sharp. It shimmered like a path.
"I'm going to train you with this." She held it out. "A fire user with a sword? You won't just surpass Kael." Her voice dropped. "You'll surpass your father."
He stared at it. The moment stretched. Then his hand moved.
His fingers wrapped around the hilt.
It felt right.
The fire sparked again. Brighter. Firmer.
He tightened his grip. A grin broke through.
"Yeah! Let's do it!"
————
"Ash?"
The voice pulled at him. Faint at first. Then closer.
"Ash!"
He blinked. The memory slipped away, fading like mist.
His hands curled a little. Heat lingered where the fire had once danced.
"Ash!" Max again, clearer this time.
He breathed out. Turned his head a little. "Mm?"
The room came back. The TV's light moved across the walls. Shadows shifted. Their father's voice filled the space, rough and full of worry.
"Ash, are you okay?"
His fingers twitched. He opened his mouth, but the words sat too heavy to move. Then came a breath—quiet, careful.
"Yeah… I just…" He looked down. "I was thinking about Mom."
Silence followed.
Thick. Still. Unspoken things hanging in the air like smoke that wouldn't rise.
Across the room, Kael shifted. His arms crossed. His jaw set tight.
"Why do you have to ruin the mood, Ash?"
Ash flinched. The words hit, not hard, but sharp. Like sparks against skin. He lowered his gaze. The memory of warmth faded, replaced by the cold edge of Kael's voice.
"That's enough, Kael."
Their father didn't raise his voice. He didn't need to. The weight in his tone made Kael's shoulders lock.
Kael scoffed under his breath, then stayed quiet.
The silence returned. Thicker. Heavier.
Their father's voice broke through again. Softer this time, like he was carrying something breakable. "I know it's hard. Your mother… she gave us everything she had. She wanted us to be strong. To take care of each other."
Ash's throat tightened. He swallowed, but it didn't help. "She always knew how to make me feel better."
His father looked at him, something gentle in his eyes. "She loved you. All of you. And that love doesn't just vanish. It stays. In you. In your choices. In your strength."
Ash's hands tensed, then loosened. His chest eased a little. Air moved in, slow and steady.
On the couch, Max sat still. His voice came low, quiet. "Mom always made the impossible seem possible."
Ash looked down. His lips twitched. Not quite a smile, but close. "Yeah… she did."
Their father nodded. His eyes didn't move. "That blade you carry—it was hers. She fought with it. Lived with it. She trusted it. And now it's yours. That strength? That love? It didn't end with her."
Something lit inside Ash's chest. A spark that didn't fade this time. His fingers curled around the edge of his shirt, holding on to something that couldn't be seen.
She gave me this strength. I have to carry it right. For her. For us.
"Thanks, Dad." His voice came clear now.
No shake. No cracks.
The silence that followed didn't press down anymore. It sat with them. Still. Steady.
It felt warm.
It felt like her.
And Ash knew—he wasn't alone. Not really.
The cave's stillness cracked open with a sharp metallic ring. The sound raced along the rock walls, cutting through the low hum of the TV screen like a blade.
Kael's hand twitched. His eyes locked on the monitor. "What's going on?"
The static buzzed for a beat, then Selene's voice cut through—tight and fast. "Sir, headquarters is requesting immediate contact."
Their father breathed out through his nose, slow. "Alright, give me a sec, guys."
The screen blinked off. Darkness swallowed his image. Only a faint V stayed behind, pulsing against the cave's dim light.
No one spoke. Somewhere deep in the tunnels, water dripped, steady and slow.
Ash's fingers tightened around the hilt at his side. The silence stretched like something waiting to snap. "What do you think it is?"
Max leaned back, arms behind his head. His mouth twitched, not quite a smile. "Feels like our first mission."
Kael rolled his shoulders, tension bleeding into every motion. "Finally." His hands moved like they missed the feeling of impact. "My body's getting stiff."
Max tilted his head at him. "Didn't you and Ash just fight?"
Kael didn't look his way. "That? That wasn't a fight."
Ash looked at the ground, jaw tight. 'Well, I guess he's right. He wasn't even going all out… But I had him.'
His thumb ran slow along the edge of his blade. The metal met skin where old grooves still lived. He could still see it—every step of that match. Every dodge. Every clash. Every second Kael stayed a step ahead.
'He's a prodigy. And I'm just stuck. A loser still trying to catch up.'
The screen flashed. Light returned.
Their father's face appeared again. But his eyes looked tired now. The same voice, but something behind it had changed. Something heavier.
"Listen up. You're getting your first mission as Team Vortex."
Kael's grin spread. His eyes lit up with something sharp. His foot tapped against the stone floor, fast and eager. "Took long enough."
Max leaned forward. His body stilled, all focus now. "What's the situation?"
A pause. One breath long.
"An asteroid. Massive. Headed your way."
Kael's grin twitched. "It's not going to hit, is it?"
Max's eyes stayed on the screen. The gears in his head already turning. "No… but it's huge. Bigger than anything we've tracked before."
'Huh… how is that a problem?' Ash watched his father's face. The silence in his pause felt heavier than any answer. His gut coiled, tight. "Then why does it matter?"
