The City of Ash never truly slept.
Even as night deepened, Lianna could hear whispers threading through the ruins—voices moving through the dark like insects crawling beneath stone. Doors creaked open, shut again. Feet scuffed across cracked streets.
She lay awake, clutching Auren's cloak tighter around her, every nerve alive with unease. The mark on her wrist pulsed faintly, as though it too listened.
By the time the first pale light of dawn filtered through broken windows, she had barely slept.
When she descended the stairs, Kael was already awake, shadows curling faintly at his boots. He looked as though he hadn't rested at all, storm-gray eyes scanning every corner of the inn.
"You felt it too," he said without turning.
Lianna stiffened. "Felt what?"
"The city stirring. They know you're here."
Her chest tightened. "The survivors?"
Kael's expression was unreadable. "To them, you're either salvation… or ruin. And desperate people don't care which, as long as it saves them."
Before Lianna could respond, Auren entered from outside, carrying a satchel of herbs. His silver hair caught the dim light, but his face was taut.
"They're gathering," he said. "Dozens of them. Watching."
Lianna's heart thudded. "Gathering for what?"
Auren's gaze softened, though unease lingered. "Hope, perhaps. Or fear. The bond mark is… unmistakable. They will not ignore it."
---
By midday, the whispers had become a crowd.
From the inn's broken windows, Lianna saw them—men, women, even children—emerging cautiously from their hiding places. Their clothes were tattered, their faces pale, but their eyes burned with something fierce.
They surrounded the inn like moths circling a flame.
When Kael opened the door, silence fell.
Every gaze turned to Lianna.
Whispers rose immediately. "The mark—look, it's real."
"A bond-bearer… after so long."
"She'll bring the shadows here."
Lianna's stomach twisted. She wanted to hide her wrist, but the glow betrayed her, faint even in daylight.
A man stepped forward, his frame thin but his voice rough with authority. "Is it true? You carry the bond?"
Lianna swallowed, her throat dry. "I… I don't know what it means."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd. Some faces lit with awe, others darkened with fear.
Another voice shouted, harsher. "If the shadows follow her, she'll doom us all!"
"She could save us!" another argued.
Chaos erupted—voices clashing, hands gesturing wildly. Some reached forward as though to touch her, others pulled children away, shielding them.
Lianna's chest constricted. The weight of their gazes was unbearable—hope and terror tangled into chains.
Kael stepped forward, his shadows flaring. "Enough."
The crowd recoiled instantly, silence slamming down. His storm-gray eyes swept over them like blades. "She is not yours to worship or condemn. Step back, or—"
"Or what?" the thin man challenged, trembling but defiant. "Will you kill us too? Is that what your shadows do?"
Kael's jaw tightened, the air around him thickening with threat.
Before it could spiral, Auren raised a hand, his voice calm but firm. "Please. None of us want bloodshed. She isn't your enemy. But she isn't your salvation either—not yet. Give her time."
The crowd hesitated, torn between fear of Kael and faith in Auren's silver-eyed calm.
Lianna's pulse hammered. She wanted to scream she was neither savior nor curse, just a girl who wanted her life back—but the words stuck.
Because deep inside, she wasn't sure anymore.
---
That night, the city turned restless.
The crowd dispersed, but Lianna felt their eyes even in the dark. Whispers drifted through the streets, sharp with envy, suspicion, hope.
Kael stood guard at the window, shadows like spears at his side. Auren prepared herbs and charms, his movements precise, controlled.
Lianna sat curled on the cot, exhaustion heavy, but her thoughts refused peace.
When a crash echoed outside, all three moved at once.
Shouts rang—panicked, desperate. Then came the sound she dreaded: the screech of shadows.
Kael's eyes narrowed. "They've found us."
Auren's glow flared, his voice urgent. "The survivors must have drawn them here—your mark's light was too strong."
Lianna's chest clenched. "No—this is my fault—"
"Move!" Kael snapped.
The walls shuddered as shadows poured through the streets, black smoke twisting into grotesque forms. The survivors screamed, scattering, but the creatures lunged without mercy.
Lianna's wrist burned, power rising unbidden. Her eyes blurred with tears. "I can't control it—I'll hurt everyone—"
Kael's shadows surged, forming a barrier around her. His voice was low, fierce. "Then burn me. But do it standing, not cowering."
Auren grasped her other hand, his silver eyes glowing. "Trust yourself. I'll keep you steady. We'll do this together."
Both voices crashed through her panic—storm and light, clashing but unyielding.
Lianna's breath broke. She clutched her wrist, forcing the searing energy outward—this time not as a wild burst, but a beam of raw light that cut through the nearest shadow like fire through paper.
Screeches filled the air. The mark pulsed, blazing brighter than ever.
For the first time, she felt not broken, but fierce.
Yet the victory was short-lived.
From the heart of the horde, a massive shadow rose—towering, its form shifting between man and beast. Its hollow eyes glowed red, fixed on her.
Kael stiffened. "A corrupted bearer."
Lianna's stomach dropped. "Bearer…? You mean—"
"He once carried a bond," Kael said darkly. "And lost."
The creature roared, the sound rattling the crumbled walls. Survivors screamed, fleeing into the ruins.
Lianna's knees weakened. If that thing was what awaited her should she fail…
Her pulse raced, but before terror could swallow her, the whisper echoed again—stronger than ever.
Find me.
Her vision blurred. The crowned figure appeared, closer now, his golden eyes burning like suns. His voice, clear and steady:
I am waiting.
The mark flared so bright it split the night, drowning both light and shadow.
The corrupted bearer recoiled with a roar, but the glow surged higher—pulling Lianna toward the vision, toward the unknown man who felt like destiny itself.
Her body trembled, her voice breaking as she whispered into the blinding light—
"Who are you…?"
And in the silence before everything shattered, she thought she heard his reply.