Life of a Light

Chap 58 - The Silence Between Blades

(The low hum of generators vibrates through the walls. Etzia stands in silence, framed by shadow and smoke. Her face is calm, unreadable. The sealed chamber feels like a cage, but she doesn't flinch. She observes. Waits.)

A sleek combat drone steps forward from the darkness—enhanced with Numen tech, its eyes glowing crimson.

Combat Drone (voice mechanical, mocking):
"Subject 09: Strength-based type. Lacks higher-tier tactics. Emotionally deficient."

Etzia (quietly, no change in tone):
"...That's not a weakness."

(The drone lunges—blades whirring. Etzia doesn't move at first. She waits, still. Then—she shifts. One clean step. The blade misses her by inches. With surgical precision, she grabs the drone's wrist and crushes it with a single twist.)

It screeches, recalibrates, and releases a stun pulse. Etzia stumbles back, blinking—but her expression remains blank. Unshaken.

(The van sits just out of sensor range. The night air is tense. The distant facility hums with eerie energy. Inside the van, Cyd adjusts his scanner, Hiroshi paces, and Aizel watches silently. Solara stares out the window, eyes locked on the dark skyline.)

Professor Hiroshi (checking the comms):
"No signal yet. They've gone deep. The jamming's stronger this time."

Cyd (sighs):
"They've been inside for twenty minutes. We stick to the plan—thirty-minute threshold, then we move in."

Samara (quietly, but firm):
"I'm not waiting that long."

Cyd (turning):
"What do you mean?"

Samara (standing)
"I'm going after them. Etzia went in alone, didn't she? She doesn't ask for help. But that doesn't mean she doesn't need it."

Aizel (calmly):
"You think she's in danger?"

Samara:
"She doesn't show fear. She doesn't show anything. That's what makes this worse."

Professor Hiroshi (concerned):
"Solara—if you engage now, you'll lose comms. We won't be able to support you."

Samara (already at the door):
"Then give me thirty minutes. If we're not back by then... interfere. Come in full force."

Cyd (exasperated):
"You're breaking protocol."

Samara (turns, briefly):
"So did they—when they went in to protect each other."

(She steps out into the darkness, van door sliding shut behind her. Her figure disappears into the trees, chasing a shadow trail only she can sense.

(Solara crouches low behind a crumbling wall, eyes scanning the facility's side structure.)

Samara (thinking, to herself):
Etzia... You always pretend you're unshakable. But I've seen it. The way you flinch at certain hallways. The way your hand tightens when someone says your name like they own it.

(She spots faint, heavy footprints—Etzia's. Trailing toward the auxiliary core entrance.)

Samara (murmurs):
"I'm not letting you fight this place alone."

(She taps her wristband, switches to silent mode, and slips into the shadows—one step behind the girl who doesn't believe anyone would follow her.)

(The room is dimly lit by broken ceiling lights and pulsing energy conduits. Etzia stands facing an Unknown Figure, posture tight, arms flexed with controlled power. Standing beside the figure... is Solara's sister, cloaked in a sharp uniform, her expression unreadable. The air is thick with tension.)