Renn's quarters, usually the noisiest corner of the dorm, now felt like a hollow shell.
Empty cans, old blueprints, and mechanical scraps littered the shelves and floor — silent witnesses to all the nights spent building, laughing, and arguing. The faint hum of the dorm's ventilation system was the only sound breaking the stillness.
No one had slept that night.
Ashen sat on the metal chair by the window, elbows resting on his knees, staring blankly at the faint light rising beyond the academy walls. He wasn't really looking at anything — just letting his thoughts circle endlessly.
Nexis had been talking to him all night, or rather, taunting him.
When he'd first tried to ask about Theronus or the hidden truth behind the Dominion Games, Nexis had laughed, twisted the topic, and thrown out lines like:
"Patience, kid. You wouldn't hand a toddler a fusion rifle, right?"
Ashen had tried to push, tried to reason, but the AI — parasite — whatever the hell the thing was, didn't budge.
Eventually, he'd given up.
So now, he sat in silence, watching his reflection on the glass, the tired rings under his eyes. His mind, though, kept wandering to Renn — to that moment in Kieran's office.
The way Renn had stood there, jaw trembling, trying to hold himself together while his world shattered.
Ashen exhaled, it had been a long night for all of them.
Across from him, Jaro sat on the floor, back against the wall, fiddling with the broken handle of Renn's plasma wrench. The big guy hadn't said a word since last night.
His usual calm expression was replaced by something unreadable — a tightness around the jaw, the kind that came when words were useless.
Lira was perched on the edge of the desk, eyes red from crying. She'd tried to hide it earlier, but her breathing gave her away. Now she just stared at the floor, twisting one of Renn's old gloves in her hand.
And Renn himself…
He hadn't moved since collapsing onto his bed.
At first, they thought he'd fallen asleep — but his breathing never settled. He'd just been lying there, staring at the ceiling, lost somewhere none of them could follow.
The room carried a weight, heavy and suffocating — the weight of unspoken words, regret, and disbelief.
When dawn finally crept in, its pale light brushed across the floor and the side of Renn's bed. He stirred, blinking against the glow, his dry eyes struggling to adjust. Slowly, he sat up, rubbing his temples.
Lira was the first to move.
"Renn…?" she asked softly, voice trembling.
He turned his head toward her and forced a smile — weak, crooked, the kind that hurt to see.
"Morning," he said, his tone light, like nothing had happened. "You guys look terrible. Did someone die?"
Jaro looked up, eyes narrowing. "Don't joke like that."
Renn chuckled dryly, raising both hands in mock surrender. "Relax, I'm kidding. I mean, come on — I got kicked out, not executed."
His words tried to sound casual, but they cracked on the edges.
Lira stood abruptly, unable to hold back. "You can't just— act like it's fine, Renn!" Her voice wavered as she clenched the glove tighter. "You worked your whole life for this, and now you're— you're just pretending it doesn't hurt?"
He gave a small laugh, shaking his head. "What else am I supposed to do? Cry? Beg Kieran to change his mind?" He tapped his temple with a shaky finger. "Doesn't work that way, Lira. Once the system labels you as a liability, you're done. Simple as that."
Jaro stood up now too, his tall frame blocking part of the morning light. "You're not a liability."
Renn looked up at him, smiling faintly. "Maybe not to you guys."
He got to his feet, walking slowly to his desk. His gaze drifted over the clutter of half-finished gadgets and sketches. His hands hovered above them — touching nothing.
"You know," he began, voice quieter now, "when I joined this place, I thought I'd finally found somewhere I belonged. Somewhere my weird ideas and stupid inventions could actually mean something. I wasn't strong, or fast, or… gifted like the rest of you."
He turned around, eyes dim but steady. "So I built things. I thought that was my way of helping — my contribution. And now…" He laughed again, softer this time, bitter. "Guess it wasn't enough."
Lira took a step forward, tears spilling freely now. "That's not true— your innovations always finds a way to somehow help us, Renn! If it wasn't for you—"
"Stop." He cut her off gently, his voice cracking despite the calmness he tried to hold. "Don't make this harder than it already is."
Silence returned.
Even Nexis, for once, said nothing in Ashen's head.
Renn moved back to the bed and sat down again, resting his elbows on his knees. "I'll be fine, really. Maybe this is how it's supposed to be. I can still do something for the world — just not as a rider."
Ashen studied him quietly. He'd seen soldiers die with more composure than this. Renn wasn't breaking down; he was fading — quietly, like a light running out of charge.
That hurt more than anger or tears ever could.
Lira wiped her eyes and sat beside him, leaning her shoulder against his. "You don't have to be fine right now."
He glanced sideways, and a small, genuine smile broke through. "You always say the corniest things."
She punched his arm lightly. "And you always say the dumbest ones."
The room warmed slightly after that — not much, but enough to breathe.
Even Jaro, who hadn't moved for a while, set the broken wrench down gently and said, "You're still one of us, Renn. You know that, right?"
Renn chuckled, looking at them all in turn — Ashen, Lira, Jaro. His eyes softened. "Yeah. I know."
The sunlight had fully filled the room now, cutting through the haze. Dust particles floated lazily through the golden light.
For a while, no one spoke. The silence wasn't empty anymore — it was shared.
Renn's gaze eventually fell back to the desk — to the tools, the drawings, the half-assembled drones. He exhaled slowly, the weight on his shoulders still there, but his breathing steadying.
Ashen who had been studying suddenly had a change in his expression changed.
He'd made up his mind about something.
He stood, walked over, and stopped beside Renn.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Ashen extended his hand.
"Come with me."
Renn blinked, confused. "What—?"
But Ashen's tone left no room for argument. "Just come."
He grasped Renn's wrist and turned toward the door, his expression unreadable.
Renn hesitated for only a second, then stood up.
The other two exchanged curious glances before following behind.