The mountains stretched endlessly beneath Angelo as he soared through the darkening sky, his glowing orange wings cutting through wisps of cloud. The events of the day weighed heavily on his mind, making even the spectacular view feel somehow hollow.

  "I'm telling you," Red's voice echoed through their shared consciousness, crackling with frustration, "Julius' full of it! We're tough enough to handle Infernia. With my sneaking skills—"

  "Shut the hell up, Red." Angelo's voice carried bone-deep exhaustion. The wind whipped at his clothes as he adjusted his flight path, careful to maintain altitude over the jagged peaks below.

  Blue's scholarly tone cut through their mental link like a knife through butter. "Once again, Red, you demonstrate a remarkable talent for missing the point entirely."

  "Oh yeah?" Red's mental presence practically vibrated with anger. "Please, O wise one, enlighten me about what point I'm missing!"

  Angelo banked around a particularly tall peak, remembering the haunting image of his mentor's wounds. "Look, I might be a lot of things - maybe even ambitious now - but I'm not crazy." His wings caught an updraft, carrying him higher. "You saw what they did to Sleeser. Infernia's got some serious heavy hitters, and now there's some terrorist who's sworn revenge against me. Walking straight into their territory would be suicide."

  "Fine then, genius." Red's presence radiated impatience. "What's your brilliant plan?"

  Angelo's eyes fixed on the horizon where Ashford was finally coming into view, its familiar buildings a welcome sight after everything that had happened. "I might have one lead left we can follow. It's not much, but it's something."

  As they approached the town - mercifully untouched by the day's violence - Angelo gave a mental nudge to his crimson counterpart. "Red, materialize and grab my phone from wherever you stashed it. I need to check the shelter for Neiva."

  Red's essence separated from Angelo in a stream of crimson smoke that quickly took humanoid form. Energy wings and a thruster materialized on his back as he used his falling momentum to rocket off in another direction.

  Angelo touched down before the shelter's heavy doors with practiced grace, his wings dissolving into particles of orange light. He tested the handle - locked tight. After a moment's thought, he glanced at the tiny gaps around the door frame. "Blue, think you can squeeze through and unlock it from inside?"

  Blue's azure smoke poured from Angelo's body like morning mist. "I'll investigate the available entry points." His ghostly form circled the door before finding a gap just wide enough to slip through.

  Moments later, the lock clicked and Angelo stepped into the dimly lit corridor. The shelter's main chamber opened before him, revealing families huddled together under blankets. The soft hum of electric heaters mixed with quiet conversation as people warmed drinks and tried to maintain some semblance of normalcy.

  "Why are these idiots still hiding?" Red's mental voice dripped with derision. "The terrorists are long gone."

  Angelo scanned the room, his throat tightening as he realized he'd have to call out. Something about all those eyes made his voice shrink away. "N-Neiva?" he managed, barely above normal speaking volume.

  "Oh, for fuck's sake!" Red's presence radiated disgust. "Where's the big bad Angel of Death now? Just yell her name!"

  Frustration finally won out as Angelo felt the weight of curious stares. His evolved aura erupted around him as four tendrils of orange energy lifted him spider-like into the air for a better view.

  It was, perhaps, not his best decision.

  Auras of various colors blazed to life around the room as local Aurons sprang into defensive positions. "Intruder!" The word echoed off the walls as they formed a circle around him, powers at the ready.

  "Wait!" Angelo lowered himself quickly. "It's just me - Angelo!"

  Blue materialized beside him, drawing gasps from the crowd. A familiar figure pushed through the gathered Aurons - old Thomas, his weathered face breaking into recognition. "Angelo? That beard had me fooled for a moment there, lad!"

  The tension dissolved as Aurons powered down one by one, though whispers of "The odd kid's back" and "It's that strange one" followed in their wake.

  Thomas approached with genuine warmth in his expression, though concern flickered across his features as he noticed Angelo's bandages. "You've been in the thick of it, haven't you? What brings you back to Ashford?"

  "Looking for Bob," Angelo explained as Blue dissolved back into his body. "And why is everyone still down here? The attack's over."

  Thomas gestured deeper into the shelter. "Bob's further back somewhere. As for why we're here - no signal gets through these mountain walls. Phones, radios, TVs - nothing works this deep. No way to know what's happening outside."

