Chapter 34Ash sank into the couch. The old leather groaned under his weight. It was stiff, worn, and smelled faintly of dust and old sweat. Zoey hovered close on one side, too close. Nina sat on the other, arms crossed, eyes sharp. Across from them, Guz and Hannah sat on a faded couch, the cushions slumping under the years.
The room was quiet in a tired way—like everything inside had learned to keep going without making noise.
Guz leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "Ash just survived a journey through Sandworm Valley and made it out alive. That should be impossible."
He let out a dry chuckle. No humor in it. More like someone mocking death after brushing shoulders with it. "I still remember the first time I saw him. I was on the cabin, keeping watch. It was quiet. Just the wind and the dunes. Then the storm came in—fast. I thought it was just another dead wind until I saw a figure walking straight through it."
His eyes met Ash's. "I swear… I thought it was a high-tier creature. I bolted underground."
Ash's thoughts clicked. 'Oh, now I get it. And the reason why he was scared and shivering was because I appeared so close to the cabin so quickly. Yeah, that wasn't normal for a human who came out of sandworm valley.'
Nina leaned forward, frowning. "Wait… you walked out of Sandworm Valley? Isn't that suicide? How is that even possible?"
Ash gave a small shrug. "I ran."
Nina stared. "You expect us to believe that?"
Ash bit the inside of his cheek. 'But I'm telling the truth…' He stayed quiet. People never believed the truth when it was plain. Not in a world like this.
Guz raised a hand. "Enough. Let's not dig into secrets he isn't ready to share. I'm sure he has his reasons."
'Secrets?' Ash echoed in his head. 'I guess so. I'm still trying to figure out what the hell this thing is… whatever's inside me.'
His eyes wandered around the room. Stone walls patched with metal. Wires nailed to corners. A place cobbled together like a memory someone refused to let go.
Guz noticed his gaze. "Yeah, I know. Doesn't look like much. But we do our best to stay alive out here."
Ash tilted his head. "But… aren't you part of the Terra family? Why didn't you just go back to the city? I'm sure they'd take you in."
Guz let out a low laugh and looked at his family. "Yeah, they would. But I'd rather stay out here."
Ash frowned. 'What is he talking about? How is this wasteland better than Geopolis? That city has walls. Tech. Soldiers.'
"But isn't this place dangerous?" Ash asked.
"Oh, it's very dangerous," Guz said, mouth tugging into a tired smile. "You've seen my job. I'm a Watcher. That alone's enough to get most settlers killed. But it's the only job I could get."
Ash stared, trying to understand. "Still… you chose this? The Terra family would've accepted you, regardless of your Vitalforce. And there are lots of stable and save jobs there."
"They would've accepted me," Guz said. "But not my wife."
Ash's brow furrowed. "But she's an Earth user, right?"
Guz's face shifted—just a bit. "That's what I thought too. But they turned down the application."
The room didn't move. Even Zoey stopped shifting beside him.
Ash's mind raced. 'Weird. Terra's strict, sure—but not that strict. She's an Earth user. That should've been enough. Guz has the name. He also lived in village. Unless…'
"Who handles the application process?" Ash asked, slower this time.
"Lane," Guz said. "He's the one in charge of sending it to Geopolis."
' Lane…' The name echoed like a loose screw in a machine. 'Now he sounds really suspicious. Why would he lie about the application? What's he hiding? And what the hell is really going on in this settlement?'
Guz saw the shift in Ash's stare—still, unmoving, lost somewhere in a thought he hadn't spoken aloud. The room had quieted again, heavy with words that hadn't been said.
"Hey… don't worry about it," Guz said. His tone didn't waver. "My family's managing. We've got a roof, food… we're together. That's more than most can claim out here."
Ash didn't look up. His voice came low, almost too calm. "Still... doesn't it seem off to you? That they rejected it?"
Hannah stiffened. Her reply cut through the silence. "Yeah, it is off. We thought we'd be accepted. After the rejection… it didn't feel like chance anymore." Her fingers clenched the fabric of her skirt, knuckles pale. "We think someone stopped it. Just like with the others."
Ash leaned in. His eyes didn't leave hers. "Others?"
She gave a slow nod. "I work the cleaning routes. You see a lot. Hear more. People trying to get out… most of them denied. No explanation. Like the system shuts them down before they even get a real shot."
Her voice cracked near the end. "We didn't ask for this life…"
Ash felt a knot form in his chest. His thoughts drew sharp. 'No way this is all coincidence… and Lane... he looks to be at the center of it.'
