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As Rex, Leon, and Nicholas stepped through the portal, they found themselves at Nicholas’s house. It was an imposing structure, grand and imposing, with an aura of luxury that made Rex take pause.

“Let’s get going, boys,” Nicholas said, leading them toward the entrance.

Rex and Leon followed, taking in the sheer size of the place. As they entered, Rex couldn’t help but be struck by the opulence. The house was extravagant, with high ceilings, intricate decor, and a sense of space that spoke of wealth.

“Nicholas, how do you pay for this house?” Rex asked, still taking in the grandeur.

Nicholas gave a half-smile, his tone casual. “Rex, I’m second rank in the special forces. Of course, I’m gonna get paid a lot of money.”

Just as Rex was about to respond, a voice came from the stairs. Amber appeared, descending gracefully. “Oh, Rex, you’re here. Seems like you look better. Let’s go on a walk, you and me, right now.”

Without waiting for a reply, she turned toward the backyard, and Rex followed. The backyard was vast, a spacious area with well-maintained paths that wound through meticulously landscaped grounds. As they walked, Rex couldn’t shake the feeling that Amber had something important to say.

“What do you want to talk about?” he finally asked, breaking the silence.

Amber looked at him, her eyes searching his. “What does your life mean to you?”

Rex was taken aback by the question. It was unexpected, and for a moment, he didn’t know how to respond. Finally, he said, “What does my life mean to me? It’s just that I’m just another cog in the wheel, rotating in a cycle of killing Yeagers and then dying. The process repeats itself.”

“Why do you think that?” Amber asked gently, her gaze never leaving his.

“Why? It’s because Luna has existed for 200 years. No one has ever come close to killing her, and we just lost two special rank members. They were nowhere near her strength,” Rex explained, his voice heavy with frustration.

Amber stopped walking and turned to face him fully. “But my life means to me that I have a purpose, Rex. I was given a name, Amber, and if you believe that your life has no meaning, you’ll get nowhere. You have to realize that I see your eyes all the time. You must have a reason to be alive, a meaning.”

Rex looked into her eyes, feeling a strange sense of clarity. “OK, I understand,” he said, a new resolve forming within him.

“Hey, you two idiots, come back! We’re about to have dinner,” Nicholas’s voice called out, breaking the moment.

Amber smiled at Rex. “Let’s get going.”

They both walked back to the house, where they found Daisy, Nicholas, and Leon already seated at the dining table. The smell of food filled the air, and the warmth of the room contrasted with the cold thoughts that had plagued Rex earlier. He took a seat beside Amber, feeling a sense of belonging that he hadn’t felt in a long time.

As they began to eat, Rex couldn’t help but feel that something had shifted within him, a small but significant change that Amber had sparked with her words.

He glanced at Nicholas, his expression serious. “Hey, Nicholas, you said you know stuff about the dark flame, so tell me.”

The room fell silent for a moment, the air thick with tension. Daisy, who had been quietly eating, suddenly coughed, choking a bit on her food. She quickly grabbed a napkin and wiped her face.

“Wait, so it’s awakened inside of you now?” she asked, her voice tinged with concern.

“Yeah, it did,” Rex confirmed, his gaze steady on Nicholas. “It happened when Adam died. The reason why you activated the dark flame was because you lost something meaningful to you. That’s how dark flame users gain their power,” Nicholas explained, his tone matter-of-fact.

Rex absorbed this information, nodding slowly. “Okay, I understand that. But you said you know how to use it,” he pressed further.

Nicholas leaned back in his chair, a small smile playing on his lips. “Oh yeah, I do. I have videos of Griffin using every different move. Here, I’ll transfer the data to you.”

Nicholas took out a small device, uploading the data directly to Rex. Within moments, Rex had access to all the videos, each one showcasing different techniques for mastering the dark flame.

“Thanks, but you could’ve just given it to me at the crash site where we found Barak’s body,” Rex said, slightly puzzled.

Nicholas chuckled, shaking his head. “No, I wanted to bring you here so you could eat dinner with us. You need a break sometimes from all that work.”

Daisy looked at Rex, her expression suddenly serious. “Rex, once you’re able to master the dark flame style, don’t become an asshole like Griffin,” she warned.

Rex raised an eyebrow, curious. “Oh yeah, I remember that video of you saying he’s a dumbass,” he said with a smirk.

Nicholas laughed, nodding. “She hates Griffin because he always pulled pranks on her back when we were younger.”

Amber, who had been listening quietly, finally spoke up. “What happened to Griffin?”

Nicholas’s smile faded slightly, replaced by a more somber expression. “He died—or at least, that’s what we believe happened. We learned that he was sick, with an incurable disease. Not even flux energy could save him.”

He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. “That’s why he decided to make you his heir to the dark flame, Rex.”

The room fell silent once more, the gravity of the situation settling over them. Rex looked down at his hands, the realization of the legacy he carried hitting him harder than ever before.

Leon suddenly tensed, his cybernetic enhancements buzzing with an incoming notification. His eyes flickered for a moment as he processed the data.

"The code was debugged," Leon announced, his voice cutting through the quiet dinner conversation.

Nicholas, Daisy, and Rex all turned to look at him, their expressions shifting from casual to alert.

“They’re going to attack LA,” Leon said, his tone grave.

“When?” Daisy asked, her voice steady but laced with urgency.

Leon looked up, his eyes hardening as the weight of the information settled in. “Tonight,” he replied.

The room fell into a tense silence, the gravity of the impending threat looming over them like a dark cloud. The casual atmosphere from moments ago was gone, replaced by the cold reality of the war they were fighting.