Safari walked out first.
He looked exhausted.
But his eyes weren't empty anymore.
Angeleva followed soon after.
She was still pale, still shakenâbut standing.
The family saw them.
No words were needed.
Jen smiled. Ian nodded.
Zack grinned. "Took you long enough."
Olive smirked. "We're not letting you two mope around anymore."
Safari exhaled, shaking his head.
Angeleva closed her eyes and whispered, "Thank you."
For the first time since the attack...
the family felt whole again.
The dull ache of the past still lingered in Safari and Angeleva's hearts. Even though the family had rekindled their resolve, the weight of their recent trauma clung to them like a shadow. Neither of them spoke much since they left the planet, preferring to stay lost in thought.
But the universe had other plans.
BOOM!
The entire spaceship shook violently.
Alarms blared, and flashing red lights filled the control room.
Olive gripped the controls tightly, her eyes wide as she scanned the monitors.
Olive: "What the hell? Are we under attack?"
Ian rushed to the window, his camera clutched tightly.
Ian: "Not exactly. Look!"
Through the vast expanse of space, a swarm of giant meteors tumbled and spun, crashing into one another and sending smaller fragments spiraling in every direction. The meteors glowed ominously, some leaving trails of burning debris behind them.
Zack: "A meteor field! We flew straight into it!"
Olive struggled to steer, the ship barely responding as another meteor grazed its side, causing a minor explosion. Sparks flew, and the controls buzzed with warning signs.
Olive: "I'm trying, but the turbulence is too much!"
She clenched her teeth, frantically twisting the ship's control sticks to dodge the incoming rocks. But the meteors were fast, relentless, and unpredictable.
Safari had seen enough.
Without a word, he rushed forward.
Safari: "Move!"
Olive blinked in shock as Safari pushed her aside, taking control of the spaceship with firm, steady hands.
Safari: "I've dealt with worse."
Olive: "Butâ"
Safari: "I'm not letting us crash."
With his warrior's instincts, Safari swiftly assessed the chaotic field. Every meteor, every shift of momentum â he calculated it all. His experience piloting ships during battles on Sappy surged to the surface.
The ship dove beneath a massive meteor, narrowly missing its crushing force. Another spun towards them, but Safari jerked the controls, sending the ship into a hard roll to avoid impact.
Safari: "Hold on!"
The family clung to their seats as the ship twisted and veered, avoiding death by mere inches. But no matter how skilled Safari was, the meteors were overwhelming. Some were too close, too large â no amount of maneuvering could dodge them all.
Angeleva watched the chaos unfold from the side, her fists clenching.
The ship was in danger.
Her family was in danger.
She couldn't just stand there.
Without hesitation, her wings shimmered with a radiant glow as she flew straight to the airlock.
Jen: "Big sis! Where are you going?!"
Angeleva: "Buying us time."
Before anyone could stop her, she shot into the dark void of space, the glimmer of her fairy aura illuminating the meteors around her.
Zack gasped, his eyes wide with awe and fear.
Zack: "She's fighting the meteors?!"
Olive: "That's insane!"
But Safari's gaze didn't waver.
Safari: "She knows what she's doing."
Outside, Angeleva's wings flared with celestial energy.
She raised her hands, summoning brilliant beams of pure light.
Angeleva: "Fairy Ray!"
The beams shot forward, striking the meteors with pinpoint accuracy. The smaller ones shattered into harmless fragments, while others were deflected just enough for Safari to maneuver past.
But the strain was immense. Every blast drained her energy, and the overwhelming size of the meteors made it harder to keep up.
Yet, she kept pushing.
Inside the ship, Safari was laser-focused.
Safari: "Keep it steady... timing is everything."
With every meteor Angeleva destroyed, Safari found an opening. He twisted and shifted the ship through narrow gaps, navigating like a true master pilot.
It was the first time in days that he wasn't lost in his own pain.
He had a purpose.
And so did she.
The family could only watch in awe as Safari and Angeleva, the devil and the fairy, worked together like two halves of a whole.
Safari: "Angeleva! Incoming at your two o'clock!"
Angeleva: "Got it!"
She spun gracefully through space, her light-infused wings propelling her with unmatched agility. She fired a precise beam, cutting through another rock.
Angeleva: "Safari, there's a narrow gap at your ten! Take it now!"
Without question, Safari adjusted the controls, pushing the ship through the small opening just as a massive meteor slammed into another behind them.
Zack cheered.
Zack: "You two are amazing!"
Olive: "I can't believe I'm saying this, but... that was perfect teamwork."
Ian smirked, already capturing every moment with his camera.
Ian: "A devil and a fairy? Best duo I've ever filmed."
Finally, the last meteor passed, and the ship emerged from the chaos into the calm darkness of space.
The family exhaled in relief.
Safari pulled the ship to a steady stop. His hands trembled from the tension, but he felt something else beneath it â a sense of pride.
Angeleva re-entered the airlock, collapsing to one knee from exhaustion.
Safari rushed to her side, his breath still ragged.
Safari: "That was reckless."
She managed a small, weary smile.
Angeleva: "So was pushing Olive aside."
The room was silent for a moment.
Then, Safari laughed â just a small, tired chuckle.
It wasn't much.
But it was a start.
The spaceship hummed softly, drifting through the empty void of space.
A Day had passed since the meteor incident, but despite their survival, the weight of the past still clung to Safari and Angeleva.
Their eyes were hollow.
Even though they saved the ship together, it didn't erase the anguish that poisoned their hearts.
