The air still reeked of scorched metal and smoke. The alarms blared across the sterile hallways, their shrill sound cutting through the chaos like a knife. Scientists and guards had already fled, their panicked shouts echoing as they left the containment sector sealed behind them. The reinforced door groaned under the heat, warping slightly from the force of the blast within.

Inside, the laboratory was unrecognizable. Walls once pristine white were blackened, the glass of observation windows shattered into glittering shards. Machines and restraints had been twisted into molten scrap, scattered across the cracked floor. In the center of it all, hunched low, was Kael.

He was naked, his clothes long reduced to ash. His body trembled violently, skin slick with sweat and smudged in soot. Glowing fissures of faint orange traced across his back, pulsing with each labored breath. Smoke curled from his shoulders and arms as if his flesh itself had caught fire but refused to burn away completely. Around him, the ground bore a blackened crater, radiating outward from where he had collapsed.

Kael clutched his head in both hands, his nails digging into his scalp. His breathing was ragged, broken between gasps and choked whimpers. He rocked slightly, trying to steady himself, but the world around him was nothing but destruction—his destruction. The explosion still thundered in his skull. He could still hear the terrified cries of the scientists, their footsteps fleeing. He hadn’t wanted this. He hadn’t wanted them to push needles into his arms again, to chain him down like an animal. He told them no. He told them to stop. They hadn’t listened.

The fire had answered for him.

The heavy door hissed, then flew open with a bang. A rush of colder air spilled into the suffocating heat. The alarms dulled, muted by the pounding of footsteps.

“Kael!”

Her voice.

Elira stormed into the ruined room, her lab coat fluttering, dark hair disheveled as though she had sprinted all the way. She took in the devastation with one glance—the smoldering wreckage, the melted restraints, the half-collapsed ceiling—and then her gaze found him.

Kael lifted his head slowly, his eyes glowing faint amber in the dim haze. His face was twisted in raw panic and shame, lips trembling as if words had burned away in his throat. His whole body shook, smoke still rising faintly from his skin. For a moment, he almost recoiled from her like he did with everyone else, curling tighter as if expecting her to run too.

But she didn’t.

She crossed the threshold without hesitation, ignoring the heat that still radiated from him. “Kael… look at me,” she said firmly, her voice cutting through the chaos with calm certainty.

He shook his head, pressing his forehead to the floor. “I—I didn’t—” His voice cracked, barely audible. “I couldn’t stop it.” His words dissolved into a hoarse sob. “They wouldn’t listen, and I—” His chest heaved, another sob tearing from him. “I hurt them. I destroyed everything.”

Elira knelt down, the hem of her coat brushing the charred floor. The air was thick, suffocating, but she didn’t flinch, didn’t back away. She was close enough now that he could feel her presence through the haze of smoke, grounding him.

“You didn’t hurt me,” she said softly. Her hand hovered for a moment before gently resting on his shoulder. His skin was scorching to the touch, but she didn’t pull away. “You didn’t hurt me, Kael. I’m here. I’m right here.”

He shuddered at the contact, his eyes flicking up to her face with desperation. The flames that had danced faintly across his skin sputtered, dimming in the glow of her steady gaze. His breathing hitched, and the raw panic slowly gave way to trembling exhaustion.

“Elira…” His voice was broken, almost childlike. “I didn’t want to… I didn’t…”