The Seedkeepers set up camp near Lucas's outpost, securing the perimeter while Aisha analyzed K'tharr data. Emma joined Lucas on patrol through the ruins, their footsteps echoing through shattered streets littered with debris—shards of glass, broken concrete, and glowing remnants of K'tharr artifacts humming faintly in the dust-laden air.
"You don't trust us," Emma said finally, breaking the silence, her voice calm but firm. She glanced at Lucas, her hazel eyes searching his face.
Lucas stopped, studying her for a long moment before answering. "I trust that you want to help," he admitted. "But you're not fully human anymore, Emma. That power—the WoodDust, the way you fight—it scares people. They see you as something… unearthly. A savior, maybe, but not one of us."
Emma inhaled deeply, the weight of those words settling against her chest. "I'm still me," she said, though the words felt distant, uncertain. "I've fought for humanity, Lucas. I've given everything to protect it."
"I don't doubt that," Lucas replied, his tone softer than before. "But you've been out there, in the stars, while we've been here, surviving. It's hard to relate to someone who's… more than human."
Emma looked away, past the ruins, beyond the fractured skyline. "I never wanted to be more," she admitted. "I wanted to be a scientist, to explore the stars—not fight in them."
Lucas chuckled, a low, warm sound. "I wanted to be a scientist too," he said. "Guess we both got more than we bargained for."
They reached the ruins of Emma's childhood neighborhood. Her old home stood in fragments—a crumbling shell barely holding together. The sight hit harder than she anticipated, memories rushing in—her parents laughing in the kitchen, her brother kicking a ball in the yard, the smell of summer through the window.
"This is where I grew up," she whispered, barely audible. "It's… gone."
Lucas stood beside her, quiet, letting her process it. "I lost people here too," he finally said. "My sister… she didn't make it through the first K'tharr raid."
Emma turned toward him, her grief mirrored in his expression. "I'm sorry," she said, and meant it.
"I should've been here," she continued, guilt creeping into her voice.
Lucas shook his head slightly. "You were fighting for all of us," he said, his voice gentler now. "I get that. But seeing you come back, after all this time… it's hard."
"I know," Emma replied, her throat tight. "I want to make it right, Lucas. I need to."
They sat together on the broken porch of her childhood home, the silence now companionable, a shared understanding woven between them.
"What was your sister like?" Emma asked.
Lucas exhaled, a faint, nostalgic smile crossing his lips. "Brave," he said. "She was a nurse—always taking care of people, even when things got bad. She'd have liked you."
Emma's heart clenched. "I wish I could've met her," she said. "I wish I could've saved her."
"You're here now," Lucas murmured, his hand brushing hers briefly. "That's what matters."
But Markus's warnings lingered in Emma's mind. His words about the Void Rangers and Quantum Schism carried weight, a constant reminder of the threats beyond Earth. The hum of the WoodDust grew louder, its pulse restless, whispering of unseen dangers. The storm on the horizon darkened, its violet lightning carving through the sky—a silent promise of what was to come.