The sun hung low over Mechanic City's central scrapyard as Lin Che, Su Qing, Xiao Ya, and Mo Ying approached. Piles of rusted starship parts towered like metal mountains, and the air smelled of oil and burnt wiring—familiar, in a rough-around-the-edges way. A figure leaned against a stack of gears, a wrench in one hand, his bushy beard dusted with metal shavings.
"Jax!" Mo Ying called, grinning as she waved.
The man looked up, his one good eye widening. He dropped the wrench and rushed over, pulling Mo Ying into a tight hug. "You're alive! Heard rumors—thought the Syndicate got you after the scrapyard raid."
"We're tougher than we look," Mo Ying said, laughing as she pulled back. She gestured to the others. "You remember Lin Che, Su Qing, Xiao Ya? They're the ones who took down Old Man Zhao and the last Shadow Shard."
Jax nodded, shaking Lin Che's hand firmly. "Heard about that too—lighthouse, sea shadow, all of it. The slums are talking. You folks are heroes."
Xiao Ya smiled, hiding behind Lin Che's leg as she peeked at Jax. "The plants here say you're nice," she said softly. "They like how you fix things—make old metal useful again."
Jax's face softened. He knelt down, holding out a small, twisted metal flower he'd made—its petals shiny with polish. "For you," he said. "Plants aren't the only ones who can make things pretty."
Xiao Ya took the flower, her eyes lighting up. She held it gently, as if it were made of glass.
Jax led them to his workshop—a cluttered but cozy shed filled with tools, spare parts, and a small stove in the corner. He poured them mugs of hot, bitter tea, and they sat on crates, catching up.
"The scrapyard's doing good," Jax said, sipping his tea. "Hired three kids from the slums—taught 'em to fix starship engines. No more Syndicate, no more Zhao family—we can finally breathe."
Li Wei burst through the door a few minutes later, his backpack slung over one shoulder. "You're here!" he said, grinning as he hugged Su Qing and ruffled Xiao Ya's hair. "Took you long enough—been waiting weeks to hear about the lighthouse."
They spent the afternoon talking, Li Wei telling stories about the slums—how the kids now played in the streets without fear, how merchants set up stalls again, how the Syndicate's old hideouts were now used as storage for food and blankets. Jax showed them his latest project: a small starship, its hull patched with new metal, its engine humming softly.
"Gonna take it to the coast," Jax said, tapping the hull. "Trade parts with the fishermen. Maybe visit that lighthouse you folks talked about—see the sea shadow for myself (though I'll bring a light shard, just in case)."
Mo Ying nodded, her eyes on the starship. "I'll help you finish it," she said. "My repair shop's almost done, but I got time. You owe me a ride to the forest, remember?"
As the sun set, they walked to the edge of the scrapyard, where the slums stretched out below—lights flickering in the windows, laughter drifting up. Xiao Ya held Lin Che's hand, the metal flower tucked behind her ear.
"Ma Lan sent a message," Su Qing said, pulling a crumpled note from her pocket. "The tomatoes we planted—they're ripe. She wants us to come back, have a feast. Said the village misses us."
Lin Che smiled. He missed it too—the quiet mornings, the garden, the way the villagers sang as they worked. But he also felt a tug—toward new villages, new stories, new people who needed help.
"We'll go," he said. "After we help Jax finish the starship. After we visit Mo Ying's repair shop. Then… we'll keep going. There are still villages out there—still shadows, still broken things that need fixing."
Su Qing nodded, squeezing his hand. "Together."
Li Wei clapped Lin Che on the back. "I'll come with you—for a while. Slums are good, but I'm tired of fixing the same old carts. Wanna see the forest, the coast, that Willow Village you talked about."
Jax grinned. "I'll send parts—whatever you need. Starship parts, tools, even canned beans. You folks keep doing what you're doing—helping people. The world needs more of that."
That night, they slept in Jax's workshop, curled up on blankets by the stove. Xiao Ya held her metal flower close, whispering to it as she fell asleep. Lin Che lay awake for a while, listening to the others breathe, to the distant hum of the city.
The Star Marrow on his wrist glowed faintly—soft, steady, a reminder of how far they'd come. From the Iron Rust Workshop to the Spirit Plant Ruins, from the lighthouse to the scrapyard—they'd fought darkness, lost friends, found family.
The journey wasn't over. There would be more storms, more shadows, more broken things. But they had each other. And that was enough.
The next morning, they helped Jax and Li Wei work on the starship—tightening bolts, polishing the hull, testing the engine. Xiao Ya talked to the plants growing in the scrapyard's cracks, encouraging them to climb the walls, to add a little green to the metal.
By noon, the starship was almost done. Jax fired up the engine, and it roared to life—loud, but strong. He grinned, throwing his arms up. "She'll fly!"
Mo Ying laughed. "Told you I'd help. Now—about that ride to the forest…."
Lin Che looked at Su Qing, who smiled. "Let's go," she said. "Ma Lan's tomatoes are waiting. Then—who knows?"
They climbed into the starship, Xiao Ya sitting by the window, her metal flower in her hand. Jax and Li Wei waved as they took off, the scrapyard shrinking below them. The city stretched out ahead—smokestacks, slums, factories—but beyond it, the forest waited, green and alive.
The Star Marrow glowed brighter, as if singing.
Their journey continued. New adventures, new friends, new battles—all ahead. But for now, they flew toward the forest, toward the village, toward the people they loved.
And somewhere, in the quiet of the starship, Lin Che smiled.
The awakened one's journey was far from over. But it was exactly where he wanted to be.