Eight

POV Brynmor

I would never find peace. Even in a place like this—a secluded cave outside the colony's borders—I knew they would keep chasing me. They wanted Fiora, and not for any simple reason.

"What do you see?" Fiora asked from behind me.

She tried to mask her anxiety, but I knew better. I didn’t answer, continuing to scan the area with my holographic sensors. The results quickly appeared on the screen. Movement. Several lifeforms were approaching our location.

“Devlin,” I muttered.

Fiora stepped closer, her face filled with confusion. "What do you mean? Your father?"

"He won't stop until he gets you," I replied without turning to her.

She exhaled deeply, her expression a mixture of exhaustion and frustration. "Why does he want me so much?"

I didn’t answer. How could I explain it all without scaring her even more? Devlin didn’t just want to capture Fiora; he intended to use her as a political tool against the Starfire family. And I knew his plan would never end well for Fiora.

"Get inside," I finally said, trying to keep my voice calm.

"Are you going to fight them alone?" she asked, her eyes widening.

"I don’t have a choice," I replied.

But before I could explain further, the sound of footsteps grew closer.

"Brynmor," she whispered, fear etched across her face.

I turned to her, my gaze sharp. "Trust me. Stay inside and don’t come out until I call for you."

She hesitated but eventually nodded and retreated into the cave. I took position near the entrance, checking the plasma weapon in my hand.

When they finally appeared, I could easily recognize Devlin's soldiers by their uniforms. There were six of them, all armed with advanced weapons and wearing augmented armor designed to withstand most plasma attacks.

"Commander Brynmor," one of them said, his steps steady as he approached. "Devlin sent us to retrieve the girl. You know she belongs to us."

I scoffed, raising my weapon slightly. "Fiora doesn’t belong to anyone. And you’d better back off now."

The man chuckled softly, clearly unfazed by my threat. "You know this is inevitable. Hand her over, and Devlin might spare you."

I didn’t respond. Instead, I fired my weapon immediately, forcing them to take cover behind the large rocks surrounding the cave.

The fight was swift and brutal. Devlin’s soldiers were clearly trained, but I was more experienced in situations like this. With the help of the augmentation systems in my body, I managed to take down two of them within minutes.

However, their numbers were overwhelming, and they began to encircle me. One of them got close to the cave entrance, forcing me to act more aggressively.

I ran toward him, using my augmented strength to leap and slam into his body hard. He fell to the ground, unmoving.

"Two left," I muttered, catching my breath.

Before I could attack again, one of them fired a plasma round in my direction. I managed to dodge, but the shot hit the cave wall, causing a small explosion that nearly threw me off balance.

I knew I had to end this quickly before they managed to enter the cave.

Meanwhile, inside the cave, I saw Fiora trying to remain calm despite the terrifying sounds of the battle outside. She clutched something resembling a small knife—the only weapon I could leave her.

But when she saw a shadow approaching the cave entrance, I noticed a movement that would spell disaster.

"Fiora, don’t come out!" I yelled, my voice barely audible over the sound of plasma fire.

She ignored me, taking a deep breath and stepping out of her hiding spot.

When I saw Fiora standing at the cave entrance, it felt like my chest was struck by a boulder.

"What are you doing?!" I shouted, trying to stop her.

She didn’t answer. Instead, she lunged with her small knife at one of the men approaching from behind me. The attack wasn’t strong enough to injure him, but it was enough to throw him off balance.

I seized the opportunity to strike him with my weapon, shattering his armor and knocking him to the ground.

But Fiora’s actions weren’t without consequences. One of the other soldiers saw what she had done and aimed his weapon at her.

"Fiora, watch out!"

I sprinted as fast as I could, using my body to shield her from the attack. I felt a searing heat on my back as the plasma round hit my protective augmentation.

The pain was excruciating, but I didn’t care.

"Brynmor!" Fiora screamed, trying to help me to my feet.

"I’m fine," I lied, even though I could feel blood trickling from the wound on my back.

We didn’t have time to argue. With the last of my strength, I fired my weapon at the final soldier, breaking through his helmet and sending him collapsing to the ground.

When it was over, I fell to my knees, struggling to endure the pain. Fiora ran to me, her face full of worry.

"You’re hurt," she said, her voice trembling.

"I’ll be fine," I replied, forcing a smile despite the pain nearly causing me to black out.

♡♡♡

We returned to the cave after ensuring there were no more threats outside. Fiora helped me sit in one corner, then carefully examined my wound.

"You’re an idiot," she said softly, her voice full of emotion.

"I just did what I had to do," I replied.

She looked at me with tear-filled eyes. "Why are you always like this? You say I’m just a pawn, but you keep risking your life for me. Why?"

I didn’t know how to answer. I wanted to say it was my responsibility, but I knew it was more than that.

"I don’t want to lose you," I finally said, almost in a whisper.

She froze, clearly not expecting that answer.

"Brynmor..."

I looked at her, and for the first time, I felt that she began to see me not just as someone who had disrupted her life but as someone who wanted to protect her.

We started talking more comfortably. I shared more about my past and how I had been caught up in Devlin’s schemes.

Fiora listened attentively, occasionally nodding or asking questions.

"I don’t know who to trust," she finally said.

"Neither do I," I admitted.

She gave a faint smile, though I knew her heart was still filled with doubt.

Somehow, I felt we were beginning to understand each other.

The next morning, I woke early to scout the area. I knew we couldn’t stay here too long. Devlin would keep sending forces to find us, and I had to find a way to stop him before it was too late.

When I returned to the cave, Fiora was sitting near the entrance, gazing at the rising sun.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

She turned to me, giving a small smile. "I don’t know. But at least I’m alive."

I sat beside her, feeling the warmth of the sun on my face.