The silence after the blast was heavier than the explosion itself. Dust floated in the air like gray snow, choking the light and making every breath feel like fire. Lena pressed her hand against the wall, her ears ringing from the shockwave. Somewhere behind her, the ceiling had collapsed, sealing the passage they had just escaped through. If they had been a few seconds slower, they would have been buried alive.Her chest rose and fell quickly, but she forced herself to stand straight. She couldn’t afford weakness now. Not when so many eyes were on her—Kai’s, the child’s, and the soldiers who had followed them through the chaos.Kai’s voice cut through the haze, rough and steady.“Keep moving. Don’t stop.”The soldiers obeyed, pushing forward through the debris. Their boots crunched against broken stone, and the air smelled of smoke, blood, and burning metal. Lena walked beside Kai, her fingers brushing against his as if drawing strength from even the smallest contact. She knew he was

The air inside the chamber was heavy, almost suffocating, as if the walls themselves were holding their breath. Shadows crawled along the stone floor, flickering in rhythm with the dying torches mounted on the walls. Lena stood at the center, her fists clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Every part of her body screamed to move, to run, to fight—but something inside her kept her rooted in place.Kai stood a few steps behind her. His eyes never left her back. He could sense the storm raging inside her, the fear, the doubt, and the raw strength waiting to burst free. He wanted to reach out, to steady her, but he also knew this moment wasn’t his to take. It belonged to her.The Zero Child stood across from them, still and watchful, his strange eyes glowing faintly as if they held the last fragments of dying stars. There was no malice in his expression, but there was something unsettling—a calmness that did not belong to someone so young, a stillness that hinted at power be

The night was heavy with silence, but it was not the kind of peace anyone could trust. Lena stood in the heart of the ruined chamber, her hand still pressed against the cold stone wall that bore the faint scorch marks from the last blast. The chamber smelled of ash, dust, and faint blood—memories of battles that refused to fade.Kai was close by, his back straight, his sharp eyes moving from one shadow to the next. His body was tense, his stance protective, and every breath he took sounded like it carried the weight of a hundred battles. He wasn’t only scanning the place for danger; he was watching her too, as if afraid she might shatter under the silence.The Zero Child sat cross-legged on the floor. His small hands rested in his lap, and his silver eyes glowed faintly, almost like moons caught in a pool of darkness. He was too calm for his age, too aware for someone so young. Lena’s heart ached every time she looked at him, but she also felt a strange pull—like his presence was both

The silence inside the chamber felt like a heavy weight pressing down on Lena’s chest. After everything they had gone through, after all the pain, loss, and struggle, she thought the worst was behind them. But as the energy in the chamber shifted, she knew something bigger was coming.The walls pulsed faintly with light, like the chamber itself was breathing. The air hummed with low vibrations, and every second that passed seemed to thicken with unseen tension.Kai stood beside her, his hand hovering close but not quite touching her arm. His eyes burned with determination, but Lena could see the exhaustion behind them. His body was battered, his spirit stretched thin, and yet he stood tall, like he would rather break than bend.The Zero Child floated a few feet away, his small frame surrounded by strange flickers of light. He didn’t look scared—just distant, like he was caught between worlds. His dark eyes shifted slowly from Lena to Kai, then to the chamber walls as if he understood

The night outside was restless, as if the world itself knew that something big was about to happen. The wind howled through the broken windows of the fortress, carrying dust and whispers that made the shadows dance across the stone walls. Lena sat on the cold floor, her back pressed against the wall. Her body was tired, but her mind refused to rest. Every beat of her heart echoed too loudly in her ears, reminding her that time was running out.Kai paced in front of her, his jaw tight, his hands clenched. His golden eyes flickered with a light that was both fierce and troubled. The weight of leadership sat heavy on his shoulders, and though he had carried it for so long, tonight it seemed sharper, heavier, like a blade pressing against his chest.The Zero Child stood near the doorway, silent as always, staring out into the distance. There was something unnerving about his calm. He looked no older than ten, but the way he stood—straight, patient, unblinking—made him seem far older, as i