Page 5 of Stars in Nova

His expression turned darker as he took in the scene. ‘Report,kaka,’ he murmured.

Kisan fell silent for a moment, searching for what to say.

It was his thing; he never rushed his words, and his energy embodied quiet intensity.

He spoke with spare effort, his phrases sometimes stilted, chosen with care, each heavy with burden.

This silence was not due to a lack of thought; his mind was a constant storm of introspection.

He remained pensive, hyper-aware of his flaws and the consequences of his past actions. His brooding nature stemmed from his profound guilt, the shadow of his past mistakes shaping his every decision.

He moved through life with a lingering darkness over his heart, driven by an insatiable need to make amends.

‘One freakin’ mugger, followed by two bogeys. One of the latter targeted me,’ Kisan finally rasped, his voice clipped. ‘Claims I killed his family on Falasia many spans ago.’

Xion arched a brow. ‘That true?’

‘I don’t know,’ Kisan admitted, his chest tight. ‘I can’t remember, butfokk, I feel guilty, regardless.’

Silence fell between them.

Xion studied him for a moment, his regard heavy with meaning. ‘There’s more at stake here than your guilt, brother. Innocent people are bleeding because of this. We need to find out if there’s a vendetta against you.’

Kisan looked around, his eyes lingering on a child clutching her injured father, whose face was pale, his breathing shallow.

Even more remorse, sharp and unforgiving, pressed down on Kisan. He clenched his fists, the shimmer of his bio-energy fading as his body returned to normal.

‘I’ll take care of it,’ he rasped in a timbred rumble.

Xion placed a hand on Kisan’s shoulder, eyes narrowed on his face. ‘I see you. At your core, you’re a man searching for peace, even if you believe it is unattainable for someone like you. Your desire to atone is your greatest strength and deepest wound, a relentless force that propels you forward. Please don’t allow it to erode your spirit. I see a man capable of extraordinary love and loyalty, though he never thinks he deserves it.Kaka,don’t let the bygones bury you. You have a future and a hope, and you need to hold out for it.’

Kisan mulled, raised a chin, and nodded.

Nonetheless, the sage encouragement did little to ease his turmoil.

He gave his fellow Rider a one-shouldered hug. ‘I’ve also got a freakin’ amount of paperwork to fill out on this incident.’

‘So get to it. I’ll wrap up here,’ Xion rumbled.

With a chin jerk and a rough, raw ‘Sante,’ Kisan turned and strode toward the Guardians’ central station, his every step heavy and somber.

Ghosts of Failure

The Eden Guards Central HQ was a clean, minimalist, utilitarian structure, its gray walls streaked with the pale glow of embedded circuitry.

Set within the acreage of Eden II’s Civic Justice Centre, it was where the dregs of Edenite society were funneled. Either to recovery tanks, courthouses, or worse, when sentenced, to the notorious off-world prisons such as Deathreach.

Kisan strode through its sterile halls, his booted steps echoing against the polished floors. The air carried the traces of disinfectant and ozone from the automated security systems humming around him.

His face was impassive, but inside, a storm brewed.

He arrived at the holding cells, a small, gloomy area where two Falasians sat behind two energized shields.

Their dark honey skin, with subtle iridescent undertones, shimmered under the harsh artificial light.

One of them was younger, the second shooter, with a lean body coiled with tension.

The other, broader and older, had his arms crossed, his gaze a smoldering fire that didn’t flinch when it met Kisan’s.

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