The new refuge was silent.
Faint embers from the dying fire flickered in the dimly lit space, casting soft shadows along the cracked concrete walls. Outside, the wind whispered through the ruins, carrying the weight of the world they had barely escaped from.
Myst sat near where Blaze rested, her knees drawn up, arms loosely wrapped around them. She wasn't sure if she volunteered to watch over him or if the others just assumed she would.
Either way, she didn't protest.
Blaze was breathing evenly, but the bruises and cuts along his arms and face made it clear. His survival hadn't come without a cost. The mission still replayed in her head, her mind fixating on every detail, especially the moment she...
She exhaled sharply, shaking the thought away.
"You're too quiet." A low voice cut through the silence, pulling her back into reality.
Myst snapped her gaze toward Blaze. His eyes were half-lidded, his voice hoarse from exhaustion, but there was a knowing look in them, like he had been awake for a while.
She frowned. "You should be resting."
Blaze huffed, shifting slightly but wincing as he did. "Yeah, well… kind of hard when you're staring at me like you're waiting for me to drop dead."
Myst looked away, exhaling through her nose. "I wasn't—"
"I know. I was kidding," he murmured. A pause. Then, his voice turned softer, "But you're thinking too much."
She let out a humorless chuckle. "You almost died, Blaze."
Blaze glanced at the night sky through the open ceiling cracks, the faint light catching in his tired eyes. "Yeah. But I didn't."
The silence stretched between them. Myst clenched her hands, her fingers gripping the fabric of her sleeves. She could still feel the energy crackling at her fingertips, the unnatural weight of that power gripping her chest.
She swallowed. "Then I lost control."
Blaze's gaze shifted back to her, studying her expression. When he spoke again, his voice was quieter. "You just saved us. Again."
Myst flinched. "That's not—"
"It is," he cut in, firm but understanding. "We were trapped, and you got us out. If you hadn't…" He didn't finish the sentence. He didn't have to.
She hesitated, gripping her arms a little tighter. "I don't even know how I did it."
Blaze was silent for a moment before he let out a slow breath. "Maybe that's the scary part."
Myst turned to him, and for the first time since he woke up, he wasn't smirking or cracking a half-assed joke to lighten the mood. His expression was open, understanding as if she's just an easy puzzle.
She looked down at her hands. "What if I can't control it next time?"
Blaze scoffed lightly. "Then at least try not to be so damn reckless about it."
Myst blinked, surprised. "What?"
Blaze tilted his head toward her, a lazy smirk forming despite his exhaustion. "You think I'm the only one who makes dumb calls? You were practically throwing yourself at those guys back there."
Myst's brows furrowed. "I was handling it."
Blaze gave her a pointed look. "You nearly collapsed. And you just said you lost control."
She opened her mouth to argue but shut it just as quickly. He wasn't wrong. This is always the scene; she can never win against Blaze's stubbornness.
Blaze huffed a laugh at her silence. "See? Stubborn."
Myst exhaled, shaking her head. "Like you're one to talk." Like he wasn't fighting along when Shade shoved him aside.
"Exactly," Blaze said, amusement flickering in his eyes. "That's why I know a reckless idiot when I see one."
Myst shot him a glare, but the corners of her lips twitched. "You're impossible."
Blaze smirked again, leaning his head back against the wall. "And yet, here you are. Sitting with me instead of sleeping."
"You're injured. Someone had to make sure you don't do something stupid in your sleep." Myst rolled her eyes, but the heaviness in her chest didn't feel as suffocating anymore.
"Like what?" he mused. "Sleepwalk into another mission?"
"I wouldn't put it past you."
Blaze let out a low chuckle, but it was softer this time. "You know… when I was stuck in that transport, I actually thought that was it. That I wasn't getting out."
Myst's fingers curled against her knee. "Blaze—"
"But then," he continued, tilting his head toward her, "I heard you."
She stilled.
Blaze let out a slow breath. "Everything was a blur, but I remember hearing you. Yelling my name. I don't think I've ever heard you yell like that before, or maybe it was just in my head." His voice dropped to something quieter.
"It pulled me back."
Myst swallowed, looking away. "You make it sound like I did something dramatic."
Blaze smirked faintly. "Oh, you did."
She scoffed. "You're delirious from blood loss."
"Maybe." He paused before adding, "But I think I get it now."
Myst raised a brow. "Get what?"
Blaze studied her for a long moment, then exhaled. "Why Nyx is so hung up on you."
Myst blinked, almost freezing at the mention of Nyx.
Blaze closed his eyes, like he was too tired to explain. "Forget it."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "Hey! What does that mean?"
He smirked slightly. "You're too stubborn to leave people behind."
She frowned, opening her mouth to respond but Blaze's breathing had evened out again. His exhaustion finally caught up with him.
Myst sat there for a moment, staring at him. Then, slowly, she exhaled.
She shifted in her seat, her body finally feeling the weight of fatigue pressing down on her. His words stuck with her. She didn't know what to make of that. But for now...
Blaze is safe. That's what matters.