As casual as that sounded, Tatehan realized it shattered Lyra's hope of hearing something good. Maybe she was expecting that he said that Kael handed it over to him before he died. But that didn't seem to be the case.

Tatehan had instead replied that he picked it on the floor when the man died.

"Oh," Lyra said, her hands clenched into fists on the table.

And then, without warning, tears began to slide down her cheeks.

Her act of crying was silent.

Tatehan felt guilty seeing her weep, perhaps he shouldn't have brought the matter up in the first place.

He stood quickly, moving around the table to sit beside her. He hesitated for a moment, unsure if she'd want him close, but then she leaned into him, resting her head against his chest.

Tatehan wrapped his arms around her, holding her gently as she cried.

He didn't say anything. There was nothing to say.

Kael was gone. And no amount of feeling guilty could bring him back.

So Tatehan just held her, letting her grieve.

And as he did, he couldn't help but notice (really notice) how beautiful she was.

Even now, with tears streaming down her face, her cybernetic enhancements glinting faintly in the morning light, she was stunning.

It wasn't just her looks.

It was instead her…her

Looks!

She was... remarkable.

Lyra pulled back slightly, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Sorry," she muttered.

"It's alright," Tatehan said. "I shouldn't… I shouldn't have brought it up."

She looked up at him, her eyes red.

"No.., maybe… maybe I overreacted," she said quietly.

Tatehan nodded in the negative.

"No, you didn't. You crying is valid."

He knew how it felt to lose something so dare to you. He had lost his soon to be wife and a dog that felt more like a daughter than some pet to the space dragon wars that had ravaged Earth and killed almost everyone.

When he first came to this planet, back at the spaceship in the wastelands, he had wanted to cry so badly, grieve the deaths of his… the people he lost, but nothing came.

Being unable to comprehend what was happening: how he had survived his death, or rather had succumbed to it but was given another chance at living was far too much for his mind to grieve.

And back then, with a new body, all the memories of former life felt so distant, the death of his girlfriend and dog feeling like it happened eons ago when to him, it happened seconds ago.

He was trying to save them, then suddenly a building collapsed on him, ending his life. A second later:

"Arghhhhhh!"

Still shouting from the memory of the pain, he finds himself in the spaceship, on Mars, with a radio screaming information that sounded gibberish to his brain.

Then the body enhancements which had made him completely unable to even muster a morsel of tears to come.

All this was the reason he wasn't able to cry back then for the lost lives of his girlfriend and his dog. And even now, sitting behind Lyra, giving her comfort because she lost her father to him, the lives of the people he lost back on Earth felt distant.

He couldn't even wonder how Lyra would feel if she learnt that he was the one that killed her father. This was the reason he didn't want to get too attached…

They sat there for a moment longer, neither of them speaking.

Then Lyra stood, taking a deep breath and composing herself.

"Come on," she said, her voice stronger now. "Let's go get you a new chakram."

———

The weapons room was massive.

Rows upon rows of racks lined the walls, each one filled with weapons of every type imaginable. Swords, axes, spears, rifles, pistols, energy blades, plasma cannons—if it could kill something, it was here.

Lyra led Tatehan to the back of the room, where a section was dedicated entirely to throwing weapons.

Chakrams hung on display hooks, organized by size, weight, and material. Some were simple steel discs with sharpened edges. Others were ornate, engraved with patterns and glowing faintly with embedded energy cores.

Tatehan walked along the racks slowly, examining each one.

His old chakrams, the ones Kael had given him, had been perfectly balanced. Light enough to throw with precision, heavy enough to cut through armor. And after using them for months, he'd upgraded them with cores, enhancing their durability and sharpness.

Now, starting over with a new set, he'd lose all that progress.

Unless...

Tatehan glanced down at his inventory interface, summoning the remains of his old chakram,.the one that hadn't been destroyed. It materialized in his hand, still intact and still sharp.

He could keep using this one. And pair it with something new.

He turned his attention back to the racks, scanning for something different. Something that would complement the old blade rather than replace it.

And then he saw it.

A chakram near the end of the row, larger than the others. Its edge was serrated, designed for maximum damage on impact.

He stared at it for quite some time, examining its features and contemplating if it was the right one.

Tatehan reached out and took it off the rack.

It was heavier than his old one. More aggressive. But it felt right.

He turned to Lyra, holding up both chakrams, the old and the new.

"I'll use both," he said.

Lyra raised an eyebrow.

"Dual-wielding?" she said. "That's... unconventional."

Tatehan grinned.

"I'm an unconventional guy."

Lyra smirked.

Tatehan tested the weight of the new chakram, spinning it experimentally in his hand. It moved smoothly, the balance different but manageable.

Yeah. This would work.

He stored both chakrams in his inventory and turned to Lyra.

"Thanks," he said.

Lyra nodded.

"Anytime."

As they left the weapons room, Tatehan couldn't help but feel a flicker of excitement as words appeared across his retina:

[New Chakram acquired]

New weapon. New possibilities.

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