Ezra had been preparing himself for this trip for weeks. It was fall, which meant one thing—duty called. He and Haru had to perform their annual safety inspection at the core. Ezra took this seriously.

  Haru? Haru was Haru.

  Ezra checked and double-checked the safety logs, ensuring everything was running at normal levels. He followed protocol down to the st detail, marking off each item on the pre-approved checklist.

  Nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing unusual. Everything was going exactly as pnned. Until he turned around—And Haru was gone. Ezra’s blood ran cold. He did a double take, scanning the area, expecting to see the kid idly messing with a console or sneaking candy out of his b coat.

  Nothing. Not on the path. Not by the terminals. Not anywhere. Ezra felt his stomach twist into knots. This was bad. No—this was catastrophic.

  The Silent Legion had let them in under strict protocol, and now, the one thing Ezra was warned about—the ONE thing Clover explicitly told him was his responsibility—had just happened.

  He tried to py it cool as he scanned the area. Tried to act like everything was fine. But the Silent Legion guards were watching. Their unmoving stares bore into him, their silence deafening. They didn’t say anything. And somehow—that was worse.

  Ezra’s mind raced.

  He had to find Haru. Now.

  The search didn’t take long. Because then—He heard giggling.

  Ezra froze. His blood ran colder. It was coming from the walls. No—the vents. He felt his eye twitch. "He’s in the gyatdayum walls."

  Ezra scrambled, trying to locate which air duct the little gremlin had snuck into. His hands worked quickly, prying open a vent cover. Nothing. Then, another giggle—from the opposite direction. Ezra gritted his teeth, checking another vent. Still nothing. He was this close to ripping his own hair out. Desperate, out of options, and knowing that time was running out, Ezra did the dumbest possible thing.

  He hacked a restricted door panel. He knew better. He knew this was crossing a line. But right now, none of that mattered. All that mattered was getting Haru back before the Silent Legion decided that both of them weren’t worth the trouble. The panel sparked—the access lock overrode.

  With a loud hiss, the door slid open. Ezra barely had time to process the absolute worst-case scenario.

  Because on the other side of that door— Standing perfectly still, with one hand resting against the console like she had just been trying to open the same door from the other side—Was Clover.

  Ezra’s heart stopped. Her golden eyes locked onto him immediately. She didn’t react.

  Didn’t even flinch at the fact that Ezra had the panel wires hanging out of the outlet in his hands. They stood there, locked in a silent moment of pure horror. Ezra’s brain scrambled for an excuse.

  Electrical maintenance?A malfunction?Some bullshit about faulty wiring?

  Then—Before he could even open his mouth—Haru fell out of a ceiling vent. Right. Onto. The. Floor.

  Right. In front of Clover.

  Ezra saw his entire life fsh before his eyes. Clover didn’t react. Not at first. She simply snapped her fingers. And then—Ezra felt them. The guards. There was no sound. No warning. One second, they weren’t there.

  The next—They were behind him.

  Ezra’s breath hitched, realizing that he hadn’t even heard them move. Haru was still on the floor, half-ughing like this was some goofy adventure. Ezra had seconds to react—seconds to make a choice. And he knew—If he said nothing, Haru would take the fall for this. That wasn’t happening.

  Ezra inhaled sharply. And then—he spoke. "It was me," he said.

  Clover’s brow raised slightly.

  Ezra pressed forward, not letting himself hesitate. "Haru wanted to py hide-and-seek," he said smoothly. "And I let him."

  Haru’s smile faded.

  Clover watched him for a long, slow moment. Then, she spoke. "Ezra Key," she said, calmly, neutrally, unshaken. "You were warned."

  Ezra felt a deep chill crawl up his spine.

  Then she took a step forward. "All actions," she murmured, "have consequences."

  Ezra hit the ground so hard he saw white. The first blow nded like a hammer to his ribs.

  Then another.

  Then another.

  It was methodical.

  Calcuted.

  Not a blind beating, but a systematic punishment. Haru was frozen, watching in growing horror as the guards took turns, delivering precise, brutal strikes. Ezra could feel the bones crack, could taste the blood pooling in his mouth. Every part of him screamed. But he didn’t cry out. Didn’t give them the satisfaction.

  The beating only stopped when Haru moved. "Stop!" Haru’s voice cut through the air, filled with genuine panic.

  Ezra barely registered the moment when Haru threw himself between him and the guards.

  "He’s had enough!" Haru snapped.

  For a moment, there was silence. Ezra, dazed, barely conscious, heard the slow click of heels. Clover crouched. Eye level with Haru. The boy tensed. Her voice was quiet. Smooth. Cold. "Now do you understand?" she asked.

  Haru swallowed.

  "Ezra is your responsibility," she whispered.

  Haru’s face went pale. Clover held his wide-eyed gaze for a moment longer—Then stood. "Dismissed."

  The guards stepped back. Ezra felt his body go sck, barely able to hold himself up. The message was clear. They were in deep. Very, very deep. And now? Now, Ezra had to figure out how to survive it.

  Ezra had been through beatings before. Back when he was younger, back when his body could bounce back quicker, back when the pain didn’t settle into his bones like a permanent guest.

  But now?

