Page 183 of GlitchBorn Heart

I hope he does.

“I told Eli I would see him soon. That we’ll be back, together, to get him.” I change the subject to give Kael a break from all the emotion, but he looks startled and uneasy.

“Kael?” I question. “What? What is it? Eli is okay, isn’t he?” I take a step back.

He sighs, heavily. “I visited him just a little while ago.” Another confession from the man with the mask.

“You did?” I’m a bit surprised; he and Eli don’t exactly get along, but he tolerates him...for me.

“He’s...” Kael hesitates. I don’t like it. This is the man who’s always so sure, logical, and in control of every precise word that comes out of his mouth. “He’s fine. I asked him to anchor LINK from inside. It’s all good, nothing to worry about.”

For a moment, neither of us moves. My holo-form wavers, my emotion driving my magic to surge. He’s keeping something from me. I resist the urge to push. “Kael...” My voice comes out full of doubt. “Is something wrong?”

“No, nothing is wrong...nothing will go wrong.” He kisses me gently, both hands on each side of my face. “It won’t.”

Is he convincing himself or me?

I smile sadly. “You always say that.” The realization slams into my chest, that he actually believes it. Because if he lets himself doubt any of this, even for a second, the whole thing unravels. And so do I.

My hand lifts, fingers splayed, and he matches it with his hand. The energy of our magic flares bright and warm.

The lights on his DataLINK flicker red. He touches the comm to re-engage. “I’m here.” He walks away and approaches the console. With a swipe of the hand, Ash appears in the most beautiful setting I have ever seen in my life.

He fills the frame, grinning like he’s the light in the middle of the blackout. Behind him, the dark city glows in patches of warm gold, lanterns rising one by one, like souls breaking free from the earth’s gravity.

“Tell me you’re seeing this,” he says, voice fuzzy through the comm feed. “Lanterns. Real fire, real paper. I thought the people of the city forgot what real looks like.”

I step closer to the screens, my holographic light bleeding into the monitors, softening it. “It’s beautiful.”

I’m awestruck. The first beautiful thing I’ve seen in a long time that isn’t digital, isn’t coded. Just plain human.

Ash spins his DataLINK camera toward the crowd. Dozens of people hold glowing lanterns. Shaped like cylinders, words painted in black across them, wishes being sent into the stars for health, prosperity, and love. Somewhere in the background, a soft, acoustic riff begins; his band, NeonGods, plays unplugged and breathtakingly haunting.

Ash turns the camera back to his face, his expression a mixture of appreciation and mischief. “Kael, my brother, this was spectacular. Good call.”

I turn to Kael. He’s staring at the screen, lost in his own mind. “You did this?” I ask him excitedly.

He nods and lets a smile escape. “Chochin—bucket lights. My mom used to take us to the Kyoto lantern festival each year to send them off. It’s supposed to guide the souls.” He continues to admire their beauty, “The lanterns’ light guides the spirits of the deceased back to the spirit world or to the afterlife. Figured it couldn’t hurt. Lead your soul back to life...and back to me.” His eyes dart to mine.

“I told them I’d handle the sound tonight. I’ve got us covered here. I’m using my magic to keep everyone chill while you guys pull off your whole ‘defy the laws of reality’ routine,” Ash interrupts proudly.

Kael’s voice cuts in from the shadows behind me. “By ‘chill,’ you mean sedated?” He chuckles to himself.

Ash shrugs. “Semantics, Brother. Let me do my thing, okay?” His grin widens. “If anyone notices you trying to play god in there, they’ll just think it’s part of the show.”

I laugh joyfully, and by the look that flickers across Kael’s face, it tells me he hasn’t heard it in a long time.

Ash’s expression softens. His stare locks on me through the feed. “You’ll make it out, Lyra. I can feel it.” A blue pulse accompanies his handsome grin.

“You can feel everything,” I tease. “That’s your magic.”

He winks. “Maybe. But this time it’s more than that. You’re an EchoWeaver. You’ve got this. You’re meant to survive.”

My smile widens, even as a faint ache tugs in my chest. “You really believe that?”

“I do,” he reassures me. “And when you’re out, I’ll play you a real song. No tech. Just me, a guitar, and whatever’s left of this world worth singing to.”

The music behind him swells as another wave of lanterns lift into the dark, their light reflected in his eyes.