CHAPTER 32: AFTERMATH

Their steps made no echo. The ground was soft—damp, even—yet there had been no rain, no mist.Only the remnants of battle... and a strange sense of forgetting that tried to bury them.

Fade walked ahead. Everyone was behind him, yet none walked beside him.While the others moved slowly, he walked as if pushing against wind—in a world where no wind blew.

Zeyna said nothing. Kaela still glanced at her malfunctioning device. Arven and Darin leaned on each other as they walked.But no one spoke.There were things to say—but it wasn’t the time for them.

Inside Fade, there was no silence.

"This wasn’t just a battle," he thought."This... was the beginning.""And I’m no longer where I started."

The new power still echoed in his legs, unfamiliar. Every step carried him a little farther away from himself.The wind that brushed his shoulders felt different—but maybe it wasn’t the wind that had changed.

In the distance, a structure emerged. Collapsed, charred. It wasn’t clear if it was metal or concrete.Fade stopped.

"Stop," he said quietly—but everyone heard him.It wasn’t a command.It wasn’t judgment.It was necessity.

He turned around.

His gaze passed over each of them.

And just then, with his steps halted... something moved above.

No one noticed.Only Fade felt the chill crawl up the back of his neck.

In the pale emptiness of the sky, a faint, formless figure emerged.It stood like a person—but cast no shadow. It held no air. And its presence... was outside the system.

[System Ping: Undefined Entity Detected][Access Denied – Signal Encrypted][Passive Surveillance Status: Confirmed]

Fade narrowed his eyes. For a second, he looked up—but the shape vanished.

Still, he understood.

"We’re being watched.""And this... isn’t from within the system.""Someone’s coming."

But he said nothing.He just started walking again.

Their march resumed, but silence had taken on a new meaning. Every step now echoed a deeper collapse.No wind. No birds. Not even insects.

Then, from behind a cracked piece of asphalt—a metallic clink.

Zeyna’s hand flew to her dagger.

"You heard that?" she whispered.

No response was needed.Darin already raised his shield.Kaela tried to polish her screen, but her system still hadn’t synced.

A buzz.A leap.Then—a crash.

A figure landed with a clang.

Armor... but not the kind they recognized.

Black visors stared out from dazzling metal—just like the first encounters.

Enforcers.

But this time, they weren’t alone.

Fade’s eyes narrowed.

"Get ready," he said. His voice now carried something else.Not hesitation.Not aggression.But weight.The weight of truth.

Three more Enforcers emerged from different directions. Their appearances had changed, but their purpose remained: control, surveillance, suppression.

One raised a hand.

"Stand down. Your presence is unauthorized. Transit protocol violation confirmed," a mechanical voice declared.

Fade said nothing.

The others tensed.

Zeyna dipped her head and smirked. "Looks like it’s dance time again."

But Fade didn’t move.

They attacked first.

And Fade... answered.

The first strike wasn’t a bullet. It was movement.Too fast to see—sharp enough to feel.

Two Enforcers staggered at once. Their chest plates cracked, sparks spitting from internal systems.

Kaela’s eyes widened. "God... that’s not from inside the system..."

Arven blocked one, Darin fell into a defensive stance.But Fade had already moved toward the third.

Inside the armor, some unseen process tried to classify him.

[Warning: Unknown Signature Detected][Classification Attempt Failed][Priority Override: Retreat Recommendation – ACTIVE]

Too late.

Fade reached the last one and spoke just one word:

"Leave."

The Enforcer stepped back. Its system offered no response.

And then—just before collapsing—it whispered:

"Did you... come from there?"

Fade stopped.

"There?"

"Echo... central... survivors..."

Then it lost consciousness.

Kaela checked the body—either unconscious or system-disconnected.

Fade’s eyes narrowed.

Echo. A center. Maybe a shelter. Maybe... the last piece of order in all this chaos.

The others didn’t fully grasp the conversation, but Fade took a step and muttered:

"Our path is set."

Zeyna glanced over, the corner of her lip twitching. "Finally, a target."

Darin, still injured, grinned. "At least we’re walking somewhere now."

Arven nodded. "Even if we don’t know what’s waiting."

Fade began moving again.

"Whatever it is... there’s no turning back."

And behind them—the fallen Enforcers still twitched.

Zeyna approached, dagger raised slightly. She looked at Fade. "What do we do with them?"

Fade hesitated.

"I won’t touch them. But no information must leak."

Arven walked forward. Met Zeyna’s eyes.

And in silence... the task was done.

Before them stretched a quiet path born of destruction.No signs. No directions.Just a maze of collapsed roads.

The ground bore the cracks of forgotten highways. Concrete wrestled with roots. Every step carried the creak of buried metal—as if the world wore its own tombstones.

Fade kept walking. But every few steps, he looked back.

Kaela tried her device again. It half-worked. Occasionally, a flickering warning flashed on the edge of the screen:

[ Noise Level: HIGH ]

"When did it get this quiet?" Kaela asked—more to herself than anyone else.

Zeyna stepped on a dusty flower. She didn’t kneel, didn’t sniff it."Everything must die," she whispered."But this... feels like a death no one remembered."

Arven paused, eyeing the skeleton of a bus.The door hung ajar.Inside—a child’s car seat.

Darin touched his shoulder. "Don’t look."

Arven turned his eyes away.

Fade kept walking.But that formless entity still lingered in his mind—the shape even the system couldn’t name.

"They’re not just tracking us," he thought."They’re evaluating us."

Every step now carried an extra shadow.

The valley opened. An old highway fork.Only two paths: forward, or through the ruins.

Fade stopped. Turned around.

"Left," he said. "Through the ruins."

"More rubble again?" Zeyna groaned. "Can’t we take a normal road just once?"

