Chapter 9 – Energy Echoes
The sound of the impact echoed off the concrete walls of the underground base. Kael was panting, his fists clenched and his arms shaking. Sweat dripped down his forehead, and each breath was like swallowing hot coals.
Aria stood in front of him, arms crossed, motionless as a statue.
"Is that all you have?" she teased. "You don't even look like the Son of the Sun."
Kael took a step forward, his feet dragging on the cracked ground from the heat he had released minutes before. The energy still vibrated in his chest, wild, like a lion wanting to escape its cage.
"I… I'm still holding it." His voice was hoarse but firm.
"And why?"
He stared at her. Kael's eyes glowed gold now, deeper than before. He had learned, in that brutal training, that restraint was as important as release.
"Because strength without control… is only destruction."
For a moment, Aria seemed satisfied. Just for a moment.
"Well. That's it then."
Kael collapsed to the floor, on his knees. Not out of weakness—but because his body needed to breathe.
---
After a much-needed cold shower, Kael dressed in clean clothes left for him in a makeshift closet. A dark sweatshirt and loose pants. The fogged-up bathroom mirror showed a tired but different face. The look in his eyes held weight. And light.
As he walked out, the smell of hot food hit him like a nostalgic punch.
Aria sat at the table with a cup in her hands, her feet propped up on a chair, unconcerned. Around her, four people occupied the base's small mess hall. Everyone stopped talking when Kael entered.
— Look, the sun decided to appear — Aria commented with a half smile.
Kael slowly pulled out a chair, sitting down while still observing the unfamiliar faces.
— These are the other ghosts — Aria said, pointing with her chin at those present. — People that HelionTech erased from the map… or tried to.
A thin boy, with dark skin and gray eyes, raised his hand in a lazy greeting.
— I'm Noa. I connect with machines. I hear what they "say", like iron spirits.
Kael felt his skin crawl — as if his presence distorted something around him.
A girl next to him, with short white hair and a thin scar under her eye, spoke right after:
— Mei. I manipulate vibrations. I can collapse a bridge… or make you sleep with a snap.
The third was big, with arms that looked like logs. Silent, he just nodded.
"He's Guto," Aria said. "Turns your body to stone. Literally." Kael stared, impressed. He felt that the energy around each of them was unique—not like his, connected to the sun, but as if each of them had a different core. Different vibrations. Forces that connected to the world in unusual ways. And finally, the last one. A slender figure, with golden eyes like his. But the aura was different. Cold. Sharp. "And this is Lyon," Aria said last. "He's not exactly… reliable. But he's efficient." "Reliability is overrated," Lyon replied, glancing at Kael with a lopsided smile. Kael was silent for a moment. Then he looked at Aria. "Is this a team?" She took a sip of her coffee. "No. This is what's left of what HelionTech tried to destroy." Kael took a deep breath. The light inside him pulsed like an extra heart. He knew this was just the beginning. But for the first time in a long time… he wasn't alone.
"Then let's rebuild something with these leftovers," he said, looking at the others. "And may the sun shine on what lies ahead."
Aria arched an eyebrow.
"You're still a bit dramatic. But I'm starting to like it