Sandra's face was filled with shock and hostility. Her voice confirmed it."You... How dare you come here!"
Alex hadn't expected such intense hatred, but he had no luxury of backing down."There are things I need to tell you—please, just listen!"Even though he wasn't fully sure what he wanted to say, he pressed on."Kai isn't here to kill you. He doesn't want to hurt you!"
Sandra's expression hardened further. Her eyes held not only rage but a deep disappointment. The crimson mist around her thickened, forming a giant hand that lunged at Alex."You think I'll trust you?" she roared. "I did all of this so we could be happy again, and what did you do? You brought that girl to us! Tell me why—why?"
Alex didn't know what to say. He truly didn't know who Jessy was, but his instinct to protect her had taken over everything else. Just as he was lost in thought, the crimson hand gripped him and slammed him against the wall. The impact knocked the wind out of him, but Sandra's fury hadn't subsided.
"If I die today, I'm taking you with me!" she shouted. The red mist transformed into thousands of sharp swords, all aimed at Alex. Each blade glided through the air with deadly precision.
Alex reacted quickly, using his kinetic leap technique to evade the attack. He barely slipped through the gaps between the blades—but they weren't finished. The razor tips curved back toward him, relentless. He dove behind the moss-covered throne in the center of the room, but the swords tore through it like paper.
"Sandra, listen to me!" Alex cried out as he reemerged. The swords reverted to crimson mist, and Sandra hesitated briefly."I don't know why Jessy is a conduit or why Kai chose her. But I know one thing: Kai loves you. He always has! You have to believe him—because you still matter to him!"
Sandra repeated the word "Loves me...", then let out a bitter laugh."If he loved me, why did he hide the truth about Jessy being a conduit for all those years? Why did he lock her in the library and prepare her for the Day of Change? I didn't want to believe Neon, but he was right! Kai only postponed that day because he pitied me..."Her voice began to shake with rage. The crimson cloud fused with a phoenix teetering on the edge of death, gaining strength from its darkened feathers. The phoenix now glowed with the promise of a new battle.
Alex kept taking cover behind whatever obstacles he could find. But the crimson phoenix was relentless, destroying the room with every move in its pursuit of him.
When his eyes caught a jagged piece of the shattered throne, he saw a chance. He quickly infused it with kinetic energy and hurled it. The shard hit the phoenix's eye, and for a moment, Alex thought it was over. But though the creature staggered, it didn't stop. Crimson flames surged from its beak, circling around Alex like a trap.
He gasped for breath. The red mist rose from the phoenix's fallen body and reformed into a sword in Sandra's hand. He could hear his own heartbeat. The next moment, he felt the cold edge of the blade at his throat. Sandra's inhuman speed had brought her behind him before he even realized.
"You're not the Alex I knew. The old Alex wouldn't be defeated this easily," she whispered, her voice sharp as a blade."But it changes nothing."
Before Alex could reply, she raised the sword for a killing blow—but a voice from the shadows halted everything.
"Jessy is our daughter!"
The words echoed through the room, and time seemed to freeze. Sandra's sword hung mid-air. Her rage melted into stunned disbelief. Her eyes wandered toward the shadows, unable to process what she'd heard. She knew that voice.
"That's impossible... You told me our daughter was dead!"
From the darkness, a figure stepped forward. Kai landed gently, placing himself between Sandra and Alex. His eyes locked on Sandra, filled with profound regret.
"It was a lie to protect you," Kai said, struggling to steady his voice."I found out Jessy would be born when Alex came to me in the past."His words echoed in the room, shaking with emotion."That day, my world collapsed. I know you, Sandra. You would have wanted me to choose Jessy no matter what when the Day of Change came. Can you imagine how hard it was for me to live with that thought? The thought of losing you... it destroyed me."
Sandra's rage was slowly unraveling. Her eyes, once piercing, now swirled with inner turmoil. Tears traced her cheeks, only to vanish. Kai's words had pierced her heart like a blade. She had thought that by initiating the Change herself, Kai would choose her over Jessy. But she had never been the one meant to be chosen.
"Our daughter..." Sandra murmured."The woman I envied, the one I hated... she was our child. How could you do this?" Her voice cracked—not with anger, but heartbreak."She was our child. You knew she deserved to live more than I did. How could you choose me instead?" Her voice trembled as it rose. "What did you do to her, Kai?"
