Luck card beyond earth now all you

Neo Helios was a city of skyglass towers and quiet luxury The poor lived under steel domes while the rich floated above the clouds Shuttles glided across the skyline like slow moving stars Everything in this part of the city shimmered Polished stone Chrome signs Digital snow drifting from rooftop billboards But inside one of the grandest homes in Sector 12 there was a quiet so heavy it swallowed soundThe house was perfectly controlled Cool air Marble floors with gold veins that felt cold even through heated socks Soft yellow lights glowed in the tall dining room bouncing off glass panels and a chandelier worth more than most people earned in a year On the table sat a single chocolate cake Ten candles flickered Not from wind There was none in this sealed mansion They flickered like they weren't sure they should keep burningOne candle thinner than the others twitched Sputtered Then with a final dance of flame it went outHe watched it without blinkingHe was small for his age dressed in a navy suit with gold lined cuffs It looked too formal for a birthday His legs dangled from the chair not touching the floor Across from him sat Ryyan the son of one of the estate's caretakers Ryyan was the same age but taller stronger almost comically older looking He seemed thirteen though he was only nine All elbows and long limbs he tried to shrink himself to match the room's heavy moodFive servants stood along the walls dressed in black Their posture was stiff Their eyes weren't on the cake or the boy They were on the silence The kind that said we know this is wrong but we can't fix itThe boy's eyes stayed on the flame Not the cake Not the people Just the flameRyyan cleared his throat Hey bossNo answerHe leaned closer Are we cutting the cake It's your birthdayStill no answerThe boy stood up quietly No chair scrape No stomp Just a smooth slide to the floor He walked away from the table past the servants past the giant holo clock on the wall that ticked seconds into silenceHe turned into the hallwayRyyan scrambled after him Wait upLiza Ryyan's mother whispered Please Little Master just blow out the candles firstBut he was already goneThe bathroom was as pricey as it was cold Stone sink Bronze fixtures A mirror taller than most grown men He stepped in and turned the tap The water started warm then turned cold He didn't flinch He washed his hands slowly One at a time Then his face Three timesHe looked up into the mirrorHis own eyes stared back Not angry Not sad Just tired Way too tired for ten years oldRyyan appeared behind him You look like a sad businessmanThe boy didn't respondYou know like those guys in shows who drink coffee with no sugar That kind of sadStill nothingI'm bad at cheering people up Ryyan admitted Want a terrible joke anywaySilenceHe tried What did the candle say to the cake Don't worry I'll light up your day Wait no I messed it upThe boy finally spoke His voice was flat StopRyyan blinked Yeah okayThe boy grabbed a towel Why should I cut a cake for people who don't care I'm aliveHis hands shook just a little Water dripped from his chin Was it from his eyes or the faucet No one could tellI'm not crying he addedI know Ryyan said He didn't try to comfort him He just stood there shoulder to shoulder in silenceBack in the dining room the candles kept burning The servants looked up as the boy returned He didn't speak He picked up the knife sliced a piece of cake and sat back downNo one sang No one clappedRyyan sat beside him quiet His mother gave him a gentle look Not pity Just understandingThe boy poked the cake with his forkThis sucks he mutteredRyyan nodded TotallyThat was the last time they celebrated his birthdayHe never told them to stopHe didn't have toThey all knewThe next time the house felt alive it wasn't for himIt was for themA year later the same estate that once echoed with silence now hummed with soft classical music digital wine fountains and the clink of glasses in the living room A celebration Their wedding anniversaryThe boy sat on a plush couch too big for his thin frame A fizzy drink sat untouched beside him He wore the same kind of suit Formal Stiff Well fitted But this time he didn't bother combing his hair No one had reminded him No one noticedAcross the room his parents were laughingHis mother's voice was elegant commanding always a little distant Did you see the ambassador's face when you turned down the medalHis father older with a sharp jaw laughed deeply I told him if I needed validation I'd buy a mirrorThey clinked glasses again They were happyFor once they noticed their sonOh his mother said like she'd just remembered something small Darling come here Sit with usHe didShe patted the space between her and his father You've grown A bit taller maybeMaybe he saidYou're still reading those economic theory books his father askedHe nodded I finished four last weekThe silence that followed wasn't pride It was awkward The kind only families with long gaps know When every sentence feels like talking to a strangerHis mother forced a smile You're always so quiet You never ask us anythingYou're always gone he replied softlyThat hit hard Like a glass set down too firmlyHis father chuckled dryly That's fair You've always been honestThe boy looked away There was a small painting on the wall A gift from a Sylari artist they once told him The kind of detail they remembered for art but not birthdaysWe should stay two days next time his mother said her voice quieter Not just oneHis father nodded That's generousGenerousTwo days a yearHe turned his eyes to the window watching sky shuttles cross the district like migrating birds