The storm had passed, leaving behind a strange quiet that clung to the city like mist.
From the balcony, Alessia gripped the cold railing, her heart still pounding.
The fire below had been extinguished, leaving trails of smoke curling into the violet dawn.
But what caught her breath wasn't the ruins or the glow—it was the two figures she'd seen moments ago on the distant hill.
"Luca," she whispered, pointing. "There... look! Do you see them? A woman in white, and a man beside her... "
But when he turned, the hill was empty.
The smoke had swallowed everything.
Luca's gaze followed her trembling hand, then returned to her face with quiet amusement. "Alessia," he murmured, brushing a loose strand of hair from her cheek. "You have been dreaming and seeing a lot of strange things lately."
"I saw them," she insisted, voice shaking. "They were real and watching us... "
