The hollow let out one final, guttural scream—then shattered like glass in a storm, its form unraveling into black mist that dissipated with the wind.
Silence fell.
Only rain remained… and the distant hum of HQ's failing defenses slowly stabilizing through emergency protocols.
Jin exhaled—shoulders dropping—as he turned and knelt beside Ming Ji.
*"You good?"* he asked quietly, offering a hand.
Ming Ji grinned through the blood on his lip. *"Always. You?"
Jin smirked. *"Better now."*
And just like that—the tension broke.
The sky began to clear above them as dawn bled faintly through the clouds, soft orange light creeping over broken walls and scorched earth.
No more whispers.
No more lies in shadows.
Just quiet… and warmth between two who'd walked through fire together and refused to let go.
They stood side by side—battle-worn but unbroken—and headed back toward HQ without another word,
because none were needed:
They'd faced deception dressed as memory,
