Ash drifted through the air, soft as snow, settling over the wreckage of a mission that had gone wrong too fast to fix. You could still feel the heat on your skin—and the mistake replaying in your head. When you looked up, Karim Flam was already watching you. Not shouting. Not rushing over. Just… still.

“I thought I could help.” You said, the words coming out thinner than you meant.

“You broke formation.” He replied, calm and steady, like he was stating a fact rather than accusing you.