AFTER x THE x FALL
⟢───── Ashes × Aether ─────⟣
THE RUSTLINE — NIGHT
Triple Kill slipped into the Rustline like ghosts.
The sweep still thundered through The Pulse in the distance. Sirens bouncing off steel, drones screaming overhead. But here, in the buried streets of the Rustline, it was quieter. Dull. Watching.
Interceptor Drones passed overhead in tight formation, scanning rooftops, but no XPA patrols on foot. Just people standing in doorways whispering in small circles. Rumors spreading like infection.
No one looked at Triple Kill longer than a second.
Nobody asked questions.
Nobody wanted trouble with whoever the XPA was hunting.
The trio made it back to the abandoned pod they’d been shacking up in. Metal walls still warm from the daytime factories, blankets piled in one corner, take-out boxes shoved into another.
Set sat down first, back against the steel wall. He didn’t talk. Not at first.
Riven closed the door behind them, double-checking the latch like it mattered.
Talla paced once, twice, then dropped to sit across from them.
For a few seconds..nothing. Just rain ticking on the metal roof.
Then Riven finally spoke.
“We’re not letting this shake us,” he said, voice low. “We finish the bracket. We get the money. Vei gets paid.”
Talla nodded immediately. “We don’t stop.”
Riven flicked a wrist, a string of aether humming between his fingers. “We’re in this together. No matter what kind of crazy shit this neon freak show throws.”
Set looked up at both of them.
Calm. Determined. Appreciative.
“We dominate the next match,” he said. “We show everyone.”
Nobody argued. They just sat in the silence of their resilience and determination while the rain outside kept falling.
The next morning rumors turned into headlines overnight.
Every screen in the Rustline — broken monitors, alleyway projectors, handheld tablets — flashed with the same emergency re-run:
Clean graphics.
Cobalt borders.
Corporate anchors smiling with metallic precision like nothing was wrong.
“Good morning, citizens of X'Omnera. Last night’s anomaly was contained within minutes, thanks to the swift actions of the Paramount Authority.”
Set stiffened.
Talla’s tail curled in tight.
Riven leaned forward like he was waiting for their names.
“Among those detained — members of the Hagg Cartel, and several high-tier executives found guilty of trust violations against the nation.”
Images flashed:
Blurred faces.
Mountains of confiscated YoYos.
Counterfeit Sigils.
Factory bosses being dragged out in cuffs.
But no mention of Set.
No mention of Riven.
No mention of Talla.
“Order is mercy. X'Omnera endures.”
The broadcast cut to a giant nation wide graphic, then to reruns of the sweep edited, polished, scrubbed of panic.
Triple Kill watched from a busted monitor in a side alley behind Lilly’s. Rain dripped from the tarp above, tapping the metal bin beside them.
Riven exhaled.
“Guess we’re ghosts again,” he said.
"For now" Talla shot back.
Set remained his usual quiet.
But all three of them walked away from that screen with the same look:
Focused. Dead-set. Unshakable.
Ready to show everyone in Platinum Bracket, they were done playing nice.
⟢───── Ashes × Aether ─────⟣