"Kael."
A voice, heavy and distant, cut through the haze.
"Kael, wake up."
He opened his eyes to a blur of red light and movement. The metallic scent of scorched earth hung in the air. Above him, Jax loomed — crimson skin faintly glowing in the dim light, expression caught between irritation and concern.
"About time," Jax muttered, crossing his arms. "You were thrashing in your sleep. Thought you were fighting the air again."
Kael blinked, disoriented. His body felt like it had been pulled through lightning. "How long was I out?"
"Half the night," Jax said. "And you lit up like a damn beacon while you were at it. That blue energy of yours—" he gestured vaguely toward the air, still crackling faintly, "—wasn't subtle. Scared half the survivors into hiding."
Kael sat up slowly, the ground beneath him faintly scorched where he'd lain. His fingertips still glowed with tiny streaks of silver-blue light. He clenched his fist, forcing it to fade. "I didn't mean to—"
"Yeah, I know," Jax interrupted, tone softening. "But you need to get a handle on it, Kael. Next time, that light show might bring something worse than me running."
Kael met his gaze. "You're right."
Jax grinned faintly. "Of course I'm right. I'm always right." He offered a hand, pulling Kael to his feet. "Now come on. Orion's been poking at some old weapon lockers, and Estelle's scaring people again."
By late morning, the facility was alive with movement. The survivors — both human and mutated — scoured through cracked corridors and storage rooms, guided by Kael's calm but firm voice.
"Take what you can carry," he said, motioning toward a rusted rack of weapons. "Check for damage, power cores, anything usable."
The air was thick with dust and tension. The weapon room had clearly been a military outpost once — metal crates scattered across the floor, walls lined with racks of energy rifles and crude melee hybrids forged from scrap and wire.
Jax swung a heavy plasma hammer onto his shoulder, grinning like a kid discovering candy. "Now this feels right."
Orion, crouched beside a crate, examined an old rifle. The blue lines along his arms pulsed faintly as he studied it. "Outdated tech," he murmured, "but adaptable. I can rewire a few of these."
Estelle moved silently through the room, her long coat sweeping the dust as she inspected a set of throwing discs, their edges glowing faintly red. "They'll do."
Nearby, Kael handed out salvaged weapons to those who could wield them — a mix of humans and mutants, each bearing scars and uncertainty in equal measure.
A young mutant woman with scales along her arms hesitated, clutching a broken blade. "We're not soldiers," she said softly. "We can't fight like you."
Kael paused, his gaze steady but kind. "You don't have to fight," he said. "But if you want to survive… you can't stay unarmed."
Another survivor, older, spoke up — his tone edged with fear. "We should stay here. This place is safe enough. Out there—" he gestured toward the broken forest visible through the shattered wall — "out there is death."
Kael nodded slowly. "Then stay," he said simply. "No one's being forced. This isn't about orders. It's about choice."
A heavy silence followed. Some exchanged uncertain glances. Others tightened their grip on their weapons. A few stepped forward, determination flickering behind their fear.
Jax broke the tension with a low whistle. "Guess we've got our crew, then."
Kael looked over the small group that had chosen to follow — hardened, scared, but alive. He turned toward the forest, where the twisted trees swayed under a blood-red sky.
"Pack what you can," he said quietly. "We move at dusk."
As the sun sank, painting the clouds in molten shades of red and gold, the four friends led the survivors out of the ruins. The forest loomed ahead — vast, unknown, and humming faintly with the promise of danger.
Orion adjusted the straps on his salvaged gear. "No maps. No coordinates. Just endless trees."
"Sounds familiar," Estelle murmured.
Jax cracked a grin. "Then it's just another Tuesday."
Kael paused at the edge of the clearing. His electric-blue energy flickered faintly beneath his skin — not wild this time, but steady, controlled.
He took one last look back at the ruined facility — their temporary refuge now swallowed by dusk — then faced the forest ahead.
"Let's find out what's waiting for us," he said.
And together, they stepped into the unknown.