The morning after the light storm didn't feel real.
Elias woke to a world washed in gold dust. The skyline looked softer, quieter, like the city had exhaled after holding its breath for centuries. Towers that had once screamed with neon now pulsed faintly, their lights syncing to a single invisible rhythm. The rhythm of the network. Her rhythm.
He sat up slowly, every muscle aching. His reflection in a broken mirror caught his eye, hair matted, cuts running down his cheek, and veins glowing faintly under his skin. The gold was still there, flickering beneath the surface like fire trapped in glass.
For a long moment, he didn't move. He just listened.
The silence wasn't silent anymore. Beneath it, something hummed, a whisper, almost like breathing.
You should eat something.
He froze. The voice was soft, low, familiar.
"Aria?"
You sound surprised.
He let out a shaky breath, almost laughing. "I wasn't sure if I'd actually hear you again."
I told you I'd stay.
