Rin sat alone in the quiet dormitory quarters assigned to her by MIT. The sterile walls still smelled like fresh antiseptic, and the metal-paneled ceiling hummed with soft, regulated pulses of artificial air. On the nightstand beside her, a small holo-comm flickered to life.

  She hesitated.

  Her fingers hovered over the contact list for longer than she liked to admit.

  “Aunt Mayu”.

  She hadn’t called her since… the fight. Since Ari had nearly died.

  After what felt like an eternity, she tapped the call button.

  Ring.

  Ring.

  Click.

  “Rin?” Her aunt’s voice came through—soft, breathless, surprised. “Oh my god. Are you okay? Where have you been? Ari—"

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  Rin’s throat tightened.

  She cut in gently. “She’s fine. She… she got into a minor accident, but she’s alright now.”

  A pause.

  “A-accident? What kind of accident?!”

  Rin kept her voice steady, forcing calm into her tone. “Just… a small fall. Got a little banged up. She needed some rest, but the doctors said she’s going to be okay.”

  She hated lying.

  But how could she tell her that Ari had been targeted by a monster, nearly killed by an entity from a myth, and Rin herself had awakened the Nyx Protocol, nearly losing control?

  Aunt Mayu’s voice dropped to a whisper. “You sure she’s okay? No head trauma, no spine fractures—?”

  “She’s safe,” Rin reassured. “I made sure of it.”

  There was a long silence on the other end. Finally, her aunt exhaled shakily. “I was so worried… you just stopped calling after you arrived at school. Ari said you were upset.”

  Rin’s fingers curled slightly on the bedsheets. “I know. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have stopped calling like that.”

  Her aunt didn’t press further. Just quietly said, “You’ve always done things your own way.”

  Rin closed her eyes for a moment. “Listen, there’s something else.”

  “What is it?”

  “I got selected for a special program. From the university. It’s kind of a… research-intensive initiative. Really elite. I’ll be off-campus for a while. Six months, maybe longer.”

  There was another pause.

  “Is this what you really want?” her aunt asked softly. “You’ve always hated being stuck in one place.”

  “I don’t know what I want,” Rin admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. “But I need this. For me. For Ari.”

  Her aunt sighed. “Alright. Just promise me you’ll call. Check in. Once in a while.”

  “I will.”

  “I’ll let your brothers know you called. They’ll be happy. Especially Niko , he keeps asking for you.”

  That hit deeper than Rin expected. She swallowed.

  “Tell them I miss them.”

  “I will.”

  The call ended.

  For a long time, Rin just sat there—staring at the blank screen.

  In another room, her protocol—Nyx—simmered beneath her skin, the night whispering promises of power and shadow.

  But in this moment, Rin was just a girl who missed her cousin.

  ---