His father's next breath was slower. The lines on his face pulled deeper. "You didn't let me finish."
The screen shifted.
A grainy feed sputtered to life. Not just a rock. This thing was a giant—its jagged form crawling across the black. Craters carved into its surface ran for miles, like deep wounds. The faint shimmer of stars outlined its hulking shape, but barely. It looked wrong.
Ash stared, chest tight. 'What the hell is this… this isn't just big. It's huge.'
No one said a word. The cave felt smaller.
The pale light from the screen brushed across their faces as their father's voice returned.
"We need to investigate this asteroid. Its movement is… unnatural. If it alters course, it could threaten the moon, or worse."
Kael didn't blink. His eyes stayed fixed on the image. The asteroid moved slow, rolling through space. Its surface caught bits of light, but nothing stayed long. Shadows crawled over it, hiding whatever was buried inside. Dust spiraled around its edges, drifting off into the black.
His fingers twitched. "So we're stopping it?"
Ash leaned forward, brows furrowed. "Stopping it how?"
Kael crossed his arms, a half-smile curling on his face. "Blowing it up, obviously."
'Blowing it up?' Ash blinked, trying to picture that.
Max turned his head sharply. "That's the worst plan possible. A blast that size would break it into pieces. Thousands of them. Each one crashing down like bullets through the sky."
Kael scoffed. "Then what, genius? Let it float past like it owns the place?"
Max didn't flinch. His eyes locked on the console as numbers scrolled by. His hands stayed steady. "Based on the current path, it's not going to hit anything. If it were just the asteroid, I'd say leave it alone."
'yeah… I was thinking the same. It's not coming for us. We don't need to mess with it.' Ash thought.
Their father's voice cut in, sharp. "That's not the problem."
All eyes turned to the screen. The display changed again—new lines, new signals. One tiny blinking dot near the asteroid's surface.
"A scout ship from Apex has been circling it for days." His tone tightened. "At first, we thought they were watching. But now? A whole fleet of warships is moving in."
Max stood straighter. His hand hovered near the console but didn't touch. "What are they after?"
"That's what you're going to find out."
Kael's grin stretched, heat behind his eyes. "Leave it to us, Dad. We'll handle it."
The image blinked out. The glowing V returned, pulsing like a heartbeat in the dark.
A beat passed. The air felt heavier.
Max rubbed his chin, eyes still on the screen. "Something's on that asteroid."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "Something? Got more than that, or are we just guessing?"
Max didn't blink. "We'll find out when we get there." His gaze shifted across them, sharp now. "This is our first mission as a team. No screw-ups." His eyes locked on Kael for a second too long.
Kael dropped his arms to his sides. "What? Why are you looking at me?"
Max didn't answer. But a smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth. "It's finally time to give you your suits."
Ash lifted his head. For once, his calm slipped. "For real?"
Kael punched the air, grin wild. "Finally! No more training gear—I better get something badass."
Max chuckled, already heading deeper into the cave. "Follow me, then."
————
Max led the way, his steps firm. They stopped at a door set into the wall, smooth and silver. He pressed a hand to the panel beside it.
A soft hiss followed. The door split open and slid out of sight. A pale blue light spilled out, brushing their faces as they stepped through.
The room opened wide. Circular. The walls pulsed with thin lines of energy, tracing patterns that shifted like veins. In the center stood rows of tall glass cylinders. Inside each one, a mannequin stood still, wearing armor.
The lights above sent thin shadows crawling across the floor. The suits gleamed beneath the glow, like soldiers frozen in time.
Kael let out a whistle. His eyes jumped from one suit to the next. His hands twitched like he wanted to touch everything.
Ash moved closer. His eyes narrowed, tracing the lines and shapes.
One suit looked like a walking tank—thick plates stacked over thicker plates. The shoulders were heavy, shaped to take a hit. The helmet didn't show a face, only a blank silver mask.
Another suit hugged the body tight. Its dark surface shimmered, cut through by thin streaks of glowing lines. The legs ended in sleek boots with vents at the heels. It looked made to fly.
A third had curved wrist guards. Thin slits glowed at the edges, like something hidden inside. The fingers ended in sharp points. Small emitters sat on the backs of the hands, built-in weapons waiting to be used.
Kael dashed between tubes, his voice echoing through the space.
"This one's got gauntlets! Probably strong enough to punch through a wall!" He zipped to another. "And that—wrist cannons!" He spun around. "I call dibs!"
Max stood with his arms folded. His voice came cool and even. "You don't get to pick. These were designed for us."
Kael let out a groan but didn't stop. He paused at a suit twice his size, the armor thick and ridiculous. He threw his arms wide, chin raised.
"I AM IRON—"
"Shut up," Max said.
Kael dropped the act and shuffled back, muttering under his breath.
Ash cracked a small smile. Kael's energy never ran out.
"Fine, fine. But we need to hurry up and pick. I'm ready to test these out."
Max didn't move. He stared at the suits like he was seeing something they couldn't.
"I already know which ones are yours."
Ash and Kael looked at each other.
The room fell quiet. The suits stood waiting. The mission loomed ahead, just past the stars. No one said it, but they all felt it—once they wore the suits, nothing would be the same.