David dreamed of fire again.
Not the wild uncontrolled fire from his training, not the careful shaped flames Becca had taught him to command. This was different. This was the fire from his childhood dreams, the fire with wings, the fire that roared and screamed and consumed everything in its path.
His parents stood in the middle of it, their faces peaceful, their hands reaching for him. Behind them shadows moved, figures with knives and cruel smiles, and David tried to run to them but his legs wouldn't move, tried to scream but his voice wouldn't work, tried to do anything at all but the fire just kept coming and coming and—
He woke gasping, his sheets soaked with sweat, the necklace burning against his chest.
The clock read 4:47 AM.
David lay there breathing hard, staring at the ceiling, waiting for his heart to stop trying to escape his ribs. The dream was already fading, details slipping away like water through fingers, but the feeling remained. The helplessness. The rage. The grief.
He swung his legs out of bed and walked to the window. The city was quiet at this hour, just a few hover-vehicles moving through the pre-dawn dark, their lights reflecting off buildings still sleeping. Somewhere out there the people who'd killed his parents were sleeping peacefully in their beds, unaware that he existed, unaware that the son of the people they'd murdered was growing stronger every day.
That would change eventually.
David touched the necklace, felt its warmth, and made himself a promise.
He'd make them know. He'd make them remember. He'd make them pay.
But first he needed coffee.
---
Lucas showed up at eight with food and questions and the kind of energy that made David tired just watching him.
"Okay so I've been thinking about the Vane thing all night, like literally all night, I barely slept, and I have theories." Lucas set containers on the table. "Theory one: they're recruiting broadly and we just happened to get offers. Theory two: they specifically want you and I'm the bait. Theory three: they know something about your past and they're testing the waters. Theory four: all of the above."
David grabbed a container and started eating. "You've been busy."
"My brain never stops, it's a gift and a curse." Lucas sat across from him. "Seriously though, what do you think? You're the one with the secret list and the murdered parents and the whole tragic backstory."
David chewed slowly, thinking. "I think they want something. I don't know what yet but they want it bad enough to approach both of us separately. That's not random."
"So we're agreed, this is suspicious and we should be careful?"
"We're agreed."
Lucas nodded satisfied. "Good. Now eat faster because we've got training and I want to show you something I figured out with my Titan thing."
David raised an eyebrow. "You figured something out?"
"Rude. I figure things out all the time. I'm very figure-out-y." Lucas grinned. "But yeah, I've been practicing and I think I can do more than just get big and strong. There's like a... I don't know how to explain it. A density thing. Like I can make myself heavier without changing size."
David was genuinely interested now. "Show me."
"After breakfast. Priorities, man."
They ate and talked and for a little while it felt almost normal, like the old days before awakenings and clans and lists of murderers. Lucas made him laugh, made him forget, made him feel like maybe things could be okay.
Then his phone buzzed and Becca's name appeared and the normal feeling slipped away.
*Training at noon. Something came up this morning.*
David typed back: *Everything okay?*
The response took a minute.
*Fine. Family stuff. See you at noon.*
He showed Lucas the messages. "Family stuff. Probably means grandmother stuff."
Lucas nodded. "Yeah Becca's whole life is family stuff. Sucks to be her sometimes." He stood and stretched. "Come on, let's go to that park near my place. I'll show you the density thing and you can practice your fire without burning anything important."
David grabbed his jacket and followed.
---
The park was mostly empty this early, just a few people walking dogs and one old man doing tai chi near the pond. Lucas found a secluded spot behind some trees and spent the next hour demonstrating what he'd figured out.
It was impressive, David had to admit. Lucas could make himself heavier without changing size, could anchor himself to the ground so firmly that David couldn't move him even with all his strength. He could also make his hits land harder, the same mass concentrated into smaller impacts.
"That's going to be terrifying in a fight," David said.
"That's the plan." Lucas grinned. "Imagine me doing this with my full giant form. I'll be like a mountain that punches."
David laughed and it felt good. "You're already a mountain that talks too much."
"Rude again. I'm sensing a pattern."
They trained together for a while, David practicing control exercises while Lucas worked on his density shifts. It was different from training with Becca, less intense, more fun. Lucas made jokes even when he was struggling, celebrated small victories like they were major achievements, and somehow made the whole thing feel less like preparing for war and more like hanging out.
Around eleven-thirty David's phone buzzed again.
*Come to the estate early if you can. Something happened.*
Becca's message was short, no explanation, no emojis, just words that made David's stomach clench.
*On my way,* he typed back.
Lucas noticed his expression. "What?"
"Becca. Something happened. I gotta go."
Lucas nodded, serious now. "You want me to come?"
"No. Stay here, keep training. I'll let you know."
David ran for the transit station, his mind racing with possibilities. Something happened could mean anything from a minor family disagreement to a full scale crisis. With the Moon Clan it was hard to tell.
The hover-car arrived twenty minutes later, sent by Becca apparently, and David climbed in without questions. The drive to the estate felt longer than usual, every minute stretching, his imagination filling in worst case scenarios.
When he finally arrived Becca was waiting at the entrance, her expression carefully blank in a way that told David everything he needed to know.
"What happened?" he asked.
She didn't answer right away, just turned and started walking toward the main house. David followed, his heart pounding.
They walked through corridors he was starting to recognize, past rooms he'd never entered, until they reached a part of the estate he'd never seen before. A medical wing, he realized as they passed through the doors. Small but well equipped, with monitors and beds and the soft hum of life support systems.
In one of the beds, Kaito lay with his eyes closed, bandages wrapped around his chest, his easy smile completely absent.
David stopped breathing for a second.
"What happened?" he asked again, his voice rough.
Becca stood at the foot of the bed, her hands clasped in front of her, her face so controlled it hurt to look at.
"Someone tried to kill him last night."