"Normal roads," Kaela replied, "are for the ones who survived.We’re not ’survivors’ yet."

That sentence hung in the air for a long moment.

Then—they moved again.

When night fell, the sky was not clear. But it wasn’t truly dark either.No moon—because what still counted as "sky" was uncertain.

They made camp beside a crumbled bus stop. The concrete above shielded wind—but not the cold.The silence felt like it blanketed the whole world.

No fire.Not to stay warm—but to stay unseen.

Arven and Darin had already fallen asleep, leaning against each other in armor, as if still alert.Kaela had her eyes closed, but held her device—like she could control it in her sleep.

Fade stood watch at the edge. Back to a wall. Eyes open—but not awake.Inside him, there were voices.Not from the system.His own.And the echoes answering back.

He hadn’t heard footsteps—but he felt a presence.

Zeyna approached silently.She didn’t speak.She sat a few steps away, knees pulled close, head leaned against the wall.

Fade didn’t turn—but he noticed her. Her breath was uneven. Not asleep.

Long silence stretched between them.

Then—Zeyna spoke.

Her voice was tired. Not sharp. Not sarcastic. Just... tired.

"When you touched Kaela... it felt like time stopped."

Fade said nothing.

Zeyna continued, softer this time.

"I was there too. But your eyes... only looked at her."

Fade closed his eyes. But something inside him was now awake.

"You’ve changed," she said. "We know.But... we’re still here.I’m still here."

Silence.

Fade exhaled slowly.

Zeyna lowered her gaze.

"Sometimes," she whispered, "I want to touch you.But it feels like... you can’t even touch yourself anymore."

Fade turned slightly.Their eyes didn’t meet.But something echoed in the empty space between them.

"You should sleep," Fade said.

Not a command. Not a warning.Just... the last boundary of someone trying to stay distant.

Zeyna nodded.

"I’m used to it."She stood.

But before turning away, she whispered:

"One day... these walls?We’ll break them.Not you.We will.I promise."

Fade was alone again.

There were still no stars in the sky.But the emptiness inside him had grown deeper.

Morning came quietly.But this silence was not peace.It was the breath of something approaching.

The sky was still gray, but lighter than the night. Light trickled down like mist across the leaves. Fade was the first to awaken—though in truth, he had never fully slept.

He rose slowly. His body was tense but calm. He was already ready.

Soon after, the others stirred. Arven stretched and sat up. Darin rubbed the fatigue from his face. Kaela glanced at her device—it was still malfunctioning, but allowed partial readings. Zeyna stood silently, not looking at anyone.

There was no breakfast.Just short words, long glances.

Right before they set out, Fade stopped. His eyes weren’t on the road—they were on the ground.Something was there. Still. But alive.

Then, the system spoke:

[Threat Detected – Signal Trace: Enforcer Class Units][Proximity Alert: 45 meters][Hostility Level: HIGH][Engagement Probability: 89%]

Fade immediately gestured."Take positions. We’ve got incoming."

Arven shielded Darin. Zeyna dropped to a crouch, daggers drawn. Kaela began inputting data into her console.

Then... someone stepped out from the forest.

Wearing black and gray armor, visor lenses glowing, nearly human in appearance—an Enforcer.Two others followed behind, moving in a tactical formation. But strangely... they weren’t attacking yet.They were scanning. Analyzing.

Zeyna whispered, "They shouldn’t have gotten this close. How didn’t we notice?"

Fade responded, "Because these... aren’t just system agents anymore."

A second later, the first shot was fired.

When it rang out, the air split.

But Fade didn’t move.

The bullet tore through the air—but missed.

The target had already vanished.

Zeyna cursed. Kaela ducked for cover. Arven and Darin pulled back while Fade remained standing.

His movement wasn’t sudden.Time itself seemed to slow around him.

One step.Then a leap.

Leaves scattered. Fade’s shadow disappeared—and reappeared.

He struck the first Enforcer from behind, at the base of the neck. A precise, non-lethal blow dropped the target instantly.

The second turned, reflexively raising its weapon—but Fade was already gone.

[Passive Skill Activated: Phantom Leap]

Three meters left. Then up.

He moved through the air like silence incarnate.Not a single sound before his feet struck the next enemy’s chest.

"What the—" the Enforcer began—but never finished.

Fade held back the final blow.The man collapsed unconscious, still breathing.

The third turned to flee—but it was too late.

Fade had already appeared in front of him.

Their eyes met.

"Raise your hand," Fade said.His voice was low—but undeniable.

The Enforcer hesitated. Finger twitching near the trigger.

But then... he saw something in Fade’s eyes.

Something... like the ghost of the old world.

And he raised his hand.

The rest of the group emerged from cover. Everyone looked stunned.They’d never seen a skirmish end so fast—or so clean.

Arven spoke quietly, "Why didn’t you kill them?"

Zeyna blinked. "You’re usually... ruthless."

Fade didn’t answer.He just stared down at the fallen enemies.

My head’s too full.And this time... something felt different.

But he didn’t say it aloud.

Kaela stepped forward.

"These aren’t standard agents. They’re semi-autonomous. Their signals are different."

Fade nodded."So they can talk."

One of the fallen stirred. Half-conscious, he whispered:

"You... did you come from there?""From... Last Hope...?"

Everyone froze.

Zeyna was the first to speak."What’s Last Hope?"

Fade leaned closer, gazing at the man’s face—but he had passed out again.

Arven scanned the area. "We can’t let them live. If they spread intel, others will follow."

Darin drew his blade. "What’s the call?"

Fade exhaled.

"I did what I could.""Now it’s your turn."

The group, one by one, silenced the remaining Enforcers.Their eyes remained on Fade.

But he was looking upward—toward the empty sky.

"Last Hope...""Maybe... that’s where the answers begin."