The easy chatter between the three girls just died. All at once. Their eyes locked on Nox, and the air in the little cafe suddenly felt a lot heavier.

"Stay here? What the hell are you talking about?" Kendra's brow was all scrunched up, like she was trying to solve a math problem that made no sense.

"With your families," he said, his gaze bouncing from Kendra to Yeda to Vasa. "You found them. They're safe now. You should be here, with them. Protecting them. You don't need to be dragging yourselves across the country with me."

A beat of dead silence, and then Kendra just started laughing. Not a mean laugh, just pure, unfiltered disbelief. Yeda let out a little giggle behind her hand, and even Vasa, the queen of stoicism, had the corner of her mouth twitching up into a tiny smile.

"Are you for real?" Kendra managed, wiping a tear of laughter from her eye. "Did you take a nasty hit to the head while you were out? We're not leaving you, you massive idiot."

"Yeah," Yeda added, her voice a little shaky but with a new spine to it. "We're a party."

Nox's face was a stone mask. He wasn't joking, and their laughter was like throwing pebbles at a brick wall. "I'm not kidding." The cold, dead serious tone of his voice was a bucket of ice water, and just like that, the smiles melted off their faces.

"This is it," he said, his voice flat, empty. "We're done. You have people who need you here. I don't. It's that simple." He gave them one last look, his eyes totally unreadable. "It's been… whatever. But it's over now. This is goodbye."

Yeda was the first one to find her voice, and though her new confidence was a little wobbly, her words were solid. "No," she said, shaking her head, her jaw set. "We're not going anywhere."

"She is correct," Vasa stated, her tone clinical as always. "Our group presents a higher probability of long-term survival. Your combat abilities synergize with our developing skills to create a more effective unit. Disbanding is a logically inefficient strategy."

"Yeah, what she said," Kendra shot back, leaning so far over the table she nearly knocked over a sugar shaker. "So you can drop the whole lone wolf act right now. You think we can't handle ourselves? After everything we went through at the school? After fighting right beside you? We're your party, you moron. We stick together. That's how this works."

He took a long look at the three of them. Kendra was all fired up, ready to argue all night. Yeda, who used to jump at her own shadow, looked like she was ready to physically block the door. And Vasa… well, Vasa was just being logical. It was clear as day they weren't going to budge on this. He knew it. He'd tried to do the smart thing, the right thing, and cut them loose so they could have a real shot at being safe, but they were just too damn stubborn. Or loyal. He wasn't sure he knew the difference anymore.

"You're all idiots," he finally grumbled, but there was no fire behind it. He just slumped back in his chair, a long, tired sigh escaping him. So much for his brilliant plan to go it alone.

Kendra's grin was immediate and triumphant. "Yeah, we know. But we're your idiots, so you're stuck with us."

He found himself wondering why. Why this fierce, unshakable loyalty? It didn't make sense. It wasn't logical.

Just then, a private chat window from Auraelia popped into his vision, the text a bubbly, cheerful blue.

[Auraelia, Goddess of Resilient Sparks (Private Chat)] It's because they trust you, silly! But also, uh oh… my bad! Your thoughts are kinda… loud right now? 😅

He just stared at the text, his brain hitting the blue screen of death for a second. 'She heard that? How can she hear what I'm thinking?'

[Auraelia, Goddess of Resilient Sparks (Private Chat)] Oh, it's not me me, Nox! It's you! Your thoughts are sort of… leaking out? Just a little! It's probably a side effect of that new Corrupted Mana you picked up! It makes you a bit of an open book to divine beings like us. Seriously, you should probably try to get a handle on that! It could be dangerous! 💖

He still didn't get it. 'Leaking? What does that even mean?' He mentally shoved the confusing—and worrying—thought aside. There was something more important to focus on.

'So you're saying they stick with me just because they trust me?' he thought, aiming the question directly at her this time.

[Auraelia, Goddess of Resilient Sparks (Private Chat)] Well, yeah! Think about it! You've never once lied to them. You're always hitting them with the hard truth, even when you're being a total jerk about it. They know you're not messing around, and on a gut level, they know you'll do whatever it takes to keep them alive. That kind of honesty is super rare, you know! That's why they're not leaving. It's got nothing to do with some magic bond and everything to do with you. 😊

He read her message over and over. 'Because I'm honest with them? That's a reason to stick around?' He'd never seen it that way. He was just saying what was obvious, what needed to be said. He didn't realize it made them feel… safe.

"Nox? Hey, earth to Nox."

He blinked, and the chat window winked out of existence. Kendra was leaning across the table again, snapping her fingers right in front of his nose. "You completely checked out on us for a minute there. Daydreaming about how awesome we are?"

He just grunted and leaned back, crossing his arms. "Something like that."

Yeda was smiling, a genuine, happy smile that actually reached her eyes. "So we're all staying together?"

"Looks like it," he admitted. And weirdly, the idea didn't feel like a burden anymore. It just felt… like a fact.

"Good," Kendra said, leaning back with a smug, satisfied look. "So, what's the plan? We can't just chill at this cafe all day. We need a base. And more supplies."

"And food," Yeda added quietly.

Vasa set her tiny spoon down next to her empty glass with a precise little click. "A centralized base of operations is the logical next step." She looked at Kendra. "It would provide a secure location for rest and strategic planning, which is far more efficient than remaining exposed in a public venue."

"Exactly!" Kendra pointed at Vasa. "A base. See, Nox? We've got good ideas." She propped her elbows on the table, looking impossibly confident. "So, what's the plan, boss? Where are we setting up shop?"

He looked at their eager faces, then down at his own hands resting on the table. He had to tell them. And he knew, with absolute certainty, they were going to lose their minds.

"The plan is, you three find a base," he said, his voice completely flat. "I'm not staying."

Kendra's smug grin vanished so fast it was like it was never there. "What? What do you mean you're not staying? We just had the whole 'we're a party' talk like, two minutes ago." She leaned in, her eyes narrowed to slits. "Are you seriously trying to ditch us again?"

"No," he said, shaking his head slowly. "I'm not ditching you." He let out a slow breath, bracing himself. "I have something else I have to do. A mission. I have to get someone home, and their home isn't in this city."

"Someone?" Yeda's brow furrowed in confusion. "Who?"

"And where are you taking them?" Kendra demanded, her voice climbing with every word. "You can't just drop a bomb like that on us and expect us to be cool with it!"

'Sigh. This is getting annoying.'