Guz pulled her close, arm over her shoulder, hand rubbing gently like he was trying to smooth away more than just the cold in the air. Across the room, the girls stayed quiet—heads lowered, no longer children in a moment like this.
Trying to shift the weight, Guz glanced at Ash. "Hey... tell us more about your father. I'm curious. What kind of man was the 'Flame' behind all the stories?"
Ash caught it—the shift. A new topic. Something lighter. 'Alright. I get what you're doing, old man. Let's play along...'
He let a half-smile rise. "Well... he's a battle-hardened egoist with the temper of a collapsing sun. You've met my brother Kael? Pretty much the same disaster, just younger."
Nina straightened, interest sparking in her eyes. "Wait—Kael? You said he's here, right? Where is he now?"
Ash blinked. 'That switch-up was fast. She lit up the second I said his name.' Still, he kept his face steady, even as his thoughts soured. 'Another victim of kael's charm.'
"They're at the infirmary," he said. "Kael and Max—checking on the injured."
Nina's hands clasped together, a soft look taking over. "Aww, that's so sweet. That's why Kael's the best of the brothers... and the strongest too. Not to mention the most handsome."
Ash stared at her, lips unmoving. 'Really? I'm right here.'
Guz coughed loud enough to jolt the moment. "Nina. Feelings. Consider them."
Nina flinched. Her eyes went wide. "Oh! Oh gods—I'm so sorry, Ash, I didn't mean it like—"
"It's fine," Ash said. The air around him changed. Duller. Quieter. "You're not wrong. Kael's the one closest to Dad's level."
The quiet didn't last long.
Guz leaned forward, voice softer now. "By the way… aren't you a little young to be part of a team like this? Shouldn't you be at the academy? Just wondered… why did your father agree to it?"
Ash's shoulders tensed. His face turned flat, the smile gone. What little warmth had been in his expression vanished without a sound.
Guz raised a hand fast, catching it. "You don't have to answer," he said. "If it's too personal…"
Ash shook his head. Slow. Measured. His eyes didn't lift. "No. It's not that..." His voice came low, almost like the words dragged weight behind them. "It just brings back a lot."
His gaze dropped to the floor. "After my mom died... everything just stopped. I never went back to the academy. I stopped talking. I didn't even feel like breathing half the time. I just... trained. Every day. Alone. Just me and my sword. Over and over. Like if I kept swinging it, the world wouldn't break me."
His hand moved to his side to grab the hilt of his sword—then froze. Empty. 'Right... I left it back in the room.' Fingers curled into a fist.
"I shut everyone out. For nearly a year, I lived in my own little world—silent, angry, empty." His eyes looked through the wall, not at it. "Dad tried. He really did. Lectures. Promises. Even yelled once or twice. But I didn't move."
He pulled in a breath, slow and rough, like it scraped on the way out.
"When his team got assigned to a critical mission—one that would take days, maybe more—he made a decision. Kael and Max had already joined Team Vortex by then, and while he was away, he didn't want me left behind."
Ash paused. His shoulders lowered slightly, the tension sliding down.
"So he made a choice. Said he couldn't leave me behind again. Not like that. Said he'd rather have me in the field than buried in my room."
A faint smile touched his lips, though it didn't reach far. "But there was a catch. He let me join... if I promised to return for the yearly tournament at the academy. Not just to fight—but to prove I still had a reason to move forward."
The room didn't move. Even the smallest sounds felt distant, like the air had gone still just to listen.
Ash's voice faded to a near whisper. "But sometimes... I wonder if I really proved anything."
Guz's voice cut through the quiet, calm but steady. "You've been through more than most, kid. And you're still here, still fighting. That means something."
Ash didn't respond right away. The weight in his chest had lightened just a bit—but his thoughts were still tangled, still drifting back to the past.
Then, Zoey, who had been quiet till now, tilted her head and asked, "So… do you have a girlfriend?"
Ash blinked, thrown off. "What?"
She looked directly at him, her tone casual. "You went to the academy, right? You must've had a girl who was close to you. A friend you cared about. The way you talk, it kinda sounds like you only hang out with boys."
Ash squinted slightly. 'Well… that's because I've lived with boys all my life. Kael, Max, Dad...' He let out a short breath. 'Only one person ever really came close, but we haven't spoken since i left the academy.'
Then her question echoed again in his head. 'A girl I cared about…?'
He finally answered. "There is one, actually."
Zoey leaned forward with interest. "Who?"
Ash's voice softened. "She's the same age as you. Also from the Terra family." A faint smile tugged at his lips. "But I see her more like a younger sister than a friend."