  "Bunch of scared rabbits," Red's mental voice carried theatrical disdain. "What, were they planning to stay here forever?"

  "Fear often overwhelms logic, Red," Blue responded with scholarly patience. "Though I wouldn't expect you to understand such subtle concepts."

  Angelo thanked Thomas and headed deeper into the shelter, hoping Bob could help shed some light on this increasingly complicated day.

  As Angelo made his way through the thinning crowd of shelter residents, Red and Blue's familiar bickering in his head almost made things feel normal. Almost. But nothing about this day had been normal. People were rising from their makeshift beds and gathering their belongings, the news of safety finally spreading through the underground chamber.

  Then suddenly, through a gap in the crowd, he saw a flash of brilliant red hair. Neiva stood frozen, Bob and Jennette right behind her, all three of them taking in the sight of his bandages and torn clothes. For a heartbeat, no one moved.

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  Tears welled up in Neiva's eyes as she launched herself forward, wrapping her arms around him in a fierce hug. Pain shot through Angelo's injuries, but he couldn't bring himself to push her away.

  "I was so worried!" she sobbed into his shoulder, her whole body shaking. "All this time, not knowing if..." Her words dissolved into tears.

  Angelo winced at the pressure on his wounds, awkwardly patting her head as he tried to figure out what to do. "There, there..." He'd never been good at this sort of thing.

  After a few moments that felt like forever, he cleared his throat gently. "I'm really glad you're safe, Neiva, but I'm kind of hurting all over right now..."

  "What? Oh no!" She jumped back like she'd been burned, wiping tears from her face. "I'm so sorry! I just... I felt so useless, stuck down here..."

  Something about her raw honesty struck a chord. Angelo studied her face for a moment before speaking. "Then maybe it's time to take your Auron training seriously. Next time, you could be out there helping instead of hiding."

  He softened his words with a tiny smile. "Come on, you deserve to sleep in your own bed tonight. Let's get you home."

  Right on cue, Red appeared with Angelo's phone in hand. "Hey sugar-ti—" He caught sight of Jennette and actually stumbled over his words. "Sugar, yeah... How you doing?"

  Everyone stared at him like he'd grown a second head, but they were all too exhausted to question his weird behavior. Red leaned against the wall, trying but failing to look as if nothing happened.

  "Ready to head out?" Angelo asked Neiva, trying to move past the awkward moment.

  She twisted her hands together nervously. "What about our stuff at the campsite?"

  "We'll stop by there first. Red and Blue can each carry a bag." The way Angelo said it made it clear this wasn't up for discussion.

  Red pushed off from the wall he'd been leaning against. "Excuse me? Do I look like your personal butler?"

  "Can you please," Angelo's voice cracked with exhaustion, "just not argue for one hour? One single hour without being an insufferable hothead?"

  The others couldn't help but laugh, even Neiva managing a small giggle. Red looked around at their amused faces and threw up his hands. "Fine! Whatever!"

  Blue materialized with his usual precise grace. "You seem to have forgotten about watching the news reports."

  "Oh right," Angelo ran a hand down his face. "That completely slipped my mind." He turned to Bob hopefully. "Mind if we catch up at your place?"

  Bob's weathered face showed understanding. "Of course, son."

  As they stepped out into the cool evening air, Neiva pulled out her phone, finally getting signal again. Her expression darkened as she scrolled through updates.

  Angelo glanced at her screen and quickly touched her arm. "Don't watch those victim stories. It'll only make you feel worse."

  She nodded, switching to a news site instead. "Looks like they're about to broadcast from the Shining Tower. Some big announcement coming."

  They settled into Bob's cozy living room, Angelo and Neiva sharing the sofa while Red leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. Bob and Jennette took their usual armchairs as the TV showed an empty podium with the caption: "President Ra'am Barak - Special Address Coming Soon." News anchors debated heatedly about Infernia's connection to the terrorist attacks.

  When President Barak finally stepped up to speak, his age showed in his face but power radiated from his very presence. His voice filled the room, strong and clear:

  "People of Luminia. Today we suffered a terrible blow from the terrorist group known as 'The Sundering Flames.' They have claimed full responsibility for these attacks. Their goal is clear - they want Luminia to surrender its independence and return to Infernian control. They want us to bow once again to tyrants!"

