Everything around seemed familiar, but had changed during my absence. The streets, always noisy and lively, now seemed hushed. Passersby's faces had turned dark, their eyes darting nervously, as if searching for something around them.

  I moved toward the wealthy quarters. The distance proved greater than I remembered. Streets had expanded, new buildings and unfamiliar iron structures had been added.

  My gaze caught on strange details. There were more people, but their movements had become hurried, their steps rushed, as if someone was chasing each of them.

  Crossing the central square, I noticed a group of armed soldiers. They'd surrounded the king's monument, inspecting random passersby. Silver insignia on their dark blue uniforms gleamed in the lamplight.

  The soldiers moved precisely, but every gesture carried excessive aggression. As if the city had become a frontline, and civilians were potential enemies.

  "Hey, you!"

  The voice rang out unexpectedly loud and sharp, making me freeze in place. I slowly turned. One of the soldiers was already approaching me. His gaze quickly swept over my peasant clothes, clearly not fitting the image of a local resident.

  "Show me your documents. You're not local, are you?"

  I felt my heart beat faster. I had no documents. Scraps of possible excuses raced frantically through my mind. I didn't have time to answer—behind us suddenly came a muffled explosion. The ground shook beneath our feet, clouds of gray smoke and dust shot into the air. The soldiers reacted immediately.

  "Shit! Everyone clear the square, now!"

  I understood less and less what was happening. I decided to lose myself in the crowd being directed into alleyways, hoping they'd forget about me. I'd turn off somewhere along the way and disappear.

  A small group of passersby, myself among them, rushed between buildings. There was no bright light here anymore. Though it was evening and the sun still illuminated everything, the high walls of buildings stood too close to let light through.

  "This way! This way!" some boy shouted at us.

  His clothes were torn, and he looked dirty. Probably homeless.

  The group I ran with was small. Seven people, give or take. We all dutifully followed the boy who'd promised to lead us through the slums by the wall.

  The noise of the crowd still carried from afar, putting everyone on edge. I decided to approach the man beside me.

  "Excuse me, do explosions happen often in the capital?"

  The guy seemed in a trance, didn't even react to me. Must have been in shock. But a lady walked nearby. She didn't look poor at all. A decent dress and heels in her hands.

  "Not often. But they happen."

  I was surprised by her calm and restraint. She'd adapted quickly to the situation if she wasn't afraid to dirty her feet.

  "Please, don't look at me like that. Never seen a barefoot lady?"

  "Oh, forgive me, where are my manners? I was just surprised by how composed you are..."

  She smirked and shrugged, about to answer something, but I got distracted.

  Ahead, our guide, the scruffy boy, suddenly slowed his pace. He turned his head nervously. He stopped for a second, peering intently at a house wall, then rushed forward again and hurriedly waved us to follow him. This momentary hesitation seemed strange to me.

  I automatically looked where the boy had been staring. The house looked old and shabby, its facade showing a dense network of cracks. But my gaze caught on something else. One crack looked unnatural. Too straight, extending behind the window frame. As if someone had deliberately tried to disguise it.

  Getting closer, I noticed a metal outline and a barely visible blinking light. A chill ran through me.

  "Stop! It's dangerous there!"

  But it was too late.

  The next second, the world around me exploded in a blindingly bright flash. I felt the shockwave knock me off my feet and throw me aside. A deafening roar pierced through consciousness, leaving only an agonizing ringing in my ears.

  Everything spun before my eyes. Lying on my side, I could only vaguely see the bodies of people I'd just been walking with flying in different directions. The woman in the dress disappeared in a bright flash, leaving only red mist and burnt scraps of fabric falling to the ground.

  The boy, our guide, opened his mouth, shouting something, but his voice immediately vanished in the hellish roar. The next moment he was covered by stones and fragments of the house that crashed down. Where the teenager had been remained only a huge pile of brick and dust.

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  Debris flew up and fell around, like torn pieces of a paper model. A heavy smell of burnt meat hung in the air, and from somewhere above, small scraps fell slowly, bloody and charred.

  Struggling to come to my senses, I tried to stand. Pain pulsed in my head, and my ears still rang. I felt something hot flowing down my cheek, and touching it with my hand, I saw blood.

  Around was only smoke, fire, and death. And from the group I'd been walking with just a moment ago, only lifeless silhouettes and piles of rubble remained. But the dust hadn't settled yet, so I hoped to see someone alive.

  Walking to the very end, I saw only corpses. No one survived. Only in the distance, under stones, I heard a hoarse voice. That same kid lay under a pile of rocks. Apparently being furthest from everyone had helped him a bit.

  I ran to him and tried to help, but apparently it was too late. His body was crushed.

  "Why? Why did you do this?!"

  His gaze was empty, and he couldn't speak clearly.

  "They... promised..."

