"So," she says, her voice light and playful, "what were you saying about dancing?"

I smile at her, but the moment breaks as I catch a shift in my incoming waves.

Someone's coming.

Ayu notices the change in my expression. "What happened?"

I focus on the waves, mapping out the approaching figure.

"It's Lukas."

"Lukas?" Ayu shifts her gaze toward the direction of his approach, her senses clearly picking up on it too.

We wait in silence, and less than a minute later, he arrives.

"Sorry for dropping in unannounced," he says, a lopsided grin on his face, his tone light and casual. Yet, just beneath the surface, there's a subtle weight to his words, almost imperceptible but undeniably there.

I nod slightly. All in all, my impression of him is pretty good, and I know he's a good friend of Ayu.

"It's okay," I say.

Ayu, however, looks slightly tense, her gaze shifting between Lukas and me.

I can easily guess what's running through her mind. Lukas showing up tonight… it's definitely about the squad I killed.

"So, let me cut to the chase, and… apologies for being blunt in advance," Lukas begins, his usual light tone slightly subdued as his gaze meets mine. "Did you kill Rakesh's squad today and encounter Chiara afterward?"

My eyes narrow slightly. Why is he asking me this? Did Chiara not tell him? Odd…

"Yes, I did," I answer plainly.

"I see… well, Chiara apparently had a mental breakdown because of it. She passed out shortly after I arrived."

Chiara had a breakdown? Not entirely unexpected, but…

"But… will she be okay?" Ayu suddenly asks, her voice edged with concern.

"Well… I think so, but I can't say for sure. When I arrived, she barely recognized me and was exhibiting extreme dissociative behavior. I hope she'll be better once she wakes up."

I stay silent, unsure how to process this. While the dominant emotion is indifference, I can't deny there's a faint, unwelcome spark of guilt.

"So, I'll be straightforward with you two," Lukas continues, his tone calm but direct. "I came here with three objectives. The first is a notice, and the other two are favors."

We both stare at him, our expressions serious.

"The notice is: I will be taking Chiara's role moving forward… or at least I will try to."

"What!?" Ayu suddenly shouts. "Lukas, you… you'll be the new leader? But… you… is it because of Chiara's condition? Is it that bad?"

Lukas' eyes drop slightly before he offers a faint smile. "Chiara's condition could be quite severe—or maybe not. She might even recover by tomorrow. Who knows? As for why I am taking the position…" He chuckles softly, his gaze steady as it shifts to me. "If I told you it was to prevent more deaths and help Chiara, would you believe me?"

I meet his gaze. It's obvious there's more to this than he's letting on.

Lukas as a leader?

By now, it's crystal clear Chiara isn't fit for the role—critical condition or not—but him? He doesn't strike me as a leader either. Then again, he won't be leading me or Ayu, so my opinion hardly matters.

"Lukas… but you hate responsibility," Ayu says, her voice rising with confusion. "How the hell did you suddenly decide to become the new leader? And what about the others? Do you think they'll follow you? The structure is broken—seven more just died, Chiara is in a critical state, and Arjun won't take Rakesh's death lightly."

"Chiara… Chiara will be okay. We regenerate fast, and our bodies are strong," she continues. "I remember… I remember when we talked about life goals, the only thing you said you wanted was freedom. So… this isn't you. Forget about all of them if you want to. You can even find a cave and live near us. I… I'd be willing to work and fight with you, and…" She pauses, turning her gaze to me.

I take a deep breath. Working with Lukas…

Fine. I nod.

Ayu smiles at me and continues. "You can team up with us. There's no reason for you to take on that burden. It's… it's not who you are, Lukas. Even if you want to help Chiara… there are other ways, but—"

"Ayu," Lukas interrupts with a wide, disarming smile. "It's okay. This is my choice. You know, I used to enjoy playing strategy video games back in the day. I'm sure I can handle this."

The fuck… I can't help but widen my eyes, holding back a laugh at the completely out-of-nowhere comment, totally out of sync with the vibe.

Ayu stares at him, confused. "Strategy what?"

"Video games. You know, sitting at a computer and playing on it?" he says, smiling.

"I never had a computer," Ayu replies, then shakes her head. "Don't change the topic! Seriously… I consider you my friend, perhaps the only friend I have left in this damn place, so be honest with me: why? Why are you doing this? And don't give me the shitty answer that it's to avoid more deaths and help Chiara."

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Lukas grins and tilts his head back to gaze at the night sky. "Why, huh? I'm not sure, Ayu. I'm still trying to figure that out myself."

"So that's it?" Ayu snaps, her voice rising. "You've really made up your mind? You're going to try to lead a fractured group of murderers, stubborn idiots, and crazy warriors?"

"Well, when you put it like that, it sounds like quite the challenge. Like playing on maximum difficulty with permadeath. Kind of tempting," he grins.

Ayu grits her teeth, and it's painfully clear she's barely managing to stop herself from punching him in the face.

"Well, that's that. On to the next topic," Lukas says, reaching for a pouch attached to his waist and holding it out to me.

I narrow my eyes, cautious, but take it and inspect the contents.

Inside, I spot several bullet-shaped objects. The shells appear sturdy but lack the shine of metal. Salamander scales, perhaps? Or something similar? Beneath the outer layer, I notice a conductive core—likely organic in origin.

