Chapter 42: Unexpected Acceptance

Liam arrived home after forty-five minutes, having made a detour to Shake Shack to pick up Yae’s favorite burgers and an assortment of snacks. The delay had been worth it as he knew she needed something to lift her spirits.

He pushed through the front door with arms full of paper bags. The sound of the door opening drew Yae downstairs, her footsteps lighter than usual. “Hey…” she said, her voice unusually quiet, lacking its typical liveliness.

“Hey,” Liam replied, raising the bags to show what he’d brought. “I dropped by Shake Shack.” A flicker of brightness crossed Yaela’s face, though not her usual radiant smile, but a noticeable improvement from the subdued state she’d been in all day.

“You didn’t have to, but thank you so much,” she said, genuine happiness creeping into her voice as she walked toward the sofa where Liam was setting up their impromptu feast. Liam arranged everything on the small center table, opening each container with deliberate care. ShackBurgers, chicken sandwiches, chocolate shakes, hot dogs—he’d practically bought every indulgent item on the menu.

“This is too much,” Yae observed, genuinely wondering how they’d manage to finish it all.

“Don’t worry,” Liam said with a slight grin. “You won’t be eating it alone.”

They settled into a comfortable rhythm, eating steadily for about ten minutes before Liam brought the subject that had been weighing on both their minds. “Yae, we need to talk about what happened this morning,” he said gently.

Yae nodded while chewing another bite of her burger—her absolute favorite thing about Shake Shack.

“So maybe we’ll start here,” Liam began, searching for the right entry point. “How do you feel about being a visor?”

Yaela took a sip of her shake, washing down her food before responding. “Earlier today, it felt like a shock. I don’t understand how I got these powers, but I’ve been thinking about it. Maybe it’s the universe’s way of arming me against bad people like Ray.” Her voice carried a surprising note of confidence that hadn’t been there that morning.

“So you’re totally okay with this?” Liam asked, studying her face. “Not totally, but I can’t argue with what I’ve been given. I accept it fully,” she said, rummaging through the other snacks to see what she’d try next. The conversation was going much better than Liam had expected.

With that said, he moved to his next concern. “I also think you should see a therapist. You know, to work through what you experienced.”

“Nah, I’m fine,” Yae said dismissively. “It was rough, but trust me, I’ll be good. I also need that constant reminder so that something like this may never happen again.” While she spoke, her gaze drifted into the middle distance with her fist clenching involuntarily as Flames suddenly erupted around her knuckles.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Liam exclaimed, immediately calling upon his borrowed ice ability to extinguish the flames. A light frost covered her fist before melting away at another gesture from him.

“Sorry about that,” Yae said with a wry smile. “Still trying to get the hang of it.”

“It’s alright, but you sound different, Yae. Between this morning and right now, you’re like a totally different person.”

“I think it’s because I don’t feel powerless anymore,” she explained. “All day, it’s been ringing in my head—how everything could have been different if I’d somehow had these powers all along.”

“You’re stronger than I give you credit for,” Liam said, a genuine smile spreading across his face. The weight he’d been carrying seemed lighter after this conversation with his sister.

Yae smiled back. “Oh, and I don’t think we need a new place, Liam. Don’t think I haven’t been hearing those phone calls.”

“Yeah, about that…” Liam said, scratching his head sheepishly. “You sure we don’t need one?”

“One hundred percent. What we need is a new paint job on this one,” she said, glancing at the section of wall she’d accidentally burned that morning.

Liam chuckled softly. “Alright then.”

“Oh yeah, I never asked, what happened to Ray?” Yae’s question was casual, but Liam noticed the slight tension in her shoulders. “Did he get arrested?” She had been unconscious during most of the confrontation and had no idea that Liam had killed the man.

Liam chose his words carefully. “Don’t worry about it. He’s in a place he won’t be coming back from ever again,” he said with a smile on his face.

“Hmm… okay,” Yae said simply, immediately returning her attention to her food.

Liam stood and headed toward the stairs. “By the way, we’re going to need to get you evaluated tomorrow to see where you stand as a visor.” Yae raised a thumbs up in agreement, her mouth too occupied with another ShackBurger to respond verbally.

Liam shook his head with fond exasperation and continued upstairs. In his room, he kicked off his shoes, letting them fall wherever they landed. After a long shower, he changed into comfortable gray pajamas—a long-sleeved button-up shirt with matching pants. Lying on his bed and staring at the ceiling, his thoughts drifted to Lucien’s warning about potentially being the first target if a war between gods and humans ever broke out.

The implication that such a conflict would inevitably reach Yaela, the person he most wanted to protect, sent a chill through him. But he forced himself to dismiss these thoughts. There was no point stressing over possibilities that would likely never materialize.

He considered pulling up the system windows to do some setup work but decided against it. Maybe one night without all of that would be good for him.

…

Meanwhile, not long after Liam had left the USOV facility, Kent returned from his assignment. He hadn’t been present when Chief Director Lucien had arrived earlier, but the presence of GMCs and various agents that had strange faces, around the building told him everything he needed to know.

Kent made his way through the entrance and headed upstairs. After knocking and receiving permission to enter, he found both directors seated on the sofas in front of Grey’s main desk as they had been deep in discussion.

“Good day, Chief Director,” Kent began formally.

“Good day to you too, Kent. I was told you were out on assignment,” Lucien replied.

“Yes, and I came back with intriguing results,” Kent said, shifting his gaze toward Grey.

Grey nodded, and Kent stepped forward, placing a thick file on the table between the two directors. Over the next several minutes, Kent explained everything he’d discovered. Lucien needed additional context since he hadn’t initially known about Kai Egnis, but by the end of Kent’s detailed explanation, he understood the full scope of the situation.

“I think it’s all one big coincidence,” Grey said after hearing the complete report.

“But we know Bastion is loyal to Kharthorne,” Lucien added thoughtfully. “Keep tabs on this Kai. Something tells me he’ll be back to Michigan.” Kent said nothing but nodded in agreement with the Chief Director’s assessment.

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