The silver-haired girl blinked once—slowly, knowingly—and then her form broke apart like mist caught in moonlight.
Samantha gasped. "Wait—!"
But the child was already gone.
No flash. No sound. No ripple of magic to trace.
Just absence.
A soft breeze swept across the garden, carrying a faint scent of snow despite the warm night air. Nova reached her tiny hands toward the empty space where the girl had been, brow furrowing in confusion.
"Okay," Kai said, hands on hips, "I'm just throwing this out there—either she evaporated, teleported, or she turned into air conditioning."
Samantha shot him a look. "Kai—"
"I'm serious! I'd like to know what we're dealing with. Because if disappearing children are now a category in our daily crises, I need to emotionally prepare."
Marcus rubbed his temple. "Emotionally prepare? Kai, you sprinted toward a cosmic scout five minutes ago."
"And I stand by that decision," Kai said proudly.
