Dawn broke over the shattered skyline, casting long, sickly rays through the mist. Evan and Aidan moved quietly through the ruins, shadows against a dying city.
Every step they took away from the Academy felt heavier — like the past was clawing at their heels, trying to pull them back.
But Evan kept moving forward, his focus unshakable.
Aidan struggled to match Evan's pace, but he refused to complain. He knew this journey meant more than just finding refuge — it was Evan's first real step toward something different. Toward something better.
Even if Evan didn't know it yet.
---
They traveled for hours, keeping to the abandoned highways and forgotten backroads.
The world around them was raw and wounded — remnants of battles, burned-out convoys, shattered Enforcer stations. Small gangs and rogue factions lurked in the edges of the ruins, desperate, dangerous.
But none dared approach Evan.
They could feel him coming — the storm that walked like a man.
And they scattered like insects before him.
---
As the sun began its slow descent, Aidan finally broke the silence.
> "You've been there before, haven't you?"
Evan didn't glance back.
> "Solaris Reach?"
Aidan nodded.
> "Once," Evan said. "Long ago. Before I became... this."
There was no anger in his voice. Only a weariness so deep it felt carved into his bones.
> "They won't forget who I was," Evan added. "Psychic Reaper. Monster. Weapon."
> "They'll see who you are now," Aidan said firmly.
Evan gave a small, bitter smile.
> "Hope is dangerous, kid."
> "So is giving up," Aidan shot back.
For a moment, Evan said nothing.
Then, almost too softly to hear:
> "Maybe you're right."
---
Night fell again, and they made camp beneath the twisted ruins of an old overpass.
Evan set a small psychic barrier around them — a bubble of silence and invisibility. His control was perfect, precise — masking even the faintest hint of their presence.
Inside, Aidan built a small fire from scraps, careful to keep it low and contained.
They sat side by side, staring into the flickering flames.
> "Evan?" Aidan asked after a while. "Why did you really leave the Academy?"
Evan was silent for a long time.
Finally, he spoke.
> "Because I remembered who I was before they broke me."
> "Who were you?" Aidan asked.
Evan stared into the fire, as if trying to see through time.
> "Someone who wanted to protect people," he said quietly. "Someone who believed power meant responsibility."
> "And now?"
Evan's lips twisted into something between a smirk and a grimace.
> "Now I know better."
> "You can still choose," Aidan said.
> "Maybe," Evan said. "Maybe not."
But a tiny seed of doubt — or maybe hope — had been planted inside him.
And even Evan couldn't deny it.
---
Far above them, beyond the crumbling sky, Gravemind stirred restlessly.
Watching.
Waiting.
The game was changing.
And Evan — whether he wanted to or not — was changing too.
---
End of Chapter 10