I channel my waves toward one of the objects, and it responds immediately, levitating upward.

Curious, I direct my focus to the others, channeling my waves into them as well. They rise, floating in the air before beginning to rotate around my hand.

The rotation intensifies, their speed building rapidly into a tight circular orbit. After a moment, I reverse the field and let them drop back into my palm, one by one.

"An interesting creation," I remark, studying them closely. "Did you use some sort of conductive organic fiber from one of the creatures for the core?"

"Indeed," Lukas replies, his tone as casual as ever. "I used the same material used for the masks from the Arthropods antennae. They're easy to hunt and large enough to yield plenty of usable filaments. How does it feel?"

"It's an innovative approach to ranged weaponry," I say, nodding thoughtfully. "By leveraging Lorentz force, they can be spun in circular orbits and propelled to significant speeds before release." I pause, letting a small smile form as I glance at him. "You're essentially introducing the equivalent of firearms without gunpowder or metal. Ingenious. Is this the source of your confidence as a new leader?"

"Well, if only it were that simple," Lukas chuckles, his gaze shifting to Ayu, whose mouth is a thin line and whose eyes are practically shooting daggers at him.

He scratches the back of his head, then pulls out another pouch and offers it to Ayu, who continues to glare at him, unimpressed.

"This one has more than Alonso's," he says, blinking at her.

Her expression flickers—just for a moment—before she snatches the pouch from his hands and starts fiddling with it.

"Should I be worried about being shot with one of these on my outings?" I ask, holding one of the objects between my fingers and inspecting it closely. The surface is incredibly smooth. How did he shape it so seamlessly? Lava, maybe?

"I hope not," Lukas laughs. "But I'll remind the boys about that after I ascend to presidency."

I shake my head, a faint smile tugging at my lips. It's impossible to take this guy seriously. "So, you said you came to give one notice and ask for two favors. What are the favors?"

"Right, right," he says, waving a hand dismissively. "I was just trying to sweeten the deal with some gifts first. So, favor number one," he takes a deep breath, his tone growing slightly more serious. "Can you take care of Chiara for a couple of days?"

Ayu's pouch drops to the floor with a soft thud. Her gaze locks onto Lukas, but… she stays silent.

Slowly, she turns to look at me, her expression calm, yet her eyes reveal a storm of conflicting emotions.

Is she seriously considering this? After all that… wait…

I sigh. I remember. The story from before I came to the Oasis—how Chiara saved Ayu.

Shit.

But… hasn't the debt already been paid? I mean…

I glance at Ayu. Those eyes…

I turn back to Lukas. "Alright. But only for two days max, and I'm not babysitting her. I can help with food, make sure she's okay, and handle the basics, but I have things to do, and so does Ayu."

Lukas bows deeply, his torso almost at a full ninety degrees. "Thank you."

Well, that was… unexpected.

I feel a hand wrap around mine. Ayu's. She holds it tightly, and when I glance at her, she's wearing a soft smile.

The things one does for love…

Lukas straightens up. "I truly appreciate it," he says, his gaze meeting mine with a rare, serious expression.

I nod.

"And the second favor?"

Arjun was drenched, water dripping from his body and mixing with the slick gore of the octopus he had just slain. That marked his 47th kill. Only two more to go.

He leaned back against the jagged rock face beside the cascading waterfall, his breathing steadying as he let his thoughts drift.

The roar of the water muffled the world around him, giving him a rare moment of solitude in the relentless carnage.

Yet, even in the stillness, a strong ache pulsed at his temples, a dull reminder of the strain he couldn't escape. The waterfall's motion seemed unnaturally slow, each droplet distinct, almost deliberate, as if mocking his yearning to see it… normal again.

His gaze dropped to his hands, still trembling from the fight.

He had been gifted an ability—something far beyond ordinary, something transformative. It wasn't like Ayu's, with her supreme evasion, or Alonso's, with his inhuman reflexes. His gift was different.

It came with a crushing burden, yet it granted him immense strength. Finally, he possessed a power that could take him where he needed to go. A power that could make him capable of reaching the impossible.

His fist clenched, nails digging into his palm as the familiar ache of memories clawed at the edges of his mind.

He thought of Earth—the life waiting for him. The innocent giggle of his two-year-old daughter echoed in his thoughts, her tiny arms stretched out as she ran toward him. He could still hear her calling him "Baba" in her sweet, melodic voice. She would clutch her favorite stuffed rabbit tightly against her chest as she toddled around the living room.

The memory of her soft, chubby hands reaching up to hold his face was vivid, almost tangible, her touch warm and sticky from the candies she loved to sneak.

And then his wife… the warmth of her embrace, the way she'd press her forehead against his and whisper, "We'll get through this," when the weight of the world seemed unbearable. He could almost smell the faint scent of lavender from her hair and hear the gentle hum of the lullabies she'd sing to their daughter at night.

The images were bittersweet, a painful reminder of what he was fighting for and what he might never see again.

"I'll make it back," he muttered under his breath, the weight of his resolve heavy in his voice. "No matter what it takes."

Suddenly, a voice echoed inside his head.

"Can we talk for a moment?"

Arjun froze, his gaze shifting toward the direction it seemed to come from.

That voice… Lukas?

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