In the late evening, they had returned from their scouting mission and successfully installed all three Arcanite engines into Jack's vessels.
Standing before the now fully functional transports, Lupus and Frain stepped forward. Lupus's golden eyes were steady yet tinged with something serious as she gently threaded her fingers through Frain's waving hair.
"Jackie... I've decided," She said, her voice wavered and hesitant. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ Novᴇl_Fire(.)net
Jack turned, dumbfounded. "What is it?"
With meticulous fingers, Lupus reached for the Slave circlet around Frain's neck. After a few careful wiggles, the device clicked and came loose.
"What?" Frain gasped, eyes widening in shock. Her hands instinctively reached up, fingers tracing the bare skin where the circlet had been.
"I give you your freedom, Frain," Lupus said with a gentle smile.
"But why?" Frain's purple eyes became glassy, her lips trembling as an unfamiliar emotion surged within her. The sheer, overwhelming joy of freedom washed over the girl.
"Because you're my friend," Lupus replied, her tone became firm. Her golden eyes flickered toward Jack. He met her gaze and nodded, a quiet acknowledgment of her choice. Her actions made him proud.
Before Frain could break down and cry completely, Lupus suddenly grinned. "High five!" She cheered, shifting the tone in an instant. With laughter breaking the tension, the three joined hands in a three-way high five. Even Jack participated, despite feeling it was a little childish. Still, he indulged them. The past three days had proven that their bond was more than just an alliance — it was starting to feel like family.
In truth, Lupus and Frain had kept him anchored, preventing him from sinking into the grim reality of war and loss. Jack knew that without them, he would have fallen into a much darker place. The weight of the past days pressed on him, the loss of his best friend David, the entire DebrisX crew. The memories of their time together on Luna Base flickered in his mind.
Jack steeled himself for tomorrow, he would reunite with his family. He clung to the hope that they were still waiting for him...
But he was gravely mistaken.
The flight from South Germund to Steinberg took two hours, with the Arcanite-saving flight protocol engaged. When they arrived at Jack's home, he found nothing but devastation. The once-standing two-storey house had collapsed into smouldering wreckage, the fire long extinguished.
The sight burned itself into Jack's mind, a chill crawling down his spine. Hollow emptiness nested inside his chest as his fingers trembled slightly.
He stepped down from the Armatus suit, the girls following behind. Their expressions darkened as they exchanged glances, but no one said a word.
Typing on his datapad, Jack whispered, "Finder Keeper protocol."
Two bots whirred to life, scanning the wreckage. Jack gritted his teeth, his hands clenched in quiet exasperation. A warm tap on both his shoulders made him pause, Lupus and Frain stood beside him, offering silent support.
Minutes later, the results came in. Two charred corpses were identified beneath the ruins, one adult, and one child.
Jack didn't cry. He ordered the bots to dig graves, and he buried them himself. The man who once laughed so easily had grown silent. He felt nothing but an unbearable hollowness. No grief, no tears — only emptiness. His family was gone. His bloodline was severed. His future stolen by the cruelty of war.
As the graves were filled, Lupus and Frain quietly placed flowers they had gathered from the remains of the garden, paying their respects. Jack sat on the ledge of a puny bot, legs dangling as he stared at the graves.
Lupus approached carefully. "Jack..." She murmured, hesitant.
Frain followed, pondering the right words to say.
"I'm fine," Jack replied softly, forcing a smile.
Lupus reached out, squeezing his shoulder. "Do you... wanna talk about it? You can cry, you know." She turned to Frain for support, and the lion Wildren nodded slowly.
"We won't judge," Lupus added. Her voice wavered slightly, and an awkward chuckle escaped her lips despite the grief in her eyes.
Jack exhaled a shaky breath. "It's... just hollow. Maybe I still think this is all a bad dream." He said, his tone husky and deepened.
Lupus hesitated. "Is it because of your dementia?"
"That too," Jack admitted. He held tightly onto a small locket, the only remaining piece of his family. "But mostly, it's because I just buried two people I didn't remember. At least, that's what it feels like."
Lupus opened her mouth, searching for words, but found none. Frain, too, struggled to respond.
After a moment, Jack stood abruptly. "Let's move, Lupus." He suggest firmly.
She blinked in confusion. "Move?"
"To Hasenwald. There's nothing left for me here. But for you~ your family is still waiting."
The girls exchanged glances before nodding solemnly. Soon, they climbed into their vessels, engines roaring to life. With a flick of Jack's fingers, the ships lifted off the ground.
Their journey to Hasenwald had begun.