(Yona's POV)
The morning after the prayer was gray and quiet, the kind of quiet that presses in on you like a hand over your mouth. I woke up curled against a rock, my new blanket from the scavenged supplies pulled tight around me. The air was cold, biting at my nose and fingers, but the eye symbol from last night didn't glow anymore. The ground beneath me was just dirt again, ordinary and still. But I couldn't forget it. The way it had lit up under me, like the earth itself was looking back.
Everyone was already moving when I sat up. Amie was packing the medical kit, her braids swinging as she worked. Kai was heating water over the small stove, humming something low and cheerful. Lira stood apart, staring at the horizon where her town had burned, her face hard like stone. Kael sat nearby, flexing his splinted hand, testing the pain.
Xeno was awake too, sitting with his back against a boulder, knees drawn up. His blindfold was in place, but his skin still looked too pale, fever lingering in the shadows under his eyes. He didn't look at anyone, just stared at nothing, deep in thought.
I remembered everything from last night,the symbol, Kai's question, Lira's anger. My chest tightened. I had to fix it. I had to make her believe me.
I stood on shaky legs and walked over to Lira. She didn't turn when I approached, but her shoulders tensed.
"Lira," I said, voice small. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I swear I didn't do anything to your town. I didn't want anyone to die. I didn't know about the symbol or the curse or anything. Please believe me. Please forgive me."
The words tumbled out, fast and desperate. Tears stung my eyes again. I reached for her hand, but stopped short, afraid she'd pull away.
Lira turned slowly. Her eyes were red-rimmed, tired, but the anger from last night was gone,or buried deep. She looked down at me for a long moment, face unreadable.
"I know," she said finally, voice rough. "It wasn't you. I... I lost control. I'm the one who should be sorry."
I shook my head hard. "No. You lost everything. Your home. Your great-grandfather. I understand why you were mad."
She knelt, bringing us eye level. "You're a child, Yona. You didn't cause this. The world did. The monsters did. Whatever that symbol means... we'll figure it out together."
She pulled me into a hug,awkward at first, stiff, but then her arms tightened, and I hugged back. She smelled of smoke and ash, but it felt safe.
When we pulled apart, her eyes were wet, but she wiped them quickly.
Xeno watched from his spot, silent. When Lira told him what happened,my begging, her outburst, pulling the knife, Kai stopping her,his reaction was immediate.
He stood slowly, body still weak from fever, but his posture rigid. The blindfold hid his eyes, but his voice was low, dangerous. "You raised a knife to her?"
Lira met his gaze without flinching. "I did. And I regret it."
Xeno's hands clenched at his sides, knuckles white. "She's six. She's all I've..." He stopped, jaw tight. "If it happens again..."
"It won't," Lira said firmly.
Xeno nodded once, but the tension didn't leave him. He sat back down, but closer to me now, like a silent guard. His protectiveness wrapped around me like a blanket, but it scared me a little too,the way his voice had gone cold, the promise in it.
We packed up and started walking north, following the twins' safe route.
The first day was hard.
The plain stretched endless, cracked earth and scattered rocks under the black sky. No sun, no stars,just gray nothing. My legs ached from yesterday's running, and the new boots from the supplies rubbed blisters. We rationed food carefully,our supplies from the dead travelers were running low already, bars and cans doled out sparingly. Water from purifiers tasted metallic, but it was life.
Amie walked beside Xeno, matching his slower pace. She glanced at him often, a small smile on her face.
"You know," she said finally, voice light, "you're kinda cute when you're all mysterious with that blindfold."
Xeno didn't respond, just kept walking.
Amie laughed softly. "Come on, big bro vibes or something. What's the story with the blindfold? Fashion statement? Secret superpower?"
Xeno's jaw tightened. "No story."
Amie's smile faltered for the first time. Her eyes widened slightly, surprise flashing across her face, then something softer,hurt, quickly hidden behind a forced grin. "Oh. Okay. Keeping the mystery alive, huh?"
