Zenith Online: Rebirth of the Strongest Player

Everyone turned toward Dahlia with a guilty expression, feeling responsible for her being stirred awake.

The poor woman needed all the rest she could muster. Yet, when they saw her gentle, loving smile… everyone's heart melted, and the guilt streamed out of them in a mellow torrent.

Bastion knelt by his grandmother's bedside, caressing her hand while looking into her eyes. She looked back at him for a moment, nothing but care and affection filling her eyes, and then her gaze lingered on Arthur, who waved nonstop like a broken doll stuck in one setting.

Seconds later, she looked at Kieran and Altair, two faces she didn't know, yet she could feel her grandson's bond with them, leading to her beckoning them with shaky hand gestures.

Kieran was the first to lean, and Dahlia cradled his face, giving him a good, long view.

"What might your name be? I can see that you mean well by my little Thomas and care for him deeply, even though there is immense hurt in your eyes."

Kieran covered Dahlia's hand, careful not to add any unnecessary pressure and control his strength. Then he answered:

"Kieran. And you're right. I do care for Thomas, and his heart bleeds for you, which means that I also care about you too, abuela."

Kieran wore a smile that none of the others in the room had ever seen before. It was kind, radiant, and warm and offered an indescribable sense of security. Perhaps something buried within the hurting young man rose to the surface in the presence of unconditional care.

"Sweet young man, you are. My Thomas is lucky to have met you, and the same with you. I remember when it was so hard to make him happy, and now he smiles without restraint. It's such a beautiful smile."

Kieran nodded, glancing in Bastion's direction, who, because of his grandmother's words, could not meet his gaze. He felt embarrassed, but more than that, he felt safe and hopeful, like maybe the situation could be salvaged.

His grandmother was, after all, talking more now than the past few days combined.

After Kieran, she gave Xane the same treatment, looking deep into his argent eyes like two limpid pools of liquid silver.

"Beautiful eyes that shine back on the world. You try to hide behind them, but there is compassion idling beneath the surface. Was that you who spoke earlier?"

Everyone felt some surprise, not knowing that Dahlia had been awake, though that wasn't entirely true. She was lucid and could perceive hints of her surroundings but wasn't completely awake. She knew two of the voices within the room, and Kieran's answer had told her it wasn't him that urged Bastion to seek help.

Altair nodded stiffly.

"It was."

"You spoke from the depth of your heart. I could hear the pain radiating in each of your words, young man. A pain of loss that you wish you could keep your friends from. What is your name?"

"Xane."

Dahlia lowered her hands and grabbed Kieran and Altair's hands, squeezing them, but with her condition, it wasn't much of a squeeze at all.

"Keep on protecting, my little Thomas. He worries about me, and I worry about him, but I do not wish to be a burden that limits his future."

Kieran and Altair shared a look, then shook their heads in unison, with the former taking the reins on the conversation and stopping Bastion from suddenly blurting things out.

"A kind soul like yours is no burden at all. We were just telling our stubborn Thomas that he could come to us for anything. We're going to give you the best care we can afford."

Dahlia's lip curled in a tender, poignant smile that tugged at everyone's heartstrings in the room. Her eyelids drooped and fluttered, tiredness washing over her effete, elderly body.

"So kind. I am the happiest for my little Thomas… that I've ever been."

A few tense seconds later, Dahlia fell back asleep, her breathing even and steady but incredibly light and frail. Her hands had also slipped from grasping Kieran and Altair, but they each guided them back onto the bed to avoid injury.

Bastion lifted his gaze from Dahlia to his two friends and smiled with emotional tears in his eyes.

"She likes you two. Arthur is the only other person she regarded in that way."

Kieran smiled and patted his back.

"The feeling is mutual. I'm sure I speak for Altair when I say she is a pleasant soul, and we like her."

Everyone continued conversing for some time until Kieran looked skyward, staring at the ceiling as if he wanted to penetrate it with his eyes. Up above, a muted commotion was catching the gazes of many passersby on the thoroughfare below.

On the roof of the medical facility was a sleek, futuristic air caravan used for medevac situations. Its high-powered engine whined instead of roared, and its auxiliary rotors spun slower as it lowered itself on the roof.

"It seems our ride is here."

Of course, no one in the room was equipped to prep a patient to be moved. That… was handled by Lillian, who descended in an elevator.

Her eyes shone with sympathy, care, and compassion while regarding Dahlia.

"She's so sweet. Thomas, you poor thing. Let's see if we can get her health up to par."

Before leaving the room, however, Kieran pulled Lillian to the side and whispered some of his concerns to her without directly mentioning the medical records he had sent him. That was a concern, but the nature of this favor was even more pressing because it could end up as a flaw that would be targeted.

Kieran needed to know how trustworthy the people she called in a favor to were and if or how he would need to prepare himself. Having their situation known by others wasn't ideal, but their options were limited — dire situations call for drastic measures.

Lillian didn't seem too sure about the integrity of the people behind the Private Sector favor she called in, but she also reminded Kieran that they wouldn't be in their current location for much longer. Once the headquarters were fit to move it, everyone was to migrate there.

That wasn't to say there wouldn't be any bumps in the road ahead, but Kieran acquiesced, agreeing with Lillian's perspective.

After preparing Dahlia for transport, Bastion and Lillian escorted her into the elevator. In contrast, Kieran and the others took the steps. It was a silent ascent up the flights of steps where Kieran thought about how the world would change in the future.

It could go in several directions, all of which deviated from how it was now. Kieran could foresee a tremendous shift in how the world operated, with Inhumans at the center of conflict, at the helm of resolution, and as the catalyst of change.

For some reason, Kieran felt dark times were ahead.

'I wonder… who will hold the power by the end of it?'

He pushed that thought to the back of his mind, helping everyone board the air caravan. The inside was spacious, even when accounting for the stolen hospital bed, which someone would likely have to pay for — Bastion, of course.

Then, Kieran closed his eyes and relaxed as the air caravan cruised through the sky. The ride was smoother than anyone would have thought, almost as if the air transit vehicle was coasting along a buttery trail in the air.

'One problem at a time. We'll definitely get it all situated, though. Somehow…'

Their team's crisis had been addressed… yet it had not been averted. The more troublesome matter of resolving the crisis remained.