Chapter 4 – A Fragile Truce

-Abandoned Shelter, Ruined City, Xyphora-

The soft hum of the wind passing through broken structures filled the morning air. Rei sat against the cold metal wall of their makeshift shelter, still chewing on what passed for breakfast. It tasted just as bad as the first bite—like dried oats mixed with old batteries.

Seyra, now standing near the entrance of the shelter, was doing something with her weapon—carefully adjusting the energy nodes on her spear-like weapon, ensuring they were intact.

Neither had spoken much since their earlier conversation.

For now, there was an unspoken truce between them.

Rei wouldn't ask too many questions.

Seyra wouldn't kill him.

That was good enough for now.

 -Outside the Shelter-

Rei followed Seyra outside, stepping carefully over chunks of broken concrete and twisted metal. The ruins stretched far into the distance, disappearing into a hazy horizon. Whatever this city once was, it had been dead for a long time.

His boots crunched against the ground as he stopped beside her.

"So," Rei said, breaking the silence. "Where are we going?"

Seyra didn't answer immediately. Instead, she surveyed their surroundings, her posture tense, her grip on her spear firm.

"Nowhere yet," she finally said. "We can't move until I figure out if you're a liability."

Rei frowned. "A liability?"

Seyra gave him a sideways glance. "You nearly got yourself killed last night."

"Yeah, well, maybe because I woke up in the middle of a death trap with no idea where I was."

Seyra folded her arms. "That's exactly the problem. I don't know what you are, where you came from, or why you're here. And I don't have time to babysit a clueless stray who can't even run when he's about to get shot."

Rei clenched his jaw.

She wasn't wrong, but that didn't make it sting any less.

"So what, you're going to test me?" he asked.

Seyra smirked. "Something like that."

She took a step forward, then tossed something at him.

Rei caught it—a short metal rod, about the length of his forearm, cold to the touch.

He turned it over in his hands, frowning. "What is this?"

"A weapon," Seyra said.

Rei raised an eyebrow. "It looks like a stick."

Seyra sighed, then reached forward and pressed a small switch on the side.

A blade of crackling blue energy extended from one end, humming softly.

Rei nearly dropped it.

"Whoa!" He held it out at arm's length. "This is—this is a lightsaber!"

Seyra blinked. "A what?"

Rei coughed. "Never mind."

Seyra watched him with amusement as he fumbled with the weapon. "Relax, it won't burn you unless you're stupid enough to touch the blade."

Rei gulped and held it properly, feeling the faint vibration of energy in his palm.

It felt… strange.

Like it wasn't just metal and power—it almost had a pulse.

He looked up at Seyra. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Hold onto it," she said simply. "You're going to need it."

Rei frowned but didn't argue.

For now, he had no choice but to trust her.

 -The Edge of the Ruins-

The two of them moved carefully through the debris, Seyra leading the way while Rei followed a few steps behind.

Rei wasn't sure how long they had been walking—maybe an hour, maybe longer.

Time felt strange here.

Or maybe it was just the exhaustion finally catching up to him.

After a while, he spoke.

"So… how long have you been here?"

Seyra didn't stop walking. "In the city? A few years."

Rei blinked. "Years?"

She nodded. "Xyphora's a battlefield. But this place—the ruined city—it's a dumping ground. I ended up here, just like everyone else who has nowhere left to go."

Rei processed that. A few years.

She had been surviving here alone for that long?

It explained a lot. Her calculated movements, the way she always checked their surroundings, the sharpness in her eyes.

She was someone who had no choice but to survive.

Rei hesitated. "Where were you before this?"

Seyra slowed slightly but didn't turn to face him.

"…Somewhere else."

Rei caught the way her fingers tightened slightly around her spear.

It was clear she wasn't going to answer that question.

Fair enough.

After a few more moments of silence, he tried a different approach.

"Why did you help me?"

Seyra stopped.

For a moment, she didn't answer.

Then, she glanced over her shoulder.

"Would you rather I hadn't?"

Rei exhaled. "That's not what I meant."

Seyra turned back around. "Doesn't matter. You're here now."

She started walking again, and Rei followed, feeling like he had just hit a wall.

She's not going to tell me anything.

Not yet, anyway.

But at least she hadn't abandoned him yet.

That was something.

 -A Collapsed Overpass –

 -Afternoon-

They stopped near a half-collapsed overpass, using the shade of its massive steel beams to rest.

Rei sat on a chunk of fallen concrete, stretching out his sore legs. Seyra stood a few feet away, scanning the area.

For the first time since waking up on this planet, Rei allowed himself a moment to breathe.

The wind was dry, carrying faint traces of metal and dust, but the air was cooler in the shade.

For a brief moment, it was almost… peaceful.

Then, Seyra broke the silence.

"You said you don't belong here."

Rei looked up.

She was watching him again, that calculating look in her eyes.

Rei hesitated, then nodded. "I don't."

Seyra tilted her head. "Then where do you belong?"

Rei exhaled, rubbing his forehead.

"I don't know anymore."

Seyra was silent for a moment. Then she nodded.

"Good," she said, turning away. "That makes two of us."

Rei blinked, caught off guard by that response.

For a second, just a second, he thought he saw something else in her expression—

Something tired.

Something that understood.

Then, just like that, the moment passed.

"Rest while you can," Seyra said, walking toward the edge of the overpass. "Tonight, we move again."

Rei sighed and leaned back against the broken concrete.

He had no idea where they were going.

But for now, he had no choice but to follow.