---
The air inside the dilapidated building was stale, heavy with the scent of rot and decay. The only sound that filled the silence was the creak of the old floorboards beneath Evan's boots, the occasional gust of wind rattling the windows. It was as if the whole world outside had forgotten the existence of this place, abandoned to the shadows.
Evan stood at the window, looking out into the night, but his thoughts were far from the empty city that lay before him. His mind drifted back to the encounter with Talon, to the warning that had hung in the air like a dark omen.
"You're just the beginning of a bigger problem."
The words reverberated in his head, over and over again. He had never been one to let threats dictate his actions, but Talon's words weren't just a warning. They were a revelation — one that Evan couldn't ignore.
Talon had seen something in him, something that even Evan was still struggling to understand. And whatever that something was, it was only a matter of time before the rest of the world saw it too.
The thing that terrified him most wasn't the power he wielded, but the fact that he couldn't control it. Every time he tried to hold it back, it threatened to break free, to consume him. And with it, came the whisper of Gravemind.
Evan clenched his fists, the nails digging into his palms. The power surged beneath his skin, a constant, gnawing presence. He could feel it, just below the surface, waiting for the right moment to break free.
But not yet. Not while Aidan was here.
> "Evan?" Aidan's voice broke through his thoughts, soft but insistent. "Are you okay?"
Evan turned slowly, his eyes meeting Aidan's with a cool indifference. He hadn't meant to worry the boy, but Aidan had a way of seeing through his facade, of noticing the cracks in the armor that Evan had spent years perfecting.
> "I'm fine," Evan replied flatly, though the words held no real conviction.
Aidan didn't buy it. He took a tentative step forward, his brow furrowing in concern. "I know you're not fine. You've been acting different ever since… well, since Talon showed up."
Evan's jaw tightened, and he turned away, stepping further into the shadows of the room. He didn't want to talk about it, didn't want to acknowledge the fact that Aidan was right. But he couldn't deny it, either. Something was changing, something deep inside of him that he couldn't control.
Aidan followed him, his footsteps light but determined.
> "What's going on, Evan?" he asked, his voice quieter now, more tentative. "You can talk to me. I know you've been through a lot, but we're in this together, right?"
Evan froze. The words hung in the air, and for a moment, he couldn't breathe. It wasn't the question itself that caught him off guard. It was the fact that Aidan truly meant it — the boy wasn't just saying the words out of obligation. He meant every one of them.
And that scared Evan more than anything.
Evan didn't know how to respond. How could he explain the turmoil that raged within him? How could he explain the growing darkness, the feeling that he was slipping further and further into something he could never escape?
Instead, he simply looked at Aidan, the coldness in his eyes softening just a fraction.
> "We are," Evan said, his voice quieter now, though the weight of his words still lingered in the air. "But that doesn't change what's coming."
Aidan nodded slowly, his eyes searching Evan's face, as if trying to piece together the puzzle that was Evan's past — and what he was becoming. But there was no easy answer, no simple solution.
For a long moment, the two of them stood in silence, the weight of the world pressing down on them. The city outside was nothing more than a faint outline in the distance, the hum of chaos and unrest just beyond the horizon.
And in that moment, Evan made a decision. He couldn't keep running from his past. He couldn't keep pretending that everything would be fine if he just walked away. There were too many pieces in motion now, too many forces at play, and too much at stake.
He had to face it. He had to face who he was — who he had always been.
> "We need to find out what happened to the others," Evan said, his voice low but firm. "The Academy's collapse wasn't just an accident. Someone's behind it. And we're going to find out who."
Aidan looked at him, confusion flickering across his face.
> "The Academy? But… it's gone, Evan. It's over."
Evan turned, his eyes hardening.
> "No," he said firmly. "It's just the beginning."
---
They spent the next few hours preparing, gathering supplies from the wreckage of the city. Aidan was quieter now, his gaze flickering between Evan and the desolate streets outside. He could feel the tension in the air, the weight of Evan's resolve pressing down on them both.
And yet, despite the uncertainty, Aidan couldn't shake the feeling that they were on the cusp of something much bigger than either of them could understand.
As they moved through the ruined city, Evan's mind raced. The Academy had fallen, but it wasn't just an institution. It was a symbol of something much darker. Something that Evan was connected to in ways he hadn't yet fully understood.
Gravemind's whisper echoed in his mind again, louder this time, urging him forward. The voice was like a serpent, coiling around his thoughts, feeding off his insecurities and doubts.
It knew him too well.
Evan wasn't sure whether he was running toward it, or whether it was running toward him.
> "Evan," Aidan's voice broke through his thoughts once again. "Where are we going?"
Evan glanced at the boy, his expression unreadable.
> "We need answers," he said quietly. "And we're going to find them."
The city was dead. The world was dying.
But Evan wasn't finished yet.
---
End of Chapter 2