The transport shuttle drifted through the glowing rings of Vantor-9, its sleek black hull reflecting the aurora waves that danced across the planet's surface. Inside, the Titan's Reach team sat strapped in, each lost in their own rhythm, excitement, tension, and quiet reflection filling the cabin like unspoken music.
It had been three weeks since Blaze's collapse.
Three weeks since the Aura Flame had nearly devoured him.
Now he sat quietly by the window, his right leg wrapped in a light exosupport brace, watching the colors of the sky melt into one another. The burn marks on his wrist had faded, but their memory hadn't. Every time he flexed his fingers, he could still feel the pulse of that restless fire beneath his skin.
Anastasia sat beside him, her tablet resting on her lap. "You're thinking too loud again," she said without looking up.
Blaze turned, smirking faintly. "You could hear that?"
"With you? It's hard not to. You radiate nerves like a beacon."
