"You won't mess up," Elias said, his tone firm, though his own doubts churned beneath the surface. He placed a steady hand on Junjio's shoulder, feeling the boy's shaking through the worn fabric. "You're stronger than you know, kid. Your dad's waiting, and we're going to get him out."
The words were more than reassurance; they were a promise—a lifeline that Junjio could cling to. And for a moment, Elias saw a glimmer of hope return to the boy's eyes.
Still, Elias's own heart raced. The countdown pressed against his mind like a vice, each second another step closer to the impossible choice ahead. The faces of those left behind came unbidden—Kikaru's searing distrust, Faye's trembling fear, Tidwell's pained defiance, Paul's resigned uncertainty, Wes's unyielding challenge.
Their Ikona dimmed under the nets' relentless drain, but their expressions remained etched into his thoughts. I can't let them down, he thought, the weight of their trust a heavy tether he could never break.
