The sound of hoverbike engines and shouting merchants blurred behind Zemo Roka as he sprinted through the dusty, sunlit streets of Zone 7. His dreads bounced with each stride, sweat clinging to his brows beneath his cracked tech-goggles. Every instinct screamed for him to slow down—but fear wouldn't let him.
He had to tell them. Had to explain what he saw. That thing—that demon—had snatched Kayen like he was nothing more than paper in the wind.
He reached Kayen's gate and banged on it frantically.
Nia opened it, squinting. "Zemo? What the hell—?"
"Elvira! Nia! Leila!" Zemo panted. "It took him! A demon—a real one—it took Kayen!"
"What?" Elvira called from the house. She appeared at the doorway, arms crossed. "Zemo, are you drunk?"
"I'm serious!" Zemo shouted. "Big! Wings like black blades—claws—it flew off with him!"
Nia frowned. "So now he's caught up in gang wars with monsters?"
"No—! Look, I saw it! It wasn't human!"EElvira shook her head. "Zemo, you hang out in junkyards and play with scrapbots. You sure you didn't imagine things?"
"Why would I imagine my best friend getting snatched?!" he snapped. "I know what I saw!"
Leila peeked from behind the door, eyes wide. "You mean like...a real demon? Like in those banned books?"
Zemo looked at her, desperate. "Yes. Exactly like that."
A tense silence followed—broken only by the hum of a passing skytram. Behind them, the front door creaked open.Their mother had returned.
Wanjiru Telani, still dressed in her clinic coat, stood frozen on the threshold. Her eyes flicked from Zemo's trembling form to her daughters' skeptical faces.
"Elvira. Nia," she said quietly. "Give us a moment."
"But Mom—"
"Now."
The girls reluctantly retreated into the house. Wanjiru stepped closer to Zemo. Her face was calm, but her voice carried a tremor.
"You said... a demon took my son?"
Zemo nodded. "I tried to stop it. I couldn't."
She closed her eyes. And for a long moment, she said nothing.
Then—"You should leave. I'll handle this."
Zemo hesitated. "You believe me?"
She didn't answer. Just turned away, her fingers trembling as they brushed a family photo by the door.
Rain pounded the streets of Nairobi Prime. A younger Wanjiru, smiling and pregnant, walked hand-in-hand with her husband, Jabari Telani. Laughter rose above the noise of the city.
"Let's stop for mandazi," she giggled. "Leila's kicking again."
"Or maybe she just wants real food," Jabari teased.
Then came the roar of wind.
The sky split open.
A demon—charred, skeletal, winged in smoke and shadow—ripped through the clouds, chased by radiant Skyborn agents. One misstep, and it plummeted toward the street.
Straight toward them.
Jabari pushed Wanjiru to the ground.
"No!" she screamed.
He stood between the creature and his wife.
The Skyborn struck—but too late. In the chaos, Jabari was caught in a blast of dark flame.
He never got back up.
Wanjiru opened her eyes, the memory fading like fog in sunlight. Her hands tightened around the photo. "So it's happening again…"
Selasi adjusted her gloves and slid a slender blade into its holster. Her armor shimmered faintly—sleek and ceremonial, yet engineered for battle. The faint hum of Skyborn tech pulsed beneath the plating.
The window to her hotel room was open, letting in the chill evening breeze. On her desk, a black envelope lay open, Kayen's photo inside, clipped beside a crude satellite image of a winged figure snatching a boy into the sky.
She didn't need to guess.
"This must be him," she muttered.
A knock at the window.
She turned. A hooded figure crouched outside—a Skyborn agent. He handed her a data chip without a word. She plugged it into her scanner."Kayen Telani," the agent said. "18. No aura signature until 48 hours ago. Demon-class energy flare detected. High chance he's the vessel."
Selasi's eyes narrowed. "Where was he last seen?"
"Near the outskirts of Zone 7. We've locked the area."
She nodded. "I'll track him myself."
The agent vanished. Selasi opened her flight pack and snapped on her energy detector—the Skyscour. Numbers blinked rapidly, signals warping the screen.
Found it.
She stepped onto the ledge. Her wings unfurled—six-paneled, feathered in glowing spectral white—and with a blast of light, she shot into the clouds.