His hands folded in his lap He felt no anger No sadnessJust confirmationHe wasn't always like thisBefore ten before he learned to fold his heart into silence he tried Really triedHe used to bring report cards to them when they visited Every time the scores were perfect Top of the year Advanced math Multi language fluency Military history recitation Teachers called him gifted A genius evenBut his parents only noddedGood work they'd say Keep goingHe used to wait by the door hours before his birthdays He used to count days Used to ask if they'd come Then stopped asking Then stopped hopingAt school it didn't get betterMost kids came with drivers parents fanfare His driver was a quiet AI module in a black car Teachers smiled politely Students whisperedHe's that rich one His parents never show up He eats alone every dayHe tried to make friends once Brought his best comics to class Gave away candy Told jokesThey laughed at him not with himThe final straw came when a boy pushed him during lunch and said loud enough for half the room to hear Even your parents don't love you Why should weHe didn't fight backHe didn't cryHe picked up his tray dumped it and walked out of the cafeteriaThat week he stopped going to school full time Just the exams Just enough to keep passing The mansion's library became his classroom The walls his only classmates The quiet his favorite teacherBack at the anniversary night the party went onThe boy nodded when they asked questions Smiled when he should Said thank you when his mother complimented his tieBut inside something drifted awayHe looked at his parents and saw them not as Mom and Dad but as two military assets in civilian smiles Glimpses of people the world admired but he never knewThey were heroes to the worldTo himJust visitorsAnd deep down a cold part of him whispered When they die I won't see their bodies I'll see a headlineTwo months after the anniversary the house grew silent again Not the usual silence This one felt sharp Cold Like something was waiting to be saidIt was early morning when the hovercraft landedThe sky outside was pale grey streaked with blue from passing shuttles A low hum echoed as a dark armored military vehicle settled onto the estate's private pad Dust scattered off the marble driveway settling like snow around the landing gearLiza Ryyan's mother was at the door She didn't know why she felt uneasy She just did A feeling in her spine Like old instincts saying don't open it yetBut she opened itTwo men stepped out dressed in black military uniforms with crimson stripes on the shoulders High clearance Special ops Their faces were grim jaws tight helmets tucked under one armThe older one scarred above the brow spoke first Is the boy homeLiza didn't answer at first Her lips parted but no sound cameThe second soldier stepped forward holding a silver data scroll We're here on official notice Commander Rael and Lieutenant Selia Kairo were declared dead at four this morning Sygnus Planetary Front They led an assault squad into an enemy ambushLiza gasped one hand over her mouthThe soldier paused Not for formality For kindnessThere was a detonation he said Plasma bomb Designed to erase evidence We didn't recover remains Just armor fragments Weapons Tactical implants TheyThe older soldier finished They died protecting their menSilenceLiza stepped back slowly She didn't cry But her body trembled like the grief was too heavy to come out all at oncePlease she whispered Let me tell himThe younger soldier handed over a sealed envelope He's next of kin Full estate transfer notice is insideThey left without saying goodbyeUpstairs he was readingHe always read early He liked the quiet hours when the sun hadn't fully risen and the world felt soft Today's book was on Colonial Defense Logistics Not because he liked it Just because he hadn't read it yetHe heard the hovercraft Heard the steps Heard the whisper downstairsThen the silenceHe closed the book gently marking page one seventy two He knew he wouldn't forget it but he marked it anyway HabitHe stood up Walked to the mirror StaredNo emotion Not yetHe walked downstairs calmly Ryyan met him halfway eyes red face pale Hey uhHe stopped Couldn't finishThe boy stepped past him turning into the sitting roomLiza was there She stood when she saw him then dropped to one knee The envelope in her hand shookThey're gone she saidHe didn't moveThey fought hard she added trying to make it sound nobleHe didn't blinkThey saved lives The militaryI know he saidShe froze YouI knew they'd die like that he replied sitting on the edge of the sofa I just didn't know whenShe covered her mouth again The tears came now Hers not hisHe looked at the fireplace Empty ColdThey were supposed to be remembered as legends he saidLiza noddedBut I never got to know them as parentsLater after the military left the estate grew quiet againThe boy walked through every hallway that night Every room He didn't sleep Didn't eat Didn't cryHe paused in his parents' office Looked at the shelves Medals Portraits Glass awards with red digital etchings A memory photo of their wedding dayHe took it down Turned it over Read the line engraved on the backLove Duty EternityHe placed it face down on the desk and walked outThe next morning the legal transfer was confirmed Every asset Every credit Every contract now his The military sent a message with condolences A distant relative from another city sent a brief message asking if he needed anything He never repliedSomehow he ended up in the library again Same place as alwaysHe picked up the book from yesterdayPage one seventy twoHe started reading againAnd the silence swallowed the house once more