Chapter 323: 323: The Morning After the Fight
---
The mountain was quiet in a way that only came after a long night of violence. The kind of quiet where every sound felt too sharp, too fragile to last. Kai woke up and sat with his back against the smoothed bed of the chamber, letting the soft hum of the brood chamber’s essence channels and the measured breaths of the two sleeping forms in front of him wash over his senses.
The wound along his flank was knitting together, a jagged tear in the dark plates slowly sealing into a solid, unbroken surface. Each pulse of healing was a dull ache, like the deep thrum of a drum in his bones, but it was nothing compared to the tearing heat of the fight. His body was already working, piece by piece, to erase the evidence of last night’s battle.
Luna was closest to him, lying on her side. Her silver hair spilled across her cheek and down her arm in an unbroken river of light, the pale strands shimmering faintly in the dim glow. Her face was calm in sleep, though the faint crease at her brow suggested she hadn’t slept easily. Miryam was curled beside her like a coiled spring, knees drawn up, her small frame tucked into Luna’s like they had always belonged in the same nest.
Kai’s eyes softened without losing their focus. Family. He had fought last night because of them, because of what they meant to him.
Luna’s eyelashes trembled, and then her eyes opened, the silver catching the chamber light. She blinked once, orienting herself, and then her gaze found him instantly.
"You’re awake," she said softly, her voice still edged with sleep.
"I have been for a while," Kai replied.
Her eyes studied him for a moment, as if searching for something she had only half-seen before. Then, with no preamble, she spoke.
"I saw you last night. The way you changed." She hesitated. "I’ve never seen that before. Your... ant transformation."
Kai tilted his head slightly but said nothing, letting her continue.
"It looked... strong," she said, almost in a whisper. "More than strong. You’ve changed so much since we met. You were only a two-star when we first crossed paths. Now you’re a four-star... but that form... it felt like more. You rival a six-star — maybe more than that."
Her gaze lowered, her voice quieter still. "And I’m still the same as when we met. I can’t help but feel like I’m holding you back." She drew a slow breath. "I don’t want to be just the wife you protect. I want to fight beside you. I want to be able to stand with you when the enemies come, not hide behind you. I can’t be a weak wife."
Kai rose to his feet with a fluid grace, his shadow falling across her. He crouched beside her, the motion bringing them to the same height. His fingers reached to brush a strand of hair from her cheek, he was gentle and careful.
"You don’t have to be anything but yourself," he said, his voice low and warm. "It is my duty to protect my family. I learned to transform when I was escaping the Rift Gate — it wasn’t something I was born knowing. If you want to grow stronger, I will support you. I will train with you. And when the time comes, we will fight together to protect this home."
Luna’s eyes flicked up to his. There was still vulnerability there, but also something steadier — the same determination that had carried her through every hard moment before. She nodded once.
A small rustle from the bedding broke the moment. Miryam shifted, stretching her small arms over her head before blinking her golden eyes open.
"Papa, good morning. I want to say something," she said, voice still thick with sleep, "you’re so strong. I dreamed about you. I saw you fighting a monster. You looked so cool."
Kai chuckled, the sound rumbling deep in his chest. "My cute daughter... Last night I found a bad guy. Maybe you felt it through your aura, and your dream gave it shape."
Her brow furrowed, and she pushed herself upright. "But Papa, I saw you get hurt. Are you okay?"
"My wound is healing," he said, gesturing to his side. "It will be fine in two or three days."
Her expression brightened suddenly. "Papa... in my dream, you had that cool red look. Can you show me? You look normal now."
Luna smiled faintly. "I want to see it again too."
Kai gave them both a long, slow look, then stood fully. "Stay where you are."
The air seemed to compress for a heartbeat. Heat rolled outward from his body as the change began. Red and black armor-like plates emerged from beneath his skin, sliding into place over his chest, shoulders, and limbs. His form thickened, every muscle defined beneath the gleaming carapace. His mandibles curved with a predatory elegance, his antennae lifting high and sharp. His eyes burned like twin embers.
Miryam’s mouth opened in awe. "Papa..."
Luna’s eyes widened as she stood and came closer. "It’s... even more detailed than I remembered." She reached out cautiously, her fingers tracing the hard ridges along his chest plate, feeling the warmth radiating from beneath.
Miryam pressed both hands against his forearm, her fingers dwarfed by the size of it. "Does it hurt to be like this?"
"No," Kai said, his voice deeper in this form. "It feels natural. But it’s a form meant for battle, not for rest."
Luna’s fingers followed the armor’s curves down his arm. "And all of this... it’s what lets you stand against that beast?"
"It’s part of it," Kai replied. "Strength, speed, resilience — all of them are enhanced. But a fight is still decided by the mind controlling the body."
Miryam grinned up at him. "I think you’re the coolest papa in the world."
Kai placed one clawed hand gently on her head. "That’s the only title I will never give up."
They circled him with questions — how fast he could move like this, whether the plates were stronger than the mountain stone, if the mandibles could cut through armor, how long he could hold the form before it faded. Kai answered each with patient detail, explaining not just the power but the limits, making sure they understood that strength wasn’t endless, that every form came with its own costs.
Luna’s hand lingered at his shoulder plate, her eyes thoughtful. "Then teach me to be more than a bystander next time."
He met her gaze steadily. "I will."
Miryam giggled and patted his side. "And me too! I want to transform too. I want to look big and strong like you papa."
Kai looked down at her. "You already surprised me enough, little one. You are growing up very fast. I won’t be surprised if you came to me with a transformation."
Her grin only widened.