Page 139

‘Remi, this is no ordinary conflict,’ she whispered.

His clasp tightened. ‘Nada,’ he agreed. ‘But neither are we. Also, we’ve much to fight for,kidaya.’

His words must have triggered a memory because her eyes misted over. ‘I miss them so much,’ she breathed.

He reached a lean finger to wipe away a tear. ‘The more we should have courage then. Let the grief out, love, and weep for what has been lost. Yet also remember that this is the journey that’ll shape the future for those we battle for.’

‘For a beautiful, arrogant, overconfident man, you sometimes do say the wisest things,’ Issa teased, leaning in, resting her head on his chest.

He huffed, stroking her hair.

Too tired to make love, they wrapped themselves in each other’s warmth as their lips met in the hush of divine night.

It turned into a slow, aching press for solace.

Soon, Issa’s breathing settled into the rhythmic cadence of deep slumber. Her body curled into the sheets, exhaustion fading just a tad from her face.

Ki’Remi’s eyes lingered on her for an extended moment, memorizing her back’s gentle rise and fall, the way the golden glow from the celestial skyline outside played over her skin.

Hell, she’d fought too long and carried too much.

Now, her retribution was at hand, and he was relieved to be by her side, come what may.

However, any rest they both got tonight would be a reprieve, a temporary oblivion from the squall waiting for them at dawn.

Especially for him, given the mission at hand.

Ensuring she was deep asleep, the Rider slipped from the bed with the practiced ease of a warrior accustomed to moving in shadows.

Barefoot, soundless, he strode across the chamber, the silken fabric of his sleep pants loose around his legs.

He undressed at the far end of the room.

He rooted in his bag, the nondescript cross-body sling duffel he’d brought, and slid on his wrist comm.

He also took out a slim case of xentium alloys covered in coatings of metanoids.

When he tapped the surface three times, a panel lit up. It scanned his bio-signature, and the lock disengaged with a soft hiss.

Giving him access to the tight-packed meta-armored suit within.

He shook it, lips curling in satisfaction as it unfolded around him in layers of midnight plating and advanced tech woven with whisper-thin strands of metanoid-infused metals.

The armor engaged with a muted murmur, mapping itself to his body, syncing with his neural node in a split-second connection, and flowing over his head to create an impenetrable helmet and visor.

Scanning the terrain beyond the patio, the HUD interface flickered to life in his vision.

Before leaving, he released a cloud of metanoids and commanded a facsimile of himself to materialize on the terrace divan.

A flawless illusion, a Ki’Remi-shaped ghost, clad in pajama shorts and a loose vest, lounging with a crystal goblet of celestial rum.

The clone even moved, swirling the amber liquid with lazy precision, the perfect decoy in case any divine eyes fell upon this chamber.

Satisfied, the Rider activated his stealth protocols, disappeared from normal fractal vision, and stepped off the terrace’s edge.

The wind caught him immediately, curling around his armored frame as his thrusters flared with silent propulsion, sending him soaring into the vast, star-drenched expanse of Sivania’s night.

The metropolis sprawled beneath him, its golden bridges connecting floating spires, its celestial towers rising like jagged crystal formations.