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‘Baba,’ she whispered.

Tears welled in her eyes as she drank in his sight, the exhaustion on his face, the hope, the sorrow. He’d weathered years of pain, of stolen time etched into every line, but he was standing.

He was free.

‘My daughter.’ His voice was a rasp of emotion restrained. ‘I did not believe I would see you again.’

‘I would have burned down the heavens to get to you.’

His torso shook with quiet laughter. ‘I gathered you halfway got there and also that you were responsible for the soul stone destruction.’

He rubbed a scar on his upper chest as he spoke.

‘It took some doing,baba, and immense help. You owe one man your gratitude more than myself.’

She turned, glancing at her man. He sat at a respectful distance, silent, present, unwavering.

‘Who is this?’ her father asked, eyes narrowing.

The Rider inclined his head. ‘Ki’Remi Sable. Surgeon. Pilot. Reluctant celestial diplomat. And your daughter’s,’ He hesitated for the briefest moment. ‘Companion.’

Issa’s father gave him an arched brow. ‘You survived the storm with her?’

Ki’Remi’s lips twitched. ‘Not without a few scars.’

Her father studied him and, with a nod, declared, ‘You have my thanks. I look forward to hearing more.Sante.’

‘De nada,’ the Sableman intoned.

‘Where are you now?’

‘Leaving Sacran airspace, we hope to be with you before long.’

‘You’re coming here?’

‘We’re burning as fast as we can. Please don’t tell Mother, let it be our surprise,’ Issa breathed.

Her father’s face broke into a wide smile. ‘I cannot wait to hold you,kipepeo.’

‘Soon,’ she promised.

The holo call ended, and Issa wiped her eyes as Ki’Remi reached for her and held her in his arms.

‘Prep for full g burn, which should ease once we’re in hyperspace,’ came Mirage’s dulcet voice from the inner workings of the vessel.

They strapped in as a significant, shuddering shift in reality rippled through the air.

Their Sacran escorts peeled away as a deep bass vibration, not of sound but of existence itself, pulsed through the ship, resonating in their bones, marrow, and every breath.

Space warped, bent, and fractured.

The darkness beyond the viewscreen tore open into a vast vortex.

The Celestial Pathway emerged through the rift, a corridor of light and shadow, a spiraling current of cosmic energy, shifting like a river of auroras coiling through the void.

The couple linked hands as the stealth craft hurtled through the divine passage, one carved between dimensions.

Leading them away from the turmoil and world of gods toward home and Pegasi.