Kai took a deep breath and met her eyes."When I told Logan everything, he showed me the location of a special capsule. I placed her inside and put her into cryosleep," he said, guilt dripping from every word."According to the old Alex, Logan wanted to deal with our daughter in the future."
Sandra's face darkened with a conflicted expression—sorrow and anger battling for dominance.
"If Logan hadn't done that, and Alex hadn't brought Jessy back to the past, I would've never known!" Her voice rang out across the room. "What you did was madness, Kai. You say you loved me, but this isn't love!"
Kai's shoulders sagged, the weight of confession heavy on his face. He held her gaze, completely unguarded."You're right..." he whispered. "It was madness. I just couldn't bear to lose you."His voice carried a quiet surrender."Do whatever you want to me. I deserve it. Please, direct all your rage at me..."
Alex found himself thinking how much Kai resembled Connor. Like Connor, Kai's love for those dear to him was so deep, it could destroy everything. But what was the cost of that love? Neither man could decide if love was salvation or ruin. Maybe that night, when Alex had torn Connor apart, he hadn't pictured his enemy—but himself.
Sandra finally broke the silence, her voice cutting through the sound of the rain dripping through the broken roof.
"When was the last time we argued, Kai?" she asked with a faint smile, as if remembering a sweeter past."You don't have an answer, do you? Because we had a beautiful life. I never regretted loving you."
Each word lingered in the air like a suspended echo. Sandra slowly moved to the corner of the room, each step heavy with emotion. Even the space she left behind was meaningful.
"We still have a chance to make things right," she said softly."For the future of the planet, and for our daughter... The sacrifices we make will be worth it."
Then, her voice transformed into a melody. Sandra began to recite her poem:
"Don't grieve, Phoenix.Fly, fly high, as high as you can.Don't fall, for the ground won't catch you.Love, as much as you can. You will save the day, with those you love..."
The words echoed deeply in Kai's mind. He remembered how Sandra used to say that poem to the Phoenix before it faced death. But this moment, once peaceful, now trembled with dread.
Kai had already sensed what Sandra would do next. He acted fast. The sword in Sandra's hand morphed—shifting from a long blade into a deadly dagger. In a blink, too quick for even Kai to stop, she slit her wrist from end to end.
Alex stood frozen, as if watching in slow motion. The world descended into chaos. Rain dripped through the shattered ceiling, weeping over the scene like a mournful hymn.
Kai cradled Sandra's falling body, breath caught in his throat. She smiled weakly through her tears and met his gaze one last time.
"So her name is Jessy..." she whispered, her voice feather-light."I'm sorry, my love. I had to do this."
Kai's eyes churned like a dark storm—rage, heartbreak, and helplessness tangled within him. His voice was low and trembling."We could have died together, Sandra... Along with the rest of the world. Why did you do this?"This had always been Kai's preference—let the planet fall rather than choose between them.
Sandra summoned her final strength and touched Kai's cheek. Her fingers wiped away his tears one last time, her voice barely audible."So you wouldn't have to make that choice. I couldn't let you look at someone dying every day. I don't remember my past lives... but I know this struggle wasn't in vain."She breathed deeply."We were always afraid. Always selfish. But now... it's time to sacrifice."
Her words pierced Kai's soul like a knife. Sandra continued, gently:
"If I had lived, I would've only trapped you in guilt. But don't ever forget one thing..."Her eyes locked onto his one last time."I will love you forever... my life."
The final word escaped her lips like a breath. Her hand, too weak to hold on, fell into Kai's lap.
Kai looked down at Sandra's face. Still warm, still alive, as if time itself couldn't bear to touch that moment. He pressed a soft kiss to her lips. Silence swallowed the room, save for the rain's distant murmur.
Kai whispered into Sandra's ear, his voice shaking but firm."I will love you in all times..."
Alex wanted to leave him alone. This moment would change Kai forever. Now he understood why Kai lived in a dim boarding house in a poor district, why he became a different man after the war, why behind his unshakable mask, he was so broken...
Just as Alex reached the door, Kai's voice echoed behind him. The words floated through the air, reaching Alex like a distant song—melancholy and full of hope.
"Don't grieve, Phoenix.Fly, fly high, as high as you can.Don't fall, for the ground won't catch you.Love, as much as you can. You will save the day, with those you love..."