The woods felt alive with nighttime murmurs—wind in the leaves, insects humming, the occasional distant crack of a branch. Around the campfire, the group huddled close, wrapped in cloaks and silence.
The fire finally caught after Bakari's fifth try—his third nearly turned into a wildfire. The flames now danced steadily, casting flickering shadows across tense, uncertain faces.
Bakari sat a bit apart, elbows on knees, brooding in the firelight. He hadn't spoken since the vote.
Jason broke the silence, his voice cutting through the crackle of burning wood.
"So… what are we, exactly? I mean—besides fugitives with attitude problems."
Bakari glanced at Yuri. No words, just a silent nod—You take it.
Yuri sighed and rubbed his jaw. "Well… you've noticed we're not exactly normal-sized."
"Speak for yourself," Chloe muttered, hugging her knees. "I'm delightful-sized."
Yuri smirked faintly. "Point is—we're not fully human."
Bakari finally spoke, voice low. "We're Celestials. Or… half-Celestials. Born from both worlds."
Chloe blinked. "Like, actual Celestials? The wings-and-holy-judgment kind?"
Bakari let out a dry laugh. "That's the pure-blooded kind. We're the messy in-between."
Jake squinted at him. "Okay, but you two are throwing fire and cutting through walls. What about us? We just bleed and panic."
Frick nodded solemnly. "Bleed a lot, actually."
Yuri chuckled under his breath. "You haven't awakened your Authority yet."
"Authority?" Jason repeated, skeptical.
Yuri held up his hand, turning it to show the faint, skeletal mark glowing along his knuckles.
"It's a seal. When it appears, it means you've tapped into your power. Each one's different."
Jake pointed to the glowing sun emblem on Bakari's chest. "So that—what, solar god powers?"
Bakari grinned. "Something like that."
Jason scoffed. "That's gotta be broken."
Bakari raised an eyebrow. "Broken?"
Chloe smirked. "He means it's unfairly awesome."
Jake leaned in, eyes wide. "So how do we get ours?"
Bakari leaned back, watching the fire. "You'll know when it happens. For me, it came with a lot of heat and an almost-death experience."
Yuri nodded. "It's different for everyone. Fear, anger, grief… sometimes something beautiful. It just clicks. You'll feel it when it's time."
Jake groaned. "So we're basically ticking time bombs."
Frick looked around. "Y'all gonna explode or glow up. Either way, I want front-row seats."
Bakari chuckled, for the first time since the facility. "Don't worry. I nearly burned a crater into a hallway this morning. You'll catch up."
The fire popped loudly, sparks rising into the dark, star-scattered sky. And for a moment, the tension eased—uncertainty still hung in the air, but now it had a name. And maybe, just maybe, that made it bearable.
Absolutely — here's your scene tightened up and written clearly, keeping the tone and flow consistent with what came before:
Yuri stretched, cracking his neck, then pushed himself up from the log. "We should all get some sleep. We've got a lot to handle in the morning."
But Jake shook his head, frowning into the firelight. "Not just yet." He looked at Bakari and Yuri, voice careful but edged with frustration. "Look… we didn't exactly agree to run off with you guys.
We appreciate you busting us out—seriously—but we don't know you. And how did you even know about us in the first place?"
Bakari's eyes flicked up, tired but honest. "A Celestial told us. He said he failed you, and sent us to rescue you all ."
Jason threw up his hands. "How exactly did he 'fail us'? We were born in that facility. No one was supposed to know we even existed—except the people who locked us up."
Chloe cut in, glaring at Bakari. "So is he part of it, then? This Celestial?"
Bakari sat up straighter, voice sharp. "Kang's a good man. He wouldn't do something like that. He's not one of them."
Yuri crossed his arms, tense. "How can you be so sure? He's been using us like pawns—never told us anything, now he disappeared for no message, no sign. He left us here."
The camp fell quiet. Only the crackle of burning wood and the restless night answered.
Bakari looked away, staring into the fire's glow, voice dropping to a weary murmur. "I don't know. But right now… we need rest. All of us. Questions in the morning."
No one argued this time. One by one, they settled closer to the warmth—uncertainty still tangled in the air, but sleep pulling them down all the same.