Chapter 21 – Sunlight

  Gabriel could barely hear her. Like he was submerged beneath deep waters, Pearl’s voice reached him only as a muffled echo. But he could still feel her warmth beside him, like sunlight against his skin. They sat together in the meadow—grass brushing against their ankles, the sky painted in soft amber.

  She glanced at him, amber eyes laced with remorse.

  Why?! Why?! Why?!

  It was all he could hear—deep, distorted, and inhuman.

  Then he woke.

  A single tear slipped down his cheek as the memory faded. The same metallic ceiling greeted him. Above, sterile fluorescent lights buzzed with indifference.

  He hadn’t been awakened for even a month, and already the walls were closing in.

  The air felt synthetic, filtered and dull.

  Sunlight had become a stranger. Every breath reminded him he was buried miles underground.

  Still, his mind lingered on his dream, basking in its warmth. Sitting with his sister. Her laughter. Her presence.

  Icarus had taken that from him. All the while asking him a question he knew the answer to.

  He was going to pay.

  Gabriel could still remember the fire. The screams. The weight of the weapon in his hand. The smell of burning flesh. That was the day his life ended. The day his soul was pulled out and left to rot.

  Now, only the hum of machines filled his silence. The rhythm of beeping monitors became his lullaby.

  Funny. One moment he had been on the brink of peace—recognition, safety. And the next, everything was gone.

  He chuckled softly, but it sounded more like a wheeze—dry and brittle. Almost like a cough.

  Then he tried to sit up and noticed the cuffs. He wasn't even surprised, these people had watched him regrow and arm. It was only natural they felt unsafe.

  Then the door creaked open—and in ducked a mountain of a man.

  Bulk.

  The giant’s frame seemed to shift with every step like reality had no specific form that suited his size.

  He wore a black shirt, cream cargo shorts, and sandals—his long brown hair braided neatly down his back. A tribal tattoo curled along his arm, now clearly visible. Gabriel saw it and something spun in his mind.

  He sat awkwardly beside Gabriel. “Little cramped in here.”

  Gabriel said nothing. His eyes were dull and unfocused.

  Without a word, Bulk reached into his pocket, retrieved a key, and unlocked the cuffs. Gabriel’s gaze was on him then, a little perplexed.

  “You up for some sunlight?”

  Gabriel didn’t answer, but he followed.

  The walk through the facility was quiet. People greeted Bulk—especially the women, who smiled and waved. He returned the attention with ease, his charm effortless. But when their eyes landed on Gabriel, the smiles faded. Postures straightened. Appraisal turning to caution.

  Gabriel noticed but just didn’t care.

  “You know, kid,” Bulk said, grinning, “you should smile more. Might help your game.”

  “I’m not a kid,” Gabriel muttered.

  “Yeah right. You sure hit like one though.”

  Gabriel didn’t respond, his brows creasing. He was promised sunlight, and that was enough reason to tolerate the company. After everything he’d been through these past weeks, fresh air was a luxury.

  Too bad it came with a talkative chaperone.

  They stopped in front of a glass-panel elevator. Gabriel caught his reflection in the glass—dark hair, and red eyes. The crimson glow was new. The bags under his eyes, not so much.

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  Even in his past life, he struggled to get rid of them.

  Was that what it was? His past life?

  The elevator rose.

  With each level, the scale of the facility revealed itself. It was massive—carved into a hollow mountain chain. A city built into stone. At one level, they passed a high-ceilinged hall where buildings jutted from the rocky walls. Civilians moved between them—some in white robes with long, braided white hair. Others with olive skin and short black curls that were braided much like Bulks.

  Gabriel recognized them. The olive skin, the tribal tattoos.

  Katosians.

  Gabriel stiffened.

  Bulk must have noticed the look on his face. He leaned on the glass.

  “The Fallen is mostly a preservation force,” he said. “Disaster relief. Refuge. No race dies out under our watch. We house them and give them new lives. Until they can rebuild.”

  He paused.

  “Rivera and I came in the same way. After the war.”

  Gabriel said nothing, but guilt crept up his spine.

  He had fought in that war.

  Not for justice. Not for peace. Just orders. He didn’t think much about the people—just the mission. And he was good at that.

  Still, guilt crept up his chest as he watched the children run past, laughing.

  'He said something about coming here as kids... Did they know?'

  The elevator chimed. They had finally reached the top floor, or at least one of them.

  The doors opened, and Gabriel stepped out into warmth.

  The sun-kissed his cheeks. The wind brushed his hair. The scent of trees and damp stone filled his lungs.

  It nearly broke him...

  The scenery was beautiful. Pearl would've appreciated it better.

  They were high—mountain peaks shrouded in fog, and valleys blanketed in green and pink forests. Railing lined the cliff’s edge.

  Gabriel walked to it. Bulk joined him.

  “Scared of heights?” Bulk asked.

  No reply.

  Bulk didn’t push. He leaned on the rail and stared out.

  “He took everything from me too.”

  Gabriel turned.

  “I was thirteen. Rivera was older—babysitting me while our parents were on the frontline. Icarus was there too... My parents, they didn’t last long. It wasn't long before our city fell. Then came Icarus.” His expression was serious now but melted the longer he stared at the sun. "I held in tears and it burned even more."

  Gabriel’s jaw clenched.

  He didn't want to ask, guilt rising like bile in his chest. But the words came anyway.

  “How long has he been king?”

  “Seven years.”

  “And how long have I been locked in your basement?”

  Bulk chuckled. “Classified, technically. But… somewhere between eight and ten. You’ve been asleep for maybe fourteen.”

  Gabriel exhaled sharply. His arms rested on the rail as his head fell forward.

  “Fourteen years,” he whispered, voice hollow. “Since he walked into my home… and butchered them. My sisters. My family. Like animals.”

  The words tore out of him.

  He hadn’t even realized the tears had started. His voice cracked, and then the sobs came.

  “I’ll kill him.”

  His shoulders shook as he sobbed. His eyes boiling red not from sorrow but pure rage.

  “I’m going to kill him.”

  Bulk said nothing for a moment, then gently placed a hand on Gabriel’s back.

  There was no comfort in it.

  Just shared understanding.