Chapter 10: The Path of Embers

Chapter 10: The Path of Embers

Silvia's POV

The stillness of the night shattered as Silvia stood, her pulse hammering. Beyond the campfire's glow, the darkness felt alive—whispers of movement, the crunch of unseen footsteps on brittle earth. Dragon's form shifted subtly, his golden eyes scanning the shadows, his stance tense but controlled.

"Who's there?" Silvia called, fire curling around her fingertips, ready to strike.

Silence. Then, a low chuckle from the darkness.

"You've grown stronger, little flame."

Silvia's breath caught. That voice—smooth as silk, yet edged with something primal. The silver-eyed man.

Dragon growled low in his throat, stepping protectively in front of Silvia as the figure emerged from the shadows. Cloaked in dark fabric, his piercing silver eyes shimmered in the dim light. He looked amused, as if he had been expecting them.

"I should have known you'd seek answers here," the stranger said, tilting his head. "Did the witch tell you what you wanted to hear?"

Silvia clenched her fists, heat rising in her veins. "Who are you?"

The man smiled. "A messenger. A reminder of what's coming."

Dragon stepped forward, muscles tensed. "If you're here to threaten her, you'll regret it."

The stranger chuckled again, raising his hands in mock surrender. "No threats. Only truths." His silver eyes locked onto Silvia's. "The fire in you isn't just power, little flame. It's a call. And soon, the ones who hear it will come for you."

Silvia's magic flared at his words, a warning pulse surging through her. "Then let them come."

The man's smirk widened. "Brave. But not wise."

He stepped back into the shadows, his form dissolving into the darkness like smoke. "The city-states will not welcome you, Silvia Earthstar. Nor will the Terrans allow you to remain free. The war is already beginning. Whether you choose to fight or not… you are a part of it."

And then he was gone.

The silence that followed was deafening. The only sound was the crackling of the fire between them.

Dragon exhaled, rubbing a hand down his face. "Well. That was dramatic."

Silvia, however, wasn't amused. Her hands curled into fists as she stared at the spot where the stranger had vanished. "They keep talking about me like I'm some kind of prize. Like I don't have a choice."

Dragon met her gaze, his expression serious. "Maybe you don't."

Silvia shook her head, standing taller. "No. I always have a choice."

The Journey to the City-States

They set out at dawn, leaving the ruins behind and venturing toward the distant glow of civilization. The road ahead was rough, winding through abandoned highways and shattered remnants of the world before the fall. Nature had begun reclaiming the land, ivy climbing over collapsed buildings, trees bursting through concrete roads like silent sentinels guarding the remnants of humanity's arrogance.

Silvia walked with purpose, the fire in her chest no longer just a source of power but a promise. She didn't know what awaited them in the city-states, but she knew one thing: she would not let them decide her fate for her.

Dragon kept pace beside her, silent but watchful. "The city-states aren't like the ruins," he warned. "They still have rules. Power struggles. People willing to do anything to keep control."

Silvia nodded, tightening her cloak around her shoulders. "Let them try."

Dragon smirked. "You have no idea what you're walking into, do you?"

Silvia exhaled, glancing up at the sky, the faint trails of old satellite wreckage still visible in the early morning light. "Not really. But that's never stopped me before."

They moved through the outskirts of an abandoned town by midday, remnants of old civilization scattered like forgotten memories. Rusted cars lined the streets, their frames hollowed out by time. Graffiti marked the crumbling walls—remnants of defiance, or warnings left by survivors long gone.

Silvia ran her fingers over a faded message scrawled across a collapsed bus:

The beasts took the world, but we gave them the keys.

She frowned, the weight of those words settling in her chest. "Do you think the monsters were always meant to rise?"

Dragon didn't answer right away. "The Terrans didn't wake up on their own. Something forced them to the surface." He looked at her, his golden eyes unreadable. "And if the witch is right, you're connected to it."

Silvia shivered, despite the warmth of the day. She had spent her life thinking she was just a soldier, just another pawn in humanity's desperate struggle for survival. Now, the more she learned, the more she realized she was at the center of something far larger than she could comprehend.

But she wouldn't run from it.

She clenched her fists, letting the embers flicker beneath her skin. Whatever truths the city-states held, whatever forces lurked in the shadows, she was ready to face them.

No more running.

The Gates of Ashen Hold

By dusk, they reached the outskirts of the first city-state: Ashen Hold. Unlike the ruins they had passed, this place still lived. Towering metal walls loomed over them, their jagged edges reinforced with salvaged steel and repurposed tech from before the collapse. The scent of burning coal and engine oil filled the air, the hum of machinery an ever-present backdrop to the distant chatter of people beyond the gates.

Silvia exhaled. This was it—the first step into a world she had been taken from, the world that had abandoned her the moment she had been thrown into the lottery for the monster wars.

She squared her shoulders and looked at Dragon. "Let's get this over with."

Dragon grinned. "Try not to set anything on fire. Yet."

She rolled her eyes, stepping forward as the heavy gates groaned open, revealing the city-state beyond.

And with it, the beginning of a new war.