Chapter 92: Sii’lan

Vykhor, who had been absentmindedly running his fingers through her hair, froze mid-gesture. He tilted his head slightly, his expression slow, heavy, focused.

"You're my anchor, Evelyn. If you fall, the world shakes. So I have no choice but to hold on to you.".

She smiled, a bit shakily. Not from fear. From the fire in her chest—the one that had ignited the moment he’d first laid eyes on her.

"I’m just an unfinished project, Vykhor. The byproduct of a broken mind. A statistical anomaly in the fabric of life."

He gently cupped her chin, lifting her gaze to meet his.

"You’re my light in the void. And if the Master meant to turn you into a weapon, then he failed to understand what he created. He made a star, not a blade."

He rested his forehead against hers, eyes closed.

"And I’ll follow that star, even if it means burning with it."

She inhaled sharply, her throat tight. Her heart beat fast against his bare chest, faster than she’d wanted. Louder than her thoughts.

"You know… we’ve never said it", she murmured, a shy smile tugging at her lips.

"Said what?"

She met his gaze directly. No hesitation. No shield.

"What we are. What we feel."

Vykhor had never needed words. But tonight, he offered one. Just one.

"Sii’lan."

The Kael’tarian word. Ancient. Rare. She recognized it instantly. Her eyes welled up.

"You just told me you love me."

"I just carved it into your soul."

She let out a soft laugh as tears rolled down her cheeks. She pressed against him, and they lay together, tangled in the darkness.

No more words.
No more fears.
No more running.
Only them. A bond no war, no Master, no nightmare could ever break.

And Evelyn’s barely audible whisper against his ear: "Sii’lan, Vykhor. In this life, and all the others."

**Iskaara – Private Quarters, Eastern Residential Sector – 06:42**

The bed was wide and enveloping, bathed in a soft warmth from the dome’s thermal core. Rain tapped gently against the glass canopy above, creating an almost idyllic atmosphere. Evelyn was still asleep, curled into Vykhor’s arms, nestled against him like the universe had finally granted them a moment of peace.

The night before had been intense—emotional, physical—marked by words they’d never dared say until now. But in this suspended moment, there was no war, no Master, no encrypted case to crack. Just her. And him. And then… life resumed.

"KRRRRAOUHH!"

A guttural feline roar echoed down the hallway.

Before Vykhor could open his eyes, Blue barreled into the room like a cavalry charge, claws barely making a sound on the anti-slip floor.

The door hadn’t been locked. Rookie mistake. The massive feline leapt— And landed squarely on the bed, crushing Vykhor’s legs in the process.

"Mrrrrrrowr…"

A deep rumble shook the air. Evelyn cracked one eye open, then the other, before bursting into soft laughter and burying her face in Vykhor’s neck.

"Good morning to you too, Blue…"

"He weighs more than a starship", Vykhor grumbled through clenched teeth. "We should ban him from “diplomatic wake-ups.” "

"He loves you, and he wants you to know it", Evelyn replied, scratching behind the giant creature’s ears.

Vykhor was about to protest when a familiar voice rang out in the corridor. ***BOOM!***

"WHAT THE HELL?!" came Zeynn’s yell. "Skye, you said it was deactivated!!"

"I said it was probably deactivated. Big difference."

A metallic crash. A thud. Laughter. Evelyn sat up, hair tousled, still groggy.

"Think they’re gonna blow up half the base one of these days?"

"Highly likely", Vykhor replied. "And I’ll be blamed for it."

"You’re their captain…"

"Not their babysitter."

He sighed deeply.

"I’m going to kill someone before breakfast."

The door slammed open again. Zeynn appeared, shirt half-buttoned, one hand in a ripped protective glove, brows raised like he was bracing for execution.

"Sorry about the boom, Tav'Ren... but Skye wants to test the propulsion module unsupervised, and I think Blue locked the kitchen…"

Vykhor stared at the teen. For a long time. A very long time. Zeynn took a cautious step back.

"If you leave right now, I’ll pretend this never happened."

Zeynn bolted. Blue rumbled with amusement and nudged his head into Evelyn’s. Skye entered next, mug in hand, grin on her lips.

"Beautiful morning, Captain. You’re gonna love it."

Vykhor collapsed back into the sheets, arm over his eyes.

"I regret not taking that mining freighter gig. At least over there, the explosions are accidental."

Evelyn slid her hand over his chest.

"Come on. Admit it. You love us like this."

He groaned. Then smiled.

"I love you. The rest… I’ll end up selling them to a circus."

Blue approved with a pleased growl—
— and licked his ear.

**Iskaara – Tactical Training Dome, 10:17**

The dome’s floor vibrated with every impact. Drones zipped through unpredictable patterns—some firing pulse projectiles, others launching electromagnetic nets.

Defense turrets flanked the arena, controlled by an AI program designed to exploit gaps in coordination. In other words: a beautifully engineered nightmare.

And in the middle of it all? Zeynn, gasping, diving beneath a sweeping energy blade.

"You were supposed to cover me, Skye!" he shouted, rolling to the side.

"I covered you in sarcasm. That counts", she replied from her sniper platform, grinning.

A burst from her rifle deactivated two drones with clean shots. But a third swooped in behind Zeynn— Blue pounced.

With a thunderclap of claws and muscle, he intercepted the drone midair, smashing it against the dome wall. He landed gracefully, muscles taut, silent and ready.

"At least he gets the job", Zeynn muttered.

"He acts instead of whining. You should try it", Rax added dryly, hacking into the surveillance turrets via his ocular implants.

Vykhor stood on the upper platform, arms crossed, bare-chested and streaked with sweat and old scars. His amber gaze scanned the battlefield like a predator assessing his pack. He hadn’t intervened—until now.

"Stop."

Everything froze. The turrets shut down. Drones hovered in place. Silence fell. Vykhor descended the platform. His steps were slow. Deliberate. Each member of the group straightened instinctively.

"You think you're a pack?"

A pause.

"You’re a bunch of stray bullets."

Zeynn opened his mouth, then closed it. Blue sat down. Skye raised an eyebrow. Rax folded his arms.

"Rax, Skye, and I—we’ve fought Kryon together. We know the signals, the rhythm, the terrain. But you two…"

His gaze pierced Zeynn. Then Blue.

"… you’re unpredictable. And not in a good way."

Zeynn growled, offended.

"I’m doing my best, okay?!"

"Your “best” is gonna get you killed. And take us with you."

"Hey! I may be young, but—"

"Exactly", Skye cut in. "You wanna live? Then shut up and listen."

Vykhor stepped toward Blue, his expression stern.

"And you. You’re an asset. But an uncontrolled asset is a liability. You need to read us. Anticipate."

Blue lowered his head slightly… but locked eyes with Vykhor. He didn’t back down. A deep growl rumbled from his throat — understood.

"We’re running it again", Vykhor said. "But this time, you follow signals. Not your guts."

He raised three fingers.

"Three lines."

He nodded toward Rax.

"Tactical. Hacking, disruption, sabotage. Skye, long-range support. Zeynn, with me. Assault line."

Zeynn swallowed hard.

"And Blue?" Skye asked.

Vykhor smiled.

"He’s the invisible line. Our ghost."

Blue let out a satisfied growl. Skye cocked her rifle. Rax powered up his implants. Zeynn cracked his knuckles. And Vykhor clapped his hands.

"Drones. Phase two. This time, we fight like a pack."