  His fist struck the podium with surprising force. "I say - never again! We will not surrender to terrorists who think they can justify murdering innocent men, women, and children. This attack was nothing less than a declaration of war, and we will respond accordingly! We will tear down the Sundering Flames' entire chain of command. To Infernia, I say this: You have one week to hand over their leaders. After that, we will take action ourselves - with or without your permission."

  The room fell silent as his words sank in. War was coming, and there would be no going back.

  Bob let out a long breath as the president's words faded. "Well, I'll be..."

  "This could mean war with Infernia itself," Neiva whispered, her hands twisting in her lap.

  Red pushed off from the wall, his face twisted with anger. "Of course it will! Everyone knows the Sundering Flames have friends in high places over there. No way Infernia hands them over - or lets us fight on their turf."

  Blue appeared in a swirl of azure light, his scholarly presence a stark contrast to Red's fury. "That remains an unproven theory. We have no concrete evidence linking the terrorists to Infernia's leadership."

  "For someone so smart, you're either really stupid or really naive!" Red's words crackled with frustration.

  "Enough." Angelo stood up, exhaustion weighing down his shoulders. "Sleeser was right - war is coming. We should go." He turned to Bob and Jennette. "Thank you both for looking after Neiva. It means a lot."

  Bob held up a hand. "Hold on, lad. Let me get your number first - for when things settle down and I can keep my promise about compensation."

  After exchanging contact information, they headed out into the cool night air. At their campsite, Angelo didn't even bother with the tents, just gathering their belongings despite Neiva's protests. "I'll get you a better one," he promised.

  Soon they were airborne again, orange energy wings catching the starlight as they soared over dark mountains. After a few minutes of flight, Neiva finally relaxed enough to enjoy it. "This is so much better than your usual swinging around!"

  "You wouldn't be saying that without this wind shield," Angelo pointed out. The curved barrier of forged energy protected her from the rushing air. He shifted it slightly, making her yelp.

  "No, no - put it back!" Her panicked voice made him quickly restore the shield, and they settled into silence for the rest of the journey. But it wasn't really comfortable silence - not with war looming on the horizon.

  Novaria came into view, much of the city dark from power outages. The damage was harder to see at night, but impossible to miss. "This is awful..." Neiva's voice carried fresh pain.

  "Yeah," Angelo agreed grimly. "And I can't even follow up on what we learned in Ashford."

  "What? Why not?"

  "Obsidian Foundation is in Infernia..."

  "Oh..." Understanding dawned on her face.

  "And Lumecent's as bad as here - those offices won't be running anytime soon."

  Neiva's voice grew gentle. "So we just have to wait?"

  "Maybe..." Angelo hesitated. "But..."

  "But what?"

  "There might be one more route to try. Too many unknowns though."

  "You're being awfully mysterious about this," Neiva said, annoyance creeping into her voice.

  "Just... let me check it out first. I'll tell you what I find - don't want to get anyone's hopes up for nothing." They touched down near her building, which had thankfully survived intact.

  After helping her wrestle her enormous bag inside, Angelo lingered in the doorway. "I should say goodnight, but..."

  "I know." Her voice was soft. "See you tomorrow?"

  He paused longer than he meant to. "Yeah, probably." With a final wave, he stepped outside and launched himself back into the night sky, his wings carrying him toward his own apartment in minutes instead of his usual half-hour swing through the city.

  But his luck had run out. His entire building was a wreck, his apartment visible through shattered windows where the floor had partially collapsed.

  "Fan-freaking-tastic," Red snarled. "Because this day wasn't bad enough already."

  "We could always ask Mrs. Dealer for a bed," Blue suggested quietly.

  Angelo let out a heavy sigh, knocking on his head. "Guess there's no choice." He sent her a quick message, then flew to what remained of his building's roof.

  Letting his aura fade to conserve energy, he took several deep breaths to steady himself. Then he pulled out his phone, staring at a particular number for what felt like forever before finally hitting dial.

  The silence between rings stretched endlessly until someone picked up with a massive yawn that made Angelo wince.

  "Well, well." The voice was tired but still managed to sound smug. "The Angel of Death himself, calling at this hour." Another yawn. "So, how can I help you?"

  Angelo's grip tightened on his phone as he spoke the words that would change everything: "I thought about your offer. I'm in."