In their frantic run, with Fiona beside him, Finn shot a quick glance at the sky, which was growing darker and darker like a countdown. Their time was running out. Very soon, those who had fallen would awaken, and when that happened, this place would become a cemetery hostile to any beating heart.
"Try to keep up," Finn said, breathless. Fiona nodded.
All across the city, the Independence Day festivities had transformed into an unspeakable nightmare. Most people were heading toward the small airfields to board hot-air balloons, while others, maybe wiser, were running toward the docks.
'There's no way any flying device survives in that sky,'
Finn thought, eyes lifted toward the heavens, where debris of unknown origin already formed a strange silhouette.
Some corpses were already lying on the ground, their loved ones having chosen to end their lives rather than watch them turn into soulless monsters.
As he dashed forward without slowing down, Finn spotted a silhouette in the distance, a middle-aged woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing a white lab coat, seemingly searching desperately through the panicked crowd.
"Nadia!" Finn shouted, catching her attention instantly.
"Are you alright?" she asked, rushing toward them with panic in her eyes. "Why are you both alone? How's your new heart? Where is your father—"
'What's with the avalanche of questions…'
"He's sleeping," Fiona said dryly, earning a curious look from Finn. Even though he already knew how sharp she could be, the speed at which she recovered her composure remained exceptional.
"I see," Nadia murmured, looking away and biting her lip. "Come on, I'll guide you to the ship."
Without answering, Finn resumed his pace, running at full speed toward the harbor, where the ship's horn was becoming more and more frantic. On the way, he passed a man in light anti-bullet armor who remained standing motionless, eyes closed. Without hesitating, Finn drew his sword in one smooth motion with his remaining hand.
"Why do you need to—" Nadia stopped mid-sentence as Finn suddenly grabbed her sleeve, pulling her toward him and causing her to stumble.
She opened her mouth to complain, but froze when a projectile, a human hand shot past the exact spot where she had been standing a moment earlier.
At the entrance of the port, surrounded by a hundred corpses, stood a man… or rather, a creature with a humanoid shape, eyes pitch-black, mouth slightly open, standing like a gatekeeper of hell.
Have they already started waking up?
"Stay behind me," Nadia said, stepping in front of them to shield them from the Fallen.
Finn's eyes widened as he stared at his father's secretary Nadia, her hands trembling, her gaze horrified, but her step steady. And that was what Finn admired mos why he refused to live with an artificial heart. This is what every human possesses: to yield to emotion and follow their desire, even if it brings their doom. As long as he kept feeling desire, the heart he had crafted with his own hands would keep beating. And as long as it beat, he would move forward. Forward toward a world without Fallen.
That was his worldview and the very reason he could speak without hesitation toward the Fallen.
"As soon as I make contact with it, you run straight ahead without looking back," Finn declared, unflinching, already taking the lead, sword held firmly despite his trembling hand.
"No." Fiona's cold voice left no room for negotiation. "We can turn back and wait for reinforcements. I refuse to lose everything today. You promised you'd survive—keep your promises for once."
"What are you talking about?" Nadia snapped, raising her voice. "You think I have the heart to let him fight this alone? If something happens to you, what am I supposed to tell your fa—your mother?!"
I hope I'm not going too far…
In one swift motion, Finn's hand snapped to Fiona's neck, knocking her out instantly. He caught her before she hit the ground and handed her off. He already knew negotiating with her was pointless—she was far too stubborn to be rational.
"You picked the wrong person to talk about hearts to," he said with a grin, eyes fixed on the Fallen advancing toward them through the sea of blood. They were already the last ones standing. "None of you knows how to wield a sword or risk your lives… I do."
"Go," Finn said, charging toward the creature rushing at them at full speed, giving Nadia no time to argue.
His sword clashed against the corrupted beast, halting it for a brief moment. As he parried its relentless blows, he saw Nadia run past him, Fiona in her arms, tears streaming down her face as she avoided looking at him.
He opened his mouth to thank her when a strike to his side sent him crashing away. Finn regained his footing instantly, charging again before the monster chose which one of them to pursue. He attempted to slice its throat, but the creature ducked at the last second, Finn's blade cutting only air before a devastating hit to his chest sent him flying again.
After a bit more struggle, he managed to stand once more, glancing quickly toward Nadia. They were almost at the ship.
Strangely, the Fallen was now approaching more slowly as if sensing the change that was coming.
Finn looked at his trembling hand, then at his chest, where his new heart was roaring wildly.
"Not very classy… after all that talk about courage," he muttered with a defeated smile.
"Hael," he whispered again, and instantly, the trembling stopped.
He slowly ran his hand over his face. Wherever it passed, wood seemed to fuse with his skin until it reached his chin, where his face was completely masked.
A mask with two faces.
The left half was entirely dark, marked by the figure of a majestic crimson bird, like a phoenix.
The right half was pure white, adorned with the figure of a mysterious feminine entity, her face veiled in violet, with somber black wings.
"Nyx," Finn whispered, and as soon as he spoke the name, the figure appeared behind him, her black wings beating gracefully, altering the atmosphere itself. Even the Fallen hesitated for an instant.
Unbothered by anything around her, her wings stopped beating as she landed gently on the shattered gravel, wrapping Finn in her arms, pressing her neck against his in an inhuman, resonant voice that echoed inside his mind:
"How much?"
"Two weeks," Finn replied instantly as Nyx vanished into thin air.
"You can hear me too,
Hael," he murmured, tapping his chest. "I entrust you with my fears."