Smoke filled the arena. The ground was charred black, and heat shimmered in the air.
Jack pushed himself to his feet, coughing, his body aching from burns and exhaustion.
Across the arena, Michael stood surrounded by flames, his body trembling uncontrollably. Sweat poured off him like water. The floor beneath him hissed and cracked from the heat.
Jack's eyes widened. "No… his body's overheating."
Then he looked up — and froze.
Above the arena, thick clouds of vaporized sweat were gathering, swirling in the heat.
He realized what was coming.
> "He's… he's turning it into gas again. Oh no…"
Michael's voice cracked through the roar of fire.
> "FLAMING RAIN CLOUDS!"
He raised both arms and shot streams of fire into the sky. The clouds ignited, glowing orange. A moment later, fire began to rain down — droplets of flame falling like molten meteors.
Jack threw up a wall of vines, shielding himself, but he knew it wouldn't last.
He needed a counter. Something that could use Michael's gas against him.
He shut his eyes and pressed his hands together, whispering,
> "Alright… let's think, Jack. He's burning himself from the inside out. I just need to choke the fire."
Then it came to him — the design, the shape.
Jack slammed his palms to the ground.
Vines and flesh began to weave together, shaping into strange floating creatures — half jellyfish, half balloon, their translucent bodies glowing faintly green.
> "Go," he said softly. "Do your thing."
Five of the floating hybrids rose into the air, their tendrils dangling. They drifted upward, swallowing the flaming vapor with their hollow, balloon-like bodies.
As they absorbed the gas, the clouds above began to shrink, the fire rain weakening.
Michael looked up, furious. "No… NO!"
He screamed and shot more fire upward, igniting the air again.
> "BURN! ALL OF YOU!"
Flames surged toward the jellyfish-balloons — but Jack had planned for that.
> "Now! Drop!"
The creatures fell from the sky, their bodies igniting as they descended. When they landed near Michael, they anchored themselves into the ground with vine-like roots. Then they began spewing fire back at him — using his own gas as fuel.
Michael staggered back, roaring as the flames consumed his body.
He tried to fight back, shooting waves of fire — but the jellyfish absorbed and reflected the flames, growing hotter, brighter, stronger.
> "Stop… STOP!" Michael screamed, his voice breaking.
The air thinned. The more the jellyfish burned, the less oxygen and gas remained around him.
Michael's flames flickered weakly. His breath came shallow, desperate.
He dropped to his knees, choking on the heat. The fire around him dimmed, shrinking to faint sparks.
Then… it went out completely.
The arena went quiet.
Only smoke and the faint hiss of cooling metal filled the air.
Jack stood motionless, staring at the burned silhouette kneeling in the ashes.
The jellyfish-creatures slowly folded, deflating into the ground. The light faded from their cores.
Jack took a slow step forward. His throat was tight, his eyes wet.
> "Sorry… Michael," he whispered.
"I didn't want this. I'm sorry."
He looked at the scorched arena one last time, the memory of his friend burned into the floor.
Then he turned away, tears streaking through the ash on his face, as the echo of fire and friendship faded behind him.
Jack stumbled through the hallway, his mind a blur of screams and fire. Every step felt heavier than the last — like his body was trying to collapse under the weight of what he'd done.
The blood on his hands wouldn't come off, no matter how hard he rubbed at it. He kept seeing Michael's face, the moment his eyes went empty.
By the time he reached the dorm, his vision was hazy, his breath uneven. The door slid open with a hiss.
Nova and Singer were there, both sitting tensely, glaring when they saw him.
Nova's voice was sharp. "You finally show up."
Singer crossed his arms. "You think switching teams and acting like you're better than us makes you strong?"
Jack didn't answer. His eyes were glassy, distant — like he wasn't even really there. He walked past them, unsteady, almost tripping.
"Hey!" Singer barked. "Don't walk away when we're talking to you!"
Jack stopped. His body stiffened, and for a second, no one spoke. Then he turned around — slowly — his eyes shining red at the corners, not from power but from tears he couldn't hold back anymore.
He walked right up to Nova and suddenly wrapped his arms around her.
"Jack— what are you doing?" she said, struggling. "Let me go!"
He didn't. His voice cracked when he finally spoke.
"I didn't mean to kill him…" he whispered, shaking. "I didn't have a choice."
The words froze the room. Singer blinked, confused. "Kill who?"
Jack's breathing grew heavy, the words spilling out between sobs. "Michael… I didn't want to— I tried to stop— but they— they made me."
Nova stopped fighting. She just stared at him, stunned.
Jack's grip tightened for a moment, desperate. "I'm sorry," he whispered again, quieter this time. "I'm sorry about what happened between us… I didn't mean what I said before. Please… forgive me."
His voice broke completely, and his knees almost gave out.
Nova hesitated, then slowly placed a hand on his back. "Jack…" she murmured.
Singer's anger faded into disbelief. "Michael's… dead?"
Jack didn't answer. He just nodded once, eyes empty, tears running silently down his face.
And in that silence, all three of them felt it — the cruel truth of the system they were trapped in. No one won. Not really.
Jack sat on the floor, his eyes still red, his voice raw from crying. The silence in the room felt heavy, but it wasn't cold anymore — it was just… quiet.
He looked up at Nova, who was still sitting beside him, her hand resting on his shoulder.
"Nova," he said softly, barely holding himself together. "Can you… help me? I don't think I can fight this alone."
Nova blinked, her expression softening. "Help you how?"
Jack swallowed hard. "Just— stay with me. Please. All of us." He turned to Singer. "Can we just… sleep together tonight? Like a sleepover or something. I just don't want to be alone right now."
Singer and Nova exchanged a glance. For a moment, no one spoke — but then Nova nodded.
"Yeah," she whispered. "We'll stay."
Singer sighed quietly. "Fine… just this once."
Jack smiled faintly through his tears. "Thank you."
They all moved into Jack's room, the smallest and plainest of the dorms, but tonight it felt like a shelter from the world outside. Jack raised his hand, and several small cats made of soft shadow and warmth appeared — their glowing eyes blinking as they purred and curled around the three of them, spreading heat through the room like living blankets.
Jack sat against the wall and turned on his AI box. The small screen lit up with static before settling on an old movie — The Great King, the one he used to watch back home on the farm with his grandfather.
The movie flickered, showing a lone king standing before an army, fighting for his people. Jack's eyes softened, his breathing evening out as he whispered, "He never gave up… even when everyone turned on him."
Nova leaned closer. "Sounds familiar," she murmured.
Jack gave a small, tired smile.
Singer leaned back on the floor, arms behind his head, and started humming a soft melody. It was low, calming — the kind of sound that filled the silence without needing words.
The cats purred louder, the movie played softly, and for the first time in weeks, the world felt gentle again.
Nova rested her head on Jack's shoulder, and his hand found hers without thinking. Slowly, their eyes began to close, the warmth of their strange family wrapping around them like a shield.
As Jack drifted off, he whispered, "Thank you… for staying."
Nova smiled faintly, already half asleep.
Singer's humming slowed until the room was still.
And in that rare, peaceful night — surrounded by warmth, quiet music, and the glow of the old movie — Jack finally slept without nightmares.