⟢───── Ashes × Aether ─────⟣
SYLVANNA — SPECIALIZED RESEARCH FACILITY, HOLDING SHELTER
COMMON LOUNGE — MORNING
Morning found them where the night had left them.
The lights in the lounge were still low, tuned for rest that never quite came. Empty cups crowded the table. Someone had pushed the couches together at some point, turning the room into a loose circle instead of a waiting area.
No one had slept really.
Mae sat cross-legged on the floor, back against the couch, hair still loose from the night.
Lisa leaned forward with her elbows on her knees, listening more than she spoke.
Aria had claimed the armrest, legs tucked beneath her, fingers idly tracing patterns on the fabric.
Colt occupied the long couch, brace stretched out, boots off, posture relaxed in a way that only came after pain stopped being the loudest thing in the room.
Kit sat on the floor near the window.
They had talked until the sky shifted from black to deep green-blue.
About home.
About stupid mistakes.
About people they missed and places they might never see again.
Mae told a story about getting lost on her first field assignment.
Aria talked about the quiet right before a cave gives way.
Lisa admitted she hated heights but loved maps.
Colt described his father’s habit of fixing things himself just to prove he still could.
Kit mostly listened.
When he did speak, it was about his siblings.
About his older sisters and how they’d always been the strongest. He said he thought he might have them now, like it embarrassed him to admit.
He talked about his little brother Kilo and laughed, said Kilo was going to be the strongest of all of them because all he did was fight monsters no one else could see. Said he’d been training his whole life without knowing it.
Then he went quiet for a moment before mentioning Kariah.
Kariah always laughed the hardest when one of them did something stupid, calling for witnesses until the whole house was laughing with her. Kit hated that but he also mentioned the way she always touched his shoulder before running ahead. Like a promise to wait if he ever fell behind.
No one interrupted him.
The morning chime sounded soft and distant.
Footsteps followed.
The lounge doors slid open.
Three officials entered, accompanied by two guards. Their presence carried the same calm efficiency as always, but the spacing had changed. More deliberate. More measured.
Lisa clocked it immediately.
Mae stood without hurry.
“Good morning,” the lead official said. “I trust you rested.”
Colt smiled faintly. “Productive night.”
The official nodded as if that answer fit a box. He lifted his slate.
“As part of your release protocol,” he said, “each of you will be assigned a wellness and reintegration officer. Their role is supportive. Transitional. Temporary.”
Aria tilted her head. “Temporary how long.”
“Case dependent,” the official replied.
Another official stepped forward. “These officers will accompany you upon departure, assist with interviews, documentation, and ensure continuity of care as you re-enter civilian space.”
Mae folded her arms loosely. “So handlers.”
The word didn’t land with heat. It landed with clarity.
The official didn’t correct her.
“Participation is expected,” he said. “This process exists to protect you.”
Kit watched the way the room’s air seemed to hold steady, like it was waiting.
Lisa asked, “Do we get profiles.”
“Yes,” the official said. “They’ll be introduced shortly.”
Colt leaned forward, forearms resting on his knees. “And if someone declines.”
The official met his gaze. “We’d document the refusal and proceed accordingly.”
Mae nodded once, as if confirming something for herself.
The slate chimed softly.
“Your officers will arrive in ten minutes,” the official continued. “We recommend you remain here until then.”
“Of course you do,” Colt said.
The official allowed himself a small, polite smile. “This concludes the briefing.”
They turned to leave.
As the doors slid shut, the room exhaled.
Mae looked around the circle. “Well,” she said, voice light. “That answers that.”
Lisa sat back. “They really think it’ll be that easy?”
Aria smiled to herself. “It won’t.”
Colt shifted, stretching his leg. “Guess we’re getting new friends.”
Kit didn’t speak.
He stared at the window where morning light filtered through layered leaves and stone. At the place where the night had quietly ended without any of them noticing.
He understood something now.
This was the last morning they’d all be in the same room without someone else deciding where they stood.
⟢───── Ashes × Aether ─────⟣