Midnight in Verrath was never truly silent. The city hummed like a trapped beast.
Yoren sat on the edge of the rooftop. His legs dangled over the side. The drop was four stories. He did not look down.
The wind was cold. It carried the scent of oil and rain. Above him, the sky was choked with smog. The stars were hidden.
He held a cup of cold tea. He did not drink it. He just watched the streets below.
The lower district was quiet. Most shops were closed. The shutters were down. The locks were engaged.
A siren wailed in the distance. It was a low, mournful sound.
Yoren set the cup down. He stood up. He walked to the edge of the roof.
Red lights flashed around the corner. The alarm grew louder. It was not a drill.
Yoren said, Finally.
He had been waiting for a breach. The Shatter Zone was getting restless. The walls were holding, but the pressure was building.
Heavy boots pounded on the pavement below. Soldiers in black armor ran in formation. Iron Veil.
They moved with practiced efficiency. They did not shout. They did not panic. They took positions at the intersection.
A commander raised his hand. He wore a white cloak over his armor.
The commander said, Hold the line.
The soldiers raised their rifles. The barrels glowed with rune energy.
Yoren watched from the shadows. He was not part of this. He was an observer.
A crack echoed through the street. It sounded like thunder.
The pavement ahead of the soldiers split open. Dark smoke poured from the fissure.
Nullkin poured out. They were small, human shaped things made of gray ash. They had no faces. They had only mouths.
They screeched. The sound was like tearing metal.
The commander said, Fire.
The rifles erupted. Blue light filled the street. The Nullkin dissolved into smoke when hit. But more came. They climbed over the bodies of the fallen.
People ran from the buildings. They wore nightclothes. They carried children. They moved toward the evacuation point.
Yoren tracked the crowd. He looked for weaknesses. He looked for gaps in the line.
A woman stumbled. She dropped her bag. She did not stop to pick it up.
A man pushed past her. He did not look back.
Survival was selfish in Verrath. Yoren knew this better than anyone.
Another crack sounded. Closer this time.
The fissure spread. It reached the sidewalk. The evacuation line broke.
People surged forward. They pushed against the soldiers. The soldiers pushed back.
Yoren narrowed his eyes. He saw a small figure fall.
It was a child. A boy, no older than six. He had dropped away from his mother's hand.
He stood alone in the street. The Nullkin swarmed toward him.
The mother screamed. She reached for him. A soldier held her back.
The soldier said, You cannot go back!
The mother said, He is there!
The soldier said, Hold the line!
Yoren looked at the child. The boy was frozen. He was crying silently.
A Nullkin lunged. It was meters away.
Yoren moved.
He did not think. He did not weigh the cost. He just jumped.
He landed on the street behind the child. His boots made no sound. The shadows absorbed the impact.
The Nullkin swiped at the boy. Yoren caught the claw. His hand glowed faintly.
Yoren said, Down.
The boy dropped. Yoren swung his arm. The Obsidian Fang materialized. It cut through the ash creature.
The Nullkin vanished. Two more took its place.
Yoren stepped forward. He slashed left. He slashed right. The movements were economical. No wasted energy.
The shadows behind him surged. The Thornmaw shadow materialized for a second. It bit the head off a Nullkin.
The street was filled with smoke. The soldiers were still firing. They did not see Yoren. They saw only the enemy.
Yoren grabbed the boy. He lifted him easily.
Yoren said, Close your eyes.
The boy obeyed. He buried his face in Yoren's shoulder.
Yoren turned. He ran toward the evacuation line. He moved faster than a human should. He was a blur in the smoke.
He reached the soldiers. He pushed the boy into the mother's arms.
The mother said, Thank you.
Yoren did not answer. He turned away. He melted back into the smoke.
The soldiers swept the area. They checked the bodies. They checked the shadows.
The commander said, Secure the zone.
The firing stopped. The street was quiet again. The fissure sealed itself. The smoke faded.
Yoren climbed the fire escape. He moved silently. He reached the rooftop in seconds.
He stood in the shadows. He watched the scene below.
The mother hugged the boy. The soldiers regrouped. They counted their ammo. They counted their dead.
No one looked up. No one looked for the watcher.
Yoren looked at his hand. The glove was torn. A thin line of blood ran down his wrist.
He wiped it on his pants. The wound closed slowly. The red lines on his neck pulsed.
He walked to the edge of the roof. He looked at the cup of tea. It was still there. It was cold.
He picked it up. He drank it in one gulp. It tasted like bitter leaves.
Yoren said, Too loud.
He had used the shadow. He had used the blade. He had been seen by the child.
But the child was too young to remember. The mother was too shaken to notice.
The Iron Veil finished their sweep. They marched away. They left the street empty.
Yoren stood alone in the dark. The wind picked up. It cooled the blood on his wrist.
He moved before he decided to. He was back on the rooftop before Iron Veil finished their sweep. The child lived. Nobody saw who helped.
But the rings felt hot again. They burned against his skin.
He looked at them. They were dark. They were silent.
Yet the heat remained. It was a warning. Or a promise.
Yoren turned away from the edge. He walked toward the door. He needed to wrap his wrist. He needed to sleep.
Tomorrow, the city would wake up. The news would report the breach. They would call it a minor incident.
They would not mention the child. They would not mention the shadow.
Yoren opened the door. He stepped inside. He locked it behind him.
The room was empty. The shadows were waiting.
He sat on the bed. He looked at his hands. The heat was fading. But the memory of it stayed.
He lay back. He closed his eyes. The sirens faded in the distance.
Verrath did not sleep. Neither did he.
A/N Thank you for reading Chapter 4! The action heats up as Yoren reveals a glimpse of his power to save an innocent. Why did he intervene when he usually stays hidden? Vote and add to your library to find out! See you in Chapter 5!