The storm of blades faded into the sky, their rotors slicing the thick silence as four rescue choppers touched down. A separate medic chopper had already begun taking off, the unconscious bodies of the critically injured gently stabilized — Sayaka among them, her chest slowly rising, bandages soaked with dried blood.
The students gathered near the loading zone were hollow-eyed, silent. Scattered dirt, bloodstains, and the scent of smoke clung to their tattered uniforms. 47 survivors, 6 dead, 3 critical, and 1 traitor unmasked and gone (taken to umbra).
As the last group boarded the choppers, Veer, Ishaan, Saira, Dev, and Eri came sprinting across the field, ignoring pain and bruises, their eyes locked on familiar figures already strapped into seats.
“LUCE!” Veer called, his voice breaking.
He jumped into the chopper and practically tackled him in a hug, Ishaan right behind. Eri and Saira ran to Avni and Rai, while Dev moved to Lev, stunned tears in his eyes.
“You’re alive...” Dev whispered. “You’re all alive... and Sayaka...?”
They turned to the medic chopper. Sayaka lay unconscious, pale and still. Tubes and machines lined her side.
“She’s not dead,” Luce muttered. “Not her. Not yet.”
VALGRAVE ISLAND — NIGHTFALL
Elsewhere, the day was winding down.
The Divisions of Force and Division of Order had completed their usual training and gathered at the grand dining hall. Laughter, chatter, normalcy.
Until the thunder of approaching choppers shattered the air.
“...What the hell is that?”
“Why are there medic units?”
The sky roared. Jets, medics, rescue vehicles, and the ground staff sprinted toward the incoming storm. The students of the divisions watched, frozen, as the survivors of the trial began to descend one by one.
Bloodied. Bruised. Mud-crusted. Torn.
No one said a word. Some fell to their knees. One even vomited.
“Thank god I wasn’t chosen...” someone whispered in horror.
The air turned cold.
Luce stepped off the last chopper, his jaw clenched. His eyes met those of the Valgrave Head — his grandfather.
A long silence.
Then — a death stare. Luce’s eyes were ice. The head took a step forward, but Avni and Lev quickly moved beside Luce, hands on his shoulders.
“Not here,” Avni said quietly. “Not tonight.”
The students were taken to the dorms. The infamous Dorm 17, which once held 20... now barely whole (other 10 went to different divisions, they are in their respective division dorm).
Inside were the 10 survivors. One brutally injured, three still shaken, six barely standing. Their souls were intact, but their hearts were shattered.
An announcement came: "Dinner at 9. All divisions, report to the mess."
But none of them moved.
They had been drugged. Betrayed. Abandoned by the very system meant to protect them. They had stared into the eyes of death. Lost teammates. Lost trust.
They were no longer hungry for food.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Qs4EaZybf
They were hungry for revenge.
One by one, they retreated to their rooms. No words. Just silence thick as ash.
Inside Luce’s room, the boy who once radiated wild fire now sat motionless. The thought of losing Sayaka… it hollowed him. He could still feel her hand going cold in his. His jaw clenched. His decision was made. Something inside him had shifted.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCMwOPOeAPU
Avni and Lev sat together in soft silence, moonlight washing over them through the dorm window. The world outside had gone still, but inside, their hearts hadn’t stopped racing — not from fear anymore, but from something else entirely.
Her hand rested between them. His fingers slowly crept closer, brushing hers. She didn’t flinch. She didn’t move away.
Their fingers intertwined. A quiet gasp escaped her lips.
Lev turned to her. His voice was almost a breath. “Avni…”
She looked up at him, eyes dark and unreadable. But she didn’t need to say a word.
He leaned in — slow, unsure — giving her time to stop him. She didn’t.
Their lips met.
It was soft at first — cautious, searching. Then it deepened, like the moment they touched, everything they’d been holding back finally broke through. It wasn’t perfect. It was messy with emotion, trembling with exhaustion, and yet… it was real.
Her hand found his chest, resting there, feeling the frantic rhythm of his heart.
When they parted, just for a breath, Avni whispered, “We survived.”
Lev rested his forehead against hers. “Because of you.”
And they kissed again — slower this time, savoring it, burning it into memory.
Their lips met — soft, tender, and aching. A kiss born of survival.
In another dorm room, dimly lit and quiet, Rai sat at the edge of his bed. He was staring at the wall, his mind far from the island, far from the chaos.
Eri stood in the doorway for a moment before walking over. He didn’t say anything. He just… looked at him.
“Are you okay?” Rai finally asked, voice low.
