From Outcast to Legend: Thiago's Rise

Thiago Moretti’s arms felt as though they had been torn from their sockets. Every stroke through the filthy floodwater sent sharp pain shooting through his battered body.

Deep cuts covered his chest and shoulders. One side of his face was swollen, and his injured right leg dragged desperately.

But none of it mattered to him anymore. Only one thought existed in his mind.

Evren!

Evren, his son, was burning with fever.

The image of the little boy lying weak and trembling, asking when his father would return, refused to leave Thiago’s thoughts.

He had promised him: “I’ll bring medicine home.” That promise was the only thing keeping him alive.

Buildings stood half-submerged beneath endless floodwaters. Corpses drifted everywhere. Some floated face-down. Others bobbed lazily in the current, swollen and pale from weeks of decay. Thiago gritted his teeth as another corpse drifted directly into his path.

The movement triggered others nearby. One after another, dead faces rose from the water and hollow eyes locked onto him.

"Dammit!"

Thiago kicked harder.

Water splashed violently behind him as the zombies began swimming. The sight was terrifying!

They no longer moved like humans. Their limbs twisted unnaturally beneath the water. Some crawled through the flood using only their arms. Others propelled themselves with jerking motions that made them seem more like insects than people. Yet they were fast. Far too fast!

Thiago glanced back.

The nearest zombie was already only a few meters away. Its skeletal fingers clawed through the water and its mouth hung open impossibly wide.

A low growl echoed across the flooded city. More growls answered. Dozens, maybe hundreds.

Thiago's heart nearly stopped. He forced himself forward. Then, he saw a tower. Rising above the floodwaters like a giant steel spear, the safehouse stood against the gray sky. The sight filled him with relief.

Oh yeah! He was almost home!

The tower had protected them for years.

Built atop the remains of an old communications structure, it rose high above the infected waters. Heavy iron walls surrounded the living quarters, and only a single entrance existed high above the floodline.

No zombies could reach it and no floodwater could touch it. For five years, it had been their sanctuary!

He pushed through burning pain until the tower loomed close. At its base hung two chains: one supporting a large basket for people and the other a smaller supply basket.

Nearly collapsing, Thiago grabbed the metal frame of the basket and shouted upward.

“Vespera! Vespera!”

He rang the bell violently—Clang! Clang! Clang!

“Open up! Please! It’s me! I made it back! I got the fever medicine for Evren!”

Every second mattered.

Evren was dying. The medicine had cost Thiago everything, dragging him through infected streets and countless brushes with death.

"Vespera!" he shouted, his voice cracking. "Please... pull me up!"

Moments passed. Then movement appeared high above. One of the iron shutters slowly opened, and a woman’s face appeared. It was Vespera—his wife.

Relief washed through him instantly. “Vespera!”

She looked down with concern in her eyes. “Thiago, you made it back," she said.

He managed a faint smile and raised the waterproof container. "I got the medicine. Evren's going to live."

Vespera smiled—the same smile he'd cherished for years. "You must have been through so much."

“It doesn’t matter, dear. Just pull me up.”

He glanced back again. The zombies were closer now. Not yet within reach, but closing fast.

Vespera nodded. “Listen carefully, Thiago. The medicine is the most important thing right now.”

“Of course.”

“The emergency basket is faster than the main one.” She pointed to the smaller supply basket. “Put it in there first. We’ll bring it up immediately.”

Thiago hesitated. Something felt off. “Why not just pull me up with it?”

Her expression remained calm. “Evren needs treatment immediately. The medicine must come up first.”

He looked at the container, then at the approaching dead, then back at her. Every instinct screamed urgency. Finally, he nodded.

“Fine. Take it.”

He placed the medicine into the smaller basket. Chains rattled as it immediately began rising. Thiago watched it ascend, tension easing from his chest for the first time. Evren would be saved.

The basket disappeared through the iron window above.

A minute passed. Then another.

Thiago frowned. “Vespera?”

There was no answer.

Unease crept in. He looked back—zombies were much closer now, their growls echoing across the water.

“Vespera!” he shouted again.

Still nothing.

Then finally, she reappeared.

But then, the warmth in her face was gone. The concern, the softness—all vanished. Her eyes were cold, distant, as though he were nothing.

A chill ran through him. “Vespera?”

She placed her hands on the iron frame. “The medicine has been delivered.”

“Good,” Thiago said quickly. “Now lower the basket. They’re getting closer!”

“I know,” she replied flatly.

“Then what are you waiting for?”

Without emotion, she said, “Thiago. You aren’t coming up.”

For a moment, he froze. “What?”

“You heard me.”

The words didn’t register. “What do you mean I’m not coming up? The zombies are right behind me!”

“I’m not joking,” she snapped.

His blood ran cold. “Why?”

Vespera exhaled slowly. “Five years ago, my family took you in. You were a refugee. We gave you shelter, helped you build a new identity, and allowed you to marry me.”

The word "allowed" struck him like a blow.

She continued mercilessly. “We’ve done more than enough for you. We’ve fulfilled every obligation.”

Thiago stared in disbelief. “What are you talking about?”

“Nothing is free anymore,” she said. “The New Beaumont’s Ark is coming.”

His eyes widened. He had heard of it—the legendary rescue vessel said to be gathering survivors and transporting them to a safe settlement beyond the flooded world.

“It will arrive soon,” she continued. “But boarding requires contribution. Supplies for passage.”

Then her expression turned colder still. “Your value has already been exhausted.”

Thiago went pale. “Exhausted?”

“You are no longer worth wasting a boarding position on!"

Silence followed, broken only by the water and distant growls of the dead.

“Why?” he whispered. “Why are you doing this?”

His voice cracked. “If I die here, how will Evren live with this? How will our son accept that his mother abandoned his father?”

For the first time, Vespera smiled brightly. It was a horrifying smile.

“Since you’re about to die anyway,” she said casually, “I might as well tell you the truth.”

Just then, the sound of footsteps echoed through the tower and a second figure stepped into view beside the window. He was tall, composed, and carried himself with quiet confidence. His name was Leandro Vossenberg, the leader of the survivor group.

He wrapped an arm around Vespera, and she leaned into him naturally. Then she turned back to Thiago.

“Evren is not your son.”

The world seemed to stop. Thiago's mind went blank. "What?"

"Evren was never your biological child." Her smile widened. "Evren is the son of Leandro and me."