  I closed his eyelids. He was beyond help. Strange. Those feelings I would have experienced before weren't there. Sadness had dulled, as if covered in ash. After so many days of stress, less and less humanity remains in me.

  Someone yanked me back sharply, knocking the air from my lungs, and threw me face-down on the ground. I coughed, trying to get up, but a strong boot kick hit my side, throwing me aside. Pain pierced my body, making my teeth grind.

  "Get up, quickly!"

  My ears still rang, I could barely make out the words. With difficulty focusing my blurred vision, I made out the silhouettes of two guards. The same ones who'd been checking documents. One was already lifting me by the collar, and the second approached, preparing to deliver another blow.

  "Wait, I didn't do anything!"

  No one listened to me. I managed to raise my arm, blocking the next blow. The opponent's arm was strong and confident, fingers immediately grabbed my wrist and pulled sharply toward him, forcing me to fall to my knees.

  "Don't resist, it'll be easier."

  I braced my foot and jerked my arm back sharply. At that moment the second fighter quickly circled me from the side, delivering a precise elbow strike to my temple. My head spun, I collapsed to the ground. These two moved cohesively and professionally, not giving me a chance to recover. Something didn't add up. Why were ordinary guards acting so brutally and precisely?

  There was no time for reflection. I rolled to the side, dodging another kick, and tried to stand. One of the attackers proved faster and wrapped around my neck, starting to choke. The second meanwhile raised his fist for the final blow.

  Out of desperation I grabbed the arms of the one choking me, tensed and pulled forward with all my strength. The muscles in my arms strained to the limit, and the guard, losing balance, fell to the ground with me.

  His partner immediately threw himself on top of me, delivering a series of blows to my body. Each hit struck like stone, driving air from my lungs. I gritted my teeth, found a moment and thrust my elbow forward. It hit right in the enemy's jaw. The blow was so strong that the helmet flew off, and his chin cracked and hung uncontrollably.

  My heart skipped. Under the collar of the torn uniform showed a thin dark bodysuit of otherworlders with bright stripes on the neck.

  "Damn, who the hell are you?!"

  No answer came. Instead, the second guard silently pulled out a small knife and swung at me. I barely managed to grab his arm, straining every muscle to keep the blade at a distance.

  "Hold him tighter!"

  The first attacker had already risen, as if nothing had happened, though he could no longer speak. Approaching from the side, he delivered a heavy knee strike to my ribs. Something inside cracked, and I bent from pain, but the knife was still near my face.

  Adrenaline exploded in my blood. I sharply turned the opponent's wrist, directing the knife back at him. He didn't have time to react, and the blade entered his throat. The guard cried out in pain and fell. I grabbed the second soldier's leg and pulled down hard, causing him to fall and finally lose consciousness.

  I heavily got to my feet. Silence still reigned around, occasionally broken by the hum of sirens in the distance. My body hurt, my rib stung from the blow, breathing came with difficulty. I needed to get out of here, as quickly as possible.

  I left the alley, staggering and trying not to attract unnecessary attention. The city looked strangely empty—either because of the explosions or the evening time. The sun had almost set, streets gradually plunged into dark purple shadows.

  My head spun, everything swam before my eyes. I stopped, leaning against a wall, and tried to catch my breath. A car slowly drove by, its bright headlights blinded me. I instinctively raised my hand, shielding from the light, and then heard the sharp squeal of brakes.

  "Luten, get in the car, quickly."

  I tensed, barely making out the silhouette getting out of the car. The voice was familiar, and a moment later I recognized its owner. It was Lucas—the elderly driver of Alice's family, who often drove my brother and me to the academy.

  "Lucas? Are you really..."

  "Alive? As you can see. Lord, you look terrible. What happened?"

  "Now's not the best time to explain. Need to find shelter somewhere, urgently."

  He quickly surveyed the street, then nodded.

  "Get in the car quickly. Alice... She's going out of her mind."

  I couldn't believe what I'd heard. Alice was alive, hiding and waiting for me? My heart pounded wildly from excitement and relief at the same time.

  As soon as the car door slammed shut, Lucas immediately hit the gas, skillfully navigating the narrow streets of the capital.

  "We're almost there. You're lucky, boy. A little more and..."

  I barely heard him, only one name echoed in my head—Alice.

  After a few minutes we stopped at an unremarkable building on the city's outskirts. Simple walls, no identifying marks. Lucas quickly jumped out of the car and led me inside through a dark corridor.

  "Wait here. I'll call her."

  He disappeared behind a door, and I remained alone. The wounds on my body made themselves known, my legs barely held me, but I stood, clenching my fists and counting seconds.

  The door creaked, and she appeared on the threshold. Alice froze, looking at me with wide eyes. Fear, disbelief, and something else froze in them, something so familiar and painful that my breath caught.

  "Luten?"

  She took an uncertain step forward. I smiled, feeling something warm and salty flowing down my cheeks again.

  "Sorry for the wait..."