Eri shook his head. “No,” he whispered. His eyes glistened, jaw tight. “But I want to feel something again. Something that isn’t pain.”
Rai reached out. Eri didn’t hesitate. He stepped forward and let Rai wrap his arms around him. Their embrace wasn’t urgent — it was slow, aching, the kind that says ‘Don’t let go.’
Their lips met — soft at first, a breath shared between two boys who had almost died. A kiss born not of impulse, but of survival, of knowing that this moment might be the only thing that keeps them sane.
Eri’s hands slid gently along Rai’s back, as if grounding himself. Rai leaned into him fully, lips deepening, bodies finding each other like puzzle pieces that had been waiting too long.
They made love.
Not out of lust, not out of escape — but out of the desperate need to remember they were alive. To feel warmth. To share it. To hold on.
And in the quiet that followed, wrapped in each other, Rai whispered, “We made it.”
Eri didn’t answer. He just pulled Rai closer, resting his forehead against his. “We’re not alone anymore.”
Dev and Saira sat beside one another in silence, their backs against the wall of Dorm 17.
The lights were low. The air smelled faintly of antiseptic and earth — the last traces of survival still clinging to them like dust.
Saira shifted slightly, brushing her arm against his. “Hey,” she said, her voice soft, a little tired. “We survived.”
Dev let out a small breath, half a laugh. “Barely,” he replied, but there was a faint smile tugging at his lips.
She leaned her head on his shoulder. No words. No explanation. Just quiet.
Dev didn’t move. He didn’t need to. He let her rest there, feeling her warmth, steady and real beside him. For a moment, the weight in his chest eased.
“Thanks,” she murmured, eyes closed. “For not leaving me behind.”
He turned his head slightly, just enough to catch a glimpse of her face. “I wouldn’t. Ever.”
Neither of them said what they were really feeling. Not yet.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡksjTXL3Rls
But the silence between them wasn’t empty — it was full of something waiting to bloom.
Something worth surviving for.
Veer and Ishaan collapsed into their beds, exhausted, grateful, haunted.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp5gcmaLDil
But Luce couldn’t sleep.
His mind was full of Sayaka. Her face, her voice, her silence. Everything he almost lost.
His communicator beeped.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfRBL1H2Kcf
A message. From Elda.
“Come see me.”
He didn’t hesitate.
Elda’s chamber.
“You know why I called you,” she said, expression unreadable.
“She’s to be dismissed from Valgrave.”
“Sayaka?”
“You said Sayaka’s being dismissed from Valgrave?” Luce’s voice was low, shaking with fury. “How DARE you.”
“She’s unstable. Reckless. A liability—”
SLAM.
Luce’s hand hit the table. “If you even try to touch her… there will be no COMA left to remember your name.”
Elda stared at him, surprised—but not frightened.
“She’s my granddaughter too,” she said softly.
“I see.”
He stepped forward, eyes blazing.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB8RoAGWHoH
“I have every reason to become a villain,” he whispered.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDWIBVzP9rf
“But I have two reasons not to. My friends—Avni, Lev, Eri, Rai, Veer, Ishaan, Saira, and Dev.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiCG7wbeNns
And my love Sayaka.”
“I am hers,” he said.
“I don’t care. Not anymore. If any of you — whether you’re Avni’s grandmother or Rai’s grandfather, or even Sylus himself — if you come for any of us again…”10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡykQ3x2xjPP
Even Sylus, former Apex Chief and Luce’s grandfather Valgrave's Head, stood frozen. The tension in the room was suffocating.
Then Sylus whispered, half in awe,10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv0CwJtNrt8
“He’ll be the greatest COMA heir we’ve ever seen… and it looks like he’s found something precious.”
Luce’s gaze didn’t break.
“I was raised by Natalia Draganov,” he added coldly. “I never forget the ones I owe. Or the ones I warn.”
"I learned loyalty and fury from her. I will protect Sayaka. No matter what.”
SAYAKA — THE SILENT PROMISE
Later that night, Luce stepped into the infirmary, where Sayaka lay still, her breathing steady.
He sat beside her bed.
“Don’t die on me,” he whispered. “I’ll wait. But you better wake up.”
He kissed her forehead.
“I’m yours.”
Then he left.
Tears rolled down Sayaka’s closed eyes. Her fingers twitched.
She heard him. Felt him.
In the silence of that night, she made a vow.
10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbbYkPYG41H
“I’ll live for you, Luce.10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTpMCXuujbd
I’ll die for you, if I must.”
And for the first time since she’d lost everything,10Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡugxKJmmsVR
she had something to fight for.
and then Add to home screen.