The wind had changed by morning.Dry, cold, and endless. It swept across the barren plains, carrying sand and ash that stung the eyes and left a faint metallic taste in the air. The road ahead was cracked, barely visible beneath layers of dust.
The four of them walked in silence.
Aryan led the group, his eyes fixed on the horizon — on the faint silhouette of towers rising in the far distance. Behind him, Alice followed steadily, his portable scanner flickering occasionally as he monitored the terrain. Raj walked with his sword resting on his shoulder, humming a half-forgotten tune to keep the silence from swallowing them whole.
And Sora… walked apart, just a few paces behind. Always quiet. Always watching.
By the time the sun rose high above the wasteland, the heat pressed down like a weight. Every breath tasted of dust. The landscape stretched endlessly — no sign of life, no sound except the soft crunch of boots against cracked earth.
Raj was the first to break the silence."Man, this place is depressing. It's like the whole world just gave up here."
Alice adjusted his glasses. "You're not wrong. These lands were evacuated after the fall of Vantara. Radiation levels dropped years ago, but no one ever came back."
Raj sighed. "Figures. Perfect spot for a secret lab."
Sora's voice cut through the air, calm as ever. "That's why it was chosen."
Raj looked back at her. "You sound like you've been here before."
She didn't answer.
Aryan glanced over his shoulder, watching her expression — calm, emotionless, like she was guarding something even from herself.
After another hour of silence, Alice finally spoke again. "Sora," he began, "I've been meaning to ask you something."
She looked at him, her silver eyes catching the sunlight faintly. "What is it?"
"You said before that you knew about the Nine Core. But how exactly? It's not common knowledge, and most of what exists is buried under restricted files. So where did you learn about it?"
Sora was quiet for a moment. The wind tugged gently at her white hair."From a book," she said finally.
Raj blinked. "A… book?"
Alice tilted his head slightly. "An ancient text?"
Sora nodded once. "Yes. An old volume I found in the library where I lived. It spoke of nine objects cast from the heavens — fragments of a war between divine and demonic beings. It mentioned that these cores could merge with souls and grant unimaginable power."
Aryan's eyes narrowed. "The Nine Core… were they described in detail?"
"No." Sora's voice was soft, almost distant. "The text was damaged. Most pages were gone. But the name remained. The Nine Core… and the prophecy that whoever gathers them all will become an 'absolute being.'"
Alice frowned. "That part matches what I found in fragmented digital archives. But an ancient book… that's not something you just 'find.' Where exactly was this library?"
Sora looked away. "Where I lived."
Raj grinned. "And where's that? Some hidden village? Or a secret base in the mountains?"
She shot him a cold look. "Why should I tell you?"
Raj raised his hands defensively. "Whoa, easy there. I was just asking. We're a team now, right? Friends share stuff like that."
"Friends?" she repeated, her tone unreadable. "Who said we're friends?"
Raj blinked. "Uh… well, I did? Kinda assumed it."
"Assumptions get people killed," Sora replied flatly.
Alice sighed. "Raj, let it go. She's not wrong. We barely know each other."
Raj muttered under his breath. "Still… doesn't mean we have to act like strangers."
Sora's gaze shifted forward again, ignoring him. "I'm only here to help Aryan uncover the truth about his family. That's all."
Aryan glanced at her. "And what about your duty? You mentioned that once."
She hesitated, then said quietly, "That has nothing to do with you. Not yet."
The tone in her voice made it clear the conversation was over.
For a while, no one spoke. The wind howled, and their footsteps echoed faintly across the cracked land.
Alice finally broke the silence again, his eyes scanning the digital map on his terminal. "Forget it, Raj. What matters is finding any trace of the Nine Core. If that book exists, maybe it wasn't the only record left. We'll find more in Vantara's archives — assuming the data cores are still intact."
Raj stretched his arms, yawning. "You and your data. Me, I'm just hoping this lab has something cool — like a big sword or a monster to fight."
Alice didn't even look up. "Your priorities are disturbing."
Aryan smirked faintly. "They always were."
Raj laughed. "Hey, someone's gotta keep the mood up. You three look like ghosts."
Sora glanced sideways at him. "You talk too much."
Raj grinned wider. "And you don't talk enough."
Aryan shook his head, but there was a small smile on his lips now. For the first time in years, he wasn't walking alone.
As the sun began to dip toward the horizon, the barren plains started to change. The air grew colder, and the ground beneath their feet turned from dust to cracked stone. Strange metal fragments jutted from the earth — remnants of old roads, twisted by time and forgotten war.
In the distance, a faint shimmer appeared.
At first, Aryan thought it was a mirage. But as they walked closer, the outline became clearer — massive structures half-buried in sand, towers leaning against one another like broken bones. The air was thick with silence, heavy and unmoving.
Alice slowed his pace. "We're close. According to the old satellite scans, the city's perimeter starts just beyond that ridge."
Raj squinted ahead. "Doesn't look like much of a city to me. More like a graveyard."
Sora's voice was quiet. "That's why they call it the City of the Dead."
The group climbed the last stretch of the ridge, the ground crunching beneath their boots. As they reached the top, the view unfolded before them — vast ruins stretching as far as the eye could see.
Collapsed buildings leaned over dark streets swallowed by shadow. Craters pocked the ground where explosions had once torn through the city. In the center of it all, a massive dome lay cracked open, glowing faintly with residual energy.
Vantara City.
Or what was left of it.
The wind howled through the hollow streets, carrying echoes of a time long gone — laughter, voices, machinery… all swallowed by silence.
Raj exhaled slowly. "Well, damn. You weren't kidding, Alice. This place is dead."