One Month Later
Ever since that day, I've trained harder, longer hours, sharper strikes, tighter control. But I can't replicate the feeling. That fleeting moment of liberation, of being fully alive in my skin. It haunts me like a half-remembered melody—familiar, but just out of reach.
I asked Madeline. She didn't even look up from kneading dough.
"Maybe it's connected to your Egos."
I haven't spoken to them in over five years.
Part of me thinks they hate me for it. Maybe they should. I locked them away, stuffed them into silence, tried to forget the wild, painful pieces of myself they represent.
But this is for my future. For the path I've chosen. I have to try.
I sit cross-legged on my bed. The room is silent except for the faint ticking of the clock. I inhale, exhale, and reach inward—toward the chaos.
Then—
Blackness.
I open my eyes and I'm no longer in my room.
A weightless void surrounds me—endless, hollow, cold. There's no floor, no sky. Just me. Until I hear it.
A spark.
Then a whisper.
"Well, look who finally decided to show up."
Blaze steps forward, her hair licking the air like flames, her glare molten. Her presence radiates heat and fury.
"You're in our quirk space," Phantom says, her voice a muted echo, like wind curling through an empty house. She floats beside Blaze, her translucent form casting no shadow.
"Welcome back, Kagami."
"Tch. Spare me the dramatics," Venom hisses. Her eyes glint like poisoned glass. Her smile doesn't reach them. "Five years. Five. You think you can waltz back in here with your little redemption arc?"
I swallow hard. "I'm not here to excuse myself."
"You shouldn't be." Neuro's voice is crisp and level, her digital eyes flickering like data streams. "The psychological damage of prolonged dissociation from one's quirky aspects is—statistically—catastrophic."
"She's here to fix it," Tear says softly. Her voice wavers like a held-back sob. Her form is small, delicate, and weighed down by sadness that clings to her like mist. "Aren't you?"
I nod. "I came to apologise."
They don't interrupt. But they don't forgive either. Not yet.
"I was afraid. Of what you represented. Of what I might become if I let you out. So I locked you away. But that was wrong. You're not monsters. You're... me."
Spark zips into view, upside down, limbs crackling with electricity. "Aw, are we finally doing group therapy? I was starting to think you'd deleted us!"
"She tried," Vibe mutters, lounging on nothing, her energy pulsing in soft waves. Her voice is smooth, almost bored, but there's a tremor beneath it. "Or maybe she just wanted to forget the parts of herself that didn't look good on a résumé."
Geo, massive and earthen, crosses her arms. Her voice is deep and steady, like shifting rock. "We could've made you stronger. But you chose silence over synergy."
Phantom's voice tightens. "We were alone, Kagami. In the dark. All we had was each other—and even that started to fade."
"I know. And I'm sorry." I raise my head. "I came to make a deal."
Blaze's brows arch, arms still crossed. "A deal? Now you want to bargain with the voices in your head?"
"No," I say evenly. "I want to unite with them."
They fall quiet.
"I won't cage you anymore. I'll call on you when I need you—and I'll let you be you. No more hiding. But I need you to help me, not just with strength. With clarity. With identity. I don't want to use you. I want to fight with you."
Neuro steps forward, tilting her head. "A shared neural contract. Mutual cooperation. Acceptable terms—if upheld consistently."
Tear wraps her arms around herself. "You really mean it? Even... me?"
I kneel before her. "Especially you. I spent so long trying not to feel anything, but your sorrow is part of me, too. And it matters."
Venom circles me like a predator, gaze sharp. "If you lie, we'll know. And if you flinch from who we are—who you are—we'll drag you right back here."
"I know."
Spark bounces beside her. "Well, I'm in. This place is boring without some chaos."
Geo grunts. "I'll watch your back. Just don't run when it gets messy."
Phantom lowers her hood. "Then let us feel again, Kagami. Don't just summon us when it's convenient. Let us live."
Vibe hums, her aura pulsing to a slow beat. "If we're doing this... no more pretending. No more masks."
Blaze steps closest, fire licking her fingertips. Her voice drops low. "You'll have to burn to be reborn, Kagami. Are you ready for that?"
I look each of them in the eyes.
"Yes."
A beat passes. Then two.
Blaze smiles. "Then let's turn the world to ash and rebuild it in your name."
Phantom extends a hand. "Together."
I take it.
Tear rushes forward and throws her arms around me. "You came back..."
My throat tightens. "I'm sorry it took so long."
Neuro adjusts her imaginary glasses. "Initiating reintegration protocol."
The void begins to shimmer, filling with colour and sound. Not quite home, not yet—but no longer hollow.
I feel them—warmth, electricity, sorrow, fury, clarity—threads of myself weaving back into place.
"I'll fight harder," I whisper. "Not just with muscle, but with every part of me."
Their voices follow me as I rise from the space:
"Then we'll fight with you."