Chapter 4 – Echoes in the Silence

The cold wind of dawn still swept through the ruined streets of the ghost city, howling between collapsed buildings and structures corroded by time. But inside that improvised shelter, time seemed suspended.

Kairo woke up first, his eyes still heavy but alert. The sound of Lyra's calm breathing filled the space beside him. She slept leaning against the wall, her face serene, as if for a brief moment she were free from the horrors of the world.

He allowed himself to watch her for a few seconds. There, without armor or sharp words, she looked like someone else. Human. Fragile. Incredibly strong.

But then, something changed.

A chill ran down his spine.

Kairo got up slowly, picking up the sword he had left propped up. The sounds around them had changed. The silence was… broken. As if something were creeping along the edges of the world.

Lyra awoke seconds later, her sharpened senses picking up the tension in the air.

— You felt it too? — she murmured, already on her feet, grabbing her dagger.

— We're not alone anymore.

They went out into the deserted streets, following the echo of what sounded like distorted footsteps, echoes reverberating in the wrong places. The dense mist hid shapes, but the threat was palpable.

Then, out of nowhere, it appeared.

A creature that looked made of liquid shadows, with eyes like embers and claws long and sharp as blades. A Rift Guardian, corrupted and starving.

— It sensed us since we entered the city — whispered Kairo. — It's after us… or something we have.

— It wants my mark — replied Lyra, raising her arm. The skin on her left hand burned, a purple glow pulsing in the scar that was taking shape there.

The creature lunged.

Kairo threw himself against it, blocking the claws with his sword. The impact hurled him against the wall, but he came back, panting, eyes lit.

Lyra ran in circles, distracting the creature, her daggers slicing the air with lethal precision. But the shadow was fast. Almost impossible to hit.

— It absorbs light — she shouted. — I need total darkness. Now!

Kairo closed his eyes, invoking an ancient fragment of power he barely knew still existed within him. The world around them darkened, the shadows became solid… and Lyra, amidst the gloom, moved like lightning.

She struck the monster in the center of the chest, where a rift pulsed like a heart of energy.

A sharp, supernatural scream tore through the dawn.

The creature fell.

But so did Lyra.

Kairo ran to her, his face taken by panic.

— Lyra! — He held her, seeing blood run from a deep cut on her shoulder.

She groaned, but opened her eyes. — Still alive… but what the hell was that thing…

— An echo from the void… a warning.

He pressed her wound with a cloth, trying to stop the bleeding. The tension of the previous moment slowly dissolved, giving way to a more human, more painful silence.

— You protected me… — she said, looking at him with tired eyes.

— And you saved me — he replied.

Their eyes met. This time, without masks. Just two shattered souls trying to survive in a world that had already ended.

Kairo pulled her closer, holding her tightly, his body still trembling with adrenaline. Lyra hesitated… but then gave in. Rested her head on his chest and closed her eyes.

For a moment, there was peace.

For a moment, they were not hunters or survivors.

They were just human.

There, in that forgotten city, among ruins and echoes of the past, a bond was forming.

Something was born. Something that might be more dangerous than the Rift.

Something called… hope.