**After the Battle with the Taskforce – Lunaris City**
"All these questions make me want to lose it. How long are we going to stay here?" Eria muttered, arms crossed as her gaze locked on what looked like a billion cameras flashing in their direction.
"Just smile — it'll all be over soon," Sage replied, her tone dry but not without a trace of exhaustion.
"Hey… after this is over, you guys wanna go out? Just us girls." Alice leaned in, whispering like she was sharing state secrets.
---
**Back to the Present – Frozen Dreams Café**
"Guys, I still don't think we should be investigating this Taskforce on our own," Eria said, stirring her iced coffee without drinking it. "If we can't tell our parents, we can at least tell the guys."
"Well, we can't," Sage countered, leaning back in her chair. "I mean, we haven't seen or heard from Ty since the incident. For all I know, he could be in another country by now."
Alice set her cup down with a soft clink. "The longer we wait, the colder the trail gets. If the Taskforce really had something to do with the attack, we need to find out before they vanish."
The Frozen Dreams café was one of Lunaris City's crown jewels — polished marble floors, a faint cinnamon scent in the air, and glass walls that reflected the bustling streets outside. It had always been their go-to whenever life felt like it was closing in. Today, however, the usual comfort felt… different.
They had maps, encrypted notes, and three different comms devices hidden under napkins. The chatter around them was just background noise to the silent tension pooling at their table.
---
**Meanwhile – Earth, Smith Family Residence**
The Smith dining room felt quieter without Tyrone.
Marcus sat at the head of the table, scrolling through his tablet as Naomi leaned against the wall, arms folded. Jordan was hunched over his plate, clearly lost in thought.
"News says the Jupiter trip is going fine," Lena said, trying to cut through the heaviness.
Naomi's eyes narrowed. "Stormblade may be with him, but that doesn't mean he's safe."
Jordan finally spoke, not looking up. "Safe for him… or safe from him?"
The room went still.
Vanessa laughed softly, but it was hollow. "You say that like he's some kind of doomsday weapon."
Jordan shrugged. "You've never seen him in my visions."
Naomi's head snapped toward him. "Jordan—"
"I'm just saying," he interrupted, "sometimes I see fire. And it's his shadow standing in it."
No one touched their food after that.
Marcus closed his tablet. "I don't care what the news says — I want updates from him directly. If something happens out there…" He trailed off, but the weight in his voice made it clear he wasn't only worried about Tyrone being in danger.
Lena, unusually quiet, finally spoke. "Do you remember when we were kids, and that stray dog almost attacked me? Tyrone stepped between us. I still don't know what happened — one second the dog was charging, the next it bolted like it had seen a ghost." She gave a weak smile. "I've never been able to shake the feeling it knew something we didn't."
Vanessa's smile faded. "Or maybe it saw what we've been ignoring."
---
The girls in Lunaris didn't know it, but miles away, Tyrone's family was already wrestling with shadows of their own — shadows shaped like him.
---
Jupiter – Sentient's Hall
"Ugh, coming back here gives me PTSD," Stormblade muttered as we stepped into the endless marble hallway. The walls were lined with holographic murals of the Great War sixty-five years ago — battles frozen mid-strike, soldiers caught in eternal motion.
"Not my favorite place either," Greg said, "but we've got to brief the Sentient on… recent changes."
"Where's Julie?" I asked Jane, one of her friends.
"She doesn't like visiting her dad at work," Jane replied.
I blinked. "Wait — Julie's dad is the Sentient of Jupiter?"
"Yeah," Stormblade said with a grin. "Here, the Sentient handles all military matters."
After layers of security checks, we entered Jared's office. Medium build, athletic frame, skin tone like Julie's — his presence filled the room before he even spoke.
"You must be Tyrone," he said warmly, shaking Stormblade's hand before turning to me. "Julie's told me a lot about you."
We exchanged pleasantries. But then Jared's expression sharpened. "I heard about the… incident during your test. Millions in tech almost destroyed?"
"Nothing that major," Stormblade said quickly.
Jared's lips curved into a faint smile. "Let's see something."
Before I could protest, he placed his hands over mine.
The world fell away.
Rings — vast and ancient — spun in a void. Within them, an orb, half white and half black, cracked along its center. The halves swelled like living things, straining against each other, trying to consume the other entirely.
Then came fire. Endless fire. Cities swallowed whole. Screams like the tearing of the sky.
And through the flames… me.
Jared ripped his hands away, sweat streaking his forehead, eyes wide with horror.
"I saw the future," he said, voice hoarse. "Tyrone… you will destroy the world."