As the battlefield fell silent, the light of the Divinity Edge dimmed.
Solunar Warrior, victorious, floated in the sky.
But thenâthey trembled.
Their body began flickering. The fusion was unstable.
Inside, Rei felt it immediately.
"Tim!"
Tim was unconscious. His very soul had burned itself out.
Rei panicked.
"No... NO! TIM, WAKE UP!"
The fusion collapsed.
A blinding light engulfed themâTim and Rei separated, falling from the sky.
Jim, Sheila, and Jeromy sprinted forward.
"TIM!"
Jim leaped into the air, catching Tim's limp body.
Rei crashed to the ground, barely conscious. Dr. Aron and Marie rushed to her.
Tim wasn't moving.
Jim shook him desperately.
"Big bro! Come on, man, wake up!"
The battlefield, once filled with victory's cheers, now grew silent in dread.
As Dark Void's shattered form dissolved into nothingness, a divine light radiated across the battlefield. The air hummed with celestial energy as Solarae finally emerged, free from Dark Void's grasp.
His eyes gazed upon the warriors who had fought with everything they had.
"You have done well... all of you."
His voice resonated like a gentle cosmic wave, reverberating through their souls.
The battlefield was still, every survivor watching in awe.
Then, before their eyes, Solarae raised his hands.
From the remnants of Dark Void's essence, two spheres of energy emergedâone yellow, one blue.
The orbs hovered in the air, pulsing gently.
"Dark Void's corruption has been purified," Solarae declared. "These orbs, now free of malice, shall serve a new purpose."
Jim, Rei, Sheila, Jeromyâeveryone watched in anticipation.
"They will ensure that Dark Void never revives again," Solarae continued. "And instead... they shall forge the next generation of Celestic Warriors."
The orbs glowed brightly, and then, without warningâ
WHOOSH!
They shot into the sky, streaking across the heavens in opposite directions.
"Wherever these orbs land," Solarae explained, "they will choose worthy successorsâthose who will carry on the Celestic legacy."
Some Celestic Justice members scanned the energy signatures, recording the data for further research.
"In time," Solarae said, "new warriors will rise. The story of Soluna is not overâit is only beginning."
But amidst the victory... Tim was still unconscious.
Jim, still holding his lifeless body, gritted his teeth.
"Tim... come on, man... you have to wake up."
Rei, weak but determined, crawled over, gripping Tim's hand.
"He gave everything..." she whispered. "Too much... I felt it in our fusion... He was overexerting himself, pushing past limits that no one should cross..."
A sinking dread settled over the warriors.
Solarae turned his gaze to Tim, his divine expression unreadable.
"He is not gone," he finally said. "But his soul is weak. If nothing is done... he may never wake again."
Silence.
Thenâ
"NO!"
Rei clenched her fists, her Lunar energy flaring despite her injuries.
"I won't accept that! I won't let him go!"
Sheila, Jeromy, Gravik, Henry, Marie, Dr. Aronâeveryone looked at each other.
Even the children almost cried:-
Darren: "Hey! Big bro, you are kidding right? Please say, it's just a prank."
Maria: "You...can't leave us...like that...especially... not her."(pointing at Rei.)
Jim's grip tightened.
"Then we won't let him go," he declared. "Whatever it takes... we're bringing Tim back."
Solarae's divine form began to fade, his celestial presence withdrawing from the world.
As everyone watched in desperation, Jim clutched Tim's limp body.
"Solarae! You have to do something! Heal him!"
Solarae's gaze was solemn, his eyes reflecting the weight of the universe itself.
"I cannot."
A heavy silence fell over them.
"I am a god, but I am not omnipotent. Life and death... these are forces even I cannot control. Tim's soul still clings to existence, but his fate is beyond my reach."
Jim's fists shook with frustration.
"Then what the hell are we supposed to do?!"
Solarae's form became increasingly transparent.
"That... is up to you."
And with those final words, he faded into golden light.
Jim gritted his teeth, his heart pounding.
"We're not losing him! Sheila, help me!"
Sheila nodded, her usually fierce expression now filled with urgency.
Dr. Aron also helped with Darren and Maria following sobbingly.
"Jeromy, clear the way! We're taking him to the base!"
Jeromy snapped into action, ordering soldiers to clear a path.
Jim and Sheila rushed Tim toward Heatsun's base, pushing past their exhaustion.
As they reached the base which was somehow unharmed due to a barrier Heatsun and Moonsalt had previously prepared, Dr. Aron told them to escort him to his room where he can conveniently check his condition.
His eyes darkened when he saw Tim's condition.
"Lay him hereâNOW!"
