The fire hadn't gone out.
Even hours after we'd left the burned-out warehouse, I could still smell the smoke clinging to my skin. Every breath dragged soot into my lungs, every blink stung with the memory of heat. It wasn't just the building that had burned that night—it was the last thread of trust I'd had left in this city.
Kael's betrayal gnawed at me like broken glass under the skin. I wanted to scrape it out, to forget the sharp glint in his eyes when he chose power over us. But forgetting was a luxury I no longer owned. Every choice I made now carried his shadow.
Selene walked ahead, her steps purposeful but heavier than usual. She hadn't spoken much since we'd slipped into the Darker Districts. Her silence said enough. She had seen betrayal before. She had survived it. And maybe she thought I should already know the lesson myself: trust no one, not even those who bleed beside you.
But the truth was crueler—I had trusted him. I had wanted to.
"Keep your head down," Selene muttered finally, breaking the silence. Her hand hovered close to her blade, her eyes flicking to every shadow, every figure that lingered too long at a corner. "Wardens thrive on distraction. We can't afford another surprise."
Her words weren't scolding, but they bit at me anyway. Because she was right. I had been distracted. Distracted by Kael's steady voice, his cold wisdom disguised as guidance, his false promises of survival. I had let myself believe in something that never existed.
Now, survival felt heavier. Every choice dug deeper into me.
We turned down an alley where rusted pipes leaked steam into the cold air. The walls were painted with graffiti—slogans half-scrubbed away by the council's enforcers. FREEDOM IS A LIE, one said in jagged red strokes. THE COUNCIL SEES ALL, another scrawled in fading black. The words looked less like rebellion and more like a warning now.
I paused, hand brushing the wall as if I could draw strength from the anger of those who had come before us. But anger wasn't enough. Not anymore.
"Do you ever wonder if it's worth it?" I asked quietly.
Selene didn't stop walking, but her shoulders tightened. "Worth what?"
"Fighting. Running. Surviving just to see another day of…
At that, she did stop. Turning, she looked at me, her eyes sharp even in the dim glow of the broken streetlights. "I don't wonder. If I let myself wonder, I'm already dead. Wondering is the luxury of people safe enough to dream."
Her words landed heavy, but not cruel. A truth she had carried so long.
I swallowed hard. "Then what's left? Just surviving?"
"Surviving long enough," she said, "to turn survival into something bigger."
Her gaze lingered on me for a moment—me, the girl who didn't belong to this world, who had stumbled into it by accident or fate. And then she turned away again, leading us deeper into the maze of the city.
I followed, but her words stuck to me like ash. Surviving long enough.
But long enough for what?
The deeper we went, the narrower the streets became, until the lanterns overhead flickered uncertainly, leaving long stretches in near darkness. Every step carried the risk of discovery. My senses sharpened, but so did the tension curling around my chest like iron bands.
"Stay close," Selene whispered, her voice like the hiss of a blade through air. "They'll have scouts. Wardens are patient—they wait for mistakes."
I nodded, adjusting the dagger at my hip. The weapon had never felt so heavy, yet it was my only tether to confidence in this city. My heart thudded in time with each footstep, but I forced my breathing into calm, controlled intervals. Panic would kill me faster than Kael's betrayal ever could.
We turned a corner into a dead-end courtyard, the walls high and crumbling, windows shattered and jagged. Selene dropped to one knee, signaling me to do the same. The street beyond was quiet now, deceptively so. Too quiet. the scuff of boots, the whisper of wind against metal, a breath too measured to belong to the night.
Then I saw it—a shadow moving along the upper ledge, almost invisible except for the faint glint of metal catching the moonlight. My stomach clenched. My fingers tightened around my dagger, knuckles whitening. The hunter hadn't given up. Kael's betrayal might have cut deep, but someone—or something—was still circling, still watching, still waiting.
Selene's hand touched my shoulder, steadying me. "Not yet," she murmured. "We decide when, not them."
Her calm was contagious. For a moment, I felt the cold fire of focus replace the icy fingers of fear. I wasn't just running anymore. I was learning, absorbing the rhythm of the city and its deadly games.
Suddenly, a faint metallic click echoed from the corner behind us. I froze, heart hammering. Selene's head snapped in that direction, eyes narrowing. My pulse skyrocketed. Another trap? Another warden? Or—impossibly—Kael?
Before I could think further, a figure lunged from the shadows. I reacted instinctively, plunging the dagger forward. It sank into fabric and flesh with a sickening familiarity. A scream cut through the night—low, human, ragged. I stumbled backward, almost tripping over broken stones.
Selene was already moving, swift and precise, striking another assailant who had come from the opposite side. Their bodies hit the ground, one after another, but more kept coming. I realized then: they were testing us, gauging how we reacted under pressure. Kael hadn't been the only betrayal. The city itself, the council's forces, had been circling like predators, and we had wandered into their den.
I felt the weight of responsibility crush me. I wasn't just surviving anymore. Selene was relying on me—not just for backup, but for judgment. Every decision my team and I made could mean life or death.
The shadow above shifted, and I recognized the faint outline of the warden we'd glimpsed before. Too still. Too patient. Waiting for a moment to strike. My mind raced. I had learned from Selene's teachings, from the city's whispered lessons. Hesitation was death. But rashness could be worse.
I made a choice.
"We lead them!" I'm shoute to Selene hi died . "Through the eastern tunnels—the ones with the fallen pipes!"
Selene's eyes widened just slightly, then a small nod. That was enough. She trusted me. My chest swelled with a mixture of fear and newfound resolve. For the first time, I wasn't just a pawn, not just someone surviving by chance—I think me as a player in the game on the other world.
We darted forward, moving as one through the maze of decay. The assailants followed, unaware that we had set our own traps—loose stones, hanging pipes, debris ready to collapse. One by one, they tripped, stumbled, slowed. Every misstep they took was an advantage we seized.
Above, the warden's shadow traced our path, unwavering. I could feel it's eyes boring into us, studying, measuring. And yet, with every step, my confidence solidified. We were outnumbered, yes. Betrayed, yes. But we were clever. Calculated. Alive.
At the final bend, I turned sharply, hurling a loose pipe down a stairwell. It crashed, a deafening metallic roar that echoed through the tunnels. The followers faltered. Selene and I slipped past the fallen bodies and shadows, hearts pounding, lungs burning, adrenaline sharp as knives.
We emerged into a narrow alley, wet with rainwater and mud. Silence settled around us for the first time that night. My legs trembled, and my chest ached, but the fear that had weighed me down for hours was replaced with something else: resolve.
Kael's betrayal had cut deep, but it had also taught me something invaluable: survival wasn't about trust—it was about understanding the rules, predicting danger, and claiming control when the city thought it had you cornered.
Selene finally spoke, her voice softer now, almost approving. "You made the call. You led us. Not perfectly, but decisively. That is what counts in this world."
I exhaled, feeling the tension leave me, just slightly. But deep in the shadows, I knew the lesson was far from over. Every step forward would be another test. Another chance to fail—or to rise.
And somewhere in the darkness, Kael was watching. Waiting. Calculating.
The game have only just beguning and more history.