The chamber walls shook as if the world itself was splitting apart. Dust fell from the ceiling, drifting like smoke in the dim light of the crystals. Lena’s ears rang with the roar that had torn through the air moments before—a sound that didn’t belong to man or beast, but to something older, something born before time.The Zero Child was no longer silent. The child’s small frame glowed with light so bright it hurt Lena’s eyes. It wasn’t warm light, like fire. It was sharp, blinding, cutting through the dark like a blade. For so long, the child had been hidden, caged, and silent. Now it screamed, and the sound made the soldiers clutch their heads in pain.Kai moved before Lena could think. His body shielded hers, his arm tight around her waist. His eyes—always calm, always unshaken—were wild now, burning with fury and fear. “Stay behind me,” he ordered, his voice rough.Lena wanted to argue. She wanted to say she was done hiding, done being weak. But the power in the air was so heavy

The storm did not stop.Rain poured down as Lena, Kai, and the boy walked through the broken fields outside the ruined city. Every step sank into mud, every breath tasted of smoke drifting from behind them. The sky was gray and endless, as though the world itself was grieving.Lena’s boots were soaked through, her hair clinging to her face, but she kept walking. She knew if she stopped, if she allowed herself a moment to rest, the weight of everything would crush her. The city had fallen. The war had ended in fire and blood. Yet there was no sense of triumph in her heart, only exhaustion and the sharp ache of loss.Kai walked close beside her. His wounds were poorly bandaged, his clothes torn, but he moved with the same stubborn strength he always carried. His eyes scanned the horizon constantly, alert for danger even in the silence after battle. His presence steadied her. He was her anchor when everything else threatened to break apart.The Zero Child trailed between them, his small

The forest swallowed them whole.Branches whipped against Lena’s face as she ran, the boy’s small hand gripping hers tightly. Her chest burned, every breath sharp and ragged, but she forced herself forward. She couldn’t stop. Not while the sound of boots and shouting still echoed behind them.The survivors stumbled through the undergrowth, their shadows flickering between the trees. Some carried children on their backs, others dragged the wounded along, refusing to leave anyone behind. Every step was a battle.Kai was at the front, his body moving with deadly focus even though blood still streamed from his arm. He cleared the path, cutting away branches, leading them deeper into the woods. His eyes never stopped moving, scanning the darkness for danger.“Faster!” he hissed. “They’re close.”Lena risked a glance over her shoulder. Her heart clenched. Between the trees, dark shapes moved, their armor glinting faintly in the moonlight. Soldiers. Dozens of them, closing in like wolves.On

The forest was too quiet after the storm of violence. Smoke from burned trees drifted like black ghosts through the broken branches, and the air carried the heavy stink of blood and scorched earth.Lena pressed her back against a cracked boulder, her chest heaving, her ears still ringing from the boy’s unleashed power. It had been like standing inside the heart of a collapsing star. For a moment, she hadn’t been sure if any of them would survive it—not the soldiers, not Kai, not even the boy himself.The boy—no longer the quiet, fragile shadow that had followed them—knelt on the ground with his hands trembling, eyes wide and glassy. His small body looked drained, pale like candle wax left too close to the flame. He was breathing, but each breath rasped as if dragged from somewhere far away.Kai crouched beside him, his hand resting gently on the boy’s shoulder. “Stay with me,” he said firmly, though his voice carried a rough edge of worry he couldn’t hide. “You’re still here. Focus on

The ground trembled under their feet, faint at first, then growing into a steady, thudding pulse. Every instinct in Lena screamed that this was no ordinary enemy. Not hunters. Not soldiers. Something older, larger, and far deadlier was coming.Kai’s eyes narrowed. He tightened his grip on the boy, who was unconscious in his arms. “Stay close,” he ordered. His voice carried the weight of someone who knew the world could end in a heartbeat—and that it might start here.From the shadows, a shape began to move. It was huge, taller than the trees in some spots, with limbs that bent in ways that shouldn’t be possible. Its skin shimmered faintly, as if wet, and covered in dark scales that reflected the morning light like shards of obsidian. Its head was elongated, with jagged teeth glinting even in shadow. And its eyes—two burning orbs of gold—locked on the boy.The hunters froze, just for a heartbeat, unsure how to respond to this new predator. But then the creature roared. The sound shook