The family had tried everything â encouragement, distractions, even celebrating their teamwork. But it was clear now.
None of it was enough.
Safari and Angeleva still bore the scars of Gregory and Patricia's words, their memories reawakened like festering wounds.
Zack paced back and forth in the common area.
Zack: "We can't keep ignoring it. If this goes on, they'll destroy themselves."
Jen: "But what else can we do? We've already tried everything. Even after the meteors, they're still like this."
Olive: "There's one thing we haven't tried yet."
Everyone turned to her.
Olive: "They need to talk. Not to us. To each other."
Zack blinked. "You mean... like, just throw them in a room and hope they spill their feelings?"
Olive: "Exactly."
Ian snorted, shaking his head.
Ian: "Getting those two to have a heart-to-heart? That's about as likely as Olive falling in love with me."
He smirked.
The room fell silent.
Olive's face burned red.
Olive: "WHAT did you just say?!"
Ian's grin grew wider.
Ian: "Hey, I'm just saying! You glaring at me like that just proves my point."
Olive's hands balled into fists. "You areâ!"
Zack quickly stepped between them.
Zack: "Okay, okay! Back to the problem at"
Jen nodded. "Ian might be annoying, but he has a point. Making big bro and big sis talk is going to be just as hard as... well... that."
Olive: "Tch."
Despite the insult, she sighed and crossed her arms.
Olive: "But we have to try. No matter how stubborn they are."
The family put their plan into action.
Zack and Jen approached Safari first.
"Big Bro, you should eat with us today," Zack said, putting on his best innocent face.
Safari barely looked up. "Not hungry."
Jen huffed. "Fine, but at least come to the main hall. We need your help deciding our next move."
Meanwhile, Ian and Olive went to Angeleva's room.
"Hey, Fairy Queen, get up," Ian said, tapping on the door. "We need to talk."
Angeleva's muffled voice came through. "Not in the mood."
"Oh? So you're just going to let Safari be the only one miserable? I thought you were stronger than that."
Silence. Then the door creaked open. Angeleva's tired eyes glared at him. "What do you mean?"
Ian smirked. "Come find out."
Both Safari and Angeleva, still unwilling, were brought to the spaceship's main hall. The family had cleared the space, leaving only two chairs facing each other in the center of the room.
"What's this?" Safari asked suspiciously.
Olive smirked. "A trap."
Before either of them could react, Ian and Zack shoved Safari into one chair while Jen and Olive pushed Angeleva into the other. CLICK.
Safari and Angeleva looked down, horrified. Their wrists were handcuffed to the chairs.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Safari roared, yanking the cuffs.
Angeleva's eyes widened. "You locked us up?!"
Ian leaned back smugly. "We sure did. And we're not letting you out until you two talk."
Safari scowled. "You're insane."
Olive crossed her arms. "Insane enough to care about you idiots."
Angeleva tried to summon her fairy daggers, but Zack quickly added, "Oh, and those cuffs? They absorb fairy and demonic energy. So, yeah, good luck breaking free."
Safari and Angeleva shot death glares at them, but the family stood firm.
"You two have been sulking for days," Jen said gently. "And it's killing us to see you like this."
Zack nodded. "You're both strong, but you're acting like you're alone. You're not."
Ian grinned. "So, talk. Or we'll leave you there forever."
Safari and Angeleva stared at each other, reluctant, but now with no choice.
For a long moment, neither Safari nor Angeleva said anything. They just sat there, arms crossed, staring in opposite directions like two stubborn children.
The family waited.
Then Safari finally exhaled, his voice low and bitter. "What's there to talk about?"
Angeleva scoffed. "Exactly. Nothing will change what happened."
"You mean how my own people murdered my sister?" Safari muttered, his fists clenching. "How Gregory made me look like a fool? How I was too weak to stop any of it?"
Angeleva's wings twitched. "Or how Patriciaâsomeone I once trustedâslaughtered my mother like she was nothing? How I spent my whole life believing I had a home to return to, only to find out it was destroyed?"
A heavy silence filled the room.
For the first time, Safari and Angeleva truly looked at each otherânot as warriors, but as two broken people carrying unbearable grief.
Angeleva sighed. "What are we supposed to do now? Just pretend it doesn't hurt?"
Safari leaned back, running a hand through his hair. "I don't know."
The family watched anxiously. Then Zack spoke up.
"You don't have to know. Just stop pretending you're alone."
Jen nodded. "We're here, Big Bro. And you, too, big sis. You're part of this family now."
Safari and Angeleva looked at themâZack, Jen, Ian, and Oliveâall standing there, refusing to give up on them.
Angeleva closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. "I've been alone for so long...I don't know how to rely on anyone."
Safari gave a bitter chuckle. "Yeah. Same here."
A moment passed.
Then, surprisingly, Safari smirked. "You know... I still think fairies are annoying."
Angeleva shot him a sharp look. "And I think demons are barbaric."
Then, to everyone's shockâthey both laughed.
It wasn't much. It wasn't a solution. But it was a start.
Ian grinned. "And just like that, mission accomplished."
Olive sighed. "Finally. Now unlock them before they kill each other."
Zack quickly released the cuffs, and Safari and Angeleva stretched their wrists.
Safari stood, cracking his knuckles. "Alright. Enough moping. We've got stronger enemies waiting, right?"
Angeleva nodded, determination flickering in her eyes. "Let's make them regret underestimating us."
The family cheered. They were whole again.