Morning arrived in shades of grey silence. No birds. No urban murmurs. It was as if the city had held its breath—just to watch them.
When Fade opened his eyes, the first thing he felt was… stillness.
No threat. No internal alarm. But no peace either. Just… absence.
Light seeped in through the window, casting a pale glow across the misty sky. It was neither warm nor cold. It simply existed.
Fade sat at the edge of the bed and rubbed his eyes. Instincts from the night still hovered in his mind, like fading echoes.
Zeyna was still asleep, her eyelids fluttering in REM. Arven lay next to his weapon, snoring lightly. Kaela had already woken and was seated by the window, silently scanning her data device. Darin's bed was empty—probably in the shower.
Fade took a deep breath.
Today… felt like a real day. And yet in this city, reality was always veiled in mist.
A knock. Then a soft mechanical click as the door opened.