Jim and Sheila gently placed Tim onto the bed.
The kids stayed near gripping his fingers with their fragile hands.
Aron immediately scanned Tim's vitals, his hands moving fast.
"His body is beyond overexerted... His energy pathways are critically damaged... Dammit, I'll try, but I can't promise anything!"
Sheila's hands clenched into fists, her face pale.
"Just do whatever it takes!"
Darren and Maria looked gloomy at the situation.
As Aron worked, the room fell into a heavy silence.
Henry and Marie arrived a bit later after getting the news from Jeromy.
Everyone including the kids, waited outside the medical chamber, their faces filled with worry as Aron operated.
Rei sat on the floor, knees hugged to her chest.
Tears streamed down her face as she stared blankly at the ground.
Henry and Marie watched her in concern, but they knewâno one could reach her right now.
She had always hidden her emotions, always remained strong.
But nowâshe was falling apart.
Jeromy knelt beside her.
"Rei..."
She didn't respond.
Darren and Maria who were normally cheerful around her didn't say a word this time.
Sheila tried to comfort Rei saying she should stay positive.
Aron finally stepped out of the chamber.
Everyone immediately stood up.
"Aron...?" Jim asked, voice unsteady.
Aron sighed heavily, his exhaustion clear.
"I've stabilized him, but he's not out of danger. If he survives, he will need at least a week to recover."
Everyone felt a mixture of relief and fear.
Rei's body trembled.
She slowly stood up and walked past Aron, entering the medical chamber.
No one stopped her.
Rei stood beside Tim's bed.
His face was so pale, his breathing so faint.
She hesitated, then gently took his hand.
Her fingers trembled.
Tears silently dripped onto the sheets.
And thenâ
She finally whispered the truth.
"Tim... I can't do this alone."
Her voice cracked, her grip tightening.
"IâI was afraid to tell you... But I recently found out... I'm pregnant with your child."
A quiet sob escaped her lips.
"Before Dark Void attacked Soluna... I secretly checked with Aron... I was too scared to tell you during the battle... But now..."
She clutched his hand against her chest.
"Please... wake up. Please..."
Her silent cries filled the room.
Outside, Sheila and Jeromy lowered their heads.
Jim clenched his fists.
Henry and Marie held each other tightly.
Dr. Aron closed his eyes.
Darren and Marie sobbed silently trying not to make the adults worry further.
After hearing her words, they all wanted the same thing even more.
For Tim to come back.
But his condition was worse than expected.
Seven Days Passed Like That...
Yet, Tim did not awaken.
The world outside was broken.
Soluna, once a thriving planet of unity and hope, was in ruins.
The battle had cost too much.
Too many lives lost.
Too many homes destroyed.
Most of the people were injured, grieving, and afraid.
Even though Dark Void was gone, the scars he left behind felt endless.
And through it allâTim remained in a deep coma.
The white solar warrior. The one who was the first one to carry their hopes.
He still wasn't opening his eyes.
The resistance had done all they could.
They worked to rebuild, to support the survivors with support from some Celestic Justice members.
But at night, grief always took over.
Henry and Marie couldn't stop crying.
They remembered 15 years of time he spent with them and Heatsun.
Jim tried to stay strong, but it was getting harder.
"Dammit, Tim... Wake up! You can't just leave us like this!"
Sheila, who had fought through endless battles without shedding a single tear, finally broke down.
Even Dr. Aron, who had seen some patients die on his table, could barely hold himself together.
His children, Darren and Maria, clung to their mother, their little faces now full of confusion and fear.
Even Gravikâthe Coward who had barely shown emotions throughout the warâstayed.
He sat outside Tim's medical chamber every day, arms crossed, his eyes filled with something unspoken.
But the one suffering the most...
Rei had barely eaten, barely slept.
She refused to leave Tim's side.
She sat next to his bed, her hands never letting go of his.
She whispered to him every day, even when she knew he couldn't hear her.
She adjusted his blanket.
She brushed his hair gently, as if he were just sleeping and would wake up any moment now.
But he never did.
And the worst part?
Rei knew.
She knew the truthâif he didn't wake up soon, he never would.
But she couldn't accept it.
Her hands trembled as she pressed his palm against her stomach.
A silent sob escaped her lips.
"Tim... Please... You have to wake up."
Her shoulders shook violently.
"Not for me... But for him."
She gently squeezed his hand.
"Our child... needs you."
And for the first time since the battleâ
Rei completely broke down.
She clutched Tim's hand against her heart, her tears falling endlessly.
Tim lay motionless.
And all she could do was pray that he would come back.