Raj could still remember the way she stood before him, back straight, eyes bright, trembling ever so slightly as she raised her hand in oath.

  "I swear on my life to uphold the mission of the MIT. To protect the world from the horrors that lurk beyond. To fight until my last breath—so that others may live."

  Her voice had been steady, unwavering, but when the ceremony was over, she turned to him and grinned like a child who had just won her first battle.

  "Did I sound cool?" Ari had asked, bouncing on her heels.

  Raj had laughed. "No. You sounded like you memorized it from a script."

  "That’s because I did, idiot." She punched his arm, a playful, familiar gesture. "But you’re stuck with me now, Captain."

  His chest had ached in that moment, something warm and terrifying pressing against his ribs. He had hugged her then, arms wrapping around her like a promise.

  "You were always going to be here, Ari."

  Ari twirled in front of the mirror, pursing her lips at the ridiculous black-and-gold bodysuit she had picked out. The fabric clung too tight, accentuating every curve in a way that made her look more like a performer than a fighter.

  "This is so stupid," she groaned, stretching the suit at the sleeves. "Who designed this? Do they expect me to swing into battle and distract the enemy with my incredible fashion sense?"

  Raj sat on the couch, arms crossed, watching the disaster unfold.

  "Well," he mused, "you do have long legs."

  Ari grabbed a throw pillow and launched it at his head. "I swear to god—"

  He dodged, barely, laughing too hard to counter.

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  In the next hour, she tried four more costumes, each worse than the last. One had too many spider motifs ("I look like a Halloween decoration!"), one had an actual cape ("Do I look like I need a parachute?"), and one was so baggy it made her look like she was wearing a pajama set with webbing patterns.

  Finally, she landed on something simple. Sleek , a faint silver shimmer of her protocol sigil pulsing at the collar.

  She turned to Raj, arms spread.

  "This is the one."

  "Are you sure?"

  She smirked. "It makes me feel dangerous."

  "You've always been dangerous," he said softly.

  Something flickered in her expression.

  But she only looked away. "You’re such a sap."

  Ari sat across from him in the rec room, legs folded as she scribbled on a napkin of all things.

  "A superhero name?" Raj raised a brow.

  "Shut up," she muttered. "It’s important. What if one day, I become so legendary that the world screams my name in terror or admiration?"

  Raj smirked. "Or confusion."

  Ari threw another pillow at him.

  She tapped the pen against her lip, deep in thought. "Something badass. Something unique. Something that makes me sound like I can kill a man in three seconds."

  Raj snorted. "So, your actual name?"

  "Flatter me later. Name first."

  He leaned back, feigning boredom, then said, "Miss Arachne."

  Ari blinked.

  Then she burst into unrestrained laughter.

  "Wow, Raj. So creative. Just take my protocol and slap a 'Miss' in front of it? Genius."

  But months later—when she stood in the field, mask on, webbing stretching between her fingertips—she would whisper the name like it was always meant to be hers.

  Present day.

  The room smelled of antiseptic and something colder.

  Raj stood at the edge of the bed, staring down at the motionless form of Ari, wires snaking across her skin, monitors beeping with an empty kind of rhythm.

  She didn’t move.

  Didn’t even twitch.

  She had survived battles that should have broken lesser warriors, fought creatures that had no place in this world, but here she lay—trapped in the fragile, failing shell of her own body.

  Raj exhaled sharply.

  "You still owe me a rematch," he muttered, voice thick. "That last spar? I let you win."

  Silence.

  He scoffed, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I could never beat you. You told me that every damn day."

  His fingers curled into a fist.

  "I’ll fix this, Ari." His voice dropped lower, steadier. "I will heal you. I will find a way."

  The intercom crackled in his earpiece.

  "Captain, we have a situation. Another attack—coordinates incoming."

  Raj didn’t move for a second.

  Then he bent down, pressing his lips gently to her forehead, lingering for just a breath.

  "I swear."

  And then he turned and walked away—leaving behind the woman who had once sworn an oath to stand by his side forever.