The silence was loud.
Amanda stared at the spot where the ancient cosmic warlord had been just seconds ago—erased like chalk under rain.
There were no screams. No epic explosion. No final threats.
Just… gone.
She blinked. Then again.
Still gone.
Betty's voice finally broke through the heavy quiet.
"Did… he just punch that thing… out of existence?"
Amanda nodded, still speechless. Her heartbeat was a confused, stuttering mess. This wasn't just some school crush. This wasn't Dave, the chill guy with perfect hair and a no-nonsense attitude toward group projects. This was…
A monster? A god?
Something far beyond human.
They stood on the command deck of the Celestial Arc, not moving. The stars shimmered outside the viewing dome like silent witnesses. Adele floated nearby, her expression unreadable—but her eyes never left Dave, who leaned casually against the command rail, arms crossed like he'd just finished washing his hands.
"So…" Dave said, stretching. "What's for lunch?"
Amanda's mouth opened. No words came.
"You just obliterated a planetary-level god-being and you're talking about food?" Betty gasped.
"I was hungry before he showed up," Dave said with a grin. "He interrupted my snack time. Rude."
Adele exhaled sharply, but Amanda couldn't tell if it was a laugh or a sigh. Zei and Zyra were still frozen on the far side of the deck, whispering like kids who'd just watched a horror movie and weren't sure if it was over.
Amanda swallowed.
"You… what are you?"
Dave glanced at her, his blue-gold eyes glowing faintly.
"Still me," he said simply. "Just with a bit of cosmic polish."
⸻
Later, after the crew dispersed, Amanda and Betty sat in one of the smaller observation domes near the side of the ship. The stars stretched around them like a great ocean, endless and bright.
Amanda hugged her knees to her chest.
"Everything's fake," she muttered. "School, homework, college plans… All fake."
"Amanda—" Betty began gently.
"No. We were worried about grades. Meanwhile, Dave was out here punching gods in the face like it's his gym routine!"
Betty leaned back, her expression softer. But something flickered in her eyes—something she hadn't told Amanda.
Amanda noticed.
"What is it?"
Betty hesitated.
Then spoke slowly.
"When he transformed… I felt something inside me. Like… like I'd seen that light before. A long time ago."
Amanda frowned. "You mean—like déjà vu?"
"No," Betty whispered. "Like memory. Like… something woke up in me."
Amanda's heart pounded again. Not fear this time—just… confusion.
"Me too," she admitted quietly. "I—I had a dream the night before we came aboard. I thought it was nonsense. A woman… tall, with glowing hair. She called me her daughter."
They looked at each other.
A quiet understanding passed between them.
"Who are we?" Amanda asked.
"I don't know," Betty replied. "But I don't think we're normal."
Just then, Adele entered the room. As usual, she moved silently, like her feet barely touched the floor. She didn't speak right away, just studied the two girls with an expression Amanda couldn't read.
"You're both remembering," Adele finally said.
"Remembering what?" Betty asked.
"What you were before Earth."
⸻
They followed her down a narrow corridor lit by faint blue lights, until they reached a chamber Amanda hadn't seen before.
Inside was a floating sphere of crystal. It pulsed slowly, like it had a heartbeat. Carved into the walls were ancient symbols neither girl could understand, but they felt drawn to them.
"This is one of the memory chambers," Adele said. "It's blocked to most minds. But yours are… special."
"What are we?" Amanda whispered again.
Adele turned. Her eyes were gentle, but powerful.
"You're Nephirs. Guardians. Chosen by gods long before you were ever born. You were placed on Earth for protection. Hidden. Buried in mortal shells."
"Chosen by who?" Betty asked, voice trembling.
"By your true mothers," Adele said. "And by the will of the Nephir order. You were meant to awaken when the universe needed you again."
Amanda's knees gave out slightly, and she sat down on the cold floor.
"This is insane."
"It is," Adele said softly. "But it's also truth."
"Why now?" Betty asked. "Why did everything break open… today?"
Adele's gaze drifted toward the ceiling, toward the stars.
"Because Dave broke the seal."
"What seal?"
"The one that kept the balance. The one your mothers swore would stay shut until the time came."
A heavy pause.
"And now," Adele said, "time is moving again. Whether we're ready or not."
⸻
Back in their room, Amanda and Betty lay in silence for a long while. Amanda stared at the pendant around her neck—she'd never noticed it glow before. Now, it pulsed gently every time she thought of Dave, or that woman from her dream.
Betty finally spoke.
"You think he knows?"
"Dave?"
"Yeah. You think he knows who we really are?"
Amanda turned her head.
"I think he knows a lot more than we do. But I also think…" she hesitated, "he's scared too. He just hides it better."
"You think he's scared?"
Amanda smiled faintly.
"He acts like he's got everything under control. But that smile of his? Sometimes it looks like armor."
⸻
The next morning, Dave knocked on their door.
"Suit up," he said, smirking. "We're heading toward Elarion soon. Thought you might want to see a glimpse of it before we arrive."
Amanda raised an eyebrow.
"Elarion? You mean the Elarion?"
"Yup. The not-so-mythical home of gods and monsters. Bring snacks."
Betty blinked.
"Are you seriously this casual all the time?"
"Pretty much," Dave said with a grin. "Keeps the crew from panicking. Also keeps Adele from giving me long lectures about cosmic balance. Seriously, she's worse than a math teacher."
Amanda bit her lip to stop from laughing.
"And what about us?" she asked. "Now that we know we're… not just ordinary girls?"
Dave tilted his head.
"You're still Amanda and Betty to me. Doesn't matter where you came from. What matters is who you choose to be now."
He turned and walked off toward the ship bridge.
Betty smiled.
"Okay. He's cool."
Amanda nodded.
"Yeah. But I still don't trust that 'bring snacks' line."
They laughed—and somewhere, beyond the stars, a forgotten world stirred as its name was whispered by fate once again:
Elarion.