  Now, he was running on pure adrenaline. Every step felt like hell. Every movement sent another wave of agony ripping through him. Yet—he had to keep moving. He had to get out of here. He had to get Haru back to safety. "Haru. Back to the elevator."

  For once, Haru didn’t argue. Didn’t whine, didn’t push back, didn’t crack a joke. He just nodded stiffly, his usual energy drained from him, and fell into step beside Ezra. The kid, for all his annoying genius, was completely out of his depth now.

  He tried to help—tried to wrap an arm around Ezra, to support his weight—But it only made things worse.

  Ezra let out a sharp hiss of pain, gritting his teeth so hard his jaw ached. "Stop," he muttered, voice hoarse, raw. "You’re—you’re making it worse."

  Haru immediately backed off, his hands hovering helplessly at his sides. Ezra forced himself to keep walking.

  They were almost to the medical bay when the worst possible thing happened. A familiar voice—two, actually—echoed from the hallway ahead. Mr. and Mrs. Kim. Haru’s parents. Ezra felt his pulse spike, but he didn’t have time to react before the two figures turned the corner.

  They had come to pick Haru up for the holidays personally. And the moment their eyes nded on Ezra’s battered, bloody form—Their expressions darkened with immediate concern.

  Mrs. Kim let out a sharp gasp, hand flying to her mouth. Mr. Kim’s brow furrowed, his posture tensing instantly. "What the hell happened?" Mr. Kim demanded.

  Ezra barely had the strength to lift his head, but he could see Haru’s mouth open, ready to spill everything. Ezra’s hand shot out—Firm. Unyielding.

  A heavy grip on Haru’s shoulder. "Graviton accident." Ezra managed through gritted teeth.

  A beat of silence. The air felt thick, weighted.

  Ezra fought the urge to wince, to stagger, to falter. "I’ll be fine," he said, swallowing back the pain. "Haru saved my life."

  Haru’s head snapped up to look at him.

  Ezra knew. He knew Haru could see the remnants of blood still dripping down his lip, knew he could hear the agony buried behind each word. But Haru remained silent. Because he got it.

  He finally got it.

  Ezra turned his hazy, half-focused gaze back to Mr. Kim. "Give your little hero something nice for Quarantinemas," he said, voice strained, but steady. Then, through sheer force of will, he straightened just enough to nod stiffly. "It’s nice meeting you, Mr. and Mrs. Kim."

  There was a pause. A heavy moment where no one spoke. And then— Mr. Kim exhaled, stepping forward."You’re not walking to the medical bay alone," he said.

  Ezra didn’t argue. Because, frankly? He wasn’t sure if he could. The walk to the medical wing was quiet. Pain blurred the edges of Ezra’s vision, but he kept his head down, staring at the floor. Haru kept gncing at him, trying to read his expression— But Ezra’s face remained unreadable.

  There was nothing left to say. Nothing left to process. Haru would never forget this day.

  Ezra did what he could with first aid, but the real damage—the cracked bones, the deep bruises, the split lip, the exhaustion weighing down on his body like iron chains—That was going to need an actual doctor.

  At least—At least he’d have two weeks of recovery during Quarantinemas. Not that it would change what had happened. Not that it would change what he now knew for certain. They were in deep. And there was no getting out.

  Ezra tried to keep Julie from seeing him like this. Tried to put it off, to figure out an excuse, to find some way to keep her from worrying herself sick. But there was no hiding it.

  Not with the casts on his ribs and arm.Not with the bruises across his face.Not with the lingering stiffness that even the heavy dose of painkillers couldn’t fully dull.

  And so, as soon as she id eyes on him, she gasped in horror. "Ezra—what happened to you?!"

  She rushed forward, hands hovering over him like she wanted to touch, to comfort, to confirm he was real, but didn’t know where it wouldn’t hurt. Ezra exhaled slowly, his body aching with every movement. "Graviton accident," he said, voice hoarse, but steady.

  Julie’s eyes flickered with doubt. She was too sharp to buy it immediately. But before she could press further—Something stirred in the room behind her.

  A small giggle. A tiny voice, full of joy. Ezra’s gaze drifted past Julie. And there he was.

  Adam.

  His son sat in a tiny cradle castle, completely lost in his own little world, pying with a soft toy, giggling to himself. Ezra felt something in his chest tighten. And suddenly, he knew. Why he had done it.

  Why he had taken the hit for Haru.

  Why he had acted on instinct, not logic.

  Why he had crossed a line he could never take back.

  Because Haru was just a kid.

  And what the Silent Legion did to him—what they made him witness—what they put him through—No kid should have to bear that. Ezra inhaled sharply, swallowing the pain, the exhaustion, the weight of everything pressing down on him.

  His gaze met Julie’s again. He offered her a small, tired smile. "Haru saved my life, Jules."

  She blinked. "What?"

  Ezra nodded, forcing himself to stand a little straighter, to steady his voice. "He saw something wrong before I did," Ezra said. "Warned me just in time. Could’ve been a hell of a lot worse."

  Julie was still skeptical, but—Adam giggled again, kicking his little legs. And just like that, her focus shifted. She turned, her expression softening as she watched their son, the worry still present, but muddled now with something deeper.

  Relief. Because despite everything, Ezra was still here. Battered, bruised, but here. Ezra sighed inwardly, knowing he had bought himself just enough time to hold things together. For now.