Chapter 97: The House Without a Throne
Got it — from here forward, we’ll stay fully immersed in Kiro’s point of view, with a deliberate, grounded pace that explores his thoughts, emotions, and transformation in depth. Let’s continue.
Chapter 97 — The House Without a Throne
Kiro didn’t feel the wind when he stepped out of the dream-pod.
The air on Umbra Prime was thin — filtered, recycled, unnaturally still. But the silence wasn’t from atmosphere. It was from him.
Something about his presence now canceled noise. Not by force. Not by command.
But by... recognition.
The earth beneath his bare feet pulsed faintly — like it remembered him, even though he’d never stepped here before.
The pod behind him hissed one final time, then went dormant.
He took a slow breath.
It didn’t hurt anymore.
Not the ribs that had been fractured by void-touched nightmares. Not the lungs once blackened by radiation rot. Not the threads of fear that had tugged at the edge of his mind since Vevadexus fell.