The morning air was cool against the windows, and soft echoes of wind brushed the warehouse walls. It was early—too early for most—but Sona was already awake, sitting cross-legged at the breakfast table, her fingers fidgeting with the clasp of her locket. Inside, the old photo of Miura shimmered faintly in the light.

She glanced up as the others slowly filtered in. Arven, Louis, and Isa shuffled in one by one, yawning, stretching, pulling on jackets. No one expected a serious conversation this early in the day—but Sona knew she had to bring it up now, before nerves made her second-guess everything.

Once everyone was seated, she stood, clearing her throat.

“I need to talk to you guys,” she began. “Something important.”

Louis leaned in a bit, concerned. Isa didn’t meet her eyes.

Sona continued. “Tuck visited me last night. He’s back. He said he’s been digging into a plan—one he’s been working on since the raid.”

That got Arven’s attention. “He came back? Damn, I didn’t even hear the door.”

“He’s been scouting,” Sona said, her voice steady. “He went to a place called Elgona.”

Louis tilted his head. “Elgona?”

Isa’s eyes finally flicked toward her. “The Burning City,” she said quietly.

“Exactly,” Sona nodded. “Tuck thinks… we could actually pull it off. A full-scale tour. One final push. Elgona’s the last place left that still believes in rock.”

Arven exhaled with a slow smile. “That city’s legendary. Even the laws don’t touch it. If we go loud there… we won’t just be heard—we’ll be felt.”

Louis looked unsure. “You’re all talking like this place is sacred.”

“It kind of is,” Arven replied. “A sanctuary for people like us.”

Sona nodded again. “If we’re going to make a real impact… it has to be there.”

There was a long pause. The mood in the room shifted, like everyone was beginning to understand just how big this was. Then Sona’s gaze lowered for a moment, and her tone softened.

“There’s one more thing.”

She looked up at them again.

“I saw Omega.”

The silence was immediate and sharp.

“It found me,” she added quickly. “But it didn’t attack. Didn’t even report me. It had… questions. Real ones. It wanted to understand why we do what we do.”

Isa’s jaw clenched.

“I talked to it. Really talked,” Sona went on. “And I asked it to join us—not as an enemy, but as someone trying to figure out what it means to feel. I told it it could record us, broadcast what we’re doing. Let the world see we’re still alive.”

“You what?” Isa snapped. Her voice cracked halfway through the word.

“I didn’t bring it here,” Sona said. “I’m just telling you because I think… this could be something. It’s trying to change.”

“Machines don’t change,” Isa bit back. “They’re programmed. That thing got our friends locked up. And now you’re asking us to trust it?”

“I’m asking you to try.”

Isa stood abruptly, shaking her head. “You always act like you know what’s best for the rest of us. Like you're the one carrying the torch.”

“I’m not trying to lead—”

“Yeah? Could’ve fooled me.”

Arven stood slowly. “Isa—”

“No. I’m not doing this right now,” Isa muttered. “You want to go to Elgona? Fine. I’ll go.”

She turned, brushing past Louis, and as she walked out, she muttered, “I’m going to pack.”

The sound of her door closing echoed through the warehouse.

No one moved. Not for a long while.

Then Louis quietly asked, “You think this’ll work?”

Sona looked toward the window, where light poured through dust dancing in the air. “I don’t know. But if it does… maybe we’ll finally be remembered.”