Page 201 of Stars in Aura

Kainan’s brow arched, the rim of his tumbler pausing at his lips. ‘That so?’

Ki’Remi nodded, his grip tightening around his drink. ‘I used to think the universe was just probabilities, equations, matter in motion. That logic and reason could explain my world. It wasn’t real to me if it was not measured, recorded, or studied.’

Kainan listened, waiting.

‘For so long, I ignored the power in me that the crats awakened by injecting us with noids. I avoided the truth of the Witchmen,’ Ki’Remi murmured, his voice almost reverent.

Kainan twisted toward him now, fascinated. ‘Tell me.’

Ki’Remi rolled his shoulders, unease flickering in his dark gaze. ‘My ancestors live inside me. Not in some metaphorical way, but ancient warriors, wizards, and warlocks, their spiritsbound to me through blood and metanoids. When I need them, they come.’

He took a break, sipping from his tumbler, searching for the right words.

‘When they do,kaka.’ His rasp dropped lower. ‘It’s like witnessing centuries of power resurrect through me.’

Kainan’s brow arched, intrigued yet not surprised. ‘You’ve always been more than just a meta and afokkin’ superb medic, brother.’ He tilted his glass, observing the liquid swirl. ‘I’m pleased you’re embracing all that you are.’

Ki’Remi huffed. ‘You say that like it’s a good thing.’

‘Tis,’ Kainan countered. ‘Ancient wisdom is eternal, and we all would be better if we took the time to understand our past to determine our future.’

Ki’Remi leaned against the bar, staring at the city, his thoughts shifting between past and present. ‘I retreated into science because it was predictable. Cold. Logical. After I lost my family after we escaped Earth, and the freakin’ Technocracy -’

He swallowed, the memories slicing through him like a blade through soft flesh. ‘It was the only thing that made sense. Science didn’t change, it didn’t betray, nor did it die.’

Kainan was silent for a beat.

‘But faith and the love of a woman,’ Ki’Remi murmured, his voice raw.

His gaze drifted back to where Issa stood, radiant in the glow of the terrace lights, her smile bright, her presence magnetic. ‘Tis something else altogether.’

He took a slow breath. ‘She -.’

His growl caught before he pushed forward. ‘She’s pure magic, and I’m so caught up in her sometimes I can’t breathe.’

Kainan studied him for a long moment, then grinned. ‘Well,fokkme. The outstanding Ki’Remi Sable found love among the immortals, no less.’

Ki’Remi shook his head, chuckling. ‘Took a miracle, for I was one disbelieving bastard, about her people, her world, her freaking demi-god status and power.’

Kainan clinked his glass against Ki’Remi’s. ‘She’s a damn fine woman if I might say so.’

They drank to that.

Then, Kainan’s gaze darkened, his tone shifting. ‘But tell me, do you think the gods are done with us? Or is this just the beginning?’

Ki’Remi’s smirk faded. ‘I don’t think we’ve seen the last of them. If I had to guess? They’re fighting between themselves, and the losers will search for refuge here. Like you said, they already walk among us, and more are coming.’

He swirled the amber liquid in his tumbler. ‘The issue is that they might bring their wars with them.’

Kainan exhaled through his nose, thoughtful. ‘So we have to to be vigilant.’

‘We require more than that,’ Ki’Remi murmured.

He rotated his gaze back toward Issa, her presence pulling him in like gravity. ‘We may need more than what MIST offers, which is purely investigatory. We require a black ops unit dedicated to supernatural incursions from unknown dimensions.

Kainan grunted, intrigued. ‘Sounds like a good idea.’

They tossed concepts back and forth, their strategic minds aligning, even as Ki’Remi’s eyes never strayed too far from the woman who’d turned his entire world upside down.

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