A few days after the ceremony, Andres stepped out of Marcus’s house and went for a walk, the war’s end leaving him restless and hollow. His phone buzzed, breaking the silence—Bella was calling. “Hey, my favorite Minion, what are you doing?”

  “I’m out for a walk, I was thinking of heading down to the beach.”

  “Would you like some company?”

  “Sure…”

  “Talk to me, you sound depressed.”

  Andres sighed. “Do I have to?”

  “Yes, that’s an order.”

  “You know the letter my mom left? I thought if I went through with piloting, I would find my purpose, and when the war was over, I would finally be happy.”

  “You’re a gifted pilot, Andres, it’s my opinion, but I think you have found your purpose. But I can tell you’re not happy.”

  Andres paused, his gaze sweeping over his surroundings, truly taking in the details: the weathered buildings, the bustling people, the quiet sway of nature, and the vast, open sky above. “Ever since Darkhan, everything has been… colorless. Everything I see is just gray. I saw a doctor and they didn’t find anything wrong.”

  “Tell me more about that?”

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Bella and Andres continued to talk on the phone while he made his way to the coast.

  “I’m here, where are you?” Andres asked.

  “Andres, do you remember when I told you that getting that crystal was for you?”

  Andres noticed a girl standing on the beach facing the ocean. Her long blonde hair was blowing in the wind with her back to him. “Yeah, I do…” Andres replied, distracted.

  “You can thank me later,” Bella hung up the phone.

  “Hey? Bella?” Confused, Andres looked back up at the girl who had turned around after hearing him say Bella’s name.

  The girl was petite, her demeanor a mix of nervous energy and quiet joy as she flashed him a warm, tentative smile.

  “Andres…”

  There was no mistaking her voice. Andes’ eyes widened in disbelief, and the color returned to his world. Her sky-blue eyes sparkled as she swept her hair behind her ear. Andres stepped closer, his hands settling gently on her arms, just below her shoulders, in a tender, steady grip.“Kara…”

  She blushed. “It’s me.”

  Andres held her tight. “How are you here? I don’t understand. W-were you human this whole time?” Andres pulled back to see her face again.

  “Yes…” Kara answered bashfully. “Bella is my best friend, and I’m an engineer at Boltus. An experiment went wrong, and I lost my body in the process. Luckily, my soul and consciousness were trapped in the Knight you piloted. I was dormant until you woke me.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me, Kara? I wouldn’t have put you through all of that…”

  “I know, that’s why the night you woke me up, I told Bella that I didn’t want you to know. I wanted to tell you when the time was right.”

  “But why would you want to be involved in the war?”

  “That wasn’t my goal. Bella and I didn’t know if I could ever get my body back. I didn’t want to sit in a hanger the rest of my life, and…”

  “And… what?”

  “I wanted to keep piloting with you…” Kara buried herself in Andres’ chest.

  Andres closed his arms around her. “I don’t want to let go of you. I’m afraid you’ll disappear again…”

  “After the battle, I pulled myself together and entered the crystal you got. Bella worked really hard to find a way to bring me back from being Teal energy to my physical form. But she did it, so now you’re stuck with me!” Kara laughed.

  Andres gently brushed her hair. “There’s no one else I’d rather be stuck with. Let’s walk the beach and wait for the moon.”

  “Yes!”

  She smiled up at him, her hand fitting perfectly in his. Together, they walked as the daylight faded, giving way to the moon, the stars, and the endless possibilities of the future.