The sun had begun to dip behind the jagged skyline of the Lower Sector when Ely finally found the courage to speak. They were gathered again on their familiar rooftop, where the concrete was cracked and worn, but the sky above remained vast and full of stars. Slink was reclining against a rusted vent, flipping a small coin through his fingers. Kex sat cross-legged, fiddling with an old communicator he'd been trying to fix for weeks. Nora was closest to Ely, arms wrapped around her knees, eyes distant but soft. She had always been the quietest of them, but her silence spoke volumes.
Ely leaned forward, elbows on his knees, staring into the horizon as if it held the answers. "I've made up my mind," he said quietly, but the words struck like a hammer.
Slink was the first to respond. "About what?"
"The army," Ely said. "I'm going to enlist in the Human Civilization Army."
The rooftop fell silent. Even the wind seemed to pause, holding its breath.
Slink gave a small nod, lips tightening. He looked down at the coin and slipped it into his pocket. "Figured it'd come to this eventually. You're not meant to rot in this sector, Ely."
Kex's hands froze over the communicator. "You serious?"
Nora didn't speak. Not right away. But Ely noticed the way her shoulders tensed, how her eyes shimmered in the fading light.
Kex set the broken gadget down slowly. "But... why now? We thought you'd be with us for at least another year."
Ely shrugged, though it felt heavy. "I've always looked at the stars, Kex. Always felt like I belonged somewhere up there. This sector... it's not where I end. It's just where I start."
Slink stood, brushing dust from his pants. "Then do it, Ely. Just don't forget us when you're a shiny commander up there in the clouds."
Nora still hadn't said a word.
"Nora?" Ely turned toward her.
She shook her head, tears already slipping down her cheeks. "You're just going to leave us?" Her voice was quiet but cut deeper than any blade. "Just like that?"
Ely flinched. "I'm not leaving now. I just—wanted to tell you I've decided. It won't be immediate."
"But it will happen." Her voice cracked. "You'll leave. And then what happens to us? To me? We've survived together for seven years, Ely. Seven."
He reached out but she pulled away. "I'm not abandoning you. You have Slink and Kex. And I'll make sure you're safe before I go."
"You think Kex can fight off a gang raid?" she snapped, eyes flaring with something close to panic. "You think I can?"
Slink, unusually quiet, stepped forward. "We'll manage. Like we always do. Nora, you know Ely's never belonged down here."
"That doesn't mean he has to leave us behind," she said. Her gaze locked with Ely's. "You're all I have left."
He swallowed hard, unsure if it was guilt or grief tightening his throat. "You're all I have too, Nora. But staying here forever... it's not living. It's waiting to die."
She wiped her face, breath shaky. "Then wait a little longer. Please."
Ely didn't reply. He couldn't.
The stars twinkled above them, impossibly far, impossibly bright. The wind picked up again, and Ely realized how small and fragile his world really was. But even the smallest spark could ignite a future.
He stood up, silhouetted against the sky.
"I'll wait," he said finally. "But not forever."
And for the first time, he felt the weight of every step he hadn't taken yet.