Thriexa POV

  The door opened, and I knew before I turned that it was him. Jace Strickland. His steps were firm but unhurried, his presence unmistakable. I kept my posture composed, waiting, watching as he approached the table where I sat.

  “We’re going outside,” he said simply, his blue eyes studying me, gauging my reaction.

  Relief spread through me, but I didn’t let it show—not yet. I only inclined my head slightly. “Then let us go.”

  He gestured for me to stand, and I did, following him to the door. The walls of this facility had been closing in on me for too many rotations, the artificial lighting cold and lifeless. I had memorized every inch of these gray, featureless halls, every turn leading to another locked space.

  As we walked, I studied the structure of the building more closely. The design was rigid, built for security rather than comfort. The air inside was stale, filled with recycled oxygen that never truly felt fresh. The lack of windows unsettled me—it was as if this place was meant to disconnect those inside from the world beyond.

  Jace walked beside me, silent but aware. He knew I was observing, but he didn’t comment. I found that I liked this about him—he didn’t fill the silence needlessly, nor did he try to pressure me with words.

  Then, finally, we reached the exit.

  The heavy doors groaned as they unlocked, followed by a mechanical hiss. A thin sliver of sunlight broke through the opening, spilling across the floor like molten gold. The sterile fluorescence of the facility had done nothing to prepare me for it—the sheer vibrancy of the light, the way it moved, breathed, lived.

  The moment I stepped forward, it washed over me like a wave.

  Warmth touched my skin, but not the stale, manufactured heat of a controlled environment. This was real. This was alive. The warmth of a star, filtering through an atmosphere rich with life. It seeped into me, filling the spaces that had grown cold in confinement.

  I inhaled sharply. The air was thick with scent, layered and complex—earth damp from morning dew, the faintest trace of salt from a distant ocean, the green breath of leaves swaying in the wind. It was nothing like the recycled oxygen of our ships or the sterile air of the facility. This air had history in it, memory.

  My senses swam in the overwhelming contrast. Gone were the walls that had pressed in on me. No artificial hum of machinery, no buzz of observation cameras. Just the sky, stretching above me, endless and unapologetically vast.

  I closed my eyes, letting it all sink in.

  For the first time since landing on this planet, I felt untethered, as if I had stepped into something too big, too open, too raw to fully comprehend. The sensation was unfamiliar. It was intoxicating.

  “You alright?” Jace’s voice was cautious but not unkind.

  I opened my eyes and turned to him. His expression was unreadable, but his gaze wasn’t cold. He was watching me—not just observing, but really seeing me.

  “Yes.” A small smile touched my lips. “This… is much better.”

  Jace nodded and motioned for me to follow. We stepped onto a paved walkway lined with tall, swaying palm trees. The sky above was vast, open, endless—so different from the confined metallic walls of the ship, from the interrogation room, from everything I had known these past rotations.

  “Now that you’re outside, we need to talk,” Jace said, his voice even but firm. “You promised me more information.”

  I glanced at him, feeling the weight of expectation in his gaze. “I said I would open up, but before I tell you about the island, I want to know more about you. You have asked many questions of me, but I know little of the man who seeks my story.”

  He studied me for a moment before exhaling. “Alright. What do you want to know?”

  I looked back at the sky, letting the warmth soak into me for a few more breaths. “Tell me why you do this. Why do you seek answers? Is it duty? Or something more?”

  Jace gave a small shrug. “It’s both. My job is to find the truth, to protect people from threats before they happen. But I also just… need to know. I don’t like unanswered questions.”

  I considered his response. “You chase the unknown because it unsettles you.”

  “Something like that,” he admitted.

  We continued walking, the sound of our steps blending with the rustling of the palm trees overhead. He turned his gaze back to me. “What about you? What drives you?”

  I thought carefully before answering. “My duty is to my people. I must ensure their safety, their future. That is why I am here.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  Jace studied me but didn’t press further. Instead, he shifted topics. “So, all the purple—your hair, your clothes, even your mother’s. What’s the story behind that?”

  I smiled slightly. “It is my nation’s color. We wear it to honor where we come from, to remind ourselves of who we are. To us, color is not just decoration—it is identity.”

  Jace nodded as he processed my words. “That’s interesting. Sounds like it carries a lot of meaning.”

  “It does,” I agreed. “Just as your badge carries meaning to you.”

  Jace Strickland POV

  The sun filtered through the leaves, casting flickering shadows on the pathway ahead of us. Despite the guards stationed around the perimeter, it almost felt normal—almost. I let the silence stretch between us, giving Thriexa time to take everything in, to appreciate the moment of freedom she had asked for. I wasn’t in a rush. I had learned long ago that the best way to get someone talking was to let them feel like they were in control.

  “What is your mother like?” I asked.

  Her expression grew thoughtful. “She is a strong leader. She always puts her people first, making sure they are safe and have what they need. But she is also kind. She listens, even when she does not agree. She has taught me everything I know.”

  I hesitated before responding. “She sounds like an incredible woman.”

  I wasn’t sure why I said it, but something in her voice reminded me of the way I used to talk about my mother.