Zoey paused, narrowing her eyes playfully. "Same age as me? And from Terra? So… I have a rival, huh?"
Ash tilted his head, confused. "Rival?"
Before Zoey could say more, Guz interrupted with a chuckle. "Alright, that's enough teasing for one day. Don't scare him off."
Ash stood, brushing his hands against his sides. "I should get going. My brothers are probably waiting for me at the infirmary."
Guz nodded. "So you've decided to go."
Ash gave a short nod. "Yeah."
"Then we won't keep you. I'm sure they've been worried."
Ash took a step toward the door but paused. He looked back, voice steady. "About Geopolis… I'll talk to Eir."
Guz raised a brow. "You don't have to—"
Ash cut in gently. "No. I want to. There's something wrong here. And it's not right for you all to be trapped like this. Something bigger is coming." His tone cooled. "You've seen the signs, haven't you?"
Guz exhaled slowly. "Yeah. The creature waves. A small one hit not long ago. Shook everyone up. Now we're all just waiting for the next."
Ash's jaw tightened. "I don't know what's behind them yet. But when they come… I'll be ready. I'll kill every last one of those things. You can count on that."
Guz gave a quiet smile. "Good luck, kid. I hope things turn out alright for you."
Ash nodded and turned toward the door. Sunlight poured softly through the windows, casting long, warm shadows on the floor. As he reached the doorway, he glanced back one last time.
Zoey smiled faintly and gave a little wave. Nina just sighed and rested her chin in her palm, uninterested.
Ash smirked to himself. 'Guess I wasn't the kind of charming boy she hoped I'd be.'
And with that, he stepped outside—into a world still bright, but carrying its own weight beneath the light.
The door clicked shut behind him, the sound soft and final. Sunlight hit his face, warm against the cool morning air. Clear skies stretched above Ironhold, casting beams of gold across the stone paths and rusted metal towers. The wind was lighter now, less biting, but the weight in Ash's chest didn't shift.
He walked with his hands in his pockets, boots scraping against the worn path. His mind wandered, lost in thoughts that weighed heavier than the air around him.
'So... that's how I sound? Like someone who only hangs with boys...'
A faint smirk appeared at the corner of his lips, but it disappeared as quickly as it came. 'Not like I had a choice. Kael, Max, Dad... always around me. Never really looked for anyone else. And yet—'
His thoughts flickered to her.
'Evy.'
He hadn't thought of her in a while. She used to be the one who pushed him, nagging him to "open up more," telling him he acted like someone twice his age. Always calling him "Ashley" just to get under his skin.
'Wonder if she's okay...'
He stared at the ground, the rough stones beneath his boots. The sky above seemed to open up, clouds rushing by like they had somewhere urgent to be. He lifted his gaze, watching them move, lost in the rhythm of their pace.
'There's something big coming' , he thought again. 'I can feel it in my blood.'
————
The sun hung heavy in the sky, casting long shadows over Ironhold's quiet streets. Ash kept walking, the wind tugging at his hair, his thoughts tucked away behind a quiet frown. Faces passed—people lost in their routines, training, repairing, chatting—but it all felt distant.
'I really told them that much...' He exhaled slowly. 'Maybe I needed to.'
He stopped near a rusted pipe structure, pausing as he tried to remember which way the infirmary was. Left or right? The uncertainty felt like a weight on his shoulders. He turned toward a passing worker. "Infirmary. Which way?"
The man pointed without hesitation. "Past that tower, second building on the left."
"Thanks." Ash nodded, the word soft as he continued on his way.
As he rounded the corner, he spotted a familiar figure walking toward him—hands behind his head, jacket hanging half-zipped, strolling like the world had no edges.
Ash blinked. "Kael?"
Kael's eyebrow shot up, surprised. "Yo. Wasn't expecting to see you here."
Ash slowed his pace, shifting his weight. "I thought you were with Max."
Kael shrugged, casual. "I was. Then he started getting all emotional. I got annoyed and went for a stroll."
Ash glanced at the path ahead, eyes scanning the distant horizon. "So you heading back now?"
Kael sighed, dragging his hands out from behind his head. "Yeah, what am I gonna do? Can't leave Max to tell everyone how I'm 'totally not okay.'"
Ash let out a short laugh. "He'd probably do it. We should hurry."
Kael's smile softened this time, the usual cocky edge mellowing out. "Yeah."
They walked together, the quiet between them comfortable, not awkward—just a silence that only siblings could understand. Their footsteps matched, each step falling in time as Ironhold hummed with life behind them. The shadows of the towers stretched longer, the day moving quietly on.