She turned away, braids swinging, and I saw her bite her lip, the cheer dimming just a little. Rejection stung her, even if she played it off.
She turned to me instead, holding out her hand. "How about you, little one? Big sis hand-hold?"
I hesitated, then took it. Her hand was warm, strong, comforting. Like a promise that things might be okay.
"Thanks, big sis," I whispered.
She squeezed gently, smile returning, but not quite as bright. "Anytime."
The twins talked as we walked, filling the silence with their easy chatter.
"You know about the Collectors evolving?" Kai asked the group.
Amie nodded. "We saw the first changes months ago. The small ones,the Harvesters,stole objects. Scrolls, artifacts, shiny things. But the ones you guys said you fought last night... those were old Collectors. Evolved. Grown faces, wings, voices. They don't steal trinkets anymore."
"They steal souls," Kai said grimly. "Or memories. Pieces of people. That's why the voices sounded familiar. They take what makes you... you."
Lira's voice was low. "The one that took the scroll was a Harvester, then. Smaller. Object-focused."
"Exactly," Amie said. "The evolved ones are something worse. Harvesters are scouts. Collectors are... reapers."
We walked for four days like that.
The first day: endless plain, wind biting, conversations sparse. Food ran lower,bars halved, water sipped. Nights were cold; we huddled close for warmth. Xeno's fever lingered low, but the medicine kept it down.
Amie tried again with Xeno one evening, offering to braid a loose strand of his hair. "Come on, it'll look cool."
He pulled away sharply. "No."
Amie's face fell openly this time,eyes widening in genuine surprise, then a flicker of hurt that she couldn't hide. Her smile cracked, lips pressing thin for a moment before she forced it back. "Okay... message received," she said softly, voice lighter than her expression. She turned away quickly, busying herself with her pack, braids hiding her face.
The second day: the terrain shifted to rolling hills of cracked clay. Wind howled constantly, whipping dust into our eyes. Food was scarce now,last cans shared, hunger a constant gnaw. We walked in silence mostly, saving breath.
The third day: we found an old road, pre-fall asphalt crumbled but flat. Easier walking, but exposed. Supplies nearly gone,one bar per person, water low. We saw distant shapes,winged silhouettes against the black sky. Collectors, harvesting far off. Carrying... things.
I sensed them first sometimes,a prickle under my skin from the symbol, like eyes watching. I warned the group, and we hid until they passed.
The fourth day: hunger sharp, legs heavy, the air changed, carrying a faint rot. We crested a hill and saw it,a small camp, pre-fall ruins, tents torn.
And Vesper's body.
He lay in the center, handsome face pale in death, muscular body sprawled like he'd fallen mid-stride. But his eyes... gone. Gouged out, sockets empty and black, crusted blood trailing down his cheeks. The wounds looked recent,blood still dark and tacky, body not yet bloated. Like it had happened three days ago, right after he walked away from us with the scroll.
Lira froze, staring. Her face drained of color, then flushed with rage and grief. "He's... dead?" Her voice broke. "I was going to kill him. For my great-grandfather. For the town. And someone else..." She trailed off, fists clenching, tears of frustration burning her eyes. Vengeance stolen,her purpose, her fire, snuffed out by an unknown hand.
Kai whistled low. "Well... at least the bastard's gone."
Amie kicked his shin hard. "You dumbass. That means we have a stronger enemy on our hands."
The twins moved forward, professional curiosity overriding shock. Amie pulled gloves and a vial from her pack. "Samples," she said quietly. "His blood, tissue,whatever changed him, healed him. We need to know."
Kai nodded, drawing a scalpel. They worked quickly, taking small slices from the arm, collecting blood in tubes. Lira watched, face twisted,rage at the desecration, but understanding the need.
We searched the body. No scroll. Pockets empty, dagger gone.
Something bigger had killed the Fallen Angel three days after he stole from us.
And taken what he stole.
The wind carried distant wings again.
We had to move.