  “She is,” Thriexa said softly. “What about your mother?”

  I exhaled slowly. “She was a wonderful woman. The type of person who always took care of everyone around her, but sadly, she didn’t always take care of herself. She passed away a few years ago.”

  Thriexa tilted her head, watching me closely. “I am sorry for your loss.”

  “Thanks,” I said, glancing away for a moment before looking back at her. “Do you have any siblings?”

  “I do not. Do you?”

  “Yeah, a younger sister. But we don’t talk much.”

  She frowned. “Why not?”

  I hesitated, running a hand through my hair. “Let’s just say we haven’t gotten along since we were kids.”

  Her expression was unreadable, but her next words were spoken with complete sincerity. “I don’t understand. She is your sister. Even if you do not agree, family is a bond that cannot be replaced.”

  I sighed. “Some things are bigger than the bond of family.”

  She looked genuinely confused, like the idea of being estranged from family was foreign to her. “What could possibly be more important than your bond with your sister?”

  I didn’t want to go into it. Not here, not now. “I think it’s my turn to say I’d rather not answer that.”

  Thriexa nodded in understanding. “Fair enough. Where is your father?”

  “He died a long time ago. What about yours?”

  “My father was a protector. He was killed when I was a child.”

  I studied her carefully. “I’m sorry.”

  “Me too.”

  We walked a little farther in silence before I asked, “Does everyone from your home wear their nation’s colors?”

  “Yes.”

  “What other nation colors are there?”

  “There are nine nations, each with their own color. Green, blue, yellow, red, white, black, orange, pink, and purple.”

  “Interesting.”

  She looked me over, eyes glinting with amusement. “You look like a member of the Zetill nation. Their color is black.”

  She giggled, and I had to laugh too. “Do you have any other traditions like that?”

  “Many, but I would need more than one conversation to tell you about them.”

  I nodded, taking in her words. She wasn’t giving me much, but she wasn’t completely shutting me out either. She knew what she was doing.

  “Your mother hasn’t talked to my partner yet,” I pointed out.

  “I know.”

  I frowned. “How do you know that? You’ve been kept separated since you were brought in. No contact, no communication.”

  She didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she studied me, as if deciding how much she wanted to say.

  “I just know,” she finally said, her voice careful, measured.

  I narrowed my eyes. “What does that mean?”

  Thriexa tilted her head slightly, a flicker of amusement crossing her face. “You are an investigator, are you not? Keep investigating.”

  I exhaled slowly, recognizing the deflection for what it was. She was choosing her words carefully, feeding me just enough to keep me intrigued but not enough to give me real answers.

  “You’re very good at avoiding questions,” I said.

  She gave a slight smile. “And you are very good at asking them.”

  I studied her closely. She wasn’t just aware of her situation—she was in control of it. She knew exactly how much to say, how much to withhold. She was playing a long game, and she was playing it well.

  “I know you’re trying to learn everything you can about me and the island,” she said.

  “Are you going to tell me what I want to know?” I asked, flashing her a slightly playful smile.

  She returned it, but there was a quiet confidence behind it. “Not yet. I want to get to know you first.”

  She was flirting with me. Testing me.

  “Is interrogating people like me what you want to do for the rest of your life?” she asked.

  “First of all, I don’t think I’ll ever interrogate someone like you again,” I admitted.

  She giggled, and I found myself smiling in response. I liked that sound more than I should have.

  “Secondly, I joined the FBI because I wanted to keep people safe.”

  “And is this what you imagined you’d be doing?”

  I shook my head. “I can safely say I never imagined I’d be looking for answers about why an entire town appeared overnight.”

  “It wasn’t exactly overnight.”

  I paused. So she did know what happened. She had said that on purpose, offering just enough to keep me asking more questions.

  “So you know what happened?”

  “Of course. I was there.”

  “But you’re not planning on telling me.”

  She smiled. “Maybe later. But for now, I have answered enough questions for today.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “That’s it?”

  She nodded. “I just want to know one thing before we continue this tomorrow. Do you trust me, Jace?”

  I blinked. It was the first time she had used my name, and it caught me off guard. Most people I interrogated stuck to formalities, keeping things distant, impersonal. But the way she said it, it felt deliberate—like she wanted me to acknowledge it, to notice the shift.

  I wasn’t sure if I trusted her, not yet. But I liked the way she said my name.

  That was an interesting question. Trust wasn’t something I gave easily, especially in situations like this. But Thriexa wasn’t like anyone I had ever interrogated before. She was careful, deliberate, and yet… honest in her own way.

  I exhaled, meeting her gaze. “I don’t know yet. But I’m willing to find out.”

  That seemed to satisfy her. She gave me a small, knowing smile before we turned back toward the facility. I walked her inside, leading her through the corridors as the guards resumed their watchful stance. As we approached her room, she paused just before stepping inside.

  “Tomorrow, Jace. I will tell you my story tomorrow.”

  I nodded and closed the door behind her, lingering for a moment before turning to find Henry and Hail. They